Likes
- Peer Group: As with any B school competitiveness is ingrained into every batch but when folks say that no one is left behind at Joka it is reassuring to know that it is not entirely said for posterity
- Campus Culture: A culture which actually focuses on exploring interests and interacting with others over simple academic excellence was both unexpected and welcome.
Dislikes
- Hostel Infrastructure: With the exception of LVH each hostel has small rooms and no accommodations for the extremely humid weather. The infra is ancient and liveable is the kindest word that I can use for it.
- Placement transparency: With the concentration of power in the hands of place comm. it is very easy to feel like the placement process is not entirely fair for all. There are little to no checks for favouritism too.
Course Curriculum Overview :
MBA is the flagship program offered by IIM Calcutta and arguably what it is best known for. Some salient details regarding the program are: Lasts two years with each year consisting of three trimesters (terms). First-year follows a fixed curriculum consisting of 48 credits spread over three terms and 1 credit roughly equating to 10 hours of class time. The second year allows for experimentation and is composed entirely of electives chosen by students. Students are organized into 6 sections in their first year and each section usually has a designated professor for each course i.e. the student-to-teacher ratio is roughly 80-to-1 which remains largely the same even in year 2. Professors are excellent and have a lot of leeway in choosing their teaching tools/pedagogy but case-based study is commonly the most prevalent Grading is always relative although professors are able to choose the curve to a limited extent. Failing is almost never a concern but excelling is difficult.
Internships Opportunities :
Most internships you'll find during your placements here fall under these domains: - Consulting (management, strategy, financial etc.) - Finance (Investment banking, PEVC, Corporate finance etc.) - Sales and marketing (FMCG, B2B etc.) -Operations -Product management -General Management Each firm will have its own internship program most of which have been running for years if not decades. There is little to nothing common between internships other than the fact that they all happen over the summer for approximately 2 months. You can look up the summer placement reports whicha re available online for details on stipends.
Placement Experience :
Placement happens in two cycles: Summers and Laterals/Finals. Summer placements are for internships over the summer and final/lateral placements are for permanent roles after graduation with laterals for folks with considerable work experience. Placement is overseen by a placement committee comprised of 10 members from seniors in your first year and juniors in your second. The companies are split into 3 clusters and the process takes place over a week for all cycles. You can look up the figures in the placement report available online but the brief explanation is that everyone gets placed and the best firms visiting the campus tend to remain consistent.
Fees and Financial Aid :
Fee hikes are common and our subsequent batch has already seen this happen. There are multiple scholarship programs including a prestigious one offered by the Aditya Birla Group though I am unsure as to the extent/nature of assistance provided by these programs. Working full-time during your academic period is strictly prohibited although live projects and the like are allowed. On-campus jobs are limited to tutorship which you can take up in your second year if you have exemplary grades in a course although these are not done primarily for compensation. The most common method of funding is loans granted by banks such as SBI at very attractive rates which can be paid off in a reasonable timeframe considering the average placements through the program.
Campus Life :
The campus life is something that Calcutta distinguishes itself through when it comes to prestigious B schools. The institute has its flagship festival in the form of 7 Lakes Fest and other major events such as Mandi (a student-run marketplace) but it is honestly the culture of solidarity and amenability which makes this a transformational experience. It is 2 years of being surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the nation in an environment that encourages you to not just compete but also learn from one another. Groups around sports are common and there are clubs and SIGs for almost every mainstream interest/hobby and a few niche ones as well (you can check these out on the institute website). There are plenty of eateries within the campus and Kolkata is a decent enough city if you want something more.
Hostel Facilities :
Hostels are mandatory and the allocation process is random and thus not worth worrying about although there are pros and cons to each hostel: 1. New Hostel: A male-only hostel inhabited predominantly by first years with a pretty decent mess but cramped living quarters. Easily the most tight-knit and vibrant of all the hostels with a shop/eatery within it. 2. Annexe/Tagore Hostel: Adjacent male-only hostels with a pretty good mess and somewhat better rooms. Fairly close to everything on the campus with a shop/eatery as well. 3. Ramanujan Hostel: Co-ed hostel with the smallest rooms and purportedly the best mess. 4. Lake View Hostel: The only hostel with good rooms built this century but far from literally everything and with the worst mess. There are no ACs and the weather is terrible but none of this is actually relevant since you'll enjoy your time at any of these. Note: The messes even at their worst will likely be better than what you've seen in your UG years.
Admission :
Beyond CAT the admission process is fairly simple and rather similar to that of other IIMs. You apply on their site once they start accepting applications, which is roughly the same timeframe as other IIMs, and they release their shortlists for interviews around the same time as A&B. The site is a touch antiquated and could use sprucing up though. More transparency regarding how profiles are graded for interview calls similar to what Lucknow does would be a big improvement.
Interview Experience :
IIM Cal only used an interview round during my process which was carried out online. The interview process is the same as other IIMs which to put it succinctly would be: unpredictable. The interviews range from cookie-cutter interactions to stress interviews which seek to see how well you hold up under pressure. As discomfiting as this sounds there is frankly no way to prepare for these interviews beyond covering your basics which are: A respectable level of general knowledge as well as knowledge of current events. An elementary level of comfort with business terminology and developments. Ability to tell your story as one which leads you to the program naturally and obviously. Beyond this, I strongly believe that confidence is the key to succeeding here. There are no set topics of discussion and no questions you're sure to be asked. The ability to hold up a conversation and tell your story is what will see you through.
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