Institute of Rural Management Review By Komal Didwania

IRMA was set up by Dr. Verghese Kurien and is one of the top institutes in the country. It is one of the few institutes that offer rural management courses. During my admission, the institute used to conduct its own entrance exam but now they refer to CAT score for admitting students. Then after the selection on basis of score the students have to undergo the GD and PI round for final selection. The college is one of the top colleges in the country and has received multiple accreditations. The college is extremely well managed and has a boast-worthy alumni network.

IRMA only offer PGDRM and Ph.D. course. I had opted for PGDRM. The PGDRM is one of the best MBA courses designed. The course helps the students to develop a new perspective of the world and helps them to understand how they can make a difference in society with business. The course has developed entrepreneurs who have made successful businesses and made a difference to society as well. The course design was extremely comprehensive, an example of this is the students were required to study Kotler (which each and every B-school has) but at the same time, they were taught concepts of rural management. The college has extremely strong alumni and corporate network and the students from the college are placed all over the world.

The course is extremely well designed to give the student a balanced taste of theoretical and practical knowledge. Unlike any other MBA course, IRMA requires its student to undergo 3 internships/fieldwork. Each of these lasts for 2 months and the college aims to develop a different skill in students from each of these internships. All faculties are PhD and come with years of experience of teaching. The faculty members at IRMA are also engaged in their research work. The faculty also writes, collate and design there out teaching material called TAU (teaching aid unit) which is provided to the students along with other books. The faculties are extremely good at teaching.

Various training and seminars are organized by the placement committee for the students. The placement cell is headed by a professor and the committee members are the students. The students themselves contact the companies and invite them to hire students. The placement at IRMA is dedicated to one week mostly in January. However, all students are placed in mostly first 3 days. In 2014, my batch received 100 percent placement with the first 2 days of placement week. GCMMF was the biggest recruiter in terms of the number of students and there were other companies like ITC, NABFIN, YES bank, BRLPS, etc. The highest package for the batch was around Rs. 25 lakh p.a. and the average was around Rs. 13 lakh p.a.

The hostel blocks are separate for girls and boys. We had around 9 blocks. from A - I. Each block had 3 floors and each floor had 8 rooms. In total, each block had 24 rooms. The rooms are single occupancy rooms. Each room is provided with a small balcony as well. The rooms are extremely well maintained and well furnished. Each room is provided with a bed, a sofa, a table, and a chair. The mess is common for all students and is located in the center of all blocks. The IRMA mess is a co-operative mess run by the student committee. The mess charges vary every month based on the money spend by the month in the specific month. The food quality is extremely good and since the mess is run by the student committee the menu is decided by the committee as well. The mess charge would vary between Rs. 3500 to 5500 per month. The hostel blocks are within the campus and extremely secure.

The IRMA campus is spread across 60 acres of land. The campus is green and clean. IRMA campus is extremely well managed. The Library is a huge repository of data from all over the world. The building is all modern architecture. The classrooms are well equipped with the latest technology and teaching aid. The auditorium of the campus beats any auditorium of the modern world. The campus has dedicated personnel to maintain the equipment and the technology is updated from time to time. The professor's houses are also located on the campus itself which enables the students and professors to etch a lifelong friendship and mentorship. There is a doctor who visits the campus on daily basis and the students can approach them if they are facing any issues.

The experience of living at IRMA campus is a one-lifetime experience. The campus has an amazing badminton court, football ground, and cricket ground. There are several indoor game options available at IRMA. Several clubs are run by the students and the students can be a part of any club as per their interest. There are several fests in the two-year period at IRMA. There are Inter-block competitions (Jatra), Interbatch competitions, and the students also organize fest along with corporate sister organizations. The student committee organizes alumni-meet followed by Marathon i.e. Anand Run. These events are the biggest ones at IRMA.