IIM Ranchi - Excellence and Serenity

IIM Ranchi - Excellence and Serenity Let me first begin by letting you know that I'm currently pursuing my MBA at IIM Ranchi. Hence you may get a notion that my review is a little bit biased but that is certainly not the case. The institute provides a good infrastructure with a plethora of online resources. The admission to MBA Programme is based on performance in CAT followed by PI, WAT and academic profile. After the CAT results are out, an initial shortlist is prepared for students who are eligible for the WAT-PI process. This is based on the CAT percentile and is announced during mid-January. Post the completion of the WAT PI process, a consolidated Merit list is prepared on the basis of components like CAT score, PI score and profile and their corresponding weights. I preferred this college over other colleges because it is the fastest-growing IIM among new IIMs and the average package is increasing every year. I even consulted my seniors and read blogs on Quora before joining it.

The course curriculum here is designed in such a way that a student can manage his studies well and meanwhile also find ample time for participating in events, case competitions, and cultural activities. The Faculty-Student ratio here is 1:8. There are 32 full-time faculty at IIM Ranchi and they possess vast experience. More than 80% of the faculty are PhD holders from top universities across the globe. The teaching pedagogy used here is very effective in learning. HBR case studies are discussed in the class and class participation is encouraged. The Mid Term and End Term exams are held in a timely manner. Due to the pandemic situation, all exams were held in Online mode for me. However, the college administration made sure that students are able to submit their answer scripts very conveniently. In order to pass a student must perform consistently in Mid Term, End Term and the assignments. Relative grading shows you where you stand.

The college offers internship opportunities in different domains like Sales & Marketing, Finance, Analytics, etc. All students have to compulsorily undergo Summer Internship Project which is equivalent to 6 credits and expands to 6 weeks during April - May. Talking about this year, the companies which offered Sales & Marketing roles were Ultra-Tech, Jio Saavn, etc. Finance roles were offered by JPMC, ICICI Bank, etc, and Analytics roles were offered by Tata Steel, Asian Paints, and others. The highest stipend offered was 3 lakhs for the entire duration which dipped by 16% this year and the average stipend was 50k for the entire internship duration which increased by 5.36% this year. During the Summer Internship, the students get a practical experience of the application of concepts learned in the classroom.

The Fee for Post Graduate Programme in MBA is Rs. 15.3 lakh and it is spread across 6 terms. IIM Ranchi, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, GOI, offers many scholarship schemes for the benefit of students. Two sought after scholarships are Aditya Birla Scholarship and OPJEMS scholarship. Financial assistance is provided on a Merit as well as need basis. With the fee hike policy, about half of the IIMs have increased their fee for 2-year full-time course in Mid 2020. However, the fee hike for IIM Ranchi is comparatively lower. The cost to study here is high but definitely worth it owing to the excellent placement records of past years.

The campus life at IIM Ranchi is a beautiful experience in itself. Though we do not have a permanent campus and many people say this is a serious drawback for the students. However, these unpleasant remarks are to be kept aside because you will enjoy your MBA life to the fullest. Since we do not have a permanent campus so we organize major fests like Agon, TedX, and Radix in the top hotels in the city. IIM Ranchi has state of an art library which contains both print and electronic media such as books, journals, and reports. Our college has 9 clubs, 7 committees, and 6 Independent student bodies. The campus is mostly student-driven. If we talk about the classrooms, they are well equipped with facilities like overhead projectors.

The hostel of my institute is located in the residential block of Khelgaon which is located on the outskirts of the city. The housing arrangement consists of 3 bedrooms and 4 bedrooms shared flats. There is single room occupancy for every student with an attached washroom and balcony. Believe me, the view from the balcony is breathtaking. Each block has its own Mess and canteen. There is also a dispensary for medical assistance. The meal quality is just average and is often criticized by many people. The registration process for the hostel is done along with admission and is mandatory for all to stay in the hostel. With a charge of 27,000 per year, the hostel is affordable.

Since 2020, all IIMs have shifted from the Group discussion (GD) round to the Written Ability Test (WAT) round. This is immediately followed by PI, which mostly takes place on the same day as WAT. The topic for WAT ranges from business to politics and social issues. The time duration for the WAT is usually 15-20 minutes. After this candidates are called for a Personal Interview. I can remember one WAT topic which was "Is Indian Media getting more Politicised?". The word limit was 1000 words. I wrote an extensive article supported by facts. In my interview, there were two professors in the panel. The interview began with giving my introduction followed by questions on subjects studied in my Undergrad. You can expect cross-questions and some reasoning-based questions too. In order to prepare for WAT-PI, I used to read newspapers and magazines. I also practised common WAT topics from online resources.