Strategic Horizons: Navigating growth and Learning in MBA Internship Journey

K J Somaiya was my best shot given the qualifying exam and its score. The curriculum allows students to gain practical learning along with interactive classroom learning. The faculty is experienced and some are industry professionals who share their experiences making the curriculum more interactive. The curriculum also includes regular case study discussions and simulations among other interactive learnings. The curriculum is designed such that in the first year, a student is required to gain an understanding of all management subjects and later in the second year he can choose his specialization and get a deeper understanding of the same. The second-year specializations offered by the college are Finance, Marketing, HR, Operations, and Data Science. This helps the student in being prepared for the role he will be choosing and applying his learning into real-life scenarios. The course has a trimester where three semesters are conducted each year with exams that test subject understanding.

The internship cycle starts at the campus in August. Various companies like CISCO, HSBC, Wells Fargo, Arcesium, ICICI, HDFC, Colgate, McCain Foods, Tommy Hilfiger, Jio Creative Labs, Reliance Retail come on campus for roles like Research Analyst, Investment Banking, Human Resources, B2B Sales, etc. The stipend varies according to companies and roles ranging from 25,000-1,20,000/-. By each year, the stipend increases which is subject to additional factors and the knowledge and preparedness of the students. These internships are sometimes associated with live projects that enhance the industry approach and awareness in real situations and prepare the students better. Some Live projects are HDFC Klarify Life, Decathlon, etc. As far as the outcome is concerned, students can learn the best approaches needed for the upcoming business surroundings. This is also highlighted in the final placements of students at K J Somaiya Institute of Management.

As far as the detailed fee structure is concerned, the entire flow is divided in the first and second year respectively. The tuition fee for 1st year is 8,31,168 lacs whereas for 2nd year, it is 8,97,661. This fee is mandatory, followed by the development fee of 1,66,234/- for 1st year and 1,79,533 for 2nd year. Additionally, there is a caution fee of 10,000/- and alumni association fees of 2500/-. If a student wishes to acquire hostel and mess facilities, additional fees of 1,92,000/- and 60,000/-. There is no specific increase rate of tuition fee and it is subject to many other factors. Overall, the complete cost of MBA education is 20,87,096/-. Various scholarships such as Financial aid, and merit-based scholarships is available. For financial aid, the minimum criteria of the total annual income of the family is taken into account. Based on the annual income, financial aid is given as a certain percentage of the total tuition fee (20%, 30%, etc).

Being a professional with 4 years of experience, my expectations of college culture were vague, yet K J Somaiya Institute of Management stood out for me in many ways. From induction to till date, each day comes with new opportunities and experiences. This institute holds different Management festivals (committee oriented such as OpsQuest for Operations, Navikaran for Marketing, Equity Research for Finance, and Spectrum for Human Resources ), Annual festivals like Melange, and Global conferences on various subjects. The campus is majorly technology-driven with WIFI accessibility. The most suitable factor for students here is the databases of various subjects and their availability in the library. The library consists of E-books as well as hard copies with 24-hour accessibility for the students. Moreover, the Somaiya campus has its innovation club called Riddl, where valuable ideas are given funding to be converted into startups. Various Sports tournaments are held over the year with the facilities.

The hostel fee may sound a bit expensive at first but from my perspective, it justifies the quality of living that is being provided in the hostel. The rooms are double-sharing and triple-sharing based on individual preference. The ambience of the room is quite decent with an attached washroom (clean and modern), Some rooms are garden-facing and some are courtyard-facing. The candidate gets to choose with whom she/he wishes to share the accommodation. Mess food is decent with a menu prepared before the week. 4 meals are served in a day with no limitation on the food intake. The hostel accommodation form is floated along with the admission form and is given on a first come first serve basis. Upon the finalization of candidature, fee formalities are completed before joining the institute. There is no provision of AC and washing machine and that is informed before the students. Overall, a student gets to live a healthy and balanced life amidst the green campus.

The admission process of K J Somaiya Institue of Management was very smooth and well facilitated by the Admissions team of the college. A student is eligible for its MBA course if he has completed his graduation with a minimum of 50% and clearing the qualifying exams.The college accepts various MBA Entrance exams like GMAT, CAT, XAT, NMAT, CMAT. I appeared for NMAT and got admission through same. NMAT is relatively an easier exam with no negative marking. The cut off for the same was 222. The exam is conducted in various windows where a student gets to choose if he wants to give the exam from home or center and accordingly he also gets to choose the dates. The admission details like the application form, important dates and fees are very well given on the college's website and other media handles.

As a part of the admission process, There is a mandatory group discussion, case analysis, and interview round at K J Somaiya Institute of Management. Since the GD-PI process can be conducted online/offline, the candidate must be aware of ongoing Economic, Social, and Geopolitical talks of the world. Additionally, since the GD and PI is conducted around February and March, It is suggested to have a thorough knowledge of the Financial budget of the country. For better preparation and prompt answers, the candidate must be aware of the Business environment and issues related to it (Work-life Balance, Work from home policies and current status, etc). As far as the Interview is concerned, questions related to the statement of purpose hold the utmost value. A candidate should appear genuine and confident about the work experience, internships, and personal values for a smooth interview. However, there is no specific test to be given within the institute guidelines.