MICA - The School of Ideas PGDM Review By Ajay Pandey

MICA which was a mass communication school has today become one of the best B schools in the country. MICAT score will give you an entry to the college. If I begin with a reality check every B-School in the country promises a great placement. Most of the reports though are fudged. Yes, MICA is below IIMs but nonetheless better than many. The highest package during our batch was some Rs. 35 lakhs and the lowest was around Rs. 6 lakhs. The placement record was not 100% but only a handful of them failed to grab a job. The median where the average lies if comfortably over Rs. 10 lakhs. From the batch of 160 during our time 70% of the students were fresher and 30% held a work experience. Being a MICAN I believe I am the right candidate to give an insight of the points that one should take into consideration before finally choosing a management school.

MICA is indeed a Mecca for those who want to make a career in marketing. Being a marketing student, I can safely say that from day one to the last day that I spent at the college my perception of looking things around me entirely changed. Besides the management subjects, the course also had books on Filming India & Imagining India. India is a consumer market and globally the biggest consumer market. Thus, there shouldn’t be any excuse for selling as one can sell probably anything in India. This is what I believe now as that is what I studied at the college and for that is what my bank is paying me a juicy cheque at the end of every month.

Our faculty members are the one that made MICA have an edge over various B-Schools in India. Almost all the professors were from IIMs and had a work experience behind them at some of the top corporate. The faculty members used their sources and invited various business personalities at the campus for seminars and give a guest lecture. This way our faculty members helped us to take some time off the classes. The 2nd in which I delivered some 40 projects wouldn’t have been possible unless and until the faculty poked their nose in between and guided me on how to finish it.

In the top section I have already discussed how the placement scenario is. The campus placement rate is great and so are the corporate houses that come to the college. At MICA, the best thing was that we were never forced to sit in any interview. We were given a choice and with MICA, you can end up being associated with a creative agency, media, e-commerce, automobiles, FMCG, BFSI, IT, or retail and others. The opportunities and possibilities that are lined up in MICA are a lot more than one could ever imagine. If you want to know where MICA have contributed in terms of placement then one can have a look at top 10 Ad agencies in India and you will find at least 1 MICAN, if not more in a CEO or COO role. I have interacted with a lot of seniors and those who took loan for studying at MICA were able to pay their loans in 3-4 years max. The placements at MICA are not just good but one of the best for sure.

During the first year there were 3 hostels in place, i.e. one boys’ hostel, one girls hostel, and one is a co-ed hostel and the hostels are allocated by the college and one can't change that once it is allotted. The hostels are given on double sharing basis. In the 2nd year, the scenario changes completely as each one of us are given a single room and this way the number of hostels in 2nd year turned out to be 7 as 6 hostels has a capacity of 24 rooms and 1 with a capacity of 32 rooms. The hostel rooms are quite large, and students were allowed to call in their friends and work on a project together at any time of the day or night.

The college is spread across over 20 acres and from what I have heard there are over 3000 trees. I mean I did saw them but obviously never counted. Therefore, no official word but over 3k trees in the campus and now you can imagine the kind of atmosphere that we have in the college. Many walls had graffiti done on them and the campus looks vibrant. Among the facilities there was almost every facility that you would have thought of. Apart from library I don’t think the students even had time for using other facilities. A great playground and various indoor sporting facilities were available, and it was awesome at MICA.

Since I am from the happening standards that I had were high and will have to say that MICA has beaten them. The college has dedicated a community that organizes events and lights up the entire campus. Campus life of MICA has no comparison as there are so many things to do other than studies. Arts, music, theatre, you name it and you will have it. Campus life at MICA rocks and I don’t think one can get better than that.