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So what really is Management education all
about?
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It is a Two
year full time or a Three year part time course
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Gives exposure
to subjects of Finance, Marketing, Operations, HR and Systems.
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Allows Specialization
in one or more of these functional subjects.
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Helps develop
good logical, analytical, presentation skills.
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You get to look
at problems/situations from different angles with a view to
arrive at an effective solution for the same.
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The course teaches
one to work in a team, manage time and helps develop a good
business perspective.
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On an average,
you get to study 40 - 45 subjects in the course.
Involves written exams, presentations, short projects, case
studies, assignments, summer projects, winter projects and
any other projects you can get... can do it all in an MBA.
Why
should you do an MBA?
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MBA is a Post
graduation degree valued by the Industry.
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People from
diversified educational backgrounds join an MBA course.
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Involves high
pressure and time-packed schedule. Really tests one’s time
management skills.
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One learns through
fun class room sessions, case studies, paper presentations,
festivals, seminars etc.
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The focus is
on Knowledge-Sharing across functions.
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Trains in Team
work skills as you learn to work with different people on
different assignments and projects
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Teaches you
to balance curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular
activities.
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Intra &
Inter collegiate Case studies & paper presentation contests
are common
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College Festivals,
seminars, guest lectures take place frequently.
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You get industry
experience through Summer Projects, Winter projects, Industrial
projects and any other projects you can get.
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You can participate
in Project presentations and "Best Project" contests.
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Get to attend
quality Management Seminars within and outside the institute.
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Orients you
with Knowledge of Management functions.
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Entails better
career prospects in terms of job opportunities, career growth,
salaries.
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Teaches you
how to manage yourself, your time, people, situations, success
and failure. Specialization and other things are just a part
of it.
Who
can do an MBA course?
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Any graduate
with a minimum 50% marks in the final year under the 10+2+3(like
BA, B.COM, BCA etc.) or 10+2+4 (like BE, B.Tech etc.) system
is eligible for a Management Education. Even post graduates
can do an MBA.
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However, non-graduates,
who have done a diploma and not a degree course are not eligible.
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Fresh Graduates
as well as Graduates with work experience can do a full time
Management course.
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For part time
Management , eligibility criteria is minimum 50% marks in
the final year plus at least two - three years work experience
after graduation.
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There is no
age limit for doing a Management course both full time &
part time.
What
is a good score in the written test?
It is difficult for anybody to prognosticate accurately as it
depends a lot on the level of difficulty that actually is there
in the test. As a general thumb rule, with a consistent score
of around 85 + one has a decent chance of getting a call from
one or two of the IIMs.
When should one start preparing for the entrance
tests?
It takes a completely dedicated effort to succeed in these tests.
For most part it is hard grind, repetitive and unrelenting. Constant
practice is evidently the key to success at the tests. The duration
of preparation is to a large extent determined by the present
state of preparedness. For a candidate who has been in touch with
basic Mathematics and English, who has good reading habits, the
preparation should commence 4 to 6 months in advance. Other candidates
should start early and work hard and systematically. Our experience
shows that over-preparation is as dangerous as under-preparation.
Candidates are advised not to start preparation too much in advance.
Certainly not more than a year in advance. The ill consequences
could be fatigue, and premature peaking in performance. Performing
at one's peak is, by definition, not sustainable over a long period.
A 100 m and 1 mile race is an analogy. You cannot run the 1 mile
race at a speed at which you can run the 100 m race. So, the objective
should be on learning and constant practice in order to attain
peak levels of performance just around the time of the entrance
tests.
How should one prepare for the tests?
By now you must be aware of the various attributes of the candidates
that are put to test in the entrance test.
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Command over
written English
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Reading and
Comprehension
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Fundamentals
of Mathematics
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Analytical Ability
and Interpretation Skills etc.
Also, the structure
of the entrance tests changes every year. So, most of the preparation
is anticipatory; anticipating would be emphasis on each section;
anticipating the probable range of questions that might appear
in the entrance test, and so forth.
Your preparation should be designed around:
Skill Development
Conceptual knowledge
Application of concepts
Development of habits
Increasing the range of your reading habits
Improving upon your skills of spoken English
Consistent and focused practice
On a regular basis
At different difficulty levels
With a comprehensive range of probable new formats of questions
Continuous feedback
On the improvements in your performance
On areas needing special attention
A strategy for taking the entrance tests
Note that no candidate can be strong in all areas. The focus of
preparation should be to prepare yourself thoroughly in your strong
areas so that you do not lose a single mark there. In your weak
areas you have to work the hardest to garner as many marks as
you can. Further the entrance tests are basically negative, in
the sense that they are designed to eliminate all but the fittest.
And as the general standard of students improves, the hurdles
at the entrance tests get increasingly steep.
How much advantage does a person with a job
experience have over others?
It is clear that work experience has some weightage, though it
is not clear exactly how much work experience is good. In standard
terms, a work-ex of at least one and a half to two years stands
one in good stead, while six months is not really known to make
a difference to one's credentials. Since during placements, a
lot of companies prefer students with some work experience, the
IIMs take a larger share of students who have had some work experience
before applying. Besides a number of experienced personnel, worthy
fresher do get admissions into various B-schools.
Should my graduation background affect the
choice of B-school?
To some extent, yes. For ex. Arts graduates may like to go for
colleges having an HRD orientation (like TISS, XLRI, Symbiosis
etc.). Law graduates may prefer PM & IR course at XLRI. Engineers
have been seen opting for a broad range of choices & colleges.
What is more important, speed or accuracy?
Both are important. Try and aim for a strike of around 85-90%.
Though speed and accuracy are different ideas, vis-à-vis CAT,
they are mutually enhancing skills. One without the other is a
good way to mess up a potentially good performance. Speed deals
with the progress you make in reading, understanding, and answering
a particular question or section. For example, in a typical Reading
Comprehension section, you could finish reading an entire passage
in half a minute flat. Or you could finish reading a math problem
in half a second. Yahoo! You have cut down drastically on the
time taken, but wait a minute.
If I am an average student, will I be able
to clear these tests?
The whole point is: How do you define "average?" The examination
systems in Indian schools and colleges hardly check the students'
aptitude and logical or commonsense skills, the two most desired
things in an MBA aspirant. You may be having a very strong potential
as far as MBA is concerned which has been sadly left untouched
so far.
What about Communication Skills?
It is very crucial for you to develop these skills as at the last
moment, very little can be done. Regular practice is the key.
It has been seen that students getting several calls, at times,
are unable to clear the GD & PI stage. Hence keep preparing.
What specialization should I take up?
This should be decided on the basis of your interests and capabilities,
as well as the institutes resources. There is no hard and fast
rule that engineers should take up a particular specialization.
Students can specialize in any of the following streams:
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Marketing
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Finance
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Human Resources
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Systems
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Operations
How
to select an institute?
The problem of selection is not for the top institutes; the choice
becomes more difficult if you finally get a call from two institutes,
which have equal standing in the industry. In that case you could
choose the college based on the following parameters:
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Placements
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Recognition
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Reputation
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Faculty
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Specialization
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Infrastructure
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