Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies MBA Review By Anil Mishra

Symbiosis has 13 campuses in Pune and Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies is one of them. An institution dedicated for the students whose parents are from army ward. Only 10% are for open students and I just want to question why this obligation. This actually made the 10% of us feel outsiders. Since MBA at SIMS is a residential program but thankfully we were given the option of finding an accommodation in 2kms from the college. If this wasn’t the case, I don’t think the non-army background students can even survive. One advantage that SIMS Pune Fees had was that it was 40% less than other Symbiosis institutes and for army personnel students it was even lesser. The course was great and so were the faculty but this quota system which I never understood haunted me for both years. The open category students who joined the institute purely on merit formed their own group as we were anyway treated as the ones who don’t belong there. My only message to the college is that there’s nothing in life called in-between, either you do it or you don’t it. If you want to dedicate an institute for Army background students then dedicate it entirely rather than in % terms.

A wily customer when it comes to academics. The course was purely practical based and the labs and open areas were the areas where our classes happened. Giving practical examples or giving demos was a part of the studies and that made things simpler to understand. The scheme of things that were a part of studies was too good that all the areas of concern were left behind. The calculations and how to be crafty was the main things that were introduced to us through studies. I still have my MBA books with me as I don’t think I have nailed half of what is written.

You can’t ignore the faculty as they were observant and also careful in handling the situations. The classes were mostly lengthy and finding the right balance to make sure the students are attentive was something to learn from. In work as well there are times when we know that are exhausted and need a bit of a filler to get minds off work. Being a team leader in an organization I have integrated all that in my work and I have been appreciated for that by my colleagues. The teachers are the one who teach us quality as teaching curriculum is not the only job that they have in hand if they are teaching in an elite MBA institute. So kudos to the clever teachers who indirectly taught us the qualities that we will require in future.

Placement and Symbiosis no matter what institute it is they will never be a problem. SIMS though is as old as other MBA institutes of Symbiosis, the companies that have started turning up are the ones that have launched their IPOs in recent years. Parag Milk, D-Mart and Prataap Snacks were the ones with whom I had my internships. FMCG was my area and likewise for every student they will have jobs in the expertise of their areas and this was the beauty of SIMS placements. Almost all who applied for job had an offer letter and was in range of Rs. 12-20 LPA.

The hostel is nice but 4 students in a single room was surprising. The rooms were spacious and also had balconies with them. The hostel is nice and well-maintained. The hostel building is in the same campus and is just 50meters from the classes. The hostel also has a mess and serves both veg and non-veg food. I obviously stayed in an independent apartment with 2 of my classmates but did saw hostel with close quarters.

The college is not so huge but is beautiful. The greenery was something to watch out for as SIMS was the most-green location in the entire area. The classrooms are air-conditioned and so were the labs. The college interior and exterior are all well-maintained. The library by and large had all the books and the first floor of library was the reading room. The campus has canteen, mess and the hostel. Sporting facility were quite a few of them. From volleyball courts to snooker tables the campus have them all. Smoking was entirely banned in the campus and any such reported incident can lead to trouble. It is difficult to find a smoke free zone in Pune but SIMS is.

The classes never ended and from 8 to 4 all we had to was be a part of classes, or be present for practical’s or attending guest lectures. The institute since occupied by army personnel’s kids has a certain way of talking and living the life. I couldn’t adjust with them and therefore as soon as the classes were over I used to leave the campus. The campus also hosts various events and fests every semester and must say the special talent was on display. The atmosphere, the college campus greenery and the brand Symbiosis are enough to consider the college. The required percentile for SIMS is in-between 90-94 for general category students.