School (top 5) > College (best job) > Job (highest salary in friend circle) > MBA (even higher salary)…..wow!!!
Most of us have been brought up with the thought of getting a job and competing with the rest. We all have learnt a lot from it and enjoyed getting ahead in this rat-race.
So, here comes a b-school which is trying to change this thought. Why should we even read about it? Why should we not aim for an education which promises an ego boost of getting ahead in the rat-race? How does it even matter if many of us are creative/emotional/write poems/sing/dance/act? After all, what matters is how quickly and accurately we can calculate water filling in a tank or the height of a ladder standing against a wall.
This b-school thinks that there is goodness in every individual and their multiple intelligences should be appreciated. Why is that required? They say that in the long run, companies need Leaders and not managers and this involves multiple intelligences rather than just IQ.
Even after admission, this school believes in giving individual attention to all the students and help them prepare their Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Why this plan? Why not let us compete with each other and get the highest marks and the best (highest salary) job? To answer this, they say that all the students should compete with themselves and not with others. This plan also helps in clarifying learning goals, personal goals and overall career goals, so that the students are very clear on the areas they need to focus on during their education at this b-school.
So, what is the big deal about it? To support this plan, all the students are given one-to-one mentoring by very senior industry leaders who help them with regular inputs. How does it matter to receive mentoring from senior leaders when we should learn only to score highest in the class?
This is not where the buck stops. This institute has courses on Theatre, Yoga and even projects with NGOs. It is ok to act in front of your friends or go to gym for a six-pack or donate some amount to an NGO. Why all these courses in management education? This institute teaches ethics thru Theatre, mindfulness (oneness of mind and purpose) thru Yoga and compassion towards fellow human-beings thru work with NGOs. Are these things really important for MBA graduates?
More than 500 companies have visited this campus to hire in the last few years. Many big recruiters are saying that the students from this institute are different and a welcome change for their company. Are they really looking for the students passing out of this type of education? If they are, should we also know more about this institute?
Who cares? Lets think what will be the percentile cut-off for getting ahead in this rat-race. May the best rat win!