Work Your way to an MBA
You’ve completed your graduation with excellent marks and are looking to do an MBA. Unfortunately, in spite of top grades in most entrance tests, you still haven’t managed to pave your way through to the B-School of your choice over a student with average grades but a considerable amount of work experience.
Surprised? Don’t be. The requirement for postgraduate institutions has changed. Although a good academic record was considered sufficient to be admitted to a reputed institute until a few years ago, today, one finds an increasing number of institutes jumping on to work experience bandwagon. Prospective students, with a solid track record of working, are given precedence over fresh graduates; these new mantras is a result of the fact that people with work experience have more practical knowledge and are thus, able to absorb the new information in better and quicker manner than their academic scholar counterparts. Moreover, with the format of teaching becoming increasingly students oriented, any relevant form of work experience is an added boon to the selection process
While earlier, it was only foreign educational institutions that expressed a preference for experienced candidates, Indian institutions such as the IIMs, S P Jain, and SIES are now following suit. Lata Lakshmi Asst Professor, Finance who also helps in selection process at SPJMR says, “We do give preference to candidates with work experience. In my opinion, work experience makes a lot of difference because such candidates have seen the flavour of the profession they aspire to work in and hence understand the course better”. Therefore, with these new criteria being preferred by most colleges, does it not seem more beneficial for student to update their resume rather than their mark sheets? She adds, “It is not that we haven’t take in students without experience, but we have found that fresher are less receptive to management and people-related subjects such as organizational behavior than their experienced counterparts”.
Ever since its introduction, this format has been the subject of much debate. Many students are extremely optimistic about this change while there are others who beg to differ. Nishant Desai, a current MBA student from SP Jain believes that this change is for the better. “I did not have a very strong academic background but bad been working in a IT company for a considerable period of time. I knew that it would be difficult for me to get in merely on the basis of my academic qualifications. Fortunately for me, my work experience counted for a lot and I was able to get admission in the college that I wanted”
Adds Sunayana Mahansaria, a prospective MBA student, “Once you have work experience, you can grasp the course in a more effective manner, thus enabling one to train in a much better manner. In fact, many foreign universities require as much as four years of relevant work experience. In that sense, Indian institutes have a long way to go.”
One different voice Sengupta elucidates, “In India, most students pursue education as continuum and the job placements after an MBA for non-experienced students is high as well. The US system of education is different, where undergraduate students are able to easily secure corporate jobs, but in a country like India, students with out MBA find the going much tougher. Hence, it is better that they complete their post graduation first and only then look for jobs. Having said that, I do believe that experienced students are in a better position to relate to their studies. In our institution, we try to create a balance of 25:75. Where 25 percent are students with work experience”
While every new rule has its proponents and opponents, it remains to be seen how effective this criteria will prove to be in the coming years.
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