Students anxious over the delay in IIMC merit list

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, April 24, 2007

With the OBC quota issue dragging on, students waiting for the IIM merit lists are an anxious lot. Not only are they finding it difficult to concentrate on other examinations, but they are also in a bind over whether to take admission to other management institutes or join a job as backup.
The first ranker in CAT from Kolkata with a 99.98 percentile, Mehul Agarwal, has appeared in the group discussion and interview of all IIMs except the one in Bangalore.
But the BCom final-year student at St Xavier’s College is now finding it difficult to focus on his studies. “My aim is to study at an IIM and that is why I have not even appeared for interviews in any other institute. All my efforts will be wasted if I do not get through any of the IIMs,” he said.
Another worry for IIM hopefuls is whether they should take up a job offer or wait for the final call from the premier institute. Nishant Mathur, a fifth-year student of biotechnology and biochemical engineering at IIT, Kharagpur, has bagged a job at ITC and has to join by June 7. “I have a 99.9 percentile in CAT and appeared for the group discussion and interview of all six IIMs. I have reason to believe that I will bag a seat in one of the IIMs this year but at the same time I cannot keep waiting endlessly. But if I start working, I do not think I will have the time to crack CAT next year,” Mathur said. “Some of my friends have taken up jobs despite getting interview calls from all the IIMs. Now, even if they make it to the final merit list, they have pay huge sums before leaving the job and joining IIM.”
Thousands of rupees are at stake for those taking admission to one of the lesser management institutes too. Meghna Agarwal, a chartered accountant, has appeared for group discussion at the IIMs of Bangalore and Lucknow. She has taken admission to XLRI, paying a fee of Rs 2 lakh, and is sceptical about getting a refund.
Same is the case with Sourav Sen, who has 99.49 percentile in CAT and has appeared for group discussions at four IIMs. “I have taken admission to S.P. Jain Management Institute, Mumbai, and the authorities have clearly stated that they would retain at least Rs 35,000 in case I left.”
But the chairman of admissions at IIM-C and member of the CAT group, Ashish Bhattacharya, has a few words of assurance for the students. “The government has urged all the management institutes to refund the entire money deposited the students with a deduction of only Rs 1,000 in case a students wants to take admission to an IIM,” he said,
The candidates feel they have become victims of politics “Where is the data based on which the OBC quota is being implemented and why are they including the creamy layer? Agarwal asked.Some also feel that the quota would dilute the standard of the premier institute. “The HRD ministry should not forget that the IIMs are known for quality students,” Sen said. mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com