How to choose the right B-School

Collecting my earlier articles at one place.

This one was oriniginally published on rediff.com (May 08, 2006)

http://ia.rediff.com/getahead/2006/may/08mba.htm

Happy Reading..

How to choose the right B-school

Surya Saurabh May 08, 2006

Seeing your name on the list of accepted candidates for the B-schools of your choice leaves you feeling both happy and relieved. Unfortunately, this state of mind is short-lived as you are immediately faced with another crucial decision: which institute should you finally opt for?

This decision causes an understandable amount of apprehension and anxiety; the choice you make now will impact you for the rest of your life. I would even go so far as to say your career will partly be shaped by the decision you make now.

Here are a few parameters to go by when deciding which institute is 'hot' and which is not:

Ask the right question.

What do you want from this MBA?

Are you just content with the brand value of a degree? After all, you are going to join your dad's business and it just seems more savvy to have an MBA. Or are you serious about getting an education?

Are you solely concerned with bagging a good job placement?

Are you looking forward to being a student?Maybe, your answer is a combination of all the above in varying degrees.

My sincere advice is not to be guided purely by the placement statistics that seem to overshadow every other facet of management education. Remember, a good B-school is not a placement agency.I am not saying good placements are not important, but don't let that be the sole determining criteria.

Who's your teacher?

While choosing a B-school, you should look at the quality of education you will receive. The calibre of the faculty is a very important parameter. This can be easily obtained from the institutes' web sites.

Almost all institutes have detailed profiles of their faculty members, their educational background, industry links, research and teaching experience.

Talk to people who have graduated from various institutes and see what they have to say.

What will life be like?

Also important is campus life at the institute of your choice. You should look at the student community, their profiles, work experience and background. This data is again easily obtained from the institutes' web sites.

A good institute should have a healthy mix of people with various years of experience in the industry, in varied domains and with sound educational background. Such a mix helps add value to the course by way of the differing perspectives the students bring with them.

Campus life also includes the plethora of activities students get involved with. Education in an institute of repute is not only about classroom learning, it is about taking on responsibility, getting involved in events, managing the show.

Look for various seminars the students organise, the formal and informal events they conduct, the committees and clubs they have and the activities they undertake.

The pressure of the rigorous curriculum will never lessen such activities if the students have the potential, zeal and enthusiasm to handle the additional strain with aplomb.

Once you join the institute of your choice, don't shun the pressure. It will be a part and parcel of your working life in the years to come.

All work and no play?

It should never be all work and no time to unwind. After all, you are still a student. Campus life is complete only with the inclusion of fun and frolic. Look for how students unwind, relax and take respite from the demands of the course.

Cultural events, games, outings, parties all contribute to the overall experience the course provides.

All this information can be obtained by talking to the current students or alumni. Look at online student forums and groups where most of these aspects are discussed.

Always bear in mind that it is not the lifeless walls that make a institute what it is. It is the people there, the buzz they create and the experience they provide by just being themselves.

Surya Saurabh is part of the PGDM Class of 2007 at IIM-Kozhikode.

P.S. - I graduated on March 17, 2007 :)