"How to Choose the Right Business School?"-From Prof.M.S.Rao

"The function of the university is not simply to teach bread winning, or to furnish teachers for the public schools or to be a centre of polite society; it is, above all, to be the organ of that fine adjustment between life and the growing knowledge of life, an adjustment which forms the secret of civilization. "-- W.E.B. Du Bois


It is the time for students to take the call in joining Business school for acquiring MBA. Making right decision will help them to come out with quality management education. The time students spend in B school is very precious. Money is the secondary as it can be earned. But when student joins in a wrong b-school s/he has to regret for wasting precious time of two years. Below are a few tips for choosing the right B-school.

Branding of B-school plays a crucial role. Here is a caveat as all branded B-schools may not deliver the goods because of complacency. There are few business schools that have just come up may do better in future.
Before taking admission in any B-school both parents and students should know the profile of academicians with their research publications, accreditation and affiliations of the institution. They should also look at the profile of visiting and adjunct faculty and the eminent speakers delivering guest lectures.

Few B-schools have niche areas such as in Human Resources, Marketing, Finance, Operations, Supply Chain Management etc., The students who are passionate about specializations may look at niche area of the institution.

Course curriculum should be benchmarked against top business schools and it should focus on building the competency levels of each of its students so that their employability index becomes high. It should be crafted for discovering leaders among the students.

The teaching methodology should be student centric not faculty centric. The faculty should provide education what is relevant and appropriate to the students. They should deliver the goods what the students are looking for.

Look for academic ambience whether the institution is in serene place favorable for learning and development. In addition, check whether the institution is professionally run.

Look at the Return On Investment (ROI). Is it worth to invest hard earned money into the B-school should be verified.

Above all, it should build and blend both art and craft for effective management education. It should bridge the gap between the campus and industry thus enhancing employability of students.

The right Business school is the one that provides quality management education. Ultimately at the end of the course there has to be valuable takeaways and suitable placements for the students in the corporate world.


Do You Want Qualification or Degree?

"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."-- Sydney Harris

Choose the business school that gives qualification not degree. Here is the difference between the both. Degree is what you get on paper. For instance, if you read a book on driving and take a written test you can pass as you have read about driving. But when you are asked to drive the car physically, you will meet accident as you are not equipped with the competency of driving. In contrast, if you really learn driving and take a test drive you will drive successfully because you are competent and confident. Therefore, having licence to drive is based on reading books is like having degree and having competency in driving the car is qualification. That is how we can compare between the degree and qualification. Hence the B-schools should focus on building competencies and capabilities which provide qualification to succeed in the corporate world.


Conclusion:

"The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future."—Plato

To put it succinctly, an ideal B-school should have appropriate curriculum that reflects industry needs and expectations. It should have strong faculty who can teach with industry exposure with research orientation. It must have quality infrastructure such as library, online platform to meet the growing needs of the students. It should have sharp corporate focus with industry exposure, providing guest lectures and offering placements. Finally an ideal B-school should have associations and affiliations such as accreditation, reviews, rankings and blogs.

In western world, parents have the freedom to visit the prospective business schools for looking at their infrastructure such as library facilities, classrooms, seminar halls, accommodation, and transportation etc., before getting their children admitted.

Choosing the right Business School is a strategic decision. You need to go by head rather by heart. Therefore, make your decision carefully and acquire this prestigious qualification for fast career growth.


The End