Life at IIFM

The unique cultural mix of students, peer learning opportunities, field visits, supportive faculty and infrastructure all provide a positive experience for a student at IIFM. The good food is also very helpful for a student staying away from home.

The course curriculum is well designed. It covers various aspects of general mba like HR, Finance, Marketing and also provides domain knowledge on Conservation, Environment, Developmemt, Forestry. It is a great blend of courses. It is unique and one of its kind in Asia.

Yes, the college does provide internship. A group of students selected as Summer Internship Committee interact and call various companies for Summer Internship. The good thing is that everything is managed by the students themselves. It provides a great learning and networking opportunity to be carried for life. I was selected in a Skill Development organisation based out of Bhopal. I had to document a Standard Operating Procedure for the skill centres running under that organisation. It was a mix of desk based and field based job. I got a chance to learn how skill development in India works at the grassroot level. I visited various skill development centres in two states(Hyderabad and Bhopal) and studied how they function. For other students of my batch they got internships in reputed NGOs, Forest Departments, Consultancies, Microfinace Banks, Livelihood missions etc.

The placements are 100%. Students get placed into various sectors such as Consultancies, NGOs, State Livelihood missions, MicroFinance Banks, Wildlife Organisations, Forest Departments etc. Students themselves manage the placements. It is students who decide which organisation they want for placements. It provides empowering opportunities to students an opportunity to learn management skills. Job opporrunities are plentiful. You name it and a an IIFM student will be there at a good position in the company. For students who are financially conscious, the average package has been 7.5 lacs for the 2017-19 batch. It provides more than 100% return in one year itself for the money invested in two years at IIFM.

It is feasible and value for money. At my time the 2 years education cost was 4.8 lacs. Now it is around 6.5 lacs. Eduaction is subsidized and much affordable as compared to other colleges. Also the experience that you will get from the two years of staying at IIFM is invaluable. The field trips, fooding lodging and other charges are all inclusive in the fees.

The students scoring well in the exams and getting a place in the top 20% of the batch, receive a stipend of Rs. 5000 per month. Various banks offer loans to the students. I know of some batchmates who opted for a loan from SBI bank associated with the college. There are other scholarship options for students from various states and reserved categories.

The college provide infrastructure and support for activities such as Nature trails, adventure activities, night camps, sports facilitues. Annual football and cricket match are highlight on 15th August and 26th January respectively. The college has its own in campus football and cricket ground, basket ball, lawn tennis, badminton and table tennis courts. Also for indoor games like chess and carrom etc. The facilities are great and enough to make one rise and shine.

Hostel is like a second home for the students at IIFM. The environment is quite peaceful and close to nature. The unique mix of students from 20+ states provides a great culture and creates sort of a mini India within IIFM. Other facilities available are computer centre, library, gym in the hostel, sports infrastructure, common room, Tv room and open seating areas for discussion and brainstorming. There is a Bank(SBI) within the college premises.

There is a committee of students who manage the Alumni network. The alumni are very supportive and helpful. They keep on visiting the campus and sharing their experiences with students. Alumni also are a part of our annual events like Coalescence and Reminiscence (where we celebrate the homecoming of the silver jubilee batch, the one that passed out from college 25 years back). Some alumni also help in networking with companies and bringing them to campus for recruitment of students in internship and placement.

The exam structure is trimester pattern. There will be a total of 6 trimesters. Each trimester will have 7 courses of 30 lectures each. It will be followed by an end term written exam. Exams are generally 2-3 hours long depending on the course coordinator.

First step is to appear in either CAT or XAT exam. Merely appearing in these exams will not ensure a call from IIFM. You have to fill a form on IIFM website. Shortlisting will be done based on the score of CAT/XAT (whichever opted for). Shortisted students will be called in the end of March for an Interview. Interviews are held in various cities of India.

The faculty of the college have been the major highlight. Each one of them are subject experts and the best in their domains. To learn from then has been a delightful and wonderful experience. Their expertise in academics and in consultancy shows up beautifully when they teach in the classes. They provide ample experiential and peer learning opportunities by means of interactive group assignment and relevant field visits.