IIFT Delhi- From Trade to Talent, Tangible and Tantalizing

The curriculum of IIFT is probably one of the best in terms of course design and faculty eligibility. Since the degree is in Internation Business we do have subjects related to International Marketing, International Economics, International Finance, etc. The pedagogy is designed in a way that the international aspects of domains are covered. I believe India as a country is in a very fascinating position since it started to emerge as a global leader. For these reasons in the future, it would play a big role in international business markets. There are 70 faculty in our college and the total number of students in MBA(IB) first and second year combined would be around 800. This makes the faculty-to-student ratio somewhere around 1:11. The faculty is highly qualified and the readings and materials provided by them are really good. IIFT is known for research in trade and the focus is the heart and soul of it. The exams are timely help and they can be passed by studying sincerely.

While the best details can be seen by visiting the placement report that is released by the college, all the major FMCG, consulting, and finance banks do come here to IIFT. The roles offered are likewise. The internship is a two months process taking place at the beginning of the second year and every intern is offered a project with timely deliverables.

The placements of our college are one of the best in the country when it comes to MBA placements. Last year the average package was 25lakhs per year. There are summer placements for first-year students and final placements for the second year. There is 100% placement and the number of companies visited was more than 100. The highest international package was 80 lakhs and the domestic was 45.6 lakhs.

In terms of the fees charged at IIFT, I find it to be slightly better to what is charged in top-tier B-Schools. So, the ROI is better. The annual fee is somewhere around 9.39 lakhs excluding the cost of the hostel. The hostel cost another 1.5 lakh which includes the mess charges as well. There are no sudden hikes in the fee structure but it is rising slowly. Considering it is an MBA and the brand value is high, I would consider it a good opportunity. I am not aware of or heard of any financial assistance that is provided except the fee structure for reserved category students. There are no campus jobs as such.

Life on the campus is quite enjoyable. The campus is small but very beautiful and well-connected. The Dhaba around IIFT are quite famous. It is in south-central Delhi so the location is as good as it can get. There is Sanjay Van quite nearby. The annual fest is called Quo Vadis and it is conducted in February. The library is well equipped and journals are there. The access to Bloomberg terminal is also provided. Amenities in classrooms include a CV, projector, and WIFI. There are many committees and clubs which are fun to be a part of and they organize in regular intervals several functions. All these clubs and committees are run by students themselves.

The rooms are one of the best that are provided to us. Not everyone is accommodated at the college hostels so IIFT has made arrangements for their stay. Typically, second-year students are provided in-house accommodation at the campus and for the rest, the arrangements are nicely done. The allotments of first-year boys' hostels are done based on their IIFT scores (after PI). The food quality is good enough. We have specials on Wednesdays and Sundays. Even if some people choose to stay away, they can find PG/Flats in Katbaria.

The admission process of IIFT is separate from the CAT. There is a different application form to be filled out for the IIFT entrance test comprising different sections of VARC, LRDI, Quant, and GK. The application form is available on the IIFT website and the closing date for registration is around/before CAT itself. Since IIFT is a government college, the test is conducted by NTA and follows the reservation benefits. The eligibility for the course MBA is a bachelor's degree. The improvement that I wish to see in the admission process is that the selection of centers to conduct the NTA is not adequate to the standards that IIFT represents and I hope that with life back to normal in the post-Covid era, we hope to see a return to offline GD and Personal Interview process.

Instead of WAT/GD, there was an extempore round since the second round assessment happened online. The structure of the interview was 1 minute and one had to speak for 3 minutes. Pen and paper to jot down notes were allowed. My extempore topic was "Increasing green spaces in urban areas". Talking about my interview, 3 interviewers took my interview. The basic hygiene factors would be to be well versed with academic and work-ex background and to have prepared HR questions quite well.