Before choosing a college, try to make sure what you are really interested in. If it is MS then don’t go for any IIM. This is because you can pursue an MBA later in life if MS did not work for you. But you will not get the chance to choose Ms after your MBA. Also since it’s your area of interest, chances are you might find your talents and may want to work on them.
Now if you are sure about the course but confused about the IIMs, I will give you my honest opinion. The new IIMs are enjoying fame and glory owing to the achievements of their predecessors alone. They haven’t done much to attain the level of older IIMs. These new IIMs are poorly organized. The faculty is below average, the infrastructure is substandard and the teaching is pathetic. Yet they are here to claim the coveted IIM tag.
So if you are someone for whom the tag of IIM and its high placement matters only, you can surely go for a new IIM. But if you value education over institutions then base your decision on research.
Yes, you do have a chance to convert calls from IIM Kashipur. However, I will suggest that you aim for at least 95 percentile.
The minimum marks required to be eligible for admission are known as cutoff marks. The table shows the cut-off for shortlisting candidates for WAT and PI rounds (NC-OBC) category
QA |
45 |
DILR |
45 |
VARC |
45 |
Overall |
74 |
Other parameters that determine your chances include work experience, profile, academic and work profile, WAT/PI and CAT score also. Their respective weightages are
Components |
Weightage |
CAT |
25 |
PI |
5 |
Class 10 |
5 |
Class 12 |
5 |
Graduation Marks |
5 |
Post-Graduation Marks |
5 |
Work Experience |
15 |
Academic Diversity |
6 |
Gender Diversity |
6 |
When it comes to educational quality, it is important to note that professors' quality may be unsatisfactory due to politics and a high turnover rate. Furthermore, student evaluations at the end of a course are not taken into account by the school. Cheating is also common in quizzes, making whether you study or not irrelevant and allowing lower-performing students to score higher grades.
In terms of living conditions, the hostels provide separate rooms with attached bathrooms, but the college is located quite far from the city. The nearest sector is five kilometers away, and transportation costs can be prohibitively expensive. The food at the mess is of poor quality, and there are no other dining options. Furthermore, students are not permitted to keep electric kettles in their rooms, and fines for breaking this rule can be severe.
IIM Raipur has a strong record of placement, with 100% of students placed. In the 2022 placement drive, the highest CTC offered was INR 42.15 LPA, with an average CTC of INR 17.73 LPA and a median CTC of INR 16.95 LPA. The institute has also had a successful summer internship program, with the highest stipend being INR 3.5 Lakhs and an average stipend of INR 1.20 Lakhs. In the Times Annual B School Ranking Survey 2021, IIM Raipur was ranked second in India.
The aspects of judging a college’s worth depend on the following factors
NMIMS renders you short-term advantages but IIMs offer many long term advantages. Even the faculty is better at IIMs than at NMIMS. But being a new institute, it lacks an alumni base. Any far-sighted person can definitely say that your IIM tag will help you in the long run.
Now based on your list, the order is
IIM Udaipur>IIM Ranchi>IIM Trichy>IIM Rohtak> IIM Raipur>IIM Kashipur
When it comes to obtaining work visas in different countries, it is important to understand that most countries do not provide direct entry to international students. This is because it is a source of income for the country, so they require international students to complete their education and then apply for a work visa. However, some countries, such as those with a skill gap in their industries, are inviting high-skill migrants with more than 3 years of work experience to fill that gap.
When it comes to New Zealand, it does not provide any kind of work visa, you must have to take a course and then apply for the work visa. It is an important aspect to keep in mind while planning to work in New Zealand.
Canada, on the other hand, is providing express entry to skilled migrants if they want to settle in Canada. This is a great opportunity for those who have the skills and qualifications that Canada is looking for. If you are interested in working in Canada, it is a good idea to research the express entry program and see if you qualify.
The worth of joining any institute or any program depends on what you expect and what you want. If you have the clarity of why you want to do an MBA, then everything else will fall into place. But do not worry as many freshers have this doubt regarding joining an IIM.
In IIM Rohtak, the majority of the students are freshers. The best thing about IIM Rohtak is that it will expose you to various individuals from diverse backgrounds. This will enrich your experience through peer-to-peer learning. Also, the college will prepare you for the corporate world ahead. The best thing about freshers is that they are almost like a clean slate with no general preference of one specialization over the other which students with work experience generally have.
Now the most important aspect; placements. Apart from a very few select companies, almost all others allow everyone without any bias. In fact, there are many companies that are actually looking for freshers. In terms of experience before the final placements, you can participate in corporate case competitions, guest lectures, research projects, etc. The experience you will gather through your summer internship is also very valuable. The placement committee also tries its best to bring in as many live projects as possible and you could also apply for them. All of these activities will help you to close the gap of not having work experience before significantly.
All the new IIMs are currently in a similar position with one giving an edge to another in some or the other way. So you can join any. But if I was to choose one of the two i.eIIM Rohtak and IIM Raipur, I would have chosen IIM Rohtak. Some points that favor my choice are
Most of the people who are in a dilemma of choosing between these two IIMs already have offers from these. If you ask the alumni of both institutes which one is better, in 99% of cases they will claim that their institute is better. So it’s better to do individual research and make a choice based on your own inclinations and prospects.
Making a decision to join an MBA college is a significant investment in money, time, and effort. It can be a source of confusion, dilemma, and anxiety for MBA aspirants. The question of whether an MBA college is worth joining is subjective, as the returns on investment will vary for different individuals. For some, only the top-ranked colleges like IIM Ahmadabad, Bangalore, or Calcutta will be considered. In contrast, for others, a more pragmatic approach may be taken to weigh the pros and cons of different options.
IIM Raipur, in its 12th year of inception, has been making tremendous strides in its growth journey and is worth joining for several reasons.
While there may be some shortcomings, such as the mess food or the location of Raipur, it is crucial to keep in mind that the college is making great strides in all dimensions, and is definitely worth joining compared to many other institutions in its league.
The table below presents the minimum performance required for candidates to be considered for the PI & WAT selection process at IIM Raipur. However, it is important to note that meeting the cut-off percentile in CAT is a necessary but not sufficient condition for being shortlisted.
It should also be noted that the actual cut-off percentiles for the 2023-25 batch at IIM Raipur may be higher. The number of candidates to be called for the PI & WAT for each category will be determined by the institute, and as a result, the cut-off percentiles may also fluctuate.
Category | IIM Raipur cut off for Section-1 VARC | IIM Raipur cut off for Section-2 DILR | IIM Raipur cut off for Section-3 Quant | IIM Raipur cut-off - Overall CAT 2022 Percentile |
General | 70 | 70 | 70 | 92 |
EWS | 40 | 40 | 40 | 70 |
NC-OBC | 45 | 45 | 45 | 74 |
SC | 35 | 35 | 35 | 54 |
ST | 25 | 25 | 32.5 | 40 |
DAP | 25 | 25 | 32.5 | 40 |
The table above presents the minimum percentile required for candidates to be considered for the selection process at IIM Raipur. However, it is important to note that in addition to the CAT score, other factors such as academic performance in 10th, and 12th and graduation, diversity, work experience, and achievements are also taken into consideration when determining final selection.
It is important to aim for a higher percentile than the minimum stated above, as scoring 90 percentile (in the general category) may not guarantee selection, depending on the candidate's profile. The selection process at IIM Raipur is a multi-faceted and holistic one, taking into account not only the CAT score but also the performance in WAT-PI, academic percentages, diversity, work experience, and achievements to determine the final selection.
IIM Raipur placements have been pretty good over the last few years. Here are the recent placement highlights for the institute.
Parameters | Statistics (2019-2021 | Statistics (2020-2022) |
Average CTC | INR 15.11 LPA | INR 17.73 LPA |
Median CTC | INR 14.8 LPA | INR 16.95 LPA |
Highest CTC | INR 30 LPA | INR 42.15 LPA |
No. Companies participated | 140+ | 113 |
Tata Steel, HDFC Bank, IBM, Accenture, IBM, Airtel, etc. are among the top recruiters that took part in the placement drive.
IIM Raipur doesn’t inflate the placement report. Overall, it is a decent B-school and offers excellent academics.