How to select a right b-school for management education?

When a student decides to pursue a career in the corporate world first challenge confronting her/him is to select a suitable institute/bschool. Obviously the IIMs remain the preferred choice if one could qualify the test. Though all IIM grads may not have a great career but they are the one to make it to the corner room in the corporate arena. Following IIMs are the business schools established in the reputed universities like Punjab University Chandigarh and Delhi University etc. Thereafter there are large number of private institutes & universities claiming to make you a ‘real manager’ and the student is confused about which institute is suitable for her/his career. And every year thousands of unemployable students are produced by numerous institutes.

I meet & guide several students to select a suitable place for study. First let me share with you the criteria that students follow to select an institute? Students tend to favour old established institutes as those have been tried by several people in the past. Secondly it is the location of the institute. If a b-school is located in or near a major town or industrial belt it comforts the student aspiring for placement. B-school size & infrastructure comes third in the list of factors having a bearing on student choice. Media coverage in terms of advertisement also plays a crucial part in influencing a person.

MBA/PGDM is management degree that aims to prepare a person for a career in corporate world. Therefore what you know about trade/industry and the processes would increase your chances of finding suitable employment.  Therefore first thing an aspiring MBA/PGDM should consider while opting for a particular bschool would be the expertise of the faculty. Faculties are the machines that introduce & prepare you for a truly good career. If the faculty themselves have corporate and/or research experience it would be able to transfer that skills & knowledge to the prospective managers. So when you select a school first of all meet the teachers and find out if they have significant industry experience and understanding.

It is the quality of the teachers & curriculum that prepare you for long term success rather than infra and the age of the institute.