Summer Placement

With all the hype and hoopla surrounding the IIM Bangalore summer placement it is time to take stock of the situation. Well to say that it was a huge success in terms of numbers would be an understatement. The entire batch getting placed for summers in 5 days, 105 dayz and so on but the real test was how the batchmates supported who needed the support during those days and is the process really justified after all. I would not comment on the first thing as there have been a lot of discussion on this but there are certain opinions that I would like to voice on the second point. To say that the process is stressing would be an understatement especially for people who could not make it on the first day. It is definitely the case that there were many good people who could not make it on the first day because they did not have a good profile. Looking at it subjectively it is possible for people to come to IIMs not study at all and leave with one of the most coveted jobs that IIM can offer. Why and how is it possible? I am not the right person to answer the why question and it is the matter that the institution has to decide. As to the how part let me explain. In case you have a good profile and you enter IIMs you work hard on our resume and get selected in a good company(say a dayz); this is after 4 months of joining when you have not learned anything and have no idea as to what different streams have to offer. Since during summers your first term marks are not taken into account it is quite convenient not to study hard. Again once you have got a good summer you tend to relax and not mug at all. After that when you go for summer internship you work hard and get a PPO i.e. Pre placement offer and chill out for the next year as well since only place where your CGPA matters is final summer placement which you wont sit in as you have a PPO. There are always cases like these in all the batches and all the IIMs I guess. Now one may ask what is wrong in this? There is nothing wrong except it makes IIMs no more than a placement office and if that is what IIMs want to become then so be it. But I think that this is not what IIMs would like to end up as. So if they have to live up to its expectation of good academic institutes they need to change the culture in the institutes and make summer a lower profile affair.