It depends on the other options available to you. ABM graduates are eligible for many of the marketing and operations jobs that normal PGP students are. Choosing an ABM at any of the top IIMs (including IIM Lucknow) is a better option than a general MBA from a tier 2 business school. Even if you take a drop for CAT, it will be a waste of your year. In an MBA, your college tag makes a big difference. In the long run, the IIM tag will benefit your corporate career a lot.
Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Pune (SIIB) established in 1992 is a constituent of the well-recognised Symbiosis Institute of Management. National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management also known as Manage was established in 1987 by the Ministry of Agriculture. Over the years both these institutions have been ranked amongst the top 50 B-Schools of the country.
It is hard to prefer one over the other but we try to analyse a few aspects here.
Placement statistics:
SIIB Pune
Manage Hyderabad
Go for the IIM Lucknow ABM program only if you are sincerely inclined towards agri. If not then choosing ABM will limit your career prospects considerably and you might even regret it later.
MDI Gurgaon PGDM is one of the oldest programs that have great value. MDI Gurgaon can easily be called the country’s best B School. The admissions are solely based on merit so the quality of your peers is top-notch. Some major highlights of the institute and its PGDM program are
So you will not regret choosing MDI even over IIM Lucknow.
The PGP-FABM program does not have any marks limit in its eligibility criteria. Rather it requires you to hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in agricultural sciences or agriculture-related disciplines with at least 50% marks ( or equivalent CGPA).
The specific stream clause was added last year only. Make sure your stream does not pose any problem and you are fit to apply. Your chances depend on two factors/
CAT score
Your performance in the interview
There is no specific age limit for this program.
I assume that you have both options IIM Ahmedabad PGP-FABM and XLRI HRM. If that is the case, then you should make a well-informed decision based on your personal inclinations.
If you had taken Agricultural Engineering because you were genuinely interested in it, then IIM Ahmedabad, PGP-FABM is the best choice for you.
However, if you had to take Agricultural Engineering because that was the last option you had, then it makes no sense to continue with it. In that case, XLRI HRM is the best option for you. This is because the job opportunities after FABM, are scarce, and you. HRM will fetch you office jobs.
Brand-wise both institutes are similar with IIMA having the upper hand. Placements-wise, HRM is better unless you have an interest in Agricultural Engineering.
IIM-A's PGP-FABM is a two-year full-time program that covers allied areas such as agriculture, food processing, commodities and rural development sector, and rural infrastructure. The fees for the batch 2021-2023 are 28 lakhs.
However, if you are still dicey about whether to opt for this program or not I would suggest you to invest in attending a course conducted by Pavan Bhattad’s Brainival. It is a 2-day workshop in which he discusses speed reading, mind mapping, memory techniques, and ideas generation which was initially conducted in Pune.
In terms of academics, Utkal University will a decent option. The faculties at the university are well-experienced. Teaching methodology used at UU is better than other universities in Odisha. The environment at the university is great for academics. You will get to learn a lot from the faculties and it will expand your outlook.
However, the placement opportunities are limited at UU, since there are only a few companies at Orisha. But if you are serious about your studies and have the required skills, you can easily get jobs from off-campus placement.
Yes, there is a separate shortlist for PGP FABM (Post Graduate Programme in Food and Agribusiness Management) at IIM Ahmedabad. The course primarily prefers students from agriculture, food, and allied courses. However, if a student is from a diverse background and has opted for the course while filling out the CAT form, they may also get shortlisted. There is no surety that all backgrounds will get shortlisted. For instance, it's rare to find a lawyer getting shortlisted for FABM.
The simple answer is that the choice of the course depends more or your overall profile than the course itself. Irresponsible of your specialization your chances at placements will be low if your resume is below average. Moreover, institutes like IIM Indore and IIM Lucknow offer joint placements for both programs.
Students can apply to any company irrespective of their specialization. Yet there are many who are able to get into their dream companies while some failed to get a call from a reputed firm. This is because the PGP program just added value to your resume and if that is already poor then even PGP cannot guarantee you a high-paying job.
So if you already have a good resume all you need to do is improve your resume in marketing and operations. This can be done through extra-curricular activities and B-school competitions. For this the PGP-ABM program is perfect.
But if you have a below-average resume, then go for PGP. Because then extracurricular activities alone will not improve your resume. You need class projects and good academic scores to upgrade it. Unlike PGP-ABM, you won’t miss out on basic electives related to marketing/ops/finance.
So nothing is certain about an MBA program. One needs to know what he will be doing after acquiring knowledge to decide which course to take. I will personally suggest you go for IIM Lucknow PGP-ABM if you just want to improve your resume.
No matter which B School you choose, PGP is always a better choice than ABM. But there might be a specific reason why you got an ABM offer rather than a PGP. But at IIM Lucknow, students of both programs are offered equal opportunities. These include final placements. summer placements and subsequent PPOs.
The major drawback of ABM is that you are deprived of the PGP electives and can cover ABM electives only. These electives cover strategy marketing and operations.
Talking about your offer from SP JAIN for IM, let me tell you that in this regard, IIM Shillong is a much better choice. Its campus in Dubai is a testament to its worth.