What if I told you that you can convert your dream B school today & join 2 years hence? Well this IIM Ahmedabad specific provision is called deferment. As an aspirant, IIM Ahmedabad always seemed a far-fetched dream. There are infinite reasons why this elite B School might be your dream as well, but today I'll introduce you to another amazing reason why IIM Ahmedabad is a perfect place for you.
As the word suggests, deferment is an option to postpone your MBA i.e. you get the facility to delay your MBA by a maximum of 2 years in lieu of work experience. Now you must be wondering what's the utility of this facility? Well, this option acts as a boon for freshers. You basically book your seat for a said period, then join back without having to give the CAT exam! Freshers are usually in doubt whether to enter the B school without past work experience or not. One common disadvantage faced by freshers during their MBA is getting shortlisted for internships/ placements since most of the firms have a minimum work ex cut-off. This hampers the possible opportunities for them, & getting into a preferred industry gets more difficult without a prior work ex in the field. Even if we sideline the placement aspect of it, the MBA course is designed in such a manner that prior experience of the corporate world and understanding various business terminologies becomes really vital in some subjects. To get the proper understanding of the course, this work ex comes in handy. Even IIM Ahmedabad's aim while introducing the deferment option was to improve the enrich overall work experience in their future batches & promote quality education.
Some technicalities of deferment option-
- You can opt for this option only when you are offered admission by the institute.
- People with work ex less than 2 years are eligible to apply, although freshers will be given priority.
- You can defer for a minimum of 1 year & a maximum of 2 years.
- You need to have a job offer in hand while applying for this option.
- In case of a job switch/termination during the deferment period, you need to keep the admissions office intimated.
Additionally, you need to pay an advance fee which is later adjusted in your course fee when you join the campus. All interested candidates have to fill an application form where you need to disclose the reason for deferment, the details of the job offer, the deferred tenure, and other similar questions. The application is then reviewed by IIM Ahmedabad's admission board and they hold the right to accept or reject your application. If you follow the process and have a solid reason & a job offer in hand, you have very high chances of getting accepted for deferment!
Once you are accepted, all you need to do is go out into the corporate world and get that rich work ex for a better MBA experience.
Almost all of the CAT aspirants are clueless about this wonderful option, even I wasn't aware of the provision till the time I was offered admission. I believe this will act as a motivation for the freshers who are in dilemma of whether to join the corporate world or prepare for CAT. Why choose one when you get the best of both worlds! It's a win-win for all. Also, there is no doubt that the level of preparation one can have during the college years is way better than preparing while having a work-life.
Just to summarize, the deferment option just delays your MBA, everything else remains the same! The deferment feature is activated only when you are offered admission, the path to that admission still remains a difficult one. I hope this revelation will motivate many to aim for the elite B school.