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How to convert your B-School call

Last updated on: January 31, 2006 13:25 IST

It is a challenging time for MBA aspirants.

Many of you may have already started receiving calls from various B-Schools to participate in the stage two -- the Group Discussion and Personal Interview.

Brijesh Singh and Jatinder Vohra of Top Careers & You have suggestions on how you can ace this stage: Read editorials of newspapers and weekly business magazines.

Know yourself thoroughly. Also, be thorough with external questions based on the Indian economy, stock market, etc. Above all, try to get a good hold on the English language.

Brijesh is project head, MBA, at Top Careers & You. He is an MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, and regularly writes features on CAT for various publications.

Jatinder is project leader, MBA, at Top Careers & You. He has a passion for training and has been a trainer for four years.

  • Group Discussions: How panelists rate you

    For those of you who missed the chat, here is the transcript:

    Part II: How should you dress for a GD


    Jatinder: Hi all. This is Jatinder from TCY and we are ready to answer your questions.


    Brijesh: Hi all. This is Brijesh from TCY, and we are ready to take on your queries regarding GD/PI.


    iankur    : Hi. Can you tell me how good is SIBM/ SCMHRD post one year of experience? What rank do you give these institutes?

    Brijesh: SIBM and SCMHRD will provide you a good platform after one year of work experience. Both the institutes can be ranked in the top 20 institutes in India.


    mann: hi can you please tell me how can i prepare for CAT exams.i am a electronics engg. which book i will refer.and also working in mnc.

    Jatinder: Start focusing on the basic fundamentals and then, for two or three months, you can focus on speed.


    js: hi , i'd like to know what r d chances to get into one of the top b-schools in Europe ( INSEAD, LSB, IESE, etc) if a good GMAT score is obtained but with just 6-9 months exp backed by a recommendation from an Ivy League MBA grad ? with evidence of commendable leadership and maturity...

    Jatinder: You can give it a try if you have got good academics and a project backing your candidature. The work experience will definitely act as a deterrent.


    js: wrt GMAT training, what's better? the princeton review or the kaplan courses? does the number of CAT's they provide You with, actually matter? heard that u get similar stuff vide cd's from the local markets...

    Brijesh: Both of them are good. It depends a lot on the candidate preparing for GMAT. Any course will not help you till the time you are not thorough with the basic fundamentals in verbal ability and quant.


    js: would u be able to name the other b-schools in Europe where a better chance would lie ?

    Brijesh: Cardiff is another good B-School, but your number of years of work experience will act as a deterrent.


    Madhu: I am presently working in a public sector company.What about doing an MBA in IIPM?

    Jatinder: IIPM is an average B-School. It all depends upon the number of years of work experience you have.


    mann: which books i will refer.

    Brijesh: There are a number of books available in the market. You can also try Erudites from Top Careers & You to help you work on your fundamentals.


    Madhu: Presently I am having three years of experirnce.

    Jatinder: Assuming that you have good profile in your present job, aim for better b-schools in India.


    js: your take on Manchester / IMD / City B-schools? or rather, what European school of considerable repute ,does an opportunity for me not seem too far-fetched?

    Brijesh: I suggest you gain some more work experience to get into a good B-School abroad.


    swarup: i have given the CAT this year.I have secured 73 percentile.Can i get a good B-school

    Brijesh: A good B-school seems far fetched at this score.


    aditya :     hi tell me some options for partime MBA in PUNE,i have exp of one year in IT industry

    Jatinder :     Symbiosis can be a good option.


    Anand :     Is MBA from ICFAI university is helpful.

    Jatinder :     It depends upon your goals and aspirations in life. ICFAI can be an average platform.

    • mann : suppose u get better score then which b- schoool you will prefer.

    Brijesh :     Obviously, the IIMs are the best. You can also look at schools like MDI, SP Jain, NITIE, IMT, etc.

    Anand : I am a Computer Science and Enginering graduate and working as Solution Developer in e Commerce which stream is better for me..?

    Jatinder : You can try for an MBA (systems) or MBA(IT).

    anujagulati : Hello Sir, cud u tell me the criteria of giving calls used by the IITs??? what weightage does the JMET rank carry??? do acads count??? and also what wa sthe cutoff rank 4 IIT-D last yr???

    Brijesh :     A good JMET will definitely give you leverage. Expertise in your chosen subject is essential for you to do well at the interview stage.

    Anand : MBA Degree or post graduate diploma in management is it matters?

    Jatinder :     There is not much of a difference.

    aman : Hi, I have 90.69 percentile, but only 31.71 in VA. I have applied to FORE,IMI,IMI-HR,LBS,UBS.Can I expect a call from any of them?Also I have applied to Amity, should I consider it as my backup option or skip it all together?

    Brijesh : You have a decent chance. Start preparing for your GD/PI. You can consider Amity as a back-up option.

    vitruvian man  : sir i will i get call frm nirma, imt nagpur , imi , ibs , at an score of 84.61 in cat 2005.. or any of these institutes

    Jatinder :     You have a chance. Start preparing for GD/PI.

    astha : I am a Army Captain with 5 years of experience with score DI 73 Quant 82 and VA 97 and overall 95 percentile can i expect call from SP Jain and MDI HR. Please reply

    Brijesh :     You have a very decent chance of getting a call from these B-Schools.

    Pavan : Where does the IIPM stand? IS it atleast above average? A 'B-grade' school? Pls answer.

    Jatinder :     It is an average school.

    akshi : can anybody please tell me about ICFAI'S INTERVIEW PROCEDURE

    Brijesh :     Micro-presentation is very important. At the interview, you should ask politely for your chosen ICFAI centre. Most people choose ICFAI Hyderabad as their first option.

    swarup : Hi Jatinder sir,i am a software engineer in prpfession.i want to do MBA.but not in IT.I want to do in MArketing And HR.will it be ok?

    Jatinder : It all depends upon your interest. It is okay.

    arun : Dear sir could u plz tell to me wat i can except in 87% in cat with 2 yr work ex and engineering background.i have applied to nirma,kj somaya,sp jain, mdi hr.sir also i got 70 marks in Snap ,wud it help me in any call from a good b school.

    Jatinder : Nirma and KJ can send you a call. As for SNAP, look at institutes apart from SIBM and SCHMRD.

    BLACKI : Where does TAPMI stand in the League of B-schools?

    Brijesh :     TAPMI is in the top 20 schools in India. The average cut-off would be around 92 percentile.

    iankur : How is Delhi School of Economic's Master in Internation Business? Does it have good placements? Is it better than SIBM/SCMHRD?

    Brijesh : SIBM/SCMHRD are better in terms of placements.

    phoenix : i have scored 82.68 in CAT and 70 marks in SNAP ,which colleges can i expect

    Brijesh :     In SNAP, all others except SIBM and SCMHRD.

    aspirant : sir o got a call from alliance biz academy(b'lore) and AMITY ... tell me ur views on them

    Jatinder :     Alliance Business Academy is an average B-School and Amity is slightly better.

    Babu : Hi there.... could u guide as to the best recognised MBA thru distance mode ?

    Brijesh :     DLPs of Symbiosis, IMT and NMIMS are considered to be good.

    swarup : Thx sir,but tell me plz if i do the dual specialisation will there be more career prospect?????????/

    Brijesh :     Dual specialisation helps, but the institute from where you do your MBA definitely carries more weight.

    sid : what preparation i need to do for GROUP Discussions i got calls from I and K

    Jatinder :     Focus on newspaper editorials, read a weekly business magazine and be thorough with your academic background.

    shrika : HOW IS ALLIANCE???

    Jatinder : An average B-School.

    osiris : Where does imt ghaziabad stand among all the bschools in india?i have 1 year experience and hope to convert SIBm,SCMHRD and IMT...any ideas which to go for after 18 months workex?

    Brijesh :     IMT is known to have better placements than SIBM/SCMHRD, so you can choose accordingly.

    vedant : Hi please some one ansewr my question. i had done my mba in international business could some one please tell me, does the degree has value in indian market

    Jatinder :     If your degree is from Australia, it depends on which institute it is. For example, a degree from a Melbourne B-School school will have good value everywhere.

    vkamalanathan : hi, my son scored 93 percentile in the current cat. But he didn't get admission in the first 6 top Business Schools. What will be his chances of admissions in the rest? can u please update me?

    Jatinder :     93 percentile is good. He may get a call from a couple of CAT allied B-Schools.

    shrika : TELL ME A GOOD B-SCHOOL IN CHENNAI.

    Brijesh : Loyola is considered to be a good B-School. Bharathidasan in Tamil Nadu can also be a good option.

    idris : I have got call frm narsi monjee.How is it?what shud i do to cnvrt the call?

    Brijesh :     NM is one of the best B-Schools in Mumbai. Definitely in the top 20. Read editorials of newspapers, start reading a weekly business magazine. Know yourself thoroughly. Also, get thorough with external questions related to the Indian economy, stock market, etc. Above all, try and get a good hold on the English language.

    idris : at 94 pcntile can i expect a call from MDI or IMT?

    Jatinder :     IMT can send you a call.

    abcdef : hello Sir, how much experience is considered good enough for GMAT?

    Brijesh :     Three to four years on an average is considered good.

    Dattatreya : HI GOOD AFTERNOON FRIEND,I AM AN UNDERGRADUATE...& I AM EMPLOYED IN AN BPO AS A TEAM LEAD WITH 6 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. I AM INTERSTED TO PERSUE A MBA COURSE WHICH WILL GIVE AN AMPLE CHANCES TO RISE IN MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE...PLEASE ADVISE IF THERE IS ANY CHANCES OF TO AVAIL AN MBA COURSE...

    Jatinder :     For an MBA, you need to be a graduate. With the amount of work experience you have, you can get into a good B-School.

    chunnu : snap 75 one year exp. any chance with scmhrd. please reply

    Brijesh :     The chances are remote.

    sid : is it necessary for me to join any coachin institutes GD PI training classes will that be of any help , if yes of what kind ??????

    Brijesh : It will definitely give you more confidence to speak in a group and you will have an opportunity to interact with other achievers.

    astha : How do you rate MDI HR is it a good place to go in as its introduced newly

    Brijesh :     It is good.

    Part II: How should you dress for a GD

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