9 tips to pick the right B-School

For MBA aspirants, choice of a most suitable management school is vital as it is their stepping stone for their career. A school's reputation and standing in the marketplace assumes a lot of importance for the aspirants and is one of the key factors in deciding the choice of the school.

The reason being that reputation is earned through several factors including the learning ambience provided, the learning opportunities created including curricular and co-curricular learning. It also relies on the resources and supporting technology adopted for smooth conduct of the programme, the industry interface and network established and maintained by the school along with a sustained alumni network and support of alumni in mentoring the students. Before you sign up for a school where you will spend a year or more polishing your skills, here are some factors to consider:

Placements

Business schools are unique as the learning in the MBA programme is tied up to being job-ready and exposure to the corporate world. Aspirants eagerly look up to the track record of the school to ensure that their career aspirations are supported by the placement efforts of the School. You must look at the list of regular companies visiting the campus to check if the school you are applying to will provide you a fair chance for being placed in a reputed company.

Faculty

Top management schools have teachers with impeccable academic records with grounding in research. Typically, faculty group has a combination of academicians, industry experts, and business leaders. The curricular process is well in place to ensure that the students are taught the most relevant topics to make them employable.

Operational approach and experiential learning

Modern management education is a mix of operational approach with experiential learning. The operational approach provides students with the ability to apply the techniques, principles, and concepts of the discipline to practical use. Experiential learning is the other aspect of learning where students learn from experience. It is aimed at equipping course-based learning with employability skills.

Inter-disciplinary exposure

Many management concepts today straddle different disciplines. An interdisciplinary approach equips students with the ability to resolve a problem by using different techniques and perspectives. This is also useful when applying technology, data, and other practical tools. The emphasis on an inter-disciplinary approach in a B-school is necessary to provide students with employability and practical skills.

Corporate/industry-exposure

Corporate or industry collaborations can extend from faculty to field assignments, capstone projects, seminars, and collaboration on various curriculum and policies. The involvement of industry experts and business leaders ensures that curriculums and teaching policies remain relevant, contemporary, practical, and provide students with employable skills.

Vibrant campus life

Education is not just about academics. We also learn a lot from our relationships with those around us. For college students, this is often the most important aspect. It could include other extra-curricular activities on the campus, such as cultural programmes, sports, or different interest clubs.

High-level teaching aids

Teaching aids have emerged not just as an important mechanism for improving learning, it also helps students become adept at using and applying technology. Such tools are also necessary for remote learning, holding webinars, and collaborating with different experts.Teaching aids are now used for blended learning, field projects, assignments, associating with experts, and to improve on experiential learning.

Global opportunities

Education has no boundaries. And many colleges have now established associations with top universities across the world. Such collaborations also help in expanding a student's exposure through campus visits, dual degree courses, and the opportunity to learn from visiting faculty. It would be interesting to attend a school that offers you international exchange opportunities as part of the programmeme.

Specialisations offered

Premier business schools provide a large basket of electives for students to choose from to make them ready for cross-functional roles. Business Schools also offers courses and programmes on analytics to suit the emerging opportunities in new domains.These efforts are well thought through, discussed at different stakeholder groups of the business schools and introduced after ensuring support for the new initiatives.

Source: rediff.com