A Glimpse into Life at IIFT

I chose the MBA in International Business at IIFT due to its unique focus and the institute's renowned status in the field all over India. The faculty-to-student ratio is good, as the whole batch is divided into four sections of 55-57 students each. Faculty members are highly qualified and experienced in International business, employing diverse teaching methods including case studies and practical applications. Term exams were conducted timely as the institute follows the trimester system hence the final exams are conducted every 3 months. In some subjects, the students get fail ensuring a rigorous yet enriching learning experience.

IIFT offers 100% placements in summer internships and the average stipend for the batch of 2024 was 2.63 Lakh for the 2 months. Internship opportunities at IIFT provide real-life experience to the students in various domains like marketing, finance, Strategy, product management, sales, etc. Microsoft (1.75 lakh/ month) - It came for a product management role where students have to work for the real-life implementation of the project. Accenture (2 lakh/ month): Interns may work in consulting roles, assisting with client projects in areas such as strategy, operations, etc. ITC (2.2 lakh/ month): It offers a role in sales in which students have to do sales in the rural areas of India. JPMC: (1.5 Lakh/month): It offered role in various finance fields like Investment banking, credit risk, etc.in this students have to work in backend roles and do research and provide recommendations to the comapny and clients.

The summer internship process starts as soon as after 1 month the student joins the college and the college provides good internship opportunities. It offers 100% placements in summer internships and final placements. The placement season witnessed the participation of numerous renowned companies like Amazon, JPMC, Deloitte, Microsoft, ITC, Reckkit, etc. The highest placement for international role is 84 LPA and for domestic roles is 75 LPA. The average and median placement is 29.10 LPA and 26.5 LPA. My plan after the degree is to secure a good placement in a renowned comapny in the finance domain.

The fee structure of MBA (IB) at IIFT includes all the things like tuition fees, accommodation charges, mess charges, etc. The fee for OBC and General category students is 21,70,000 Rs. for 2 years, which is to be paid in 6 instalments over the 2 years. Periodic fee hikes are communicated in advance in the admission notifications. The college provides scholarships to students based on merit & need. In terms of campus jobs, the college provides very good placement opportunities in the best companies. The average final placement for the batch 2021-2023 was 29.10 LPA. The placements at IIFT provide a good ROI to the students for the fees they pay.

Life at campus is good although the IIFT's campus is small in comparison to IIMs, but the overall the experience is pretty good and enriching offering a balance of academic and extracurricular activities. The annual fest "Quo Vadis" is typically held in February and the "Trade Winds" usually conducted un September are the main events where all the clubs, cells and committes organise their events, case competitions, panel discussions, etc. The library at IIFT is well stocked with a wide range of books, journals, research materials and bloomberg subscriptions catering the diverse needs of students and faculty members.

In December 2022 I took the entrance exam of IIFT (now they take admission based on the CAT exam). The candidates were shortlisted for PI and extempore based on various factors like IIFT score, 10th & 12th Percentage and diversity factors. Hence, the cut-off varied for different candidates. After the shortlisting the next stage involved PI and extempore, in extempore we had to speak for 2 minutes on the given topic. Based on the aggregate scores of the Exam, PI and extempore final admission lists were released. The eligibility of the course includes that the candidate should have a bachelor's degree in any field. Now IIFT takes admission through CAT exams hence students have to apply separately for the college through IIFT's official website after applying for CAT. Details regarding the reservations can be found through notifications. Additionally, for improvement in the admission process, I can suggest that the process of IIFT starts and ends very late hence they can work on this.

As part of my admission process, I faced both personal Interviews and an extempore round. The extempore topic was "Startup Culture in India" on which I have to speak for 2 minutes. During the interview, I encountered a range of questions, they began with general questions like Tell me about yourself, why MBA and why International business. Due to my BBA background, they delved deeper into subjects like Operation, marketing, economics and international business and asked various questions and cross-questions based on my answers. Additionally, questions from the application form which were filled out by the shortlisted candidates, they asked about the Vostro Accounts about which I discussed in my form, and they also asked questions related to GK. I prepared for the interview mostly through self-study and from the materials which were provided by IMS, where I studied for my CAT. The interview lasted around 25 minutes.