My college experience

IIM Trichy is one of the most emerging IIM among the new batch of IIMs. It is the only institute with a CFA certified course curriculum and boasts of a newly built world-class infrastructure. The Learning Source Centre (LRC) is one of the biggest in Asia and is a place to chill & read after the hectic schedule. Sports facilities are also very good as compared to other IIMs and were one of the reasons I preferred this college over others. One negative I feel is the fees to be on the slightly higher side. Coming to the admission process, IIM Trichy has a minimum requirement of 95%ile in CAT for general candidates to secure a call. After that, shortlisted candidates have to appear for CAP interviews which are conducted commonly for all the new IIMs. They have a Written Ability Test (WAT) followed by a PI. In the final evaluation different parameters like 10th, 12th, Graduation, Work ex, diversity, CAT score, WAT-PI score are considered and given weightage.

The course curriculum is well-planned with 3 terms in a year. Each term has 6 different subjects for the first 3 terms which are mandatory. After 3 terms, electives need to be chosen via bidding. Bidding credits are available as per the availability in that course and our grades. MBA degree is awarded as against PGP in many colleges. Total batch is divided into 4 sections of 60 each which facilitate healthy discussion and give everyone a fair chance to put his/her point. Teaching methodology differs and depends on the faculty. Case discussions, in-between class polls, individual & group assignments, quizzes are some methods used. Each term has 2 exams-mid-term and end-terms. They are held in 1.5 months intervals usually and relative grading practice is followed to allocate grades.

Almost all the students are placed by college unless one voluntarily opts-out. First 50% of the batch gets placed very quickly with very good offers and it decreases slowly. Opportunities in all the domains are provided and the Average CTC stands at around 15 lakhs PA. Majority of the batch remains in 12-15 lakhs bracket.

Total fees for 2 years is 18 lakhs, which comes to around 3 lakhs per term. There has been a fee hike of around 2 lakhs this year which isn't ideal. Fees include hostel and mess fees also, so extra expenses aren't very much. An additional sum of 1-2 lakhs is enough, depending on one's travelling expenses, party/outside food expenses etc. One good practice followed by our college is by rewarding the best performers of the batch with a scholarship. Top 20 students of the batch are included in the Director's Merit List (DML) and are given monetary amount ranging from 50,000 to 3.5 lakhs depending on the rank. Educational loans are easily available at nominal rates with an SBI bank branch located on campus only. I haven't got a job as I am still studying here but the placements are smooth and everyone gets placed.

I haven't been to campus as yet but be assured that all the facilities including gym, swimming pool are there for students. Mostly all the IIMs have a vibrant campus life with plenty happening and IIM Trichy is nothing different. Learning Resource Centre is one of the biggest in the whole of Asia and is a place to live your passion collectively. You can enjoy watching sports matches, movies, play games and obviously read. Comfortable couches & sofas are there to lie down and chill. Classrooms are built-in Harvard style which facilitates good eye-to-eye contact with everyone. Other amenities are well taken care of with proper lighting, air-conditioned and projectors. Students run various Special interest groups like Cycling, Food, Trading, Travelling to name a few along with the different clubs & committees. Dhruva is the annual event of IIM Trichy and Sangram is the flagship sports event conducted by all the IIMs of the South.

Individually air-conditioned rooms are allotted to students. Mess menu is managed by the mess committee and covers cuisines of different types. Food quality is very good as compared to what one usually gets in hostels.

Most of the IIMs have scrapped GD from their selection process. Similarly, CAP also has a WAT-PI of shortlisted candidates for final selection. Usually, WAT has a time limit of 15-20 minutes with a single sheet of A4 size provided for writing. The topics range from anything related to current affairs to topics that test your perspective along with knowledge. My topic I remember for CAP's wat process was Privatization: Good or bad for India? Interviews are basically to know about you as a person and are the most important component for final selection. It involves personal Questions, academic/ technical questions from what you have studied in the past, checking awareness. I recommend preparing for interviews by structuring what you want to say and if impossible give mock PIs to someone. WAT-PI kits are available for help.