The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is an internationally-recognized degree designed to develop the skills required for careers in business and management. The MBA in today's times has become one of the most coveted degrees, specifically in India. Every year we have several candidates coming to us for guidance while preparing for CAT and various other management aptitude tests. However, one aspect which is as important as scoring in CAT is choosing the right B-School. The first thing that needs to be done is to ascertain which programme you want to enrol for. While most B-Schools like IIMs offer a General Management Programme which gives students the flexibility to join any sector, thereby ensuring maximum diversification and placement opportunities, there are Institutes like XLRI, MICA, IRMA and TISS provide programmes catering to a specific sector or specialising in a specific area.

After you have singled out the programme of your choice, the next step is to choose a school that is best suited to ensure maximum opportunities for growth. The main parameters that will enable you to choose the right school for yourself are -

Faculty:
Diversity, calibre, expertise and achievements of the mentors is a huge plus for conducive classroom environment and wholesome learning. It is preferable to have mentors with significant practical experience and who have worked in the industry.

Students:
It important analyse your prospective peer group in any school by studying the batch profile of the B-schools. A good peer group will accelerate the learning process. Apart from this, getting in touch with current students will help you in getting first hand information regarding the B-school, campus life, courses offered and the faculty. Try to get in touch with multiple students to get a comprehensive view.

Placements:
The kind of companies coming in for campus placements, positions offered to students and salary given. Make sure that you pick a school that has good campus placements in the stream that interests you.

Ranking:
Rather than going for ratings of generic websites, it is recommended to go for more credible ratings from specialist institutional bodies like Career Launcher. Talk to multiple sources.

Return on investment:
Checking the average payouts of the B-school and calculating the Return on Investment for spending a substantial amount of time and money on the B-School will help you come to a consensus regarding the viability of you joining it.

Alumni:
Reading up about how the alumni of a school are placed in the corporate world will help you get a fair idea about the kind of skills and education imparted. Besides, a well connected alumni network is always a plus, especially for people looking for funds for their start-ups.

Batch Size:
Since the number of jobs available at campus placements is limited, larger batches reduce the chances of placements. If the B-School is ranked in the top 10, you don't need to worry about this.

Location:
B-Schools near business hubs welcome many companies from such hubs during campus placements. Companies often find it much easier to recruit management graduates from institutes located geographically closer to their own headquarters rather than go to an institute which is located far away. Such locations also help in securing summer internships even if the B-School is unable to provide you with one.

Using these parameters, you will be able to ascertain exactly which B-School is most suited to your goals. However, it is imperative that none of these parameters should be taken in isolation. An aggregate of the abovementioned criterion and a little help from us, Career Launcher, you can be assured that your goals will be realized to the maximum.

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