Loyola Institute of Business Administration PGDM Review By Bhawani Karnani

If I say I was the trendsetter trust me I am not exaggerating as many students followed me after I went to Chennai for PG. Chennai in our days was known for education and one of my previous college officer recommended Loyola Institute of Business Administration to me. I wanted to have an independent life for a while and Chennai though was new was kind enough to give me memories that have stayed with me and will stay with me forever. If I compare it to the same category college the placements of LIBA were good and one can debate that the college is on a downward spiral but 6-7 years down the line it was right up there with top B-Schools. One thing that still makes me unhappy is that nothing has changed in the college even after 7 years of my passing. We were called for an alumni meet in 2019 and was surprised to see that the facilities and all have gone down. The software company presence in Chennai is lesser than that we have in Mumbai, Pune or Bangalore but still the placements were great. LIBA was at the end of the day worth it as it got me the eventual placements I was looking for.

LIBA was a renowned institute and it was for a reason as the college was absolutely strict with attendance. PGDM is a professional course and it was taught with complete professionalism. HR was my forte and specialization in HR at LIBA was one of the well-placed courses. The professors were little ruthless as firstly it was their accent and secondly the teaching standard was way too high for someone coming from an ordinary college. The extra classes were available on demand and the lengthy course looked even lengthier as in my 2 years of PGDM, I visited Marina beach just once.

All were hugely experienced and extracted the best from each one of us. The subjects we chose was meant for us or not was very well explained by our teachers and changes even after 2nd semester was done. The faculty members were strict as they gave their all and students had to upshot to meet the desired results. The faculty boosted our confidence and did all that they can to prepare us to be competent enough. The faculty were tough characters and made us bite the hardest nails.

The hard yards that we put during the classes were all brought us to square because the LIBA placements were great. Banking, IT space and auto and their components who roped us for the internship were more than happy to offer us a job letter. I didn’t have to wait for the campus placements as many of us were given a job letter from our intern company. Companies like TVS, MRF, Sundaram group and all the gun IT companies made sure that none of us is left behind. The average placements were below Rs. 10 LPA but it wasn’t the case for all as some of them had a dream package as well. The placement record was 100% at LIBA and as far as I know the record is still intact.

The girls and boys hostel are built at the opposite corners in the campus itself. There were no discrimination and during the 3rd semester which was the final semester of the 1st year, we were given an opportunity to shift in with the one we want. Just outside the hostel there was a running track and all the hostellers were asked to keep a check on fitness as well. The rooms of the hostel never made me miss my home as it had all the facilities that I could have dreamt of. From clean water to hygienic washrooms, it had it all. The food was new for me and at sometimes inconsumable but the curfew time was 10 pm and on days I did tried out some of the fancy restaurants of Chennai as there were many in 2-3 kms from the college.

Maybe not so attractive for some but I kind of liked it. The colorful buildings and the lush green campus made the environment adept for studies. There was a separate library hall and had ample reading space. The college canteen was good and the taste of the coffee is still fresh in my memory because I am yet to find similar coffee. The college had a sports ground and on Sundays we used to play as on other days we hardly had time to play. The other facilities include an air-conditioned auditorium, an amphitheater and few labs. The infrastructure on the whole was cool and perfect as I hardly missed my family back home.

Well adjusting with locals of Chennai was difficult at first but will admit that they were the sweetest people I have come across. Outsiders are rare and one should decide if they could adjust because adjustment will be required. There were no half measures but outsiders will be outsiders in this part of the country. I though never had any problems and students enjoyed each other’s company. The college events which were again rare but when they happened we all used to get excited as our batch had some of the finest singing talent. The campus has taught me a lot and I will always owe my success to LIBA.