Memoirs of a perplexed Symbian…

THREE days into the day when SNAP results have been declared a friend of mine calls up from Mumbai to ask me about my result. Being bruised & battered by my previous “performance” I was in no shape to take up another blow to my MBA aspiration of 2015. However after much coaxing from my flatmates I finally logged into the Blueshift website, the whole affair being conducted in pure isolation to avoid any further embarrassment. As I scanned through the score card the digits at the end alarmed me & I thought “Whaaaaat”…..xx.xx percentile…”Does this mean there’s still some hope”…..I wasn’t sure though as there was another hurdle, the WAT, GE & PI. Subsequently preparations were on & finally I arrived in the Lavale camps for the interviews. The first thing that crossed my mind on arriving at the Symbiosis International University Campus was “Its a holiday RESORT!!!”. The awesome climate & the serenity of the campus left me awestruck & euphoric. But my euphoria was short lived as I was grilled thoroughly in my PI. I left with mixed feelings & waited for the final results. The results were declared & I was wait-listed which meant “I have miles to go before I can have a sound sleep”. Finally in May the anxious waiting period ended & I got in. This followed celebrations for a few days. Finally when the jubilance had mellowed down it was time for some serious thinking.

Like all other aspirants my mind too was flooded with numerous apprehensions regarding the MBA degree. Questions like “Has the MBA degree lost its shine in the present economic scenario”….”Will it add value to my profile or continuing in my current job would provide me better future prospects”…..”What’s the ROI or the opportunity cost of going back to school for two years”…..finally the classic query “kitna deti hai” (What’s the average remuneration of an MBA grad). All these questions left me totally confused. I thereby consulted several people regarding the MBA program at SIBM & found that it scores high in perception amongst the aspiring, studying as well as common junta. The reputation of the SIBM MBA program is widespread & a lot of my seniors & peers advised me to join the program. This calmed my frayed nerves & I decided on joining SIBM Pune. Eventually I arrived on campus on 2nd of June, 2015, the day which I will remember for a lifetime. On the same day the one week induction program took off with an energizing speech by the Director which gave all the students “Wiiiinggssss” to fly. This followed some excellent interaction with alumni, industry leaders as well as entrepreneurs who took much pains in clearing the doubts of the inquisitive young minds. These interactions gave a sense of how strong the SIBM brand is & the respect it commands from the industry. One of the main contributing factors towards this reputation is the intellectual capital base SIBM houses who have a strong command over their subject matter & are also engaging enough to make some of the boring MBA lessons interesting. Also the case based approach to classroom learning coupled with rigorous evaluation methods bring out nothing but the best in every student. The choice based credit system gives the student flexibility to choose subjects as per his or her liking. Personally I like the concept of having a major & a minor specialization in the course & the off the mainstream management electives ranging from Management Principles form Gita to Indian Film Industry. SIBM believes in multi-dimensional development of an individual & through promotion of involvement in activities ranging from sports to yoga to Zumba tries to mould an all rounded personality which will be a perfect fit in the current dynamic business environment.

The twenty odd days I have stayed in SIBM Pune has put all my apprehensions to rest & I can say that I have made the right decision by joining one of the best B schools for MBA in India. I look forward to an exciting & enriching two years in Symbiosis International University (SIBM, Pune).

Cyaaa…:)

Rituraj Gautam First Year MBA Student@SIBM, Pune

(Courtesy: R.L. Stevenson, Maruti Suzuki, Red Bull)