My Experience with a not so famous IIM.

The course is extremely rigorous. The course would be best for people who seek to be future managers. The course aims to impart complete knowledge of how businesses actually work. It is also best for people who wish to change their domain and jump into the world of business. The faculty: student ratio is usually 1:40. It varies as per the course. Faculties at IIM go through a very intense selection process. The eligibility criteria for the same are PhD and some relevant experience. IIMs follow a case-based pedagogy. The teaching method includes intense class discussions, Group activities, Individual assignments etc. IIMs follow the trimester system. Every trimester is further divided into two parts- midterm and end term. The exams are conducted every month. The evaluation is not only restricted to mid-term and end-term examinations. It also includes quizzes, project work, individual assignments, class participation, etc. Overall the curriculum is very diverse fun-filled and rigorous.

The internship opportunities are provided by the placement cell. The duration of the summer internship program is two months. The companies that visit the campus for summer internships are Accenture, HDFC Bank, Collegedunia, Career carve, Adani, Perceptive Analytics, Tirupati Group, etc. The Average stipend is 45000 per month and the highest goes up to 1 Lakh per month.

The institute has its own placement cell. The cell is responsible for getting the students placed. The very first placement process starts as soon as the program begins. It is for the mandatory summer internships. The next placement process starts in the second year. This is for the final placements. The companies that visit our campus include Delloite, Accenture. ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, EY, KPMG, Collegedunia, Mahindra, DCM Sriram, Tirupati Group Etc. The average stipend for summer internships is around 45k per month while the highest goes uptill 1 Lakh per month. The average package for the final placements is around 14 LPA and the highest goes uptill 25 LPA (domestic). Talking about my plans post graduation, I would prefer working for some years before pursuing academia. I would love to pursue a PhD in a related field.

The Fee is paid at the start of every trimester. It varies from 2 lakhs to 2.5 lakhs. This includes everything from tuition fees to hostel fees. Mess fees need to be paid separately. The cost of study materials is also included in the above-mentioned structure. There are no such scholarships provided at IIM Sirmaur. But a loan facility is available to the students who wish to avail. The process is extremely simple and quick. It just takes a day to complete all the formalities. There are no job opportunities as such provided on the campus. But regular live project opportunities are floated throughout the year. Students can join such projects and make some money.

Life at IIM Sirmaur is exuberant. There are more than 15 clubs and committees. The campus is entirely student-driven. Even the accommodation and mess facility is looked after by the students. There is one library within the campus premises (Temporary campus). It provides students with daily newspapers and journals. Classrooms are spacious and air-conditioned. Apart from academics, there is an ample number of extracurricular activities happening throughout the year. These include sports events (Football, Volleyball, Badminton, Table tennis), Cultural events, Festival celebrations, and Club events. The annual fest of IIM Sirmaur is "Sierra". It is usually conducted in the month of February. The event is well-planned and fun-filled.

To be eligible for an MBA program from the IIMs, a candidate must have a bachelor's degree or any equivalent qualification from a recognized university or institution. The candidate is also required to appear for CAT(Common Admission Test). Apart from the basic eligibility, each IIM may have its own specific eligibility requirements and admission criteria, which may include work experience, academic performance, diversity factors, etc. The application process for CAT usually commences in the month of August and it goes up till September. The exam is held in the month of November. The cut-off for most of the IIMs is 90+. But if a candidate comes from a reserved category then the cutoff may vary significantly.

The first step was the CAT exam. The application process for CAT starts in the month of August. The exam is conducted online in the month of November. CAT has three sections- Verbal and comprehension, Logical reasoning data interpretation, and Quantitative aptitude. All three sections can easily be prepared within the duration of 4 to 5 months. The results for CAT are declared in the month of January. Post-result declaration each IIM releases a list of the shortlisted candidates for the GDPI rounds. Due to the COVID situation, GD did not happen for IIM Sirmaur, though an interview round was conducted. The questions were simple and brief. They were regarding my graduation subjects and general knowledge. The interviewers did grill me for my poor DILR score. But overall it was pretty good. As far as preparation is concerned, I did not do anything special to prepare for these rounds. I just kept reading the newspaper and kept myself updated with all the current affairs.