Symbiosis Institute of Business Management MBA Review By Manmohan Totla

Students chase SIBM as their preferred bet for the MBA program. Every year around 70,000 students appear for SNAP and fight for 180 seats for MBA offered by SIBM and 60 offered for MBA executive. The cut-off for SIBM is over 99%ile, and one needs comprehensive preparation to sail through. After completing my graduation in 2012, I never thought I would ever enter a college campus for further studies. MBA executive program of SIBM requires 2-5 years of work experience in a top organization. The first eligibility criteria as appearing for SNAP and then cracking GEPIWAT are mandatory even for students pursuing MBA executive. MBA executive at SIBM is also a 2 years program, unlike other universities that offer a year-long program. MBA executive course is quite different from that of regular MBA as it covers only the necessary topics. A student at SIBM will never leave the campus under-trained as industrial training was a more credential part of an MBA executive. The assignments required all-nighters to finish them on deadline. All in all, the program offered by SIBM will prepare you the best for the shitstorm that one has to face in corporate life.

The attendance rules were quite flexible as one can attend as many guest lectures and field trips and get away with a present mark in the attendance register. Copying during the internal exams and even during the mains was normal at SIBM as bookish knowledge was not the only thing that held the utmost importance. Core subjects were given the best focus as me coming from a banking sector the banking was in the core subject list of MBA executive program. There was no single umbrella for essential subjects such as corporate finance. Elective subjects included the likes of financial markets and econometrics. The most exciting topic or the subject of the program is equity valuation.

The faculty members had corporate work experience, and for the relevant subjects, the institute had assigned the relevant teachers. Research methodology technique was at the helm, and the main focus given by faculty was on analytics. The faculty were flexible with attendance, but mandatory retests were organized for the low scorers. Make sure that you score well in tests during the first attempt because copying was easier there, and there was hardly any in retests. The faculty made life at the campus quite easy because they were a never exhausting source of information.

Placements are superb, and if there was a category for that, it would be A+. The placements for MBA executive students were meant to be better than that of regular MBA students, and there were. The average placement was 16 LPA. MBA executives from SIBM shares their jobs with IIM graduates and companies in which students from our batch placed in includes Nestle, ITC, ICICI Bank, Indusind Bank, etc. 60% of students had the placement before the start of the 2nd year while the remaining 40% gets placed in 3rd semester. The placements were 100% and that too in the sector we had a preference on.

There are 2 boys and 1 girls hostel wing close to the dining hall. The hostel life was amazing as I had my family back home and it was usual that I will miss them at the campus. However, I made many friends at the hostel, and even though the MBA executive students were approaching 30s, the juniors of the regular MBA students had no problems making friends with us. I am glad this happened; otherwise, it can be challenging to stay in a bubble away from home. The food was good, and some students went out almost every other day for dinners, while I was happy with the food provided at the mess.

Symbiosis is a brand, and the Lavale campus of the group justify the brand image. The buildings were architect marvel and the entire campus, for that matter. The residential students were not allowed to have their own vehicles at the campus, and for our convenience, we had the option of taking bicycles and roam inside the campus. There were enough shops and a canteen that operated nearly 24 hours were enough to fulfill our needs at the campus. The sporting facilities amazed me as pool tables were the place where I spent my time after college. The facilities remained open till 1 am, and the guard never bothered us. The infrastructure and the location of the campus is magnificent.

MBA executive students dominated the proceedings be it sports or the quizzes. Being a part of institute of such a repertoire gave us the nice feeling every day as we walked around the campus. There were many colleges inside the same campus, and getting along with most of the students whom I interacted with made my life easy at the campus.