IIM Calcutta (Joka) at a glance!

IIM Calcutta has a great brand name and is well-known to be the Finance campus of India. It has 7 lakes on its campus with a beautiful green cover lush with flora and fauna. It is no brainer that "Joka" is one of the best institutes to pursue an MBA in India and hence it was a pretty straightforward decision for me. The admission process involved writing CAT, securing a call basis CAT percentile, 10/12/graduation marks and then WAT/PI process post which the final selection list was announced. The results were delayed due to COVID and hence came out on 21 June 2020. I referred to PI experiences written on CollegeDunia and Quora for the preparation of the admission process as well as to get a sneak-peak into the life at Joka.

IIMC has a faulty to student ratio of around 1:7 which is slightly lower as compared to its counterparts but nonetheless, the faculty put their best foot forward to ensure a great classroom learning experience for all. The Harvard methodology of case based pedagogy is followed at Joka which ensures meaningful discussions with diverse perspectives in the classroom. The exams were conducted online and were not quite tough to pass, definitely. But adapting to the "new normal" surely took some time and effort from the students' end.

A plethora of roles and companies across domains like Consulting, Banking, Strategy (CEO's office), Product Management, Sales & Marketing, Operations & Supply Chain, etc. Projects involve finding pain points for stakeholders and resolving them through a comprehensive analysis of the customer journey.

Summer placements happen in October and Final placements happen in March. For summers there is no eligibility as such but for finals, a threshold CGPA is needed. The average compensation is around Rs. 28 lakhs per annum.

Fees are Rs. 23 Lakhs. Mess fees are about Rs. 9000 per month which are not included. I did not receive any scholarship but there is OPJEMS and other scholarships offered. There is NBFA for students who qualify for it.

7 lakes fest in November/December. A comprehensive library replete with subject matter related as well as fiction and non-fiction books. Big grounds with large courts. A lot of clubs and SIGs undertaking different activities.

Chair, Table, Shelf. Balcony with mosquito net. Decent quality food with some sort of variety but the fixed weekly menu. Lot of options to eat at night in mess as well as other eateries. No registration process as such, just signs up for the program.

No GD, only PI. PI Prep: 1. About yourself a. Hometown and UG college research b. Personals (Intro, Why MBA, Strength/Weakness, Hobbies) 2. About target college a. Why IIM C over A/B/L? b. Field of interest and associated short/long term goals c. Research about Profs at IIMC 3. About Technical Prep a. UG branch prep b. MBA courses prep (compendium given by IIMC) c. Parliament and governance prep 4. About Current Affairs a. Major events in the past year b. COVID related numbers