by Suhas Rajput
For a student choosing an institute at the post graduate level is as important as sharpening the pencil lead, which eventually gives a fine outcome or can also be equated to sharpening the sword for the ultimate battle. Todays, corporate warfare is no less than a war, and as quoted – it’s the survival of the fittest. In order to be fit and survive the battle in the career one has to make the right pick of the partners during the course of preparation. And a management school in this journey of preparedness is a central pillar. It is quite essential to choose a right business school in today’s time, not because they are abundant in number, but they may not prove to be an ideal partner in your journey of career. Having heard of the traditional parameters (viz. Infrastructure, Placements, Academics, Location, etc) in choosing an institute, let us also look at a few which are more critical for the present globalized arena.
Innovative Pedagogy
With the change in the generation and certainly a different mindset, one can’t follow the traditional methodology of teaching and expect the newer lot to accept the same and deliver results. It is the innovation in the teaching methodology that takes the Generation Y into confidence and helps in bringing the best out of them. Undoubtedly, the teaching has to be rigorous in nature and should aim to make the student use their minds across various phases of situations/circumstances. There are institutes which entrust the entire teaching methodology on case study basis only and not with the support of texts or journals itself, making the students go beyond the traditional way of learning and understanding the subject matter. Hence, an institute which believes and practices in this would make their students ready for a challenging future.
Developing LIFE Skills
It needs to be understood that an education at business school in not to add grades or few extra lines in the education section of an resume, but it needs to add various thinking caps to the brain. An institute which inspires or motivates to wear different caps and enables the mind to go across all possible directions is the one which is preparing its students for their life and not just a job. And as said, plain skills take you to the top, but life skills help you stay there.
Alumni Collaboration
One of the crucial factor for any institute to stay and thrive over the years is its alumni base and their collaboration on the long run. We may pick any top tier business schools in the world, and measure its performance on the parameter of alumni, we can see the involvement with the institute at its peak. Alumni are not only the brand ambassadors but also mentors in disguise to the new chunk of graduates who come out of the institute.
Industry & Institute Connect
One of the important inputs that the institute gives to its students is that of the happenings in the industry and also the predicted changes for the future. At the same time, it is extremely essential to know the methodology in which these inputs are being infused on the graduates. A stronger connect of the institute with the industry enables it to bring the best industry practices to its doorstep and also making the students aware of the same. The connect between these two entities results into different layers of benefits themselves and also to the student community at large.
Holistic Growth
A business school needs to look into a holistic growth of its student in order to make them better citizens for tomorrow. At the pinnacle of educational life to majority of the students, this platform needs to address those issues/concerns which makes them into better human beings then just great managers or corporate leaders. A holistic approach is certainly the need of the hour, and its essential for the institute to incorporate this is a valuable lesson that has to be delivered to its students.
With a few business schools closing down, and at the same time a few being added to the list, it’s a matter of cautious and well informed ground work that is essential and which would lead into choosing the right platform for the two years of life changing educational experience.
The article is written by Suhas Rajput, Training & Placement Officer, KLS IMER, Belgaum
Thanks Suhas for articulating the right and radical parameters that an MBA aspirant needs to look around before making-up his or her mind in deciding which a B-School join and also the elements that a B-School needs to build/incorporate in itself to give the right foundation within business management for students. Else wherever the students get absorbed within the industry, the first thing asked by anyone is: which b-school did you study? and that says it all.
While i just want to add another element that i would want students to think through, the above article provides focus on one side of the coin (not that the other side has been missed intentionally, but the perimeter of the article demanded it). Being myself an MBA and spent nearly around 12 years in the industry, another factor which needs to be assessed by students are they the right fight for MBA itslef. It’s like, you might end-up selecting the right institute based on the above mentioned parametters, but are you the right person to be part of that institute or MBA itself is a much bigger/bolder question to be answered.
Today when i come across most of the MBA’s, the first point that strikes is has this individual gauged himself to see whether you have a “self-learning attitude”, in short the above mentioned parameters succeed on a collective approach.
Let me elloborate on the same, the institute might provide you all of the above, but the implemenation of the above can be fruitful only when students too have the attitude it making it happen. For instance, an institute can provide a case study based teaching methodology but that cannot make you think innovatively/laterally, this has to be within each student to develop that skill. Similarly Life skills, if a student’s target is only to land up into a job paying fat salary after MBA rather than focusing on the learning part, all these skills will be thrown out of the window by the student the day he/she has been introduced to the same.
The same applies to other parameters too. My thoughts are not to snub the pointers provided by Suhas, but to make every student think that even after having these parameters ticking for an institute, do they have the attitude to mould themselves. Else it will be like someone who can think theorotically but cannot act practically.