“I don’t think IBA is worth it!”, said a classmate. This simple statement got me thinking, Does IBA’s reputation really live up to its name, or is it all just a bit exaggerated?
The Criticisms
To the outside world IBA is a brand but many a times I have come across IBAians who think it’s just not that special. Usual criticisms rest upon a few factors: mediocre faculty, lack of difference from other institutions and a general perception of declining quality.
Alumni Network
Yet I disagree, if not with their criticisms, then with their conclusions. IBA’s reputation is build upon a strong alumni network, one that is bound to get you ahead or at least give some significantly helpful advice. And connections, whatever moral viewpoint one has about them, do tend to come in handy in the job market.
Different or Just the Same
The talk of difference between institutions is important but nascent. If talk is of curriculum, then seldom can it be differentiating factor. Rather institutions could quickly uplift themselves with just a small change. The curriculum, however important, isn’t the answer but a minor necessity.
The course material across universities may be same but it is the way teachers deliver, the way students compete and the lessons/skills they gather. IBA’s environment does ensure healthy competition, which is one major contributor to IBA’s reputation. And once you see your friends/colleagues gathering skills or racking up internships, you are bound to follow suit.
A Place of Entrepreneurs!
Many prospective students look at IBA and see their future in the corporate world. A high paid 9 to 5 job at an MNC. But there is also an another side to the picture.
IBA also has a start-up culture, one that motivates more entrepreneurship. Start-ups examples, led by faculty, students and/or alumni, are many. Bagallery, ,Wafflix and Commuovere Tours to name a few. This does help with IBA’s reputation.
The start-up isn’t only limited to IBAians. Start-up founders can also benefit from IBA’s incubation center, providing opportunites both inside and outside IBA.
Such an entrepreneurial culture helps new leaders, who are up for disruption in the commercial world. In essence, truly living up to the motto “leaders of tomorrow”.
The Bottom-line
Having outlined IBA’s benefits, it is imperative that a rational view of the criticisms happen to understand if IBA’s reputation is up to the standards that it always boasts of. The quality of faculty has been in question, not with their qualifications but rather the unaccounted power professors possess, one that complicates students’ academic lives.
The faculty shortage also creates a mess at enrolment. And a perception declining quality has been there for some time, thus improvements need to happen. Even at the top, one must continue to strive, the same is true for any organisation.
My advice to those in IBA would be simple, don’t see IBA an end in itself, but a means to reform yourself and enter your next stage of life a more experienced and skilled individual.
One thought on “Is IBA’s reputation exaggerated?”
Excellent Article Abidi Sahab.