So after a prolonged thought about what my future should hold for me, like many others, I decided to go in for an MBA in India. A common advice that industry people would give you is to not do an MBA from any and every college but be picky and do it from a college that holds weight. After a series of exams, among which SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test) was one, and a string of highs and lows, I entered the gates of SIBM Pune. I was extremely excited for two reasons. Firstly, SIBM Pune is the best B-School in Pune, one of the best in the country and has an outstanding reputation for producing industry leaders. Secondly, my father passed out of the same college in the year 1989 which makes me a second generation SIBM Pune student! Also, this is my second stint with the Symbiosis International University, the first one being my B.Sc Economics from Symbiosis School of Economics, Pune.
Our semester started off on June 3rd 2015 with a brilliantly delivered and inspiring speech by our Director Dr. Raman. The two weeks that followed were induction weeks. A lot of interaction with alumni, industry professionals and industry visits ensured that we were kept on our toes. The most memorable events in the induction week were the ice breaking sessions and the talent round. Both of them filled the campus with joy, laughter and celebrations! This made it possible for the entire batch to bond and get to know each other in a short span of time. But a top-notch B-School does not just let you have fun, even if it is the first week of college! We had a 75 marks test on 5 subjects whose online modules by Harvard Business School had been given to us about a month ago. Yes, the studies had begun at home itself!
Coming to the campus description, this is not a regular college campus. It’s 200 acres of some heavenly place that has been built on a beautiful hilltop. The view from here is simply amazing and I have often found myself stopping to gaze at the breath-taking scenery. The weather has a smell of romanticism and youth filled passion in it that makes you want to live every moment on the campus to the fullest. The campus has a shop where you can find anything from a door hook to night vision binoculars, though I don’t know who would need the latter! This shop stocks everything that you can possibly need. There is a Coffee Shop that sells all kinds hot and cold beverages and another shop that stores all kinds of non-alcoholic packaged drinks, ice-creams etc. An eatery named “Delhi Chaat” is the place for chaat, snacks and some fast food. These shops are extremely well equipped and cater to the needs of the students very well. There is a unisex salon too, for those who want to have a nice haircut, be well groomed and look impressive.
The evening witnesses all the sports and fitness enthusiasts coming out to the gym and the fields to sweat it out. Some prefer to take one of the numerous bicycles on the campus and go for a ride. The campus has fields for football and cricket, courts for Badminton, Volleyball and Squash, tables for Table Tennis, a Swimming Pol and an extremely well equipped gym and aerobics centre.
The night canteen opens at 10.00 PM and functions till 2.00 AM and is the lifeline of the campus. The night is filled with sights of group discussions, preparations for the next day’s lectures, antakshari rounds, dumb charades competitions and Romeos and Juliets taking a long stroll under the moonlight in the cold breeze! All inhibitions are kept aside and the night is enjoyed to the fullest by each and every one. There are a few dogs on the campus who make it a point to stroll around the antakshari groups and sway to the songs of the Humans! Most of the heart felt conversations with friends are made at this time of the night with a hot cup of coffee in hand or across a plate of spicy and tangy Biryani. The atmosphere is something that has to be experienced to be fully understood.
The teaching faculty is excellent and the professors are extremely knowledgeable in their fields of expertise. Our seniors have started arriving on the campus and are being bombarded with questions about their summer internships, specializations and everything else that we want to know about SIBM.
It has indeed been an excellent beginning to my stint at SIBM Pune and I can’t wait for the rest of it to unfold!
Varun Rao. First Year MBA Student @ SIBM, Pune.
