The absence of adequate arrangements for placement of One-year MBA graduates at a premier IIM has been highlighted in a letter from an alumnus to the Director of the Institute. Titled ‘A plea from the alumni’, the letter provides suggestions on how the situation could be improved to benefit the students, the institute and the recruiters. The letter was submitted anonymously to OneYearMBA with details of the institute and the author masked and is reproduced ‘as is’ below.
While the One Year MBA is winning plaudits for IIMs and is helping them finally gain global recognition that the longer running two-year pre-experience PGP programme has failed to get – this includes Global MBA Accreditation by Association of MBAs (PGP is accredited as Masters in Business Management – MBM), a ranking in Financial Times’ Top 100 MBA Courses (where PGP is ranked as an MBM), and record breaking senior level placements as opposed to entry level placements granted to PGP participants – the hearts and minds of the faculty and management seem to be with the first child – the PGP programme.
At least that’s what the letter from an alumni of the One Year MBA programme at a prominent IIM suggests. The letter from the alumni begins by saying that most of the graduates of the batch are working in reputed firms or have started their own ventures. However, a few of them were still searching for jobs with the repayment date of the hefty educational loan looming large on the horizon.
“The numerous calls that I and my course mates receive from the current batch as well as from the prospective candidates have made this letter necessary. We decided to send this letter after extensive discussions within our batch in the recent weeks,” the writer says.
The letter details how the students had conducted extensive inquiries with the previous batch regarding the course, especially placements. However, they didn’t divulge much owing it to restrictions put in by the institute. But once they joined the program, their seniors pointed out the inadequacies in placement assistance.
During the entire 12 months at the Institute, “All our requests for some placement help from the institute have met with responses ranging from empty promises to callous indifference. In the name of assistance, we were always directed towards the PGP placement cell. They neither have the resources nor the inclination to handle One Year MBA placements.
“Finally, during the end of our stay in the institute, an ad hoc placement cell for One Year MBA was formed in response to our requests. We hear that their performance is as abysmal now as it was during our time,” the letter says.
“It has simply turned out to be an eyewash as far as One Year MBA participants are concerned. We have still not understood why a premier institute that charges such exorbitant fees can’t start a dedicated placement office for One Year MBA while almost every other institute which runs a One Year MBA has it,” it adds.
The letter says that every student puts in hard earned money hoping to get a first rate education that will open up a sea of opportunities for him/her. “We don’t intend to say that the institute should be primarily responsible for getting us a job, but we definitely feel it is the Institute’s responsibility to provide the students with ‘relevant’ opportunities. We’ve seen situations where brilliant participants were forced to sit in interviews of companies from totally unrelated fields out of desperation, resulting in embarrassing rejection.”
The letter also points to the situation where the students, having to deal with the jam-packed curriculum of the one year MBA, hardly find time to hunt for companies, though every year a select group of participants who form the placement committee have devoted themselves to the task. “When every other Institute does it, why not the IIM? And when you do it for PGP, why not for the One Year MBA?” the letter asks.
The students had tried to put across this point numerous times while they were at the institute, including at the farewell dinner. At the time of leaving they were told that the lateral placements of PGP would be merged with that of One Year MBA.
“However, we now get to hear that not a bit has changed, except for the fees of course. The current batch faces the same obstacles that we did in the previous course,” the letter says. It points out that for the past several years, placement committees of One Year MBA have toiled hard alone, while witnessing the tremendous arrangements done for PGP placements by the institute.
“Sir, imagine our plight when a prospective candidate who has gained admission to multiple MBA programs gives us a call to enquire about the institute. We are stuck between blurting out the reality of placements and speaking highly of our institute. After all, we want One Year MBA to evolve into highly sought-after course. All we manage to say is that the education provided is first class, no doubt,” the letter says.
It moots a suggestion of the institute, participants and the alumni working as a team. The letter also points out that good placements are important if the institute wants brilliant students opt for it in future. “You can’t rely on providing great education alone, especially when all other competing institutes do it,” it adds.
“We aren’t asking for jobs to be dropped into the laps of participants. But kindly provide them with relevant opportunities by starting a dedicated One Year MBA placement cell with sufficient resources similar to the structure in place for PGP currently. We assure you sir, it will be a winning strategy for us all,” the letter concludes.
The post script says the letter is “a result of the overwhelming sense of pride and commitment that we alumni feel towards our Alma mater.”
Dear Sir,
I am a One Year MBA alumnus from the 20xx-20xx batch. I hope you would be happy to learn that ‘most’ of the participants in our batch are now working in reputed firms while some have started their own ventures. But that still doesn’t account for a few who are still searching for a job with degrees in their hand while the repayment date of the hefty educational loan looms over their head.
But surely sir, I am not writing to give you an update on our batch. The numerous calls that I and my course mates receive from the current batch as well as from the prospective candidates have made this letter necessary. We decided to send this letter after extensive discussions within our batch in the recent weeks and hence please consider this a collective plea from the XX candidates of the One Year MBA 20XX-XX batch who are proud of having studied at IIM XYZ.
When we were about to join IIM XYZ in Month 20XX, we extensively enquired with the previous batch regarding the course, especially placements. But they didn’t divulge much owing it to restrictions put in by the institute. But once inside, our seniors quickly pointed out that the placement assistance from the institute was grim. But they were also confident that with (deleted to protect anonymity), things would improve and that we were the lucky batch who would gain the benefit.
During the entire 12 months we spent at IIM XYZ, all our requests for some placement help from the institute have met with responses ranging from empty promises to callous indifference. In the name of assistance, we were always directed towards the PGP placement cell. They neither have the resources nor the inclination to handle One Year MBA placements. Finally during the end of our stay in the institute, an ad hoc placement cell for One Year MBA was formed in response to our requests. We hear that their performance is as abysmal now as it was during our time.
It has simply turned out to be an eyewash as far as One Year MBA participants are concerned. We have still not understood why a premier institute that charges such exorbitant fees can’t start a dedicated placement office for One Year MBA while almost every other institute which runs a one year MBA has it.
It is a matter of phenomenal irony that the very basic principle of business-‘customer value proposition’ which is drilled into our heads in almost all courses taught in One Year MBA, is outright forgotten when it comes to implementation from teaching. Every student puts his hard earned money in the hands of the institute hoping to get a first rate education that will open up a sea of opportunities for him/her. We don’t intend to say that the institute should be primarily responsible for getting us a job, but we definitely feel it is the institute’s responsibility to provide the students with ‘relevant’ opportunities. We’ve seen situations where brilliant participants were forced to sit in interviews of companies from totally unrelated fields out of desperation, resulting in embarrassing rejection. With jam packed curriculum of the one year MBA, the students hardly find time to hunt for companies, though every year a select group of participants who form the placement committee have devoted themselves to the task. When every other Institute does it, why not IIM XYZ? And when you do it for PGP, why not for One Year MBA?
We tried to put across our point numerous times while we were at the institute. During the farewell dinner, we made requests to improve things for future batches. When we left IIM, we were told that the lateral placements of PGP would be merged with that of One Year MBA. Like our seniors, even we left our junior batch with loads of hope. We said that they were much luckier than us.
We now get to hear that not a bit has changed, except for the fees of course. The current batch faces the same obstacles that we did in the previous course. They have our sympathies. For batches now, placement committees of One Year MBA have toiled hard alone, while witnessing the tremendous arrangements done for PGP placements by the institute.
Sir, imagine our plight when a prospective candidate who has gained admission to multiple MBA programs gives us a call to enquire about the institute. We are stuck between blurting out the reality of placements and speaking highly of our institute. After all, we want One Year MBA to evolve into highly sought-after course. All we manage to say is that the education provided is first class, no doubt.
Sir, why can’t we work as a team – the institute, participants, and the alumni. We humbly request you to realize that good placements are important if the institute wishes that brilliant students opt for IIM XYZ One Year MBA in future. You can’t rely on providing great education alone, especially when all other competing institutes do it. We aren’t asking for jobs to be dropped into the laps of participants. But kindly provide them with relevant opportunities by starting a dedicated One Year MBA placement cell with sufficient resources similar to the structure in place for PGP currently. We assure you sir, it will be a winning strategy for us all.
PS: This letter is a result of the overwhelming sense of pride and commitment that we alumni feel towards our alma mater.
Regards,
XYZ