Top most Reasons To Study In India

Why study abroad when you have equally good colleges right in your home country? India being world’s largest democracy with one of the highest population is host to some spectacular educational institutions. In recent years Government of India has proposed setting up new private universities with world class infrastructure and best education.

Here are some great reasons why you should study in India :

1.      International Recognition

Many Indian universities and institutes have world recognized degrees and have made outstanding contribution in the area of research and development in fields like ocean engineering, space technology, biotechnology, pure sciences and many more. Many developed and developing countries prefer India for training and guidance purposes for various development initiatives. More than 200 out of 500 Fortune companies on a regular basis carry campus recruitment from Indian educational institutions.

2.      English:Language of instruction

English is an international language spokenall over the world. The quality of education and course curriculum is decided by the medium of instruction. All Indian Universities have English as the medium of instruction. To pursue higher academic studies most of the Indian universities require good English knowledge.

India has the 3^rd largest population in the world that speaks English, hence most of the foreign nationals feel comfortable communicating.

3.      Affordable cost of living and  fees

The quality of Indian education is comparable to the best available in the world, while the costs are less and affordable.

In comparison to educational fees and cost of living of developed countries like USA, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, India has the lowest expenses and fees. According to a survey the annual living expenses in India comes around $1,800- $4,200. Annual tuition fees for Humanities - $2,150-4,600, Science and engineering - $3,000-$8,500 and for medicine $8,000-$20,000.

4.      Economy on rise

India’s economy is on rapid advancement and on the rise. According to experts India would be a super-power and 3^rd largest world’s economy by 2030. Studying in Indian universities during such fast growth rate ensures thatyou get better global connections, dynamic global business learning and over-the-edge understanding.

5.      Unique educational courses

India’s education system offers some great and varied academic courses. Right from courses based on science and technology, youcan study traditional subjects like Hindi, Ayurveda, Sanskrit, etc.

6.      Higher Quality

The Government of India framed the National Policy on Education in early 1980s that makes sure that the educational institutions follow standardized guidelines for quality of higher education. It is compulsory for Indian institutions to be recognized by the Government statutory bodies and fulfill the quality standards.

7.      World’s 2^nd largest higher education system

India has 343+ universities and 17,000+ colleges which makes it world’s 2^nd largest higher education system. With extreme vastness of courses, global networking, diversities and improved opportunities in academics India is preferred as most lucrative study destination by the students.

7 Facts on How to Crack CAT Exam

Millions of MBA aspirants appear for MBA entrance exams every year with a dream to get admission in top B-school. Among all such entrance exams CAT (Common Admission Test) is the most crucial and most attempted one test. Although Syllabus of CAT is aimed for students seeking admission in IIMs, its result is accepted by 150 other Indian B-schools. You may think that cracking CAT is most difficult task that needs lots of hardwork, but here smart work is needed. Ideally CAT is getting held every year in the month of October-November. Entire test pattern is divided into 2 sections: Qualitative Aptitude and Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning. Before starting to prepare for CAT you should have detailed information about it. It is a 2 hours 20 minutes exam and its application is filled online. Every year in the month of July the advertisement for its application is released and the registration closes by September end.

Eligibility Criteria: Eligibility to appear for CAT is candidate must have graduate degree from a government recognized university with minimum of 50% marks. Results are declared in the month of January.

Here are some sure-shot and practical tips to crack CAT Exam:

1. Read More : Cultivate the habit of reading and continue it till your last day of exam. Locate the areas where you lack behind or have short knowledge. Concentrate reading in those areas. It would be a helpful tool to prepare for CAT. This would also be useful for comprehension reading, theme based questions and paragraph formation questions. Make your grammar strong. Your focus should be to strengthen your vocabulary. As an added tip you can always carry a small dictionary with you.

2. Making Mathematics Strong : As a syllabus of CAT, make your mathematics stronger. Take every opportunity to do calculations with numbers and multiplication. For the Quantitative part the focus should be on Number systems and Geometry. Work to make the mental mathematics skills stronger. Teach yourself to do calculations mentally and remember the standardized formulas.

3. Last 7 Days : Utilize the last 7 days before exam to take maximum benefit from the hard work that you have put in.

4. Time Management : Abide strictly to the time schedule. If you are appearing for a 2 hour test, then make it a point to complete it in 2 hours. During practice session of CAT, strictly follow the time and refrain from every disturbance.

5. Preparing for CAT Mentally : Study hard to prepare for CAT is important, but take out at least an hour or half for yourself. Practice yoga, meditation or exercise to keep your body and mind fit. Breathing exercises or pranayam are helpful to relieve stress. Eat good and right while exam preparation. Intake more of fresh fruits and vegetables and limit intake of fried and fatty food items.

6. Mock CAT Tests : Attempt the mock CAT tests as much as you can, at least 30-40 mocks in 3 months is an ideal count.

7. Self Analysis : Keep a track record of the accuracy and speed of all sections separately. Try to achieve a stable figure. If you notice sudden change in those figures, identify the reasons and carry out steps to make it stable.

These were simple yet effective tips to crack CAT entrance exams, you can refer to past CAT toppers experience and stories to take referred tips on this subject.

Pros And Cons Of Distance MBA Degree

Holding an MBA degree is a matter of great pride and career assurance for many, but it’s not that easy to get. For many it is not feasible for various reasons like lack of funds, unable to secure a seat in your dream institute, your regular job, etc. For those who still want to get an MBA degree and make an upward push in career, distance MBA is a viable option. Before you are ready to jump on any decision you need to understand certain aspects of distance MBA.

Though distance MBA is popular among young professionals and students you need to understand that it is not a replacement of a regular full-time MBA degree. There are certain pros and cons that you need to be aware of before doing a distance MBA.

Merits:

Flexibility

Flexible study option is one of the most popular advantages of a distance MBA. Though classes are prefixed, you can reschedule your class as per your convenience. Also you can take semester exams as per your suitability and can schedule dates, time and centre.

Learn and Earn Option

The best part of any distance MBA is learn and earn option. If you are a young professional, you can earn your degree without sacrificing your job. This gives you the financial freedom along with studying. Most distance learning programs will offer weekend classes so that students can continue working during the week.

Low Cost

MBA degrees come at sky rocketing fees which many students are not able to manage. However, in distance education mode the fee structure is very nominal and is affordable for most individuals.

Demerits:

Lack of Recognition from Employers

Some distance learning programs might not be accepted and recognized by recruiters. This will hold good even for premier institutes. Promotions, salary hikes and lateral movements might not be made depending on your distance education degree. Some employers still prefer regular MBA to a distance one.

Lack of Networking

It is one of the most important factors that students of distance learning miss. In a full-time course you get to network with many fellow students and seniors, professors, visiting faculties, etc. which could be useful in future while looking for employment. Pursuing MBA as a distance learning course of education will not have such opportunity.

No Placement

Another problem area for students enrolled for distance learning is that there won’t be placement opportunities like other full-time courses. This would mean that after finishing the course you will either stick to the same job at the same position or look for a change with the anticipation that employers will value your distance education degree and offer a good salary.

Lack of Discipline

Another factor that diminishes the status of a distance degree is its disciplinary aspect. As there is no monitoring system, you are left to your preferences. No compulsory classes, exams and course patterns and you can schedule your exam as per your convenience and this as a whole acts against you. Eventually employers find it hard to believe that these degrees will really impart any useful skills to students.

Whether to pursue a distance MBA is a matter of choice. However, you need to evaluate your situation and condition properly before enrolling for a distance MBA degree. There are instances when after finishing distance MBA individuals have been promoted to certain level within the organisation. These courses are company sponsored programs and organisations ask their employees to get these courses if required in executing individual roles and responsibilities.

Top MBA Employers in India

Though there are number of companies in India which participate actively during campus interview, it is the e-commerce and consulting firms that steal the show. The current job scenario in India offers quality personnel. 88% companies in India look up candidates with prior industry experience and fresh graduates while 79% global companies intend to go for hiring MBAs. The emerging and most preferred companies students look for are the ones in consulting, technology, and finance domains.

The recruitment scenario is also ruled by the e-commerce boom worldwide. E-commerce giants such as Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra, and Expedia together offer a total number of 28% jobs alone in 2012 and making similar offers in the recent past. Also the scenario at premier B-schools like IIM-A has seen 29% offers in consulting, 20% in finance and 14% in IT in the same period. The story also remains same in another premier institute Indian School of Business, ISB which has witnessed 30% offers in consulting, followed by 28% in IT/ITES and 4% in finance.

In consulting segment the largest recruiters which contribute 274 offers from 33 companies including A T Kearney, Accenture, Booz & Co, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Global eProcure, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, Oliver Wyman, Parthenon, PwC, Siemens Management Consulting, and ZS Associates among others. The E-Commerce sector made the second largest number of offers on campus.  Total 142 offers were made by 15 companies such as Amazon, Bluestone Jewellery, BookMyShow, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal and Quikr among others.

Other functionalities such as Consulting, General Management/Strategic Planning and Sales & Marketing were the most preferred areas from the Class of 2015 attracting 20%, 16% and 11% of students respectively from another top notch institutes in India. These companies also have shown a trend in hiring nearly 30% of the class comprising women students those were offered strategic roles such as Country Head, Country Manager, DGM, EA to CEO and General Manager among others.

Another company that encourages women employment is Axis Bank through its ‘Women Leadership Programme’. With an intention to promote women emancipation, Axis bank rolls out its women centric placement drives at these B-schools to recruit talent.

In a recent report it was recorded that IT/ITES, BFSI and Pharma and healthcare sectors made up for 25% of the total offers jointly. The emerging markets sentiment also had a role of its own to play and made huge offers on campus last year with number of international offers. Another trend that is seen is the participation of African companies that make some news in terms of pay packages.

Students from ISB with prior international exposure had got the bigger share of the pie; their experience of handling emerging markets make them most sought after candidates for companies which were looking for eligible candidates for global positions. International roles offered include locations such as Singapore, The Middle East, Africa and Europe.