"Actually, there's a method to the madness here.

1. The 'Teachable' Factor: Companies in FMCG, Sales, and Marketing often prefer freshers because they are highly adaptable and 'un-molded' by previous corporate cultures.

2. Diversity Targets: To maintain a gender-diverse batch, schools often find a larger pool of high-scoring female candidates among freshers (since many women are discouraged by the 'leaky pipeline' after 2-3 years of work).

3. Academic Rigor: Freshers usually have a higher 'study stamina' for the brutal first-year GPA race. Schools like IIM B focus on Consulting/PE where work-ex is mandatory, while IIM I or FMS have strong ties to sectors that value raw aptitude.

58% at IIM Indore? That’s basically an extension of undergrad. How do you have a meaningful case study discussion about Corporate Strategy or Organizational Behavior when half the room has never seen a corporate office? I feel like the learning curve is much flatter when the peer group lacks diverse professional insights.