Faculty of Management Studies MBA Review By Mahesh Maru

There are 2 ways to look at FMS Delhi. They take a very small batch of students so to get in here is quite tough. If you look at the other way round, once you are at FMS you will have more opportunities as the competition is less. I had many nostalgic moments at FMS as I won various competitions but lost too many. I also failed in many projects but I also aced quite a few. I fell in love with most of the professors but I also disliked some, I was also selected by various companies but then I was also rejected by some. I made some best friends at FMS but then I also had many bad fights. I had to spend sleepless nights because I had to work for a case study one after the other and therefore I slept like demons during the semester breaks. I guarantee you will learn a lot of things in your 2 years at FMS then after a corporate experience of 10 years. I have just spent 2 years at FMS but the experience, life lessons, and bond that I made with my fellow students and professors are tend to last forever.

One has to be capable enough to live the dream at FMS. 4 hours maximum is what the amount of sleep that I used to have during the semesters. I solved as many as 40 case studies during my MBA and still, my professors had complaints with me. I rocked most of the presentations that I did but I was also a subject of embarrassment in many. FMS is the only institute where you are provided mentors and it’s the seniors who play your mentor roles. This was also the task as during our second year I came to know that my internal marks also depend on how well the junior whom I am mentoring is doing.

Some of them or should I say most of them were lovable to the core. The finance professor couldn’t be satisfied as I told him that I want to specialize in marketing please spare me because I already have taken a lot of marketing project. No, he won’t listen and was rather angry that why students are choosing marketing. Well, faculty will make your life easier because if they weren’t there you might have to work 25 hours a day and still you will miss something.

During the 3rd semester, the placements are organized from September to November. Almost 50+ companies came day after the other and we could give as many interviews as we wanted. This drill helped us realize where we stand because we used to bet on who will get selected for maximum companies. I can’t remember the exact number but I was rejected by quite a few. Luckily I was also selected by many and thereby the ball is in student’s court as they can select the company they want. The CTC along with students' names are sent in a cover letter to the college and the college displays the same on the notice board. From what I have learned the notice board thing has vanished from most of the Indian Universities. I pity the current lot of students as only we know what it felt like after watching our name at the notice board be it for placements or the exam results.

For MBA students FMS has its seats reserved at the Delhi University PG hostels. There were 6 boys and 3 girls’ hostel at the University of Delhi, South Campus. V. K. R. V. Rao Hostel had the maximum number of boys students as the hostel had 60 seats reserved for FMS students. One can check the numbers now as the hostels are still the same but there may be a change in the number of seats that are allotted now. The college was a little far from the hostel but had no choice as in the morning it took some 30 minutes in the auto.

FMS Infrastructure is not like IIMs or SP Jain’s for that matter. The college has a small area and doesn’t even have a sports ground or indoor sports facility inside the campus. There’s one area where the University has put the maximum focus and that is in building the college library. That is huge and had a large collection of books. There were just 2 labs at the college and they are finance lab and computer lab. A small cafeteria but was enough as the number of students at the campus are also less. One auditorium which was not even air-conditioned a decade back but is now fully air-conditioned as I was there for an Alumni meet in 2016. The college garden was the area of relaxation during the lunch breaks as otherwise we never had any breaks and the classes were conducted back 2 back. We were allowed to use North Campus sports grounds and other facilities as our campus had nothing so we had to depend on the University's common facilities.

Professionalism is what FMS is all about and therefore they have made uniforms compulsory. The ratio of boys and girls is quite less. A total of 220 students were taken every year which has now increased to 275 and from 220 students there were just 20 girls. Things have changed since then but still a long way to make the ratio even. There was just one cultural event that took place as the guest lectures case studies consumed us to the core. The mentorship program of the college was exceptional as we understand how important mentorship is for an individual.