What happens to IIM Ahmedabad (or any IIM for that matter) students who get a Cluster 3 summer internship?

You generally complete your internship in the first two months, after the completion of the internship you are able to return to the course.

After the internship, a question might pop in your mind, which is “Will you get good final placements?” The answer to this question depends on the C1 and C2 shortlists released during the summer. 

If a student hasn’t managed to find a place on the shortlist, then he/she may face trouble while clearing the finals. However, there is no strict rule as such. The result depends on the performance of the student, which varies from person to person. If a student gets shortlisted but somehow fails to clear the interview, even then they do have a chance to steer out through the finals.

The students can even go for an exchange. Internship and exchange aren’t inter-related by any means. There have been students who have been placed at C1, C2, or C3 and they have gone for an exchange. Therefore, it’s totally possible.

Students often ask this question about how they can turn the situation around. Here, they need to understand that clusters don’t define how good or bad the assigned job is. All it does is highlights the type of recruiting company and the sector it belongs to. Thus, it is not a situation that needs to be turned around. C3 is equally good as C1, it isn’t inferior in any way.

The student needs to focus on keeping their GPA on track as well as getting done with their PGP2. Having gone through these steps the student will attain clarity, he/she can figure their way out. There aren’t any long term implications.

All the best!