IMT Ghaziabad is called the Mecca for Marketing. It’s well known for its specialization in Marketing, Sales, and Business Development based roles. I don't think it offers similar opportunities for finance as well. The placements are pretty good but getting internship offers is difficult for someone who is switching careers from IT to Finance.
So if you really want to pursue a career in Finance after your MBA from IMT Ghaziabad, you can try CFA, and FRM and have some past background in Finance
When it comes to financing roles, NMIMS is generally seen as being on par with or even better than IIFT. One advantage of NMIMS is its location in Mumbai, which can be beneficial for students seeking finance roles. A decent number of finance companies visit the campus during placements, offering a good range of opportunities for students. However, it's worth noting that the competition for these roles can be quite intense, especially for students with engineering backgrounds. This is because finance companies often have a tendency to shortlist more students with commerce backgrounds for interviews.
That being said, if you are able to clear one or two levels of the CFA or FRM exams, it can become easier to get shortlisted for finance roles at NMIMS. Overall, when it comes to financing roles, NMIMS is generally seen as being on par with IIFT and better than the new IIMs.
You are asking whether you should take it or not so I will assume that you are planning to take a drop year otherwise. However, preparing and attempting CAT again is not a cakewalk. It requires a lot of determination and motivation and still does not guarantee that you will get a call from an old IIM.
IIM Shillong is rather a good choice for finance. You can contact some of its alumni to get more information on the same. Since your profile is good, Indore is also a good option for you.
But if you are adamant about joining the old IIMs, then focus on one single goal. Getting maximum percentile in CAT. Start preparing as soon as you decide to drop the year. Anything above 99.7 will guarantee you a call from one of the older IIMs. I have seen many people attempt CAT 3-4 times just to get into their choice of IIMs.
It all comes down to your determination. Like I said, dropping a year requires a lot of determination, so choose this path wisely. Else consider the various other options you have.
If you are planning to enter the Finance domain, IIM Shillong is a good choice. It has a certain level of specialization in the domain. This can be proved through the following points
Faculty: IIM Shillong boasts of a highly experienced and learned faculty.
Growth: Despite it being a new IIM, it has established its position in the IIM family. It has been growing at a fast pace making it possible for big firms to visit the campus for recruitment.
Curriculum: The curriculum is very flexible and you are allowed to choose electives from a wide range. Also, the courses are at par with the changing industry.
Achievements: The worth of IIM Shillong can be proved through the various National Level competitions it has won so far. From Top Corporates like Nomura, HSBC etc, or from academia like GIRC and various B-schools competitions as well.
Since you are only concerned about placements, let me tell you that placement depends not on one but many factors. Some work experience, educational background, presence of mind, knowledge, and obviously luck. Based on your profile the pros and cons you will experience are as follows
Pros
Cons
Lastly, since you are a fresher, before you join a B School, gather knowledge through books or certifications.
Because of its location, IIM Kashipur has the best Operations faculties and links. However, there are a few issues with the placement of the same. The Institute does not award diplomas in specific fields such as operations, finance, and marketing. As a result, students of any major are always eligible to apply for any job. Because students are not enrolled in a specific stream when they join the institute, their preferences change after the first year of exposure. Many students enter the second year with the intention of majoring in Operations, but they end up majoring in other fields for personal reasons.
Even among them, there aren't many freshmen, for whom it can be challenging to find an operations job; as a result, even they end up getting placed in a different stream. Therefore, IIM Kashipur is indeed a perfect place for operations management, but only if you have the correct perspective on what ops are and if you stick with it.
IIM Trichy is an ideal choice for pursuing a career in Finance. Many reputed banks visit the campus for recruitment like Citi, ICICI Bank, and YES Bank. This year the Finance sector accounted for 15%of the total placements. The highest CTC stood at INR 20 LPA whereas the average CTC stood at INR 17.67 LPA.
The IIFT program of Kolkata may have an upper hand due to its location but it’s not at par with IIM Trichy. If you are interested in the program I suggest you go for the New Delhi one.
The new IIMs are somewhat similar to Trichy but they won’t help you kickstart a career directly in finance. You might have to take baby steps to enter the Finance sector. So it’s best if you choose IIM Trichy only.
Since you are curious about finance only, I will try to answer your question based on the Finance domain only. To elaborate let’s consider the following merits and demerits
Merits
Demerits:
All in all I think IIM Ranchi is a decent choice for Finance and in the years to come will have improved a lot.
Honestly speaking, a career in investment banking should not be considered by the new IIMs. It’s a too ambitious profile to match the relatively new curriculum of these IIMs. Even if you are in a top B School, you will have to remain among the top students to get placed for a front-end role. One can still get roles in corporate & business finance but getting roles in Investment Banking is rather difficult.
Yet if you are not choosing an older IIM and want to choose a newer one, IIM Trichy is the best among them. The order is
IIM Trichy > IIM Udaipur > IIM Ranchi
There are many B Schools apart from IIMs that offer great Investment Banking roles. These include SPJIMR, JBIMS Mumbai, IIFT, and XLRI.
I think the PGP course is a better option if you are interested in Finance and Economics. This is because the ABM program offers the choice of only one option during the second year. The electives of the first year of both the programs ABM and PGP are the same. They comprise important topics like Micro and Macroeconomics, Financial Reporting and Accounting, Managerial Accounting, and Financial Management.
Most importantly you will be missing out on Finance and Economics courses. Some ABM students are diligent enough to sit through these classes despite everything.
There are no major differences in the placement scenario of ABM and PGP. Though I will recommend you go for the PGP program of a more reputed institute. Through ABM you will have to resort to self-learning more.