Why is IIM Bangalore better than IIM Ahmedabad?

IIM Bangalore is not better than IIM Ahmedabad or IIM Calcutta for that matter. It is naive to say one of these institutes is better than the other. Placements act as a major yardstick for comparing B-Schools, according to the statistics of recent years placement at IIM A and IIM B are quite similar. However, the culture and the course structure followed at these institutes are different. One of my friends chose IIM Bangalore over IIM Ahmedabad for his MBA. Here are the reasons why. 

Work-Life Balance:

• IIM A is considered to be the most academically rigorous B-School in the country. But that does not mean the IIM Bangalore curriculum is less rigorous. 
• The syllabus followed by both the institute is similar, however, you will need to put more effort to keep up with the IIM A academics. 
• IIM A follows a case-based pedagogy. Whereas, IIM B follows a Cases+Lectures+Seminars approach. This means you will need to spend at least 3-4 hours daily studying the cases prior to your class at IIM A. 
• On top of that, there are group projects and assignments. You will hardly have any time left for extra-curricular or any other activities. 
• IIM A does have a vibrant campus life but you will end up sacrificing a lot of things daily as compared to IIM B. Work-life balance is necessary for a well-rounded b-schools experience. 

Foreign Exchange Program:

IIM B has more choices for the foreign exchange programs as compared to IIM A.

• IIM B: Booth School Of Business, Yale School Of Management, Stern School of Business, London Business School, Melbourne Business School, University of NSW, QUT, McGill University, Queen’s School Of Business, Fuqua School of Business, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Johnson Cornell, Australian School of Business.
• IIM A: UCLA Anderson School Of Management, Australian Graduate School of Management, Melbourne Business School, Stern School Of Business, Booth School Of Business, Columbia Business School, McGill University.

Course Structure:

• IIM B has a course structure where they have Lectures, Classes, and Seminars while IIM A has a course structure of only case-studies. Be it any subject even accounts is totally based on the case study. 
• The case-study based pedagogy is one of the reasons why many students opt for IIM A.
• But, there are subjects, for which you need to learn the basics to apply them. A mixed pedagogy can break the monotony and can be more effective.

Electives:

• IIM A has the compulsory course formula while IIM B offers the electives. 
• They give you the choice of 3 electives right in your first year so that you can pursue your internship in a specific domain which will help you majorly in both your academics and internships.

Brand & Networking: IIM A has more brand value than IIM B and also the Alumni networking of IIM A is larger than IIM B. 

Sports and Infrastructure: For sports and infrastructure both the colleges, IIM A and IIM B are equivalent. IIM B puts a lot of focus on sports and infrastructures.

Both the colleges are important and highly recommended. You will surely enjoy the two years of your education in any of these two institutes.