Masters in Business Analytics program by IISc Bangalore: Course Experience: Wondering what will happen at the IISc Interview? Don’t stress about it.
Here’s a personal experience from Nikhil, who has appeared for the interview for the Masters in Business Analytics program. Read further about Masters in Business Analytics program by IISc Bangalore: Course Experience with Nikhil to have a better understanding of how things might go in there.
Name: Nikhil Shende.
Academic Background: B.Tech in Production Engineering, Masters in Business Analytics program from IISc.
Professional Background: Accenture Private Limited.
Name of the course: Masters in Business Analytics program by IISc Bangalore.
Location: Bangalore.
GATE Rank: 205.
Ques: Why did you choose Masters in Business Analytics program by IISc? Did you consider any other institutes as well?
Ans: Yes, I had considered IIT Bombay. I had gotten into the Manufacturing Engineering program of IIT Bombay. But I was more interested in the Industrial Engineering program. Since I had done my bachelor’s in Production Engineering, I knew that Manufacturing Engineering would be full of theoretical studies.
I got inclined towards Industrial Engineering because it was a mixture of management and technical knowledge and its placements were very rich. Hence, it will prove to be easy to get a job.
But I chose the Masters in Business Analytics program by IISc because in every IIT website, IISc was on top. So I decided to choose this course, gave my interview, and got selected.
Ques: How was the admission process of IISc?
Ans: The admission process is pretty simple. You need to visit the website and get the admission form. You will have to fill the stream you are interested in and pay the registration fee. This is for the students who apply through GATE.
Then the admission committee will call you for Group Discussion and Personal Interview. They calculate your score only on the basis of your performance in the Group Discussion and Personal Interview. Further, after some days, they will release a list of selected students.
Ques: Did you observe any difference in the fees of IIT Bombay and IISc?
Ans: IIT Bombay is a government institute. So you don’t have to pay any such fees. IISc is a government college as well. But this department of Business Analytics requires a tuition fee of INR 1 Lakhs. Students who applied through GMAT, GRE, and GATE have to pay this fee too. Three or four years back, GATE students used to receive a stipend. But they stopped that for some reason.
Ques: What was the batch intake of the Masters in Business Analytics program by IISc?
Ans: The batch intake was 16 to 17 students. I believe that the strength would help in better placement opportunities for the students.
Ques: How many interviewers were there in the interviewing panel?
Ans: There were two professors in the interviewing panel.
Ques: Any guesses on how many students applied and how many were called for the Personal Interview?
Ans: Around three to four thousand people applied for the Masters in Business Analytics program. Almost 1,200 of them were called for the Group Discussion and Personal Interview.
Ques: What questions did the interviewers ask you during the Personal Interview? Were there any written tests?
Ans: They asked what my favorite topic was, which was Mechanical, the professors asked me questions related to that. The professor who had completed his Masters and Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering asked questions about my background, why I studied Production Engineering, and other general questions related to the mechanical stream.
There were no written tests.
Ques: Were there any practical or general questions asked in the PI?
Ans: Yes, I was asked to explain the process to prepare a pencil. There were no questions related to GK or personal interest. But a friend of mine, who is an actor, told the professors what he was interested in. They seemed to have liked it.
Ques: How was your Group Discussion? Did you attend any other institute’s GD? If yes, how good or bad was it in comparison to IISc?
Ans: The Group Discussion in IISc was very healthy and disciplined. Two professors are sitting in a room. One of them would read out the topic of discussion and then notice the time. The other would see your attitude and behavior during the debate. Everyone was given a fair chance to speak. We were assigned if we had to talk “for” or “against” the topic.
I had attended another GD in NITIE Mumbai. Even though it is one of Mumbai’s finest colleges, the group discussion was full of arguments, and there was no etiquette. It was a sensitive topic, and everyone took it too seriously. It was chaos after a point. Hence, I found the discussion in IISc better and more disciplined.
Ques: What was the topic of discussion at IISc? Did you speak “for” or “against” the topic?
Ans: The topic was, “Should business tycoons or industrialists be appointed as the Financial Ministers of India?”
I spoke “against” the given topic.
Ques: Do you think this course has helped you in stabilizing your career? If yes, how?
Ans: Yes, it has helped me a lot! I like the mechanical stream. But compared to the IT and CSE sectors, the mechanical industry’s workload is too much, and the salary is relatively low. I wanted to avoid that as much as possible. Through the Masters in Business Analytics program by IISc, I would get the luxury I have always wanted. Hence, I feel like this program has helped me quite a lot.
Ques: Does IISc offer any placement assistance?
Ans: Yes, the placement assistance in IISc is excellent. The placements take place in two ways:
- Through Alumni.
- Through Campus placements.
Additionally, students have to go for internships as a part of the program. Many students get placement offers during these internships, too.
Companies like Aditya Birla Group, Crompton Greaves, Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon visit the campus for recruitments.
Ques: How is the infrastructure of IISc? Were there any international students in your batch?
Ans: The infrastructure of IISc is beautiful. Everything is available 24*7. The mess food is excellent as well. We have a small regional group that celebrates all the festivals. It is a very refreshing environment.
Yes, there were three students from Germany. They were in my batch just for the second semester.
Ques: What was your daily schedule throughout the program? How was the interaction with the faculty at IISc?
Ans: Once you are there on campus, the professors provide you with a rough time-table. You may get it changed if you have any problem with it. One lecture lasts for around one or one-and-a-half hours, and there are two to three lectures in a day. So three to four hours of the day were just lectures.
There is almost no interaction between the students and the faculty members. You can reach out to them anytime, but most of the professors work at ISRO and DRDO. They need to spend most of their time there. Hence, there isn’t much interaction. But at the same time, they are readily available should you have any doubts.
Ques: Since IISc is a research institute, were you supposed to submit a research paper? If yes, was there any specific topic given?
Ans: No, submitting a research paper is not compulsory. I didn’t submit any as I was pretty new to this stream. My motive was to observe and learn.
But if someone is interested in submitting one, they can prepare a rough draft and consult a professor. If the professors like it, they may ask for a fair research paper on the topic.
Ques: Were you provided any internships during the Masters in Business Analytics program by IISc? Do you think they helped you?
Ans: There was one internship of three months in the second semester and one in the fourth semester. Since I was new to the business analytics industry, the internships helped me apply the theoretical knowledge I had learned in college. I got to know a lot of new theories as well as some economic and financial aspects too.
Ques: Would you recommend this program to others? If yes, what would your advice be to them? If no, why?
Ans: Yes, I would recommend this program to others. If you are interested in data science and business analytics and want to pick it up as a career, this course is for you.
My advice to them would be to have a proper knowledge of statistics. This department focuses on statistical learning more than general awareness and mathematical understanding. If you have any work experience, it will come very handy.
We hope Masters in Business Analytics program by IISc Bangalore: Course Experience would help you understand what to expect from the course and decide if the course is for you.
In case of any query, you may contact us at info@aimonks.com or read multiple other experiences that such graduates have shared with us here. You could also join us on Telegram to stay in the know about various courses.
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this post are solely of the author. Neither do these views reflect the opinion of AI Monks now do they bear any responsibility on AI Monks.
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