The Campus in Clouds

I had applied for the Institute of Rural Management Anand and Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar. I decided to choose IIM Shillong as it provided a larger pool of opportunities and had better rankings as compared to my other options. The eligibility criteria for the program is that the candidate must hold a Bachelor's Degree with at least 50% marks for General candidates. Indian students are required to qualify for the CAT. The admission process was very smooth, followed by an induction process.

I have no prior work experience and I chose this course to understand various aspects of management which would prepare me for my career. It provided me with various academic and professional opportunities to explore and enhance my skill set. The faculty-student ratio is 30:200. The professors have diverse teaching methods, employing various tools. In the COVID scenario, they adapted to the situation and made efforts to make the classes as enriching and interactive as possible. We had 3 terms per year where we were rigorously tested on concepts and made to adapt to a high-stress environment, considering the various on-campus activities.

Some companies which came were Reliance, Goldman Sachs, Google, etc. The projects were mostly done remotely due to the COVID scenario. In the end, we submitted a project report to the company and the institute.

Students become eligible for campus placements from the 4th term, 2nd year. Companies such as Collegedunia, BCG, Mahindra, HSBC visited the campus for placements. The average package was 19.17 LPA and the highest package was 32.00 LPA. We had a successful placement season with 100% placements. I am currently employed at Collegedunia after getting my degree.

Fee hikes vary from batch to batch but remain relatively gradual based on terms. We make the payment before the commencement of each term on the institute portal. While I haven't availed scholarship and financial assistance, I secured a job via campus placements in Collegedunia itself, under the Business Development vertical.

We have a cultural fest and various business enclaves throughout the year. The institute has a comprehensive library with a wide range of books. Classrooms have smartboards and facilities which cater to our needs. There are a large number of clubs and committees on the campus that are entirely student-run. Some of them are the Sports Committee, Hostel Committee, the Sustainability Club, etc.

The institute provided us with hostel accommodations. We are provided with double sharing rooms with 2 beds, a table, and a heater due to the cold weather. The meals are provided on time and are usually up to the mark. The registration process for the hostel is done during the admissions itself.

We faced GD, and Interviews before admissions. The GD topics were case-based and were a cordial conversation per group where we were assessed on the basis of the strength of our arguments. The Interview was taken by 2 professors where the questions were based on my graduate degree and experiences in the field as an intern. I was also asked situational questions. I prepared for these rounds through practice sessions at a coaching center.