From Elite To Evolved

Learning has soared to new heights across top B-schools, embracing a world view that is holistic.

- Sonal Khetarpal

Karan (name changed), a student of the 2017 batch of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), had a pre-placement offer from an FMCG major after doing summer internship with the company. However, he applied to four more companies – most of them in the consulting space – during the final placements in February. “I wanted to explore options in both FMCG and consulting ,” he says. He eventually opted for the initial offer, convinced that consulting wasn’t his cup of tea. The freedom to choose and explore job opportunities, says Karan, differentiates IIMA from other B-schools.

Many management schools don't allow students to appear for job interviews on the campus after accepting an offer by a recruiter. This becomes quite restrictive for students if a preferred recruiter comes for hiring later in the placement process, explains Nalin Gupta, General Secretary of the Student Council (2017), IIMA. The concept gets a big thumbs up from students as it gives them the freedom to get placed in firms of their choice. In 2017, 100 companies visited the campus – Amazon, McKinsey & Company, Goldman Sachs and PwC were top recruiters.

Not surprisingly, IIMA tops our rankings for the sixth successive year. The others in the top five include the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC), XLRI Jamshedpur, S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) and Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurugram.

These institutes are constantly raising the bar in management education, blazing a trail for others.