ISB or IIMA

Question

For someone with 6 years experience and background in NGO but looking to change industry, which school to choose.

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bb · Answer

Hi. I am clueless about Indian BSchools so I can be completely off and my information incorrect. I was under the impression that IIM-A would basically guarantee you a job at graduation and IIM is in a diff league than ISB. Have the schools leveled off in terms of their offering and job prospects or is IIMA still dominating?

-BB

-BB

yashikaaggarwal · Answer

I would say ISB and given you have an experience of more than 6 years of, ISB makes more sense. IIM has freshers in it. It doesn't mean that IIM is bad or anything, but the ISB curriculum is more at par with International standards than IIMs. This guy answered in comparison between the two: https://www.quora.com/How-does-ISB-Hyde ... -Ahmedabad

But, overall. I believe that ISB is better than IIM for someone who has the experience, but like you said you need a career transition, then IIM might make more sense. Totally your call.

Best of luck regardless.

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ameyaagrawal · Answer

How relevant are the FT MBA Rankings? Isb topped all iims in Financial Times Top 100 MBA rankings almost every time.

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yashikaaggarwal · Answer

As far as rumors go, FT rankings focuses more on career aspects - salary as one of the major criteria, QS is holistic. But in any case, no ranking is the correct measure to figure out the potential of school or its alumni. Reach out to people on linkedin. See where they are. Talk to them regarding the networking events available. You will be good.

bb · Answer

Unfortunately all of the rankings are flawed, which is not a helpful statement.
We have been following the US news methodology which is not quite right but is very thorough. A few moderators took a few stabs at coming up with rankings. Anyway, unfortunately US News which may get shut down sometime soon anyway, does not do international rankings... and the diligence that other editions put into them is not clear. Some of the MBA programs don't even disclose their class's average GMAT score so it is really confusing

And to even look at the challenge of ranking IIM and ISB - they use different tests to evaluate their applicants so it is not apples to apples...

MBAGuide · Answer

ameyaagrawal  hope this finds you well

Congratulations on the admits! Based on the similar queries in my inbox, I'd like to offer some base-level advice on choosing between IIM A and ISB PGP programs.

It's important to note that there isn't necessarily one program that is better than the other. The best program for an individual depends on their specific needs and goals.

That being said, IIM A PGPX is a highly selective program with a small intake of around 150 students, while ISB takes in about 900+ students. IIM A's program is targeted towards a more experienced and mature segment of professionals, as evidenced by their enforced age and years of experience criteria in the application process over the years. To give an example, in the year I cracked the INSEAD and ISB admits, I wasn't even eligible for the IIM A PGPX program.

The school has continued to maintain the exclusivity of the flagship "IIM A" brand even with the one-year executive MBA, and the opportunities that come out of IIM A PGPX are specifically targeted towards this experienced segment of professionals. Needless to say the ROI is impressive out of the IIM A PGPX.

On the other hand, ISB is a more diverse school and positions itself as a global school in India with its larger intake. The school has also evolved to meet the needs of younger Indian professionals who have entered the fast-paced startup and tech economy right from the start of their careers. This has led to a younger cohort of students on average, and a growing trend of realizing the need for a fast-paced MBA/ 1-year PGPs earlier to fast-track their careers.

However, being part of a large MBA cohort can come with its challenges, such as extreme competition and not the best ROI in the early years post-PGP, which can be felt more by more experienced professionals who study at ISB than is felt by younger students at ISB who are not too far ahead in their professional journey.

Ultimately, the decision should be based on where you are in your professional journey, your specific needs and goals, as well as financial considerations.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes

ISB or IIMA

ISB or Iima Pgpx ( Ngo Background, 6 years exp. Looking to change industry)

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