Choosing the right MBA institute
MBAUniverse.com Bureau

Today, business education is so much in demand that too many institutes are crowding the space. Result: there's a mixed level of education.
B-school rankings, offered by management and business magazines, play a role in decision-making. Says an MBA aspirant Manish Ahuja, "I would consider rankings while making the choice regarding institutes especially while considering the leading institutes." There are various magazines that rank business schools like Business Today, Business World, Business India etc. Likewise, there are international publications like Business Week that publishes rankings of the best management institutes globally.
But these rankings can differ from survey to survey and magazine to magazine because there are different methodologies. In fact, they get share of criticism by some experts for lack of a credible and transparent methodology.
Extensive research is a way out - which means one should actually visit institutes websites and interact with concerned people. With the help of the Net, you can easily search the sites of various Indian as well as international management institutes. Likewise you can also get information about the alumni: these guys are important because they studied in that particular institute and would be more than happy to share their experiences. A management expert even feels that students should use the Right to Information Act to get additional information from the institute. They should visit the websites, talk to the faculty, the alumni and recruiters. It is not only the physical structure that matters but also the whole package. Dr Ratnam suggests, "Indian industry seems to consider full time programs better than part time programs. As for selecting an institute, seeing is believing. Visit the campus. Talk to former and present students, not just the faculty or director. Do not be carried away by advertisements."