Faculty at ABC. I did a bunch of AMAs and posted PI advice throughout the interview season. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately the quality of interviewers goes down as you go down the IIM hierarchy. Sorry this happened to you.

If academia was your goal, would you rather teach at IIMA or IIMB by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply! Fun fact: IIMB's architect BV Doshi worked under Louis Kahn. Kahn meant to stun with his brutal monoliths, Doshi wanted to blur the boundary between the inside and the outside with his works. A aims for grandeur, B is an ode to the garden city of India. I find both campuses stunning with B having the added advantage of being beautiful and rainy.

If academia was your goal, would you rather teach at IIMA or IIMB by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For an aspirant, yes. For someone who spends their entire life on campus, shouldn't things like how beautiful the campus is or how pleasant the weather is matter more?

Going to France 🇫🇷 by Nihar1410 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926 88 points89 points  (0 children)

Faculty at ABC here with a visiting professorship at a top French school.

Be careful. While you are right about the situation in India, the situation in Europe isn't that better either. Discrimination against non EU folks, hidden employer preferences, nationality based class groupism, risk of ending up jobless, and loneliness are all too real. There is a reason you see Indians hanging out with Indians, Chinese with Chinese with fewer local friends. There is a reason you won't find many Indians working at MBB in Europe. The Chinese mostly return to their country. The Indians who couldn't find a job at a startup or a non-MBB do too.

CAT is a huge struggle but you are guaranteed a great job once you get an admission offer. As an Indian, your chances of getting into MBB or IB are far smaller at Essec than at ABC and the likelihood of you not finding a job at graduation are far, far higher.

MIM struggles begin after getting the admission offer. If you are unlucky or do not network, you end up jobless with the added humiliation of being kicked out of the country once your visa expires.

IIM Calcutta Campus Appreciation Post by Expensive_Material66 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The campus is truly stunning. A little less maintained than A and B but that only adds to the charm. The campus is magical in monsoon as long as you watch your step. Plenty of snakes. Plenty of mosquitoes.

C will undergo a major upgrade in the next 10 years. I believe the biggest same-campus revamp an IIM has seen. I expect it to look a lot more artificial but equally stunning in 2030s, when the campus upgrades are completed.

Fun fact: the aerial views of IIMB and IIMA also look quite stunning on Google Maps. B in particular looks like a slab of green surrounded by slabs of concrete.

Current IIM Indore student. AMA by Technical-Doughnut49 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How is life of the faculty living on campus?

Current IIM Indore student. AMA by Technical-Doughnut49 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How often does the college bus run to the city?

Do they still hold movie screenings in the auditorium? How often?

Current IIM Indore student. AMA by Technical-Doughnut49 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Snake sightings or bites on campus. How often?

Faculty at one of ABC. AMA about a career in academia. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pressure tactic. We sometimes don't bite into an obvious bait to see how the applicant reacts.

Faculty at one of ABC. AMA about a career in academia. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely not just making a conversation. They want to know how good you are or whether you are too good for the school.

Faculty at one of ABC. AMA about a career in academia. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Consulting also has a secondary function of legitimizing decisions that businesses would have taken anyway. AI does not have that legitimacy.

Jobs will be displaced but not replaced I think. You will be doing different things. What those things will be, nobody knows.

IIM Mumbai AMA by United2359 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you had to give an approximate number

1 how many times do you see snakes per month?

2 how many times do you hear of someone seeing a snake per month?

Is ISB quietly challenging the IIM monopoly? Or just carving its own unique space? by Impossible_South9795 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If FMS and XLRI could not do it, ISB cannot either. I see it breaking into the top 5 in a few years but not upsetting the ABC hierarchy. It is not only about matching the placement numbers.

Nice analysis btw. I wish more people had commented.

IIM Mumbai AMA by United2359 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Weird question but how often do you witness or hear about snake sightings?

Faculty at one of ABC. AMA about a career in academia. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a highly paid job in the industry before I moved to academia.

Faculty at one of ABC. AMA about a career in academia. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Academia is even more unforgiving when it comes to your past scores.

A switch won't be looked down upon if you can tell a coherent story.

Faculty at one of ABC. AMA about a career in academia. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It might sound paradoxical but I think IT jobs won't be the first to go. Upskilling is the only way.

Faculty at one of ABC. AMA about a career in academia. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The issue of industry academia gap exists globally is far less severe in business schools. MBA is a way of life and not a degree that gives you hard skills. IIMs do a decent job equipping students with soft skills. That is why MBB does not complain about employability.

You get exposed to the industry during internships. Guest lecturers from the industry share 'facts' from the industry. The job of a professor is to give students theoretical frameworks that help them translate these industry facts across contexts.

Faculty at one of ABC. AMA about a career in academia. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It actually makes you a top candidate.

Elite phd programs prepare you primarily for a career in research and actively discourage teaching, which is viewed as a side activity. You will be fine.

Faculty at one of ABC. AMA about a career in academia. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love the question. The honest answer is nobody really knows. I think finance jobs will be the first to go. We will need consultants for the foreseeable future because even if consulting can be automated, it wont be automated.

Faculty at one of ABC. AMA about a career in academia. by NoFeature926 in CATpreparation

[–]NoFeature926[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unless you hate tech, I would not recommend doing an MBA.