XLRI: A Dream Within A Dream

XLRI HRM program is considered to be the best of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region. Its alumna is currently serving in CHRO roles in diverse industries. The course follows a healthy mix of theoretical and application-based case pedagogy. While students are familiarised with knowledge of courses like Micro/Macro Economics, Quantitative Aptitude, etc, they are also put to test with application-based courses like Performance Management, Wage Determination, and Strategic management. The student-to-faculty ratio sits at 9:1 which ensures proper learning. Most of the teachers have completed their Ph.D./FPM from IIMs across India as well as abroad. Most of the classes are driven through healthy student participation where they are required to arrive at the solution to the problem presented by the faculty. XLRI follows the trimester model where exams are held after every 3 months. The curriculum is rigorous and it is generally difficult to pass.

Summer Placements for internships is one of the most important parts of life at XLRI. It is generally conducted at the end of the first trimester in September/October. For the session 2022-24, the batch achieved 100% placement with an average salary of INR 1.54 lakh and the highest salary of INR 3.50 lakhs (per month). The roles offered were received in the consulting, finance, sales and marketing, general management, product management, Operations, Analytics, and Human resources domain. In the BFSI sector, American Express, JP Morgan Chase, and Shannonside Capital offered roles. Other sectors like consumer durables, conglomerates, e-commerce, Bajaj Auto, HUL, Aditya Birla, Amazon, Flipkart, etc. were the biggest recruiters. I was personally offered an internship at Airtel in the HR Analytics domain. My internship will start in the first month of April 2023.

Being one of India's oldest and premier B-schools, placements at XLRI are top-notch and rival that of IIM-ABC. The average median placement figure stood at Rs. 30 lahks for the batch 2020-22. A total of 99 companies visited the campus and 437 domestic offers were made. The highest placement was Rs.60 lakh. The placement rate for the batch was 100%. Firms like BCG, Bain, McKinsey, Amazon, ITC, ABG, etc. picked up students for various roles such as Associate Director, front-end IB, CoS, etc.. Preparation for summer placements begins as soon as one enters college. Students are made to prepare their CVs rigorously. For the summers, the average and highest placement stood at Rs. 1.54 and Rs. 3.5 lakh per month respectively.

Fees at XLRI for its flagship PGDHRM and PGDM course is about 23.60 lakhs for the session 2022-24. This fee is to be paid in four installments. The boarding/lodging and mess fees are to be paid extra which sits at about 3 lakhs taking the entire course fee to 27.6 lakhs. Few students can opt for the international exchange program in the fifth trimester which costs about 5 lakhs. These figures are applicable for the batch 2022-24 and are generally revised for each year. XLRI offers various merit cum need-based scholarships (such as Aditya Birla Scholarship, XLRI Capital First, Mirae Asset Based Scholarship, etc.) to its students which are adjusted in the tuition fees themselves. Students need to apply for them separately. Apart from this, students can earn money by engaging in various internships and live projects offered throughout the year.

The campus life at XLRI is quite lively and student-driven. The annual cultural fest Ensemble Valhalla is conducted in the month of November and sees healthy participation from students. Apart from this, every committee conducts its own flagship event which tests students' skills and stamina throughout the year. The Jahangir Gandhi memorial library houses a collection of books and journals which can be accessed both offline as well as online. Students are offered subscriptions to case studies and publications from around the business world. The classes for the first year are conducted in Learning Centre 2 which offers a number of facilities such as AC classrooms, a mic for students and teachers alike, etc. Facilities for basketball, football, and tennis are available inside the campus. A committee like FIREAX, SAPPHIRE, and DRACULA gives ample opportunity to students to showcase team building. XLRI houses its own investment fund managed by students themselves.

Admission at XLRI takes place through the XAT exam which is conducted in the first week of January every year. Around 90,000 people appear for it out of which around 10% are selected for the next round of interviews/GDPI. The form generally opens in the month of September and continues till the first week of December. It costs Rs. 2000 to apply for the common admission process while Rs.200 per program is charged to register for PGDM/PGDHRM course apart from the registration fee. XLRI does not offer any reservation benefits for category students. However, a reduction in cut-offs (generally in the range of 5-10 percentile) is offered for non-engineers and female students. The admission process is smooth and queries, if any, can be raised with the admissions office who try to reply as soon as possible.

After qualifying for the XAT exam, students are shortlisted for the GDPI stage. This process is generally held in the month of February and March. The topics of GD revolve around current affairs, business and economy, social issues, and sometimes abstract. Some examples are Moonlighting, the effects of AI, Adani-Hindenburg issue. Students are generally tested for their analytical and decision-making skills as well as how they present their thoughts in a group. After the GDPI stage, the interview is conducted where students are asked questions on their career choices combined with technical questions from their domain. These interviews can be stressed when students are deliberately put in a difficult situation by the interviewer. I prepared for this stage by reading the experiences of the older candidates on sites like Quora and iQuanta. I collected a set of expected topics and practiced them rigorously. This prepared me for difficult situations ahead and I was able to ace the interview when I appear.