A renowned college makes all the difference to an MBA graduate

An MBA is one of the most widely sought after degree amongst postgraduate students. And why shouldn’t it be? It gives an individual all the skills and insight needed to forward their careers in the right path. Research indicates that MBA grads advance faster in their careers as against non-MBA, or postgraduates with a lesser degree or diploma. Little wonder then that not just fresh graduates, but also professionals with a few years experience as well are opting for an MBA, albeit an executive MBA, these days. In the recent past we have considered several pros and cons of an MBA, and this post focuses on another aspect of an MBA that is often ignored. That aspect of course, is the reputation of a college from which a student completes, his or her MBA from.

Why should I consider the reputation of the college/institution?

Excellent question. To understand the importance of a college’s reputation, here’s an analogy. Let’s say someone in your family needs a life saving surgery. Will you go with the first surgeon you find? Or will you thoroughly research a list of surgeons, and only then decide the professional that you will trust with your loved one’s health? We believe your answer will be the latter. The same is true with the reputation of an institution a student chooses to pursue an MBA from.

Affects Career Trajectory: The institute’s reputation will often determine a student’s career trajectory. Quite simply because, in case of an excellent college, it alumni will already have ascended the corporate ladder and would prefer working with others from their alma mater as opposed to another college of a lesser stature.

Industry Perception: Another important aspect about the reputation of a college is the perception it carries in the industry. A college with a proven track record of producing, excellent managers, will definitely be perceived as that of a higher calibre. Needless to say then, the name of one’s college could come in pretty handy when giving an interview in the near future!

Quality of Faculty: A college’s reputation often times decides the quality of the faculty it attracts. Says Suman Rangachari, visiting faculty with a reputed college, and brand manager with an FMCG company, “the reason I chose to be established with this particular institution, is simply because of the fantastic reputation it has in the market. Besides their facilities and the rest of the faculty really add value in many ways to the lives of their students and in many ways to my career as well!” This sentiment is also echoed by Afzal Jamadar, a first year MBA student, “the kind of people who come here to teach is fantastic, the only reason these professional powerhouses decide to devote their time to students in this college is the reputation the college enjoys.

Educational Tie-ups: Reputed colleges often have international and intranational educational tie-ups with institutions across the board. Many reputed MBA colleges have entire modules that are formulated by universities abroad, some even offer accredited and recognised MBA degrees from foreign universities, at a much lower rate, thus eliminating the need to go abroad.

Better infrastructure: Reputed MBA institutions have top notch facilities in terms of well-equipped libraries, computer labs, reference materials and other important facilities that are a huge help to its students. Besides for an MBA institution to be accredited it must pass through a pretty intensive screening process to get a certificate in the first place.