IIMs vs US B schools

I had posted a reply to this query at GMATclub/PG. Standard disclaimers apply.

Query Post:

It will be great if some of you guys can share your perspective/suggestions on my quandary.

1) Is IIM better than top US Bschools in terms of prospects?

I know it depends on a plethora of variables, especially boils down to 'where' I want to be.
Lets just say that I am equally open to continue in the states or pack my bags to India. In terms of ROI, you can repay the loan ~3 yrs out of an ivy league.

2) What can IIM actually do to your career?

Well, I am not talking about the few outliers who make ~$400K straight out of IIM. Where do average people land up? I am frankly concerned about making ~12L p.a after two years when my current pay is way ahead (even after taking the geographic variation into consideration)

Ultimately, I want to transition from tech to management oriented roles (strategy) and I am looking for a MBA to open those doors for me. So the question comes to - Which MBA will make more sense at this point in my career! I really wish I knew the answer to this. But the good thing is - I still have ~2 months to decide

My Reply:

Views are strictly mine. Biased and whatever. I thought of chipping in from whatever research I had done.

1) Is IIM better than top US Bschools in terms of prospects?

We need to look at this from a different point of view. If you can get an admit from the top 7 (HSW, Chichago GSB, MIT, Kellogg, Columbia) I would say its much better to do from there, mainly from the experience point of view. Whether you will get a better job is a difft issue (it depends on your relative standing in class in terms of profile). But it will open more doors in terms of intl network, alumni being in senior position etc, reputed brand names internationally etc.

From 8 to 15 rank: Tough to say. One needs to take a call. Very very subjective. Though I would still say do an US MBA mainly for the experience and not in terms of prospects. Prospects are again relative. If you have a wonderful profile and can get a I Bank/Mgmt consulting shortlist (which is very competitive in B Schools ranked 8 to 15) do from US. Else, chances of getting a shortlist from I banks/Mgmt consulting in IIM ABC may be higher.

From 15+ rank: IIM ABC would be better in terms of chances. i.e. If you have a very good profile, getting into I Bank/Mgmt consulting from IIM ABC would be easier than from those instis.

But remember one important thing. From IIMs most students join an I Bank or a Mgmt consulting firm as an analyst and after 2 years automatically become an associate. A few firms like LB, DB and Barclays have started giving associate positions. But if you get a job in an I Bank or Mgmt consulting firm from US B school you will join as an associate. Only if you have relevant work ex would you get to join from ABC as an associate whereas in US, relevant work ex is not necessary.

2) What can IIM actually do to your career?

IIM ABC: If you want to work in India, its very good to do from these since they are wonderful brand names in India and will open doors. Basically, whatever door a HSW will open in US, similar doors will open if you are from ABC in India.

If you want to work in US, ABC gives an opportunity to get a front end job there which is otherwise not possible from India. But thats it. It may still take sometime for ABC junta to establish themselves there and the brand becoming well known. If you want to make a shift away from the typical firms from wall street which recruit at IIMs, it may be difficult to land a shortlist in US since the brand name is yet to become famous.

In ABC, if your profile is good, you can make a 20 LPA+ to as high as 30-35 LPA (including bonus) in Indian I Banks. I am not considering the outlier 50 LPA+ jobs which 1-2 get in PE firms.

If you end up in tier-1 consulting, its 18 LPA-20 LPA.

General mgmt firms, tier-2 banks, non i banking banks, tier-2 mgmt consulting etc from the industry pay less. 10-16 LPA with 10-14 LPA being the norm.

I have written above mainly from career perspective since that was your question. Learning environment in top 15 US B schools would definitely be better than from IIM ABC due to the fact that most students would have work ex and discussions in class will be better and more insightful. ABC is also slowly shifting towards people with more work ex. A few years back, 60% of a class were freshers. These days its dropped to 30%. However, it will still take a lot of time to catch up with the methodology of US B schools.

In Each of the IIMs, ABC, you would find top 30-40 students who, if they had maybe worked for 3-4 years, can get into HSW. The stud profile guys. The ones who topped their schools, got offers from MIT, Stan for MS, Represented India in olympiads at Russia and types, State level sportsmen, started NGO's, 9 pointers out of 10, Worked at DB, LB, Mck etc in India (which is not easy), Full scholarships during college etc, top 100-300 JEE rankers. Whatever they have done, they have been really good in those. They usually join IIM ABC within 0-2 years of work ex. The topmost 1-4 of these guys join PE firms like Blackstone, Apax, Caryle, Sun group and likes these days and make insane money similar to PE firms in US.

However this group, once they work for 3-4 years, they don't apply to IIMs. They apply to HSW and usually are the desis who make to H & S and the remaining top schools. But the 3-4 yrs of work experience would bring in a lot more perspective and maturity towards life and hence the learnings would be better. But they join IIMs earlier and miss out on those.