I recently visited ISB when I was in Hyderabad at a friend’s place.
To put things into right perspective, I have an admit from ISB and a couple of top US B Schools. I have more or less made up my mind to opt for US Schools. I also have some of college seniors studying at ISB. So, visiting the campus was definitely an option, specially since I have lots of time after the admits.
Well to start with, the campus is situated some 15 kms from the main Hyd city. So my friend had decided to pick me from half way to the the campus. It is situated bang opposite to the Microsoft Office.
Once inside the school gate, the road leading to the main campus building is some 1 km long. But the area is lush green and plenty of peacocks can be spotted in the campus. The campus area itself is huge and one can find lots of cars parked outside the apartments. Many students do bring their own vehicles so that commuting to the city becomes easier.
In addition to the spacious classrooms, other facilities are also of top levels. The sports facilities include badminton, squash, basketball and tennis courts. The swimming pool is well maintianed and a coach is available for guidance.
The library contains all the books and periodicals required for the courses. I also found the administrative staff to be very co-operative in my brief stay of 3 hours at the institute. The food is a bit let down, specially the mess food. Though, one can find a lot of variety in the canteen.
Now to the real business of faculty, studies and placements. In my interactions with many students, they were very glad with the quality of classroom teachings that take place. Many top rated prof’s from US B Schools come as guest speakers during classes. Their visiting finance faculty is one of the best in the world.
The demands of the program are many in terms of case studies, assignments and group work. Being a one year course, the students are really stretched in their regular studies.
The placements are great if one is looking to work in India and in the same industry. This is more applicbale for the IT sector since roughly 50% of the class consists of ppl with IT background. But yes if you are looking to shift careers, then the going gets a bit tough. Most of the students are looking to shift either into consulting or Finance sector. And according to current students, some 30 odd ppl are able to shift into the finance sector and an equal no into top consulting firms. But the competition for these positions is intense and a lot of factors matter in getting selected to these top firms. Also, the one yr course doesnt give the studnets any chance to intern with a company. This also results in few companies not visiting the campus for recruitment.
The cost factor of the program also appears to be on the higher side. Considering the rent for the apartment and living expenses, the total cost works in excess of 17 L. I guess for a one year program is too much and one shd definitely consider the ROI with this type of investment.
In all, the course seems fit for some one who is looking to work in India post graduation. Also the program attracts a lot of experienced (five years and above) professionals from different backgrounds who are well settled into their family life. May be their risk taking ability for abroad programs is limited and being a one year course, the program allows one to get back to work in a shorter period of time.
My suggestion for some1 looking for a year one year MBA course would be to give the best international schools a shot. INSEAD and IMD are some schools which offer a truly global experience and the type of positions one is offered after graduation are unmatched by any other school. After all, one has to repay the huge loan amount and the brand name of the b school is something that one shd not compromise with.