Meet The Indian Institute Of Management Calcutta MBAEx Class Of 2023

P&Q: In a 2022 Financial Times survey, IIM Calcutta produced a 98% job placement rate within 3 months of graduation. What are some things that your schools, whether it is through career services, employer or alumni outreach, or school programming that enables your students to produce these results?

Rath:

Career Services:

“The Social Networking Committee (SNC) creates videos, photos and publishes articles for social and print media. This increases visibility of the program in the outer world as social media is the most popular mode of communication these days. The posts in social media handles are usually of the events and activities of the students which creates an interest in the prospective candidates and also the alumni. They also invite industry leaders and arrange guest lectures for the seminar series of lectures. For the class of ‘23, the SNC have come up with a unique and first of its kind initiative called the Vista – An Industry Perspective & Insight Series, which showcases each of the 78-industry practitioner turned MBAEx student in a one-to-one discussion with the MBAEx Chairperson on their work background, their diverse experience, and also the future “predictive’ prospects of the industry-market into which they are preparing to contribute to.

The Students Admission Committee (SAC), along with the office, conducts Live Webinars on different themes where faculty, alumni and current batch students are called for interaction and discussion. In these webinars admission related queries and other queries are also answered. Fetching data from various sources, the prospective candidates are sent invites over email through which they are made aware about such webinars taking place. The webinar also has a topical discussion centered around changing roles of skill sets across industries, discussed by in-house faculty expert, alumni from the relevant industry under discussion and also a current MBAEx student either from the relevant industry or looking to foray into the same – so that there is a connected discourse from all stakeholders of the MBAEx program.

Potential Employer:

(a) Lattice – Lattice is the Annual Business Symposium organized by the MBAEx students of IIM Calcutta. It is a platform that facilitates interaction between leaders of Indian society and IIM Calcutta students and alumni and aims at propagating the implementation of new ideas in the industry and society at large. The themes of Lattice are always carefully chosen with an objective to create a platform for thought leaders from various sections of societies to share ideas on currently relevant and important management issues. Some earlier themes have been:

• Lattice 2018: INDIA VISION 2030: Invigorate. Ideate. Innovate
• Lattice 2020: Reshaping the Amorphous
• Lattice 2021: Re-inventing INDIA – Innovative | Entrepreneurial | Sustainable
• Lattice 2023: India @75: Navigating Global Uncertainty and Embracing Disruption

(b) Live Projects – The live project component in the program is a project the MBAEx students work on, that can either be a live management problem, or a consultancy project, or a research project, or a case writing project with clear and specific deliverables, typically conducted under the mentorship of alumni/industry/IIMC entrepreneurship cell/Faculty. Every project is mentored by an appropriate mentor according to the nature of project and evaluated on completion. The live projects in different organizations helps students integrate the classroom learning with industry experience. It also helps them in career decisions and placements allowing them to shift their industries or functions.

Alumni Outreach:

(a) Homecoming – The main objective of the event “Homecoming – an annual MBAEx alumni event” is to connect with the earlier batches of MBAEx alumni together to reflect on their journey post completion of the program. This helps us to understand the journey of the program, since its inception in 2006. The union also aims to connect the past and the present program alumni together for experience sharing, and MBAEx connected-brand building.

The reunion also serves as an opportunity for the alumni to return to their alma mater with their families and reconnect with classmates, faculty members, current batch and bond over day long activities.

(b) All activities, including Lattice, Live Projects and Admissions Webinars include alumni representations – the connectedness of the past, present and future MBAEx students is always already nurtured.

(c) Alumni Chapters (Associations): We have IIM Calcutta Alumni associations in Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, and even Singapore, Dubai and Kuwait.

P&Q: What are some aspects of IIM Calcutta’s programming and culture that make it appealing to women? International students?

Rath:

“For Women: IIM Calcutta is one of the pioneers of developing Women’s Leadership Long Duration Program, and also in-company training for women leadership sessions. Hence, it has a dedicated cohort of faculty from different academic groups research and develop customised topically directed courses, content and assignments to help develop leadership skills for women executives in particular. Such endeavours and research have helped develop transition of such skill-sets and women-leadership related content into all other programs delivered by IIM Calcutta. MBAEx has been active in developing its admissions priorities. Over the years, the number of women students have also gradually increased. At present, the number of women students in the current batch is 10 which is around 13% of the total batch strength, and going forward, the inclusion of women in MBAEx is a dedicated work-in-progress.

Also, another unique feature of MBAEx Program is the majority-women run MBAEx Office – the manager (Ms. Anindita Rudra) and the executives (Ms. Madhushree, Ms. Samadrita, and                  Ms. Sanghamitra) have been pillars for running a major in-house high context program of IIM Calcutta, with Ms. Rudra having been consistent with the program since its inception in 2006.

For International Students: Students of the current batch who have had international exposure prior to joining the program is around 15 % of the total batch strength. The Triple International accreditation for IIM Calcutta is a great addition – AMBA, AACSB, and EQUIS. Also, MBAEx can be a bridge for many international experienced students who want to relocate in Indian industry as well.”

P&Q: How does IIM Calcutta leverage its Kolkata location to provide school projects, employer partnerships, and job opportunities for students?

Rath: “IIM Calcutta leverages Kolkata location to provide the following:

Live Projects (LP): The growing industry base and alumni base in and around Kolkata is useful for LP – Live Projects.

Calcutta Alumni Chapter (Association): The Kolkata based alumni has always been considerate and inclusive of all IIM Calcutta programs and activities in its various funding, partnerships, project-based initiatives. The Calcutta chapter recently in 2023 arranged for a Wealth Management Talk and 14 of the current cohort from Finance backgrounds participated in the same.

5 REASONS TO CONSIDER IIM CALCUTTA?

1) Brand Reputation: “IIM Calcutta is the first management institute in the country to be Triple Crowned – to be accredited by AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS. It is also one of the most reputed management institutes globally. This brand value certainly played a role in my decision-making. I understood that the case-based pedagogy will definitely help me to understand real-life scenario. I will be able to contribute to problem-solving and gain diverse perspectives from teammates.
Aman Mohan Sharma

2) One-Year Program: “IIM, Calcutta’s one-year MBAEx course is a curriculum-heavy, rigorous, and demanding program. Unlike the two-year courses, the course curriculum is compressed into 6–7 weeks terms. The differentiating factor from other Indian management schools of the same tier is an additional sixth term which increases the contact hours per batch. The course assignments and case discussions are demanding and extract every ounce of productivity from the candidates, pushing them to the limit. Every minute spent unplanned is a lost opportunity in a course where terms pass by in a blink.”
Tejaswi Abburi

3) Community: “At IIMC, academics is of prime focus. The professors are very approachable; they not only help you with studies and projects, but also mentor you for your professional as well as personal development. You are given the freedom to choose your own groups and change them for different courses. This randomization provides you an opportunity to connect with maximum batchmates and maximize peer-to-peer learning.”
 Apoorva Patel

4) Kolkata: “You have to be here to dive into the rich traditions of food, festivals, art, and language. It feels like just the right combination of modernity blended with its unique culture that dates back centuries. True to its eponymous, City of Joy!”
Mosaddique Rafi

5) Curriculum: “I learned the importance of quantifying every business decision during my startup career. The fact that IIM Calcutta is ranked No 1 in Finance and No 2 in Economics among the top 70 global business schools that offer master’s in management programs is a testimony to IIM Calcutta’s obsession with numbers. This aspect of pedagogy that is unique to IIM Calcutta was the most compelling reason for me to choose this business school. When I saw our OB professor using statistical research to explain some of the concepts in the class, I was convinced that this school truly lives to its reputation.”
Hitesh Batra

ADMISSIONS ADVICE FROM THE CLASS OF 2023

“Being a “Jokar” (a name given to all students of IIM Calcutta) is an honour and a privilege, and it opens doors in areas where no doors may exist. There is very much a camaraderie within the institution. I strongly recommend all the potential applicants be authentic about their stories and experiences. The college highly values your unique story and how you navigated various phases of life. So be confident about your abilities and tell the absolute truth. Along with this, I think a clear answer to the question as to how this MBA would help them reach from point A (where they are at present) to point B (where they want to be) would allow the candidates to refine their thought process and they would be in a much better shape to project their candidature.”
Ankit Baid

“Apart from having a good GMAT score, you need to have a spike factor that helps you distinguish yourself from other applicants. At IIMC, learning happens not only in a classroom. Peer-to-peer learning is of much importance in the program as each one brings a different set of expertise with him/her to the institute. It’s better to be sure about one’s purpose for joining this program and how will one be able to contribute to peer-to-peer learning. One must also be familiar with the latest trends in their industry. Be true to yourself while writing the statement of purpose. Connect to current students or the alumni of the program for help during the application process.”
Apoorva Patel

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad Alma Mater	Last Employer
Tejaswi Abburi	Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh	Indian Institute of Technology, Madras	Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
Ankit Baid	Purnia, Bihar	Visvesvaraya Technological University, Bengaluru	Indian Navy
Hitesh Batra	Faridabad, Haryana	C. R. State College of Engineering	Cogneau Systems Pvt Ltd
Manojit Kumar Dalai	Cuttack, Odisha	Biju Patnaik University of Technology	LG Electronics India Pvt Ltd
Ashwin GS	Bangalore, Karnataka	R.N.S Institute of Technology	N M Entertainment
Aman Mohan Sharma	Chandigarh, India	Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee	Vidyamandir Classes Pvt. Ltd.
Apoorva Patel	Navsari, Gujarat	National Institute of Technology, Surat	Tata Motors
Mosaddique Rafi	Dhanbad, Jharkhand	Jamia Millia Islamia University	Ciena
Shrishti	Bangalore, Karnataka	National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra	MakeMyTrip Limited
Rajiv Kumar Suman	Madhubani, Bihar	Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad	Practo Technologies
Siddharth Thakur	Mumbai, Maharashtra	Mumbai University	Tata Technologies
Jignesh Panchal	Mumbai, Maharashtra	Mumbai University	ABM Group, Dubai (UAE)