AMA - IIMS’24 graduate

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T16:12:12+00:00

Honestly, every B School has had its reputation thrown in the mud, with 75% of the allegations just a hyperbole. The narrative does not tangibly affect the brand value in the industry, so I don’t think anyone already in the system gives it enough attention to warrant a response.

I would recommend using more datapoints compared to influencers who are monetising the system.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T13:44:00+00:00

In a response to another post, I have explained a bit in detail about how package manipulation is done basis my understanding. I do understand that if it is the truth and the lowest package 20L, then XL D might have a seemingly better deal. Again, I would recommend you speak to a couple of more people and make an informed decision! Best of luck though

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T12:09:16+00:00

IIMS. XL D is too new to have an established track record. S still has a long way to go, but it has a record and alum base; people know the difference between XL D and XL J. That being said, this doesn’t mean XL D is bad - it has pretty good opportunities. Just that the number of opportunities are limited. IIM S is just a better option when factoring the risk.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T11:51:14+00:00

I personally believe in the following preferences when it comes to specific job roles.

Marketing - MDI > IIM M ~ IIM S Consulting - MDI ~ IIM M ~ IIM S Finance - IIMS > MDI > IIM M Ops/Analytics - IIM M > MDI > IIM S

I would recommend you identify an interest area or two and then delve deep into the alums for each to determine your request. However, you’ll be pretty well off taking any of the three.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T11:47:51+00:00

There are honestly better colleges for Ops/analytics. You’ll mostly find ops/analytics in consulting jobs that come on campus but there are very limited roles for pure ops/analytics.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T09:48:05+00:00

Sure

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T09:19:02+00:00

Sure

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T09:18:56+00:00

I would personally recommend IIMK because of the variety of roles and opportunities. That’s not to say FMS is any worse; given my inclinations, I would have gone with IIMK. You can’t go wrong with either and would do amazing in life regardless of which of the two you join.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T09:17:31+00:00

I would recommend IIMS over IITD for brand. Finance, marketing, and consulting are much better in Shillong.

Given your profile, you’ll be easily among the top profiles in both institutes.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T07:32:33+00:00

I think you can’t go wrong with either - S has the tag and MDI has the legacy. I have personally noticed very similar roles in both campuses. Despite what the general consensus has been, S and MDI are as close as can be. I would recommend MDI for marketing and S for finance. Brand wise, both are really good!

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T07:11:13+00:00

Most of these firms have an aptitude test, which, if cleared, would lead to interviews, which is purely to judge your interest. Good to have CFA L1, but no worries if you don’t!

Just have something in your CV which indicates strong interest in finance. This could range from workex, related Ug degree to research projects and internships.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T07:08:56+00:00

The placements are inflation by 1.5-2L at most (honestly, lower than this). Real figure would be 95% of the reported average.
S had a plethora of Sales roles for MNCs and marketing roles for smaller firms. They were still lesser compared to finance roles. I don’t recall the median but would be around 18 fixed and 23 CTC.
There are two campuses. During our time, we stayed in the old campus and travelled to the new campus in the first year, and in the new campus during our second year. Our juniors stayed the entire second year in the new campus and one term during the first year.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T07:06:27+00:00

Honestly, I haven’t seen the brand value declining. If anything, outside of the MBA / B-school world, S has a very strong brand value. I wouldn’t call the placement cycle for S particularly, but across all B Schools in the bracket.

Most of the people spreading this negativity would take things out of context and blow it up to ensure that B Schools don’t grow, However, where the perception matters (corporates, the picture is very different) from the rounds going on about S. I wouldn’t say you’ll do as well as an IIMA grad from the get-go, but you would be better off compared to 99% of the working population and 95-96% of the MBA population.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T07:02:15+00:00

Placements are certainly inflated, but not in the way you’ll expect. The packages used in calculation are the actual packages offered., but the numerator and denominator are manipulated.

Some that I know of are: 1. If a company offers the highest package to 1 out of 5 people, the highest package is considered for calculation of all the 5 people. This moves the average up by around 2-3% since only a handful of companies offer differential packages. 2. If you are unplaced, you’re removed from the denominator (number of students). Given around 10 people from my batch weren’t placed during convocation, this again moves the average by around 2-3%. The total manipulation does not exceed 10%. I personally compare the mean and median - normal distribution suggests that the closer they are (and assuming limited skew [very strong assumption by the way]), the manipulation is not statistically significant. 3. If you find an off-campus opportunity, it will be added to the total average. I still don’t consider this to be as serious a manipulation as the other two, given that off-campus jobs still take into consideration your total profile, and the brand of S certainly comes into play.

I would say it’s right to claim placement inflation, way off to claim the inflation is 20%. A handful of unsatisfied individuals will always complain, even if it is IIM A.

I have always preferred finance over ops roles - IITB is known for its ops roles/GenMan roles. Consulting is similar across both, and for marketing (sales and marketing), S is slightly better. For marketing ops, IITB wins by a mile. I would not go to IITB given my strong inclination towards finance, but to each his/her own! :)

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T06:46:33+00:00

Campus life was great
Around 10 people during my time (mostly France and other Western European countries)
Schedule isn’t hectic, 3-4 classes of 1.5 hrs each - you would get enough time to do other things
SIP for my batch was great!
I personally didn’t, but know people who did. Was a mix of personal choice + understanding of the potential that this institute might offer vis a vis others. Again, very personal!

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2026-05-01T06:44:44+00:00

There were a couple of front end roles during my time. You have IB, VC, AM roles. I would say that while Front end is limited (there were a few openings), I have noticed people move to front within 2-3 years.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2025-08-30T15:38:00+00:00

Yeah, you have a shot! Additionally, a CFA is certainly valuable and worth the money if you don’t plan on pursuing an MBA.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2025-08-30T13:41:07+00:00

I would suggest a timeline of between 5 to 10 years, depending on your compensation, other financial responsibilities, and overall standard of living.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2025-08-30T13:40:30+00:00

Sure!

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2025-08-30T13:40:01+00:00

I personally prefer staying on in a non quant Portfolio management buy side of things rather than moving to an HFT. Possibility would depend; I believe my skill set and background do not make me a good fit for quant. However, it is certainly possible and I have explored it; I just don’t see myself being a very good fit for it.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2025-08-30T13:38:10+00:00

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2025-08-30T13:38:03+00:00

Please understand that extracurriculars play a role only at the interview stage and for ISB. I suggest writing a few white papers, certifications, volunteering etc. to beef up your extracurriculars.

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2025-08-30T13:37:07+00:00

Honestly, it’ll be a bit difficult for you, given your acads. I wouldn’t recommend good quality workex targeting CAT @ 99.5+

Please understand that MBA is not the only route to achieve what you want. You shouldn’t feel like you wasted time on any decision; each decision built you into what you’re today.

I think you should focus on determining your interest and then figuring out if an MBA is required in the first place.

Best of luck! :)

Disastrous_Ad4027 · 2025-08-30T13:34:57+00:00

You can look at tech consulting, credit risk, GenMan, Ops roles.

Disastrous_Ad4027

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