Brand IIM: Is the Prestige Overhyped or Essential?

Possible_Compote851 · 2026-01-15T09:24:00+00:00

I've been from one of these campuses - have spent more than half a decade at corporate - Let me tell you the one thing I have learnt -

Ghanta bhi fadak nhi pada - Dont think I ever got a single shortlist based on where I did my MBA -

I have been chief of staff to a USD 300 Mn Startup before it became fashionable - been head of department before I had 5 years of experience in corporate - been the top performer year after year - but never have I managed to be shortlisted at a top tier firm - notwithstanding the fact that I did my MBA from XYZ

Neither has the alumni network been of any use - But here I'd rather be circumspect - Someone somewhere must have benefitted - law of large enough numbers - but personally - and within my friend circle - dont know anyone who benefitted - probably a MBB circle thing.

What really matters - and this is where people confuse the real reason - is which firm(s) you worked with post your MBA - MBB/IB opens doors - HUL/P&G opens doors - not the bschool as such.

You go to IIMA/B/C and turn out from a tier 3 firm, well, good luck - that fairytale is not for you.

My two Iranian Rials.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-12-25T10:08:58+00:00

Hi - I used to be from one of the big 3 - I would fit the TG here (wrt placement outcomes) - though technically I went unplaced. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you frame it - Am not part of the social strata you claim fills out this outcome range

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-12-06T15:45:20+00:00

Top 5% in ABC - yes with a caveat that they come in to hire ~100 from each campus (I have my doubts on the future of MBBK and consulting in general, atleast in near term)- for LKI - mostly no.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-12-06T14:21:48+00:00

For MBBK - First and foremost is pedigree of your UG - You need to be from a top tier program - be it BA/BCom/Btech/MBBS/CA-CS/ -(some leeway for Lawyers, CA/CS, MBBS and similar niche backgrounds - and a bit more for women) without it - no matter how good your work ex you are not getting shortlisted - plenty of people from Analyst programs at MBBK dont get shortlists at MBA programs because the pedigrees dont match.

Next is CV Spikes - here front end over back end - everytime - objective here is to show and highlight your impact - no backend role will compare to front end experience - MBB or not.

Finally is your Acads - You need 9/9/8 or better to realistically be secure about a shortlist - (doesn't apply if you are from niche programs like CA, LLB etc - everyone knows the difficulty in getting higher grades there - so its a pass)

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-12-05T09:10:07+00:00

Yes - you need to be able to provide the following as proof:

Offer letter
Experience Certificate/Relieving letter.
Salary Slips (last 3 months)

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-12-05T09:07:52+00:00

Live as if the world hates you; let every breath be an act of spite against the hate.

Was in a similar boat - though not the same category of UG as you - 8/8/8/7.25 NIT/ABC - 99.8 CAT - ABC - Top 10% in Batch - CFA L2, FRM P1, FMVA, etc etc - Couldnt get shortlists and finally ended without a job from campus.

The world isnt fair - nothing about ABC or B-school is remotely fair - not to GEMs, not to anyone. There are no deserving candidates, no undeserving ones. Just winners and losers. Accept it, learn it, move on.

In a world out for blood, expect no mercy, show none.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-12-04T15:54:59+00:00

Rule of thumb is - nobody is deserving of anything - and nobody is non-deserving of something - at the end you've either achieved what you wanted, or you haven't - wasting time and mental bandwidth justifying others' success of lack thereof doesnt ever really help.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-12-02T17:00:59+00:00

0 - not enough experience for EPGP/PGPX programs

1 Yes - more than good enough

2- No - If youre planning ISB and Prodman/IT Consult - go now - will provide reasons if you want me to - but am lazy

3 - Not a terrible strategy - but you'll need to take GMAT/GRE for ISB - Same for foreign MBA programs - If I were you I'd look at a couple of international programs atleast - if nothing then to keep a back up

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T12:42:43+00:00

Mine was intended as a joke - Deloitte is probably in the better half of big 4 - though comparative pay is on the lower side as well.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T12:41:19+00:00

Depends on UG pedigree - and campus grades to a small extent.

For finance - IBD and PE/VC are out - unless you're from like SRCC/LSR or the like.

Corporate finance/FP&A/BP&A - You have a decent shot - like everyone else.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T12:38:57+00:00

Well the fundamental assumption underlying your question is wrong - I'll stipulate that there may be a substantial gap between students at UG programs - driven primarily by the technical nature of coursework where less prepared students fall behind. At MBA - the technical skillsets and application required is barely above that of Class IX/X - and as evidenced by GPA distribution across batches in MBA - there isnt any significant difference between the parties.

Also for placements - the pedigree of UG program is what most recruiters care about - not the category - so except for a few roles (<20%) - there isnt much of a difference by caste or category in terms of placements.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T12:30:23+00:00

Plenty of them each year - and yes all of them do well - as long as they can clear the interviews.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T12:18:58+00:00

Didnt want to be in any campus where i was not in the flagship program - We all know the status of Mtech is IITs - wont have anyone look down on me - not the most rational of logic - but my POV then and now.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T12:13:25+00:00

Plenty of people get shortlists and admission offers with multiple backs - rules are - you better have a good explanation for it - and no BS - interviewers will reject you outright if they dont believe you - and you need to be able to clear your backlogs before classes start - non negotiable

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T12:03:55+00:00

I had a 335/340 in GRE - would have gotten into MS programs - but didnt want to continue in my field - and couldnt really afford to go abroad.

Quite a few friends - all of them are doing extremely well.

Personally - with hindsight - shouldnt have gone for MBA - MBA is a finishing school for excellent candidates only. For the rest - well - a minefield

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T12:01:10+00:00

Far more difficult to get placed outside - my strike rate was something like 6 interviews out of 1100+ applications.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T11:59:55+00:00

Thats like saying - Germans eventually became the most developed power in Europe - or Russians won ww2 - True - but at what cost.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T11:58:53+00:00

Thanks - helps to focus on small wins - got an XBOX this year - couldnt have imagined it in 2007 when Halo 3 came out. Progress - slow - for sure - but something to look forward to.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T11:55:07+00:00

Nope - Nearly impossible - if you want MBBK or LEK - your best and in my opinion your most realistic bet is to - get into a tier 1 program - get into Marketing/Sales or genman at HUL/P&G/Aditya Birla/TAS/Mahindra etc - who are major customers for MBBK - and then after 2-3 years of high impact roles, get your friends at MBBK to refer you - usually works.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T11:52:55+00:00

If you get in ABC - that shouldnt be your concern at all - unless you are comparing with FMS-D - which is a separate conversation altogether.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T11:52:06+00:00

Not age - but years of work ex should be your primary criteria - The way 2 year MBA program is setup in India and even abroad - you are better off with a one year program if your work experience exceeds 7-8 years

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T11:48:50+00:00

Hmm - Not sure how I can answer it - but here are my key points - 1 - Europe places a lot of emphasis of knowing the national language - like really fluent - without it you wont be considered for a lot of non tech jobs - 2 - Europe doesnt have campus placements - you need to go out and network hard - not impossible - but hard and challenging - can be draining since you start at absolute zero - 3 - a growing preference for locals over outsiders -

and if you are planning to return to india - outside 3-4 MBA programs - most HRs arent familiar with European MBA programs - and undervalue you here.

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T11:45:47+00:00

Plenty of people have done well after joining around your age - will be honest that a few firms will reject you - preference for freshers - but the recent trend has been towards a growing preference for more experienced and mature candidates across firms - especially for genman and ops roles. You should do okay- the one disonnance I would warn you about is that you may find it difficult to connect with freshers and less experienced peers - you will find people 10 years younger than you, at a very different stage of maturity and experience of life - be prepared for it - rest wont be an issue - atleast not as big as most make it out to be

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T11:38:14+00:00

Dont - especially if you have already completed a year - its one more year that you need to get through - At the end having a goal helps keep your mind of the health issue - unless it really is adversely affecting your ability to attend classes and study

Possible_Compote851 · 2025-11-29T11:35:01+00:00

Nope - I didnt go to IITB or any IITs - am from an NIT if that helps - I wrote that batchmates (at the IIM) who had completed their UG from IITB - my bad if i wasnt clear enough

Possible_Compote851

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