Thursday, March 29, 2007

A to-be MICAn's queries - answered.

I'm reproducing a mail which I received this morning from someone who has received a final call from MICA. He has raised a few perninent questions, which I thought might interest more than a few people, so I'm reproducing it here. The coloured text has the answers to his questions।
I have got the offer letter from MICA and I have some queries which I know you will have answered million times but for me it is the 1st time so I hope you will get time to answer it.Here it goes:

Q 8 Lacs for the course. Is it worth it? I mean, will I be able to repay my loan or in other words what will be the salary range for 2009 batch?
- Since it's a money-money question, let's look it from a finance angle. Treat this 8 lakhs as any other investment - Supposing you had to put this money into an investment fund what Rate of Return would you have been happy with. What are the normal and good rates of return in the market?
When you pass out in 2009, unless the economy sinks into a 1930s kind of depression or even the 1988-90 kinds, you should at the very least make 4 lakhs p.a. Assuming that this 8 lakh is the principal which can never be gotten back, you have just bought a fund which gives you 50% interest in Year 1 and it's an expanding balloon where the returns will keep increasing for the next 30-35 years. And don't forget, 4 is the bare minimum we are talking about!!
Q. If you are creative you can rise to the top through this course. Is it true? If yes how?
- No, this course is not about "creativity". (PGPCM) You will be working as Brand Managers/Account Executives/ Research Associates/Media Planners etc after this programme - so while you may remain in close association with creatives, you will yourself not required to be one. Of course, a bit of creativity helps one everywhere - but the primary answer to your question is NO.

Q. For lateral placements what docs are needed?
- Certificate of Work Experience besides the regular documents. Nothing special, i guess.

Q. Since I am in the bond period my company can demand the huge compensation so is it advisable to pay them and get the work ex certificate or salary slip and bank statement will be sufficient docs for lateral recruitment?
- It's always advisable to remain on the right side of things, however for this question I'd suggest you take the advise of your friends and parents/relatives also.

Q. I have work ex of 21 months till April. Will it count for lateral placements?
- Yes, of course. Why did you doubt? ( Unless it's part-time or was done along with your studies or before your graduation)
( The advise and the answers given here are general in nature. They may not apply to every single case, so you would be advised to factor in your own peculiar circumstances and take a second opinion)

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Next MAT on 6th May 2007: Notification released

AIMA has released the notification for the next Management Aptitude Test (MAT). One of India's more popular entrance exams for various MBA courses, the MAT will be held on Sunday, 6th May 2007 from 9:30 am to 12:00 noon. Over 400 B-schools/Management Institutes are participating in the May MAT.
How to obtain the MAT Bulletin, Prospectus & Application Form?
by post: Send a Demand Draft for Rs.690.00 drawn in favour of All India Management Association - CMS payable at New Delhi alongwith two self-addressed slips/adhesive stickers.
by hand: You can get the MAT Bulletin and Application Form by cash payment at AIMA counters in Delhi and some UTI Bank Branches. (Phone: 24653382, 41757046)
UTI Bank Branches with Phone No. for Sale of MAT form:
Ahmedabad: 66306102
Agra: 2850979
Allahabad: 2421845
Aurangabad: 5621969
Bangalore: 25370615
Bhagalpur: 2409444
Bhopal: 4273882
Chandigarh: 2621591
Chennai: 65295844
Coimbatore:2217765
Delhi - Karolbagh: 51451175
Delhi - East Delhi / Vikas Marg: 22014245
Delhi - Shakti Nagar: 23843389
( for Delhi University North Campus students this will be the nearest UTI branch to collect their MAT forms)
Dhanbad: 2300667
Faridabad: 4039739
Guwahati: 2340522
Indore: 2436908
Jabalpur: 2375601
Jaipur: 2375601
Jamshedpur: 2422307
Kanpur: 2346210
Kochi: 2384270
Kolkata: 22829837
Kota: 2365511
Kozhikode: 2761359
Lucknow: 4009522
Ludhiana: 2402361
Meerut: 2664519
Mangalore: 2410981
Mumbai - Borivali (Suburb): 28903992
Mumbai - Fort (Town): 22835788
Muzaffarpur: 2244009
Mysore: 2512093
Nagpur: 2555647
Panipat: 4015001
Patna: 2206702
Pondicherry: 2227311
Pune: 56015723
Rajkot: 2455931
Ranchi: 2301039
Siliguri: 2642745
Surat: 2663109
Thiruvananthapuram: 2558470
Tiruchirapally: 2769790
Thiruvanantapuram: 2558470
Vadodara (Baroda): 2311313
Vijaywada: 2570672
Vishakapatnam: 2712806
AIMA Nodal centres for sale of MAT form:
Delhi - South - JIMS: 26462385, 26237887
Delhi - Central - DIMS: 23370989
Noida - Vishwa Bharti Institute of Management: 2455197
Faridabad - Faridabad Institute of Management Studies: 2278895
MAT Bulletins will be available till 18 April 2007 (last date)
Last date for submission of filled-up MAT application forms is 20 April 2007
Disclaimer: The above information may not be comprehensive. MAT bulletins also available at other places. We have tried our best to avoid any errors in providing this information. However, you may confirm the above with AIMA, New Delhi (located near the Sai Baba temple)

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

IIM Calcutta Placements - Better than ever before

Two students of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (now Kolkata), IIM-C have bagged the highest paying placement offer in IIM history, worth $250,000. In rupee terms, that works out to Rs.1,12,50,000 per annum. ( One crore twelve lakhs+) . These salaries have been offered by an investment bank for a job in its New York branch. In 2006, the highest salary offered was $152,000.

In sheer percentage terms, domestic salaries have recorded an increase of 100% this year. Again, the highest offer is by an investment bank - Rs. 43 lakhs.

Besides fat pay checks, the IIM-C students this year have also been offered great positions - for the first time in history, Indian b-school students have been offered the post of associates. This brings the IIM students at par with graduates from Harvard, Stanford and Wharton.

Companies which visited the IIM-C campus for placement this year included:

Mc Kinsey, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), AT Kearney, Optiver, Barclays Capital, Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, UBS, CIC, Value Partners, JP Morgan Chase, BNP Paribas and the Sun Group.

(source: Hindustan Times)