The Hindu Business Line : Economic slump has no effect on rush for B-schools

Though there has been no dearth in registrations for MBA – seen as a passport to a successful career – given the current economic uncertainty, one would probably think twice about enrolling for such programmes. But a look at the trend reveals otherwise.

Indian School of Business (ISB), for instance, has registered a 35 per cent increase in the number of applications for its full-time one-year postgraduate programme in management for the next academic year.

Inflow into ISB

The Dean, Mr Mendu Rammohan Rao – who was here to deliver the keynote address at the Third International Symposium and Workshop on Global Supply Chain at PSG Institute of Management – told Business Line that the phenomenal increase in the application flow signalled the opportunity that individuals saw to enhance their skills and improve employability, besides reaffirming the attraction and value for the programme.

ISB faces a bigger challenge in identifying the right candidate, he said, and pointed out that a good number of applicants managed good GMAT scores. “These scores have gone up. Though we do not go by GMAT scores alone, the qualifiers for the programme are on the rise.”

The student intake during the next academic year is expected to increase to 560 from 430.

While there are takers for the programme, he admits to a difficult scenario on the placement front. Campus hiring at ISB is expected to start next week.

“Companies have indicated that they would visit the campus and recruit. But nothing is certain till they come. The number of candidates hired off-campus has fallen from eight to 10 per company during the earlier years to less than three this year. This not only indicates a steep dip in the overall levels of recruitment, but higher expectations from prospective employers as well. We are striving to get more companies, but it has not been easy,” he added.

Certain sectors such as telecom and healthcare are on a hiring spree.

Besides widening the headhunters’ ambit, ISB gets some of its candidates to work on projects. “The Andhra Pradesh Government has a number of projects. We also encourage them to take up entrepreneurial activity,” he said.

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