What a Top B-school look for...

                    What a Top B-school look for...

Each of us possesses a unique ability, and sooner or later most of us find our niche.  It is true that our nation provides a plethora of opportunities to young leaders, but to avail of these, one must stay alert and prepared. The dynamic, volatile environment of today has little patience for procrastinators and faint-hearted.  

With countless institutes mushrooming in every nook and corner, one is bound to feel baffled by the choices available.  While most B-schools have little to offer for ‘value-addition’, the good news is that there are still a few to cherish. These are the elites, which have consistently churned out leaders, and successfully driven the Indian growth story. Each of the institutes has something unique to offer.

Students today, are no longer trying to fit in. They are going the extra mile to find the right choice of career and institute that match their personalities. These young guns have shed the fear of uncertainty, and now seek an alma mater that reflects their values.  Diversity being the flavor of choice for the industry, these institutes present an interesting blend of students in their batch profiles.

There are a number of hurdles a student must overcome before (s)he has access to these haloed portals of wisdom. To begin with, Indian institutes conduct the entrance exams once in a calendar year. Only those accepting GMAT scores can claim to offer the candidate true flexibility in terms of preparation. Keep in mind that a majority of the aspirants are working full time jobs before joining these institutes. Each year there are more than a few, who are unable to deliver their best due to the timing of the exam.

Yet another concern is that of the exam being tailor-made for engineers. The most widely accepted score - the CAT (Common Admission Test) has shown a steady trend. Each year, engineers have outscored all others by a large margin.

There are institutes, which have consciously decided to look beyond exam scores and evaluate the various skills present in each individual. Some of these institutions have been awarding extra marks during the profile shortlisting phase to promote diversity in terms of background and even gender. Ultimately the institutes make varied decisions about their intake processes to mitigate the risk of having a class of very similar students.

Notably S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai is one, out of these elite B-schools, which is leading the change. SPJIMR, Mumbai as per past reports, has maintained a good record in terms of diversity. Its decision to focus on pure merit as the basis of its selection procedure has helped it select genuine talent. SPJIMR also happens to be one of the few Indian institutes accepting GMAT scores. Thus, offering great flexibility to students. That’s not all. They go a step further in their belief that every candidate has something unique to offer, and to find the true leaders of society; scores cannot be the only deciding factor.

Only time will tell what skills will make the leaders of tomorrow successful. What can be seen, today, is that efforts are being made at various levels to come up with the best processes and practices to be passed on to the next generation. They will not only need to know how to deal with ambiguity, but do so while staying quick and confident in their decision making. It seems prudent that these future leaders make their own decisions today and in turn prepare to lead the nation tomorrow. Needless to say, capability and a drive to excel are sure to bring you success. For there is more to you than just test scores.