| During the course of many interviews, I have | | | | expected to complete 3 or 8 different case |
| come across candidates who say that they have | | | | studies within 24 hours. How do you do it? Time |
| a "correspondence MBA" and therefore they | | | | management, planning are things that really, |
| should be given weightage for it. I personally | | | | cannot be taught beyond a certain point. You got |
| believe that, simply put, a correspondence MBA is | | | | to pick up skills as you go along. |
| useless. Correspondence accounting courses, | | | | It is about team work. For the individual |
| technical courses and even economics courses | | | | contributor - or those who can never work in a |
| are ok, but a correspondence MBA course, | | | | team, it is about being able to work with a team. |
| definitely not.think you need to ask it yourself | | | | For the rest, it is about being able to work on |
| what would you like to do? If you want to do | | | | your strengths or being able to reduce your |
| any type of business administration then you | | | | weakness by trying something you have never |
| need to perform BBA and if you have | | | | tried. Thus, in a group case study, you would try |
| interestbetter BBA or B-Com?think | | | | to reduce your fear of econometrics by trying |
| An MBA is not about mugging a few theories and | | | | your hand in the mathematical part of the study |
| appearing for an exam. Many students, especially | | | | or use some bodys econometrics skill to bolster |
| the ones who go to tier II and tier III MBAs view | | | | your argument. It is essential that you do both, |
| the MBA as just another course, or as I often | | | | not just one. |
| put it, "Advanced BCom". In many of the MBA | | | | A correspondence teaches you very little. It |
| colleges under Bombay university, professors | | | | prescribes a few books and offers you some |
| offer tuitions (and there is demand) for some of | | | | notes. Yes, it does involve committment of time, |
| the "tough" subjects. Whats next? "21 most | | | | but really not as much as the other options and |
| expected question paper sets for MBAs"? | | | | then again, it is devoid of interactions with other |
| An MBA is not about Accounting, Costing, | | | | teams or professors. |
| Marketing and Operations Research papers. It is | | | | Unfortunately just reading a few courses and |
| about being able to learn concepts and applying | | | | mouthing a few jargons is simply not enough for |
| them. So, you spend time learning these concepts | | | | an MBA (though you can argue that most MBAs |
| in your classes and you apply them through your | | | | at the end are reduced to only that). |
| case studies, the projects you take up and the | | | | At the end of it my simple advice. If at all, you |
| internship that you do during your summer | | | | want an MBA and you cannot take a two year |
| months.better BBA or B-Com?think | | | | full time course, look at a one year MBA or a part |
| The other thing that a good MBA course teaches | | | | time MBA. Part time MBAs (that demand a fair |
| is "you are not the only one who is smart". Put in | | | | time while you are working) are tough. I would go |
| a class of 60 odd people from varied | | | | so far as saying, it is tougher than a regular full |
| backgrounds - including ones with experience, | | | | time course. Usually the people who enrol for a |
| without experience, military experience, | | | | part time course or a one year executive MBA |
| bureaucracy experience and varied educational | | | | are very committed and it does make for a |
| and social backgrounds - and what you get is a | | | | wonderful experience. This is what I have |
| sheer intellectual buffet. In a case study, you | | | | gathered from some of my friends who have |
| would think you have covered all angles when a | | | | taken/taking the 3 years part time course at |
| team blows you with another 30 different angles. | | | | IIMB. |
| The MBA is also a race against time. You are | | | | |