College Review: Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)

College Review: Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)

You surely are going to feel on ‘Top of the World’ as students of the popular - Indian Institute of Foreign Trade - open up their ‘Wings of Wisdom’ before you. Confused? Well don't be, because these are the two phrases you will hear often at this institute. Before getting you even more confused let we reveal that these are the two most popular hangout places which give students a welcome change from the ever so formal and strict atmosphere at IIFT.

Established in 1963, by the Government of India, as an autonomous organization to help professionalize the country's foreign trade management and increase exports by developing human resource, IIFT till date stays true to its tradition. It is still the place to be if you want to establish yourself as a professional in the international business arena.

Infrastructure

The college has every modern facility you can think of. The lecture halls are centrally air-conditioned with modern audio-visual aids, conference halls for round-table conferences, an auditorium of 500 seating capacity, MDP Centre, three Computer Centres and excellent residential facilities for students. The campus also has good sporting facilities with basketball, volleyball, badminton courts, table tennis and other indoor sports.

MBA (International Business) is a fully residential programme and has separate hostels for girls and boys. Due to scarcity of space, some boys have been shifted to the outside campus hostel called the C9 hostel. Computers are provided in every hostel room with 2 MBPS Internet connectivity. The Institute also has residential facilities for participants of its Management Development Programmes (MDPs). Apart from this, the campus is very secure with many guards on night parole.

Another aspect worth applauding about IIFT is its library. There are more than 84,000 volumes and subscriptions to 800 journals with complete online catalogues. The library has a unique collection of publications of FAO, IMF, OECD, UNCTAD, UNCTC, World Bank, and other international agencies.

Faculty

IIFT Faculty

IIFT has a strong backbone of educated and efficient staff which include Chevening Scholars, HBS alumnus etc. The Institute has 46 full-time faculty members across domains. The professors at this college have an average teaching experience of 19 years along with average industrial experience of eight years. The faculty at IIFT is very approachable and is up-to-date with the latest developments in their field. However, they are extremely strict when it comes to the reporting time for classes. As per students, the teachers of Marketing Management department are the best in terms of their teaching technique and possess cutting edge knowledge of management.

Professors at IIFT have together published over 50 books and numerous research articles making it the second highest in the country in research.  There are courses sponsored and taught by corporates such as CBC, IMRB etc.

Teaching Techniques

IIFT is known to regularly conduct foreign exchange programmes in partnership with European countries. Guest lectures are conducted by pioneers from the industry, helping students relate what they learn in classes to the world outside. The classes are very interactive with presentations being conducted for which students are divided into groups. Such an initiative is undertaken to help students understand group dynamics better.  

IIFT has a learning management system called ‘Campus 360', wherein, students are given quizzes, course material, assignments and students have to submit their assignments here. The attendance is also uploaded here.

Placements

The placement cell at IIFT is very robust. The average package offered is around Rs 12.40 lakhs p.a. and the highest package is about Rs 22 Lakhs p.a.  IIFT is the third B-school to have 100% placement in 2013. Recruiters who visited the campus last year include, Amazon, Google, P&G, ITC, Kellogg's, Reckitt Benkiser, Godrej, Mahindra, Airtel, Dassault Systems, Flipkart, ITW India, Goldman Sachs, Nomura, PwC, ICICI, KPMG, Citibank, Cipla, RPG, DBS etc.

Attendance

IIFT Attendance

Students need to strictly maintain a 90% attendance in order to sit for their semester exams. However, relaxation is offered if a student misses classes because he/she is participating in an event. A student at IIFT shared that teachers feel bad if students do not make it on time for classes and students feel they are disrespecting teachers if they do not turn up for their classes. The schedule for a week is shared on Campus 360 for each week and classes are generally held from 9:15 am to 6:45 pm.

College Crowd & Hangout Places

As already shared, most of the students are seen hanging out at the Overhead Bridge called ‘Top of the World’ named so because you see amazing scenery from this spot. With popular places such as Hauz Khas Village being a stone throw away, students do not really have to travel far to entertain themselves. However, what catches the students' fancy is the delicious food offered at the roadside dhaabas right outside the college.

The college houses competitive cross-section of more than 950-1200 students. There is a good mix of students from different parts of the country. Students have a very healthy atmosphere to learn and interact here. Seniors are supportive and there is no kind of ragging done here.

Canteen

Since most of the courses offered at IIFT are residential programmes, the canteen includes a mess. However, insiders confide that they would appreciate a little more variety in the food offered. At night, students are given an option to tingle their taste buds at CCD or at the Lipton stall, both located in-campus. However, in terms of eating, the road-side dhaabas are still the place of choice for the students.

College Fest

IIFT

QUO Vadis is the annual management fest conducted at IIFT. It witnesses a heavy footfall every year with students from all leading B-schools attending the fest. Different clubs conduct various events in management fields such as Banking and Finance, Marketing etc, however, as per the students the highlight of the event is the 'Star Night'. Popular stars such as Benny Dayal, Lucky Ali and bands such as Astitv have graced the event.

Another event organized with a lot of zest is the UWL or the Ultimate Warriors League, wherein, students are divided into groups and form individual cricket teams. In this event, proper auctions are conducted and actual bidding for players takes place, in line with the IPL.

Programmes and Fee

Verdict

IIFT is one the premiere institutes in the country to study International Business. It offers a great atmosphere for students to study and develop their personality as individuals. The industry interface is excellent with various corporate leaders including alumni coming down to the campus to share their experiences and insights with students. In 2014, IIFT will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee. However, an aspect the institute needs to work on is providing eating options to students at night, along with a better day-time mess.

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