The MBA with a number of colleges offering options of specializations in marketing, finance, Human Resources and systems very often leaves a student with a mind-boggling number of options. Today there are over 800 institutes in India that offer an MBA program.

How do you ensure that you know the right schools to apply to? Keep in mind the following basic criteria

So watch out for the following when making a choice of institute to apply or while making a final choice between two institutes.

Infrastructure is the resources and facilities that an institute has its disposal. Infrastructure consists of various factors like campus area, number of classrooms etc. In today’s scenario access to computers, connectivity etc would be of additional importance to deliver an edge in education.

The Intellectual capital of an institute would consist of the experience of the faculty, number of books, the number of management related books in the library, access to published journals or online journals etc.

The experience of the Faculty of the institute is often a clear indication of the learning imparted at the institute. Keep in mind factors like total number of permanent faculty and whether there is a fair mix of relevant industry and teaching experience.

The level of Industry Interaction is an indication of where exactly an institute stands in real time with the industry. Consultancy is a telling factor of how a B-school is visualised in terms of its capacity to groom effective managers. (Higher revenues from consulting also mean more investment for the benefits of students.)

The placement record - for foreign jobs, look at the percentage of students placed abroad. Try to identify if the figures quoted as salaries are inclusive of both foreign and Indian placements. Gain an idea of the average salary offered per annum.

The kind of companies that appear at the institutes and the types of offers that are being made will largely influence your choice once you have a call from an institute.

Exchange programmes, which are common at IIM A, B, the IIT’s etc expose the students to the international management arena, offering insights into a global trade environment and business practices. Exchange programs allow student’s placement opportunities through summer placements or internships when they are abroad.