N. L. Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research PGDM Review By Arvind Karnani

One best part about NL Dalmia College is that the seats are limited and therefore the students get the desired attention. I did PGDM in finance and it has only 60 seats. The course is affiliated with the University of Mumbai and NLDIMSR provides great internship opportunities along with guaranteed placements. The journey from Kolkata to Mumbai was not that easy but I was adamant about doing MBA and that brought me to Mumbai. N. L. Dalmia has backed my decision as no one now has any complaints that I left home for doing management studies from here. Dalmia has produced some of the prominent students over the years and that was enticing enough for me to take admission here. MH-CET score and GD, PI combined score will help you secure a seat. Due to its location, even the Mumbaikars avoid taking admission in this college and that worked in favors of the students coming from other states.

The managerial skills enhancement program through some of the most advanced classrooms and labs was the way at Dalmia. The course works in tandem with theory and an equal amount of practicals. The case studies were epic as we were given those on an individual basis and also in a group basis. Forming a team and working on the same criteria gave us a feel of how we will be working as a team. The guest lectures were organized and industry stalwarts including Neeta Ambani were one of the personalities that gave guest lectures during my time. All this was surreal as this would have never been possible in Kolkata. Academic excellence numbers of Dalmia are the best in 2-tier B-Schools. The class timings were such that I couldn’t afford to leave beyond Borivali because there was literally no timing. Sometimes the last lecture concluded at 10 pm. This is all because management studies are demanding and it’s like work urgency in an office where you don’t have a choice but to work. All this was a drill to make us prepare for our future endeavors.

The professors were hired who had a strong background and who understand the industrial demands in and out. They may not be adept with the syllabus content but their experience came in handy as they trained us to adjust to corporate life as soon as we enter that. They sent us for company projects with their influence and it was because of their recommendations that we became a part of some of the top Indian companies even if for a day.

It is 100% at least for our stream and since my course was finance working at a brokerage firm or banks was my priority. The college took care of it and placed me at Kotak Securities which took just 2 students from our batch and one was me. There were 6-7 banks and FIIs firms like Nomura and Barclays sent the students directly to their Tokyo office. Not just the students got domestic placements but Dalmia also fetched international placements. The average package was for Rs. 7-8 lakhs and my friends who went to Tokyo grabbed jobs worth INR 25 lakhs and beyond.

The college has a boy’s hostel but it requires a lot of recommendation and approach. I being a Marwari though I may get it but the influential people from Rajasthan already captured all the rooms of the hostel. Quite a few outsiders are coming in every batch and renting an apartment in Dahisar or Borivali could be considered as an option. In Mira Road too there a lot of residential facilities and rather cheaper than going further towards Mumbai.

The glass building which was seen just on TV has now become a new normal in Management College. Classes, labs, and seminar halls were conducted in the glass building and the old building is now used as the admin block and has the library hall. The college too was small in terms of area but has all the modern facilities from air-conditioned classrooms to some of the most advanced labs. The library was huge and had books galore. I mostly completed all my assignments in the library and was one of the quietest places in the campus as the chaos in the campus was quite high. The college canteen was one of the best as it had many eating options and Gujarati thali of the canteen is must try. There is also a coffee shop or a cafeteria other than the canteen that is meant only for tea, coffee, and snacks. The building is recently built and is cleaned daily.

My post-graduate college had more events than my UG college and there I could ignore participating but here it wasn’t an option. All the students had to participate in some or the other events and even though I took up a petty role but had to perform in a skit at the college fest. The college will take all the monkeys out of your back or it will break the shackles if you have any. I developed my personality by interacting with students who may have not scored marks as high as me in their school but their communication skills and the way they talked helped me develop my communication skills.