A roller coaster ride

The institution despite being an Indian institute has lost its sheen because of ignorance of the Central government. At current times, when the world is facing the serious issue of climate change and various externalities arising out of it, an IIFMite has a huge role to play and this can only happen when this is acknowledged by the center. The institution is goodThe gender just that the ignorance of some people has to lead to its false positioning in the market.

The course curriculum is similar to any other MBA and in addition to this, there are forestry subjects in the first 3 terms. After the 3rd term, we have an internship. During the 5th and 6th terms, there are three specializations; Development Management, Conservation & Livelihood and Environment Management where students specialize in their area of interest. As for exams, there are midterms and end terms in addition to regular quizzes and assignments which have their own weight in the total score. As for relevancy, the course has been designed in a way such that it stays relevant to the industry requirements. The faculty regularly update their course as per new trends. This keeps the students ready for the industry.

Placements are good in the institution. Around half of the batch is being placed in various Micro Finance Institutions since the last few years. Companies visiting the campus for placements and internships are fairly the same. Average package is around 7 lpa. Given the investment, it is a fairly good ROI. At IIFM, I secured an internship at UNDP and placement at BRLPS and PRADAN. During placement week one gets to explore from all kind of companies ranging from hospitality to consultancy to livelihoods.

There are more than 10 clubs in the institution, all headed and run by students. Each festival is celebrated by students. The students also organize annual B-fest Coalescence in the month of September/October and annual institution fest Kalptaru in the month of February. in addition to this there is Reminiscence in the month of February where all alumni are called up for a two day meet up at the institution. Besides this, there are regular trips organized by Adventure club, sports events by sports club etc. The independence day football match and republic day cricket match played between seniors and juniors is a tradition, where all the faculty join the audience and cheer up the students.

The breakup of the fee is as follows: Tuition Fee 349000 Computer and Internet fee 25000 Teaching Material and Library charges 50000 In addition to this, there is 200000 worth of amenities fees and 15000 for cation money. The mess fee is 2500/month. The total fee from 2019 will be 624000. The first year fee will be 374400 and the second-year fee will be 249600.

I have not opted for any scholarship or education loan. But some of my colleagues have opted for loans and scholarships. Top 20 percent of the batch gets a scholarship from the MoEFCC. Some students are also availing SC/ST scholarship by the Center. Students of the reserved category have to pay almost half the fees compared to general category students. One can apply for an education loan to any bank after showing the acceptance of application from IIFM.

Campus life is something that everyone associated with IIFM has enjoyed or is enjoying. A lush green campus of 230 acres set on a hill surrounded by Kaliyasot river on two sides is in itself a scenic location. Had it not been an institution it would have been a tourist location. Course pressure is not much, allowing students to indulge in extracurricular activities and hobbies. There are regular competitions organized by various clubs and judged by the faculty. Besides this, there is a GIS lab, computer center, sports complex, and a vast grassland where one can see a wide variety of flora and fauna. The gender ratio is a low point; there are around 55 female candidates in a batch of 210. But, the gender ratio has improved over the years.

Since it is a residential course, one has to stay o campus for the course duration. Hostel fees is a part of the fee structure. Hostel facilities are really good. Only the mess fee is not included in the fees structure. The hostel fee for the 2-year course is 100000. The hostels are well designed and there are 24/7 electricity and water supply. Rooms are on twin sharing basis and they have been constructed in a way that one can enjoy privacy.

Placements and internships are driven by alumni network and this is more than enough to explain the alumni network of the institution. The seniors help juniors by conducting ice breaking and allotting senior mentors to each of the juniors. Currently, a buddy program has been launched where every junior gets a senior alumn as a buddy and the junior can seek advice from the alumn. The alumni regularly visit the campus to interact with batches and share their experiences. Some of the alumni also visit as a guest faculty. This itself speaks of the relationship between alumni and the institution.

I took the CAT examination in which I scored 81.24 percentile. After applying for IIFM through the link on their website, I got a call for WAT and PI. A simple topic in the Written Ability Test to check written skills and a PI which was more of a conversation with two of the faculty. They simply asked about why would I want to join this institution. Being a sectoral institution one has to be ready with the answer. The online form for IIFM is floated around February every year and the WAT & PI callups are around March/April. The joining is in the last week of June each year.

The faculty is the highlight of the institution. With notable faculty having experience more than my age and knowledge not just about their field but also ranging on diverse issues. The faculty here not just teaches you, they help you develop a worldview of your own and help you become a person who is aware of happenings around the areas of interest. The faculty includes the best minds in the country. There are senior IFS officers teaching us.