Most MBA aspirants are not able to get admissions to their dream B-school even if they want to. Many aspirants who are not able to get into get into the Top 1 to 50 B-schools are opting for the Top 50 to 100 B-schools and those who could not get into it are thinking for applying to the beyond Top 100 B-schools. Selecting the right B-school from this beyond Top 100 B-school is very difficult. So, what are the factors to look upon while selecting a B-school from this category?

The Director (R & D) of Career Launcher, R Shiva Kumar stated that it doesn’t matter if the institute is AICTE approved or not because if it’s recognized by the industry, the placements are good and curriculum are worthy. He also mentioned the fact that ISB Hyderabad is not AICTE recognized.

There are some factors that needs to be kept in mind while selecting the right B-school. The factors are as follows:

·         Placements – Look for institutes that offer credible campus placements. Don’t just look at the salary package, also consider the number, nature, reputation and variety of companies that come for campus placements, so that if you want to work or specialize in a particular field, then there should be enough number of reputed companies in that field which recruit from campus.

·         Location – While selecting your B-school, the location of the B-school is one important factor. It should be located in an area which is close to the industry, education hub and policy making bodies.

·         Quality of faculty – You should check if the B-school has prominent full-time qualified faculty and not ad-hoc visiting faculty or guest lecturers who may not be available for the students every time when they need them. For proper industrial exposure, see what kind of guest lecturers are present at the institute on which you are planning to join.

·         Quality of students – In an institute, the quality of the students go there can affect you in a big way. Fellow students of high academic caliber, varied interests and diverse backgrounds can contribute a lot to each other’s personal development.

·         Infrastructure – Basic infrastructure should be offered by the institutes so that it ensures the students are well-versed in modern day management tools and so that it will also help them in getting more knowledge. A well equipped computer centre, libraries, projectors, seminar rooms for guest lecturers etc. should be a must in a good management institute.

·         B-school brand – Check the brand value of the institute first. The B-school brand refers to the awareness about the B-school. This can be judged by asking people about the B-school and then, check their response. Factors like alumni performance, the number of years the B-school is functioning, industry recognition, ranking, advertisement and promotion comprises the brand value of an institute. So, it’s important to always check the brand value first before deciding to pursue your higher education there. It’s important to note that a popular B-school has to meet the above five conditions too.

Regarding the locational aspect, R Shiva Kumar further adds that “Good colleges should be preferred irrespective of the location. But if the choice is between two Ok colleges in two different locations then the location advantage of one would outweigh the other.”