I am very surprised after reading the emails on the isb-pgp yahoogroups. Prospective applicants come up with so many weird questions. They seem to be so worried about their future - JOBS to be specific.
Lets get to the bottomline: All they want to know is whether the will get a good job - let me clarify that its more in monetary terms, good position - people want to know the roles offered by various companies, whether they can shift from IT to Finance, what roles do IT people get after an MBA and how do companies view MBA's with IT background, with commerce background? THAT's ALL - nothing else? They dont want to know anything other than this? I am totally puzzled.
How come I didn't have any of these job related questions when I applied to Schools.
Why did I just see what value the MBA Program would add to my current experience and education.
Why did I decide on schools based on the research they do, the course structure and the diversity of the batch?
Isnt clarity of thought very crucial for a B-School Applicant?
I have some more questions. Will you not decide where you want to be after your MBA, even before you apply? The answer has to be yes. Atleast you should have a fair idea. In that case, you should know your target companies too. I dont know why people decide to join a school based on the placement options that the school provides them. Is MBA all about getting that whatever digit salary at the end of the day?
Some people are confused about their post MBA plans. Some tell that they will decide whether to apply based on the roles provided by companies. Ha, gimme a break. So according to some of you, a b-school is a new kind of employment office? I think this is one of the reasons why we are still where are and perhaps will continue to remain so.
For a fact, we must understand that most schools in Europe and US do not have this spoon-feeding placements concept. Its all left to you and the student body to conduct career fairs, invite companies and get jobs. And all these international schools are much better than the indian schools.
I think, our country needs a LOT of time to get out of this cushion system. People value schools based on just the placements. I have lived in London for 2 years and not once have I seen LBS or Oxford or any of the other schools placing so much emphasis on placements. Even the students who are there and who want to apply talk more about how much they contribute and get from the school!! Some of them do not know where they want to work after their MBA, but their goal is to learn, experience and then search for jobs.
My questions and arguments can go on. I will just end this here. But is this what management education in india all about?
5 comments:
Your arguments against applicants fixation with placements is valid, but to a certain extent the schools themselves are responsible for this.
I doubt if there is a single GOOD B-school that would admit an applicant who doesnt lay out a career path during the application process. Can one get admitted by saying 'I would figure out what I want to do after MBA once I join the program'.
For instance, here's one admission essay for ISB's next batch :-
You are applying to your dream job after ISB. Please prepare a cover letter accompanying your CV.
Hello Enthumama:
nothing wrong in charting their course through rough waters of high investment(fee),leaving their
present good jobs etal,spending valuable time in their career(s), no body just goes for knowledge, what do you say !
ok to answer ur question on the essay, the cover letter tries to find out ur passion for a job or career. that is in no way connected to whether that company is coming to isb or not. its just ur motivation. and i never said that u shudnt lay out a career path. thats a wrong interpretation. my point is that u shudnt fix ur career because of the companies that come to a school. ur career path should be aligned to the school's mba model and not job provision model.
answer to the second comment - u r just thinking of payback. and this is the problem here. u come to school to add value to ur thought process, gain some insights and a lot more in the mgmt perspective because of the excellent industry associations and scholarly contacts the school has. dont tell me u are spending a lot of money and time, just to make a better job.
mama
Ideally the school's MBA model and the school's job provision model should be lined up anyways.
BTW, what is ISB's MBA model ? Obviously anybody who joins a good b-school is coming there to exploit the alumni/industry contacts and facilities it offers. CAS is just one of those services probably a little more important.
In the end anybody who does join is still taking a gamble in terms of ROI (tangible or otherwise).
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