If you want to decide the toughness on the basis of the availability of seats then yes, it indeed is tough to get into IIM Indore. The seats available for the IPM program are 150. So the competition is pretty tough.
But in reality, the majority of the students just are writing the exam casually. Some students even give up after looking at the test structure, difficulty, and other confidence issues. So the ones who are serious about and have seriously prepared for the exam are competing with a much lesser number of students.
IIM Indore makes around 800–850 calls for an interview for IPM, which means one of every 6 good candidates gets a call for an interview. Around the top 180 students get a final offer (main list + waiting list).
So probability-wise you have a good chance of making it into IIM Indore provided that you are self-motivated and well-prepared.
My friend had the opportunity to get selected for the student exchange program in the third year. She shared her amazing experience.
She was sent to the University of Latvia. Studying in Europe gave her the freedom to explore it, make new friends from every corner of the world and most importantly gain knowledge about different economies.
Expenses
The total expenditure amounted to approximately ?4–5 lac for the five months she spent there. However, she was lucky to get an ERASMUS+ grant which covered most of her expenses.
Study
You are free to opt for any course of your choice provided that you complete the minimum credits criteria of IIM Indore. It’s recommended that you go for such a course that satiates your interests and is unavailable in your country. Some of them include International Law and Culture.
Travel
You can travel to most of Europe if you have a Type-D Visa. The climate is extremely cold and you will not be able to adjust initially.
Food
There are no mess facilities, only college canteens. The taste of the food is not up to our taste. But spending much on food is futile. You can spend the maximum on traveling and you won’t regret it.
My friend had a great time as an exchange student at the University of Latvia thanks to its relaxed ambiance.
The placement opportunities for an Executive MBA at IIM Indore or In fact any other IIM are very limited. They depend on the batch itself and may be good or bad depending on the current batch profile and expectations. Moreover, people don’t pursue EMBA to get placed in a high salary package. They already have a job with a high package. What they are looking for is an enhancement of their managerial skills and the IIM tag.
So I will not recommend you leave your high-paying job and pursue EMBA especially if you are looking for a better CTC. Not even other B Schools will get you a high package right off the bat. But if you are still adamant about pursuing the program you may take a study leave I suggest.
An MBA helps you in the long run and not instantly. You should be willing to take the risk for maximum results.
Yes, there indeed is a certain level of bias that IPM students face during the placement process. But the reason is well justified. Being a newly established course, IPM lacks the certainty of success. The industries are only gradually developing their trust towards this course over the years. So the recruiters are still a bit hesitant in investing in an IPM student.
But if you look at the figures, you can see that the course has been gaining trust and climbing the ladder drastically over the past few years. Also, I don’t think it’s justifiable to draw a comparison between a 7-year-old program that has already been recognized (PGP) to a newly established course (IPM).
People usually compare these 2 programs because they see IPM as a means to join IIM by escaping CAT. This is not the case at all. IPM is much more than that. It needs no comparison to any other program. It is a full-fledged integrated course that is way ahead of other undergrad or integrated courses across the nation both in terms of the kind of education it offers and the placements.
A general PGP student is someone around 22-24 years of age, with an Undergraduate degree in Core engineering stream and work experience of 6-22 months in IT.
Whereas a typical IPM student would be someone of age 20-22 with an Undergraduate degree from IGNOU and no work experience at all.
Some general opinions regarding PGP students are as follows
Not all IPM students are carefree and uninterested in their goals. There are some exceptionally good IPM students who are even better than PGP students from top engineering schools.
Moving on to the next part of your question, if IPM is really worth it, I would say no. Personally, I don’t think one should invest so much money in a course that has no certainty. The newly established course is yet to instill trust in the industry. The recruiters are not yet ready to undertake the risks of recruiting an IPM student so they face terrible placement demerits. But the final decision is yours to make.
Math Section
This section is the trickiest as the given Maths problems are difficult even for the Maths students let alone the nin math students. The key lies in the approach to the question which is not at all easy. The questions can be asked from any topic and from any level. You need to be exceptionally talented at least for this section.
English Section
Try to attempt this section first as the questions are quite lengthy. But this section is comparatively easy, you can surely clear it.
Overall, the paper pattern is definitely tricky, after all, it is IIM, and the competition needs to be tough.
My friend is a senior at IIM Indore for the same course. As a senior, he has the following pieces of advice and recommendations for his juniors.
All these points will help you avoid some major blunders committed by seniors. But remember everyone makes mistakes in their college life. What matters is how you tackle it and what you learn from it.
The IPMAT exam comprises 2 sections
The quantitative section is more challenging as one needs to be well-versed in aptitude reasoning and basic formulae to attempt this section. Some tips that can help you with the last-minute preparation for the exams include
Carry all the important documents to the examination hall. Go through the pattern of the paper and attempt it with proper time management.
My brother has been at IIM Indore, Mumbai campus for the past 2 months. He has cleared the air of misconception and told me that the IIM Indore campus is on a level with any other IIM. Some pros and cons that will further elaborate on this point are
Pros
Faculty: The faculty comprises teachers who are geniuses in their own fields. Recalling several events he told me once his teacher during Organisational Behavior class, steered the conversation towards spiritualism. In another instance, the professor gave feedback on their case study solutions for maximum retention. The professors are humble and compassionate. They are ready to help you in anything from clearing doubts to suggesting books for study.
Peer Harmony: The harmony between the seniors and juniors here is another bright aspect. Any new undertaking by the juniors is encouraged by the seniors. The seniors along with juniors conduct skill-based workshops and organize guest lectures.
Placement Committee: The placement committee at IIM Indore, Mumbai campus is considerate and helps build long-term relationships with corporates. The placement coordinator is personally involved with the batch and he is an approachable person.
Location: One obvious advantage that IIM Indore has is its location. Located in the City of Dreams, the institute offers the students to step out of their comfort zone and try unimaginable things. The city offers a vast number of opportunities and baggage of experience. Also being the finance capital, the campus enjoys visits from various industry experts who impart significant corporate knowledge.
Brand Image: The IIM tag you will get to wear for the rest of your life will be beneficial everywhere and everytime. The IIM does not just prepares you for a job but it also prepares you for life in general.
Cons
Infrastructure: The fact that institute still lacks a campus can discourage many. Yet its not that big a merit you can leave your IIM tag for.
Accommodation: The institute offers no hostel facilities and one has to look for accommodation on their own. The seniors help a lot and this entire process might help you know the reality of life and prepare you for your future endeavors.
The hostels at IIM Indore keep changing over the years you spend in the college. Initially the first-year students are provided double occupancy rooms with the same gender. After the first year, single-occupancy rooms are made available
The basic amenities include
Only mattresses are provided while the rest of the bedding is to be arranged by the inmates only.
There are no attached bathrooms and about 5 to 8 rooms share one set of bathrooms which comprises two commodes, two bathrooms, and two wash basins.
The hostels do not have washing machines, however, there is a laundromat, as well as the services of an on-campus washerman, are available for a nominal price.
You are not allowed to bring your own electrical or electronic appliances like air coolers, refrigerators, individual TV sets, etc. You cannot bring your own vehicle also except for bicycles.
As far as the campus is concerned, classrooms are well-equipped and the campus has multiple mess and food joints, grocery store, medical center and medicine shop, fruits and vegetable store, washerman, barber, bank, post-office, ATMs, courier dispatch and delivery, photocopy and print shops, gyms and sports centers, and even two temples.
The lack of anything more than basic aims at facilitating a basic lifestyle at the hostel and not a lavish one.