A rose by any other name would
smell just as sweet, contended the Bard of Avon. Unfortunately though, this
isn’t the case with a degree like an MBA from a college of a somewhat
questionable reputation. Shardul Memon, a vocational guidance counselor from Delhi
says, “the reputation of an institution should be checked beforehand, its
accreditations and affiliations thoroughly vetted by a student desirous of
seeking admission in it. There are so many fly-by-night institutions that
spring up all over the country, that promise students a novel MBA degree and
overnight sometimes they shut shop, or in some cases get derecognised by the
relevant government body which results in embarrassment to the student and
fiscal consequences for his/her parents.”
The sad fact is that in a
country of the size of India, there are several colleges that are not
recognised by the relevant authorities. Says a government official on condition
anonymity, “there are so many cities in this country, and so many localities and
areas that have so many colleges, that investigating them all is a nigh
impossible kind of scene for all involved. The MBA course is one of the most popular courses in the country and therefore makes it a lucrative draw for
touts and fraudsters. We do everything in our power to prevent this from
happening, but there isn’t we can definitively to prevent the abuse of
students’ trust.”
What are the questions you need to ask
before enrolling into a college?
There are quite a few things
you need to consider before enrolling into a college for an MBA programme. For
starters, you need to whet the college’s affiliations by browsing the internet
and asking to view the certifications claimed on the website. Secondly, peruse
the archived editions of newspapers of the past year and check to see if there
is any negative stories about the college you’re considering. Thirdly contact a
friend or significant other who has gone to that college and ask them about the
reputation of the institution. Meet with professors and academics and confirm
the same from them. Making an informed choice will empower you to make the
right choice.
Here’s what could happen if you
do not check the reputation of a B-school!
26 year old Vasant Kamat shares
his story, “I was very keen on pursuing an MBA in Marketing. I enrolled into a
course at this college. I did not think it necessary to check the reputation of
the course or the faculty. A few months into the course and we started having
issues with the faculty. Then one day our dean went missing. Soon we started
having fewer and fewer lectures on a daily basis, until one day a circular
signed by our dean, in absentia was put up on the notice board, informing us
that the course had been suspended indefinitely. When we took offence to this,
we were threatened with suspension. We were told to come after a few days to
collect our fees, and when we returned to do the same on the set date the
building was deserted. If only I had checked the reputation of the college
beforehand I would have been saved the blushes. My friends who graduated from
the institution in the past years had it a lot worse than me, their degrees
were derecognised and some of them even lost their jobs.”
The value of an MBA in the job
market can certainly not be discounted. The lure of an MBA often blinds people
to doing a little bit of due diligence before seeking admission. It is not
uncommon for hundreds of people like Vasant not to check the reputation of a
college that seems credible enough to offer an MBA.
Industry insiders say that placements
are the basis on which students should judge the reputation of the college they
are seeking to get into. Says a senior manager with an executive search firm, “when one does an MBA from a reputed college, chances are that the existing hierarchy
of a company have also passed out from the same college. There exists an
affinity of sorts between alumni of the same college and this is often a factor
that colleges build upon to boost their placement cells and add more
credibility to their institution.”
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