Dear Aspirant,

In order to answer your question, I’d like to begin by saying that all colleges are good in their own regards. Also, having said that, it is not advisable to club all the IIMs under one banner, given the advantage that the older IIMs enjoy having been established much earlier and hence having had the time and means to establish a reputation and an alum base in the industry. So, for the sake of this answer, we can split the IIMs into three categories – IIM ABC, IIM LIK and the new IIMs.

As far as IIM A, IIM B & IIM C are concerned, they would rank above IIFT on most people’s lists, except in niche cases where the candidate wants to do an IB course. So, it is not much of a decision and IIM ABC can be opted over IIFT.

Now coming to IIM L, IIM I & IIM K, there are can be merit for both arguments for both parties. Will the IIMs can boast of the brand IIM tag, IIFT can boast of international exposure and the niche IB course. So, the decision is completely dependent on the individual making the call. Also, one thing to be considered here is the fact that placements for both IIFT Delhi and Kolkata campus are conducted together. So, the batch sizes when it comes to a placement point of view is almost the same.

The last part, as far as the new IIMs are concerned, one thing that goes for them is the IIM tag. However, given their age, most of the new IIMs most certainly do not have the sway that an older IIM possesses. Taking into consideration the fees, the corporate competitions opened for the colleges, the companies coming to recruit and most importantly the average packages, IIFT seems to be a better choice in the short to medium run. However, the argument for the newer IIMs would be the fact that in the long run, the brand name might help the candidate. But this is not set in stone and might be a punt in the present condition.

Having talked about the colleges, the modes of getting into IIMs and IIFT is also completely different. The former requires CAT as a base score with a GD-PI-WAT round to follow, and the latter uses their own IIFT exam as a guideline to call people for further GD-PI-WAT process. Both are completely different exams even though their syllabus might seem same. So, the strategy has to be different. That being said, the initial preparation can be the same, given that the syllabus is somewhat similar. The specific preparation for the exams can be taken care of by attempting mocks and coming up with game plans for the said exams.

Cheers and all the best!