SDM Institute for Management Development PGDM Review By Karuna Nebhnani

I had a call letter from Christ University Bangalore and SDMIMD, Mysore. SDMIMD is lower in terms of ranking, but there are a lot of positives for which I chose SDMIMD. Many called me a fool for choosing SDMIMD over Christ, but I will give you the gist of why I chose SDMIMD. First thing first, the fees of Christ are 40% more than what I paid at SDMIMD. Secondly, I had to shift from Mysore to Bangalore to study MBA there. Finally, most MBA students are commerce graduates in Christ, and the syllabus is likewise. SDMIMD is meant for engineers as the curriculum is designed that suits engineers more. It is open for all, but in other B-Schools where commerce students help out MBA students, it was the other way around here. The college is not about social media who post their gigs on social media daily but rather believe in the process that gives SDMIMD an edge over the others.

The portion is meant for engineers as mathematics is taught in management. So, if you are not good in stats or maths, don't join SDMIMD. It was not just random maths or stats but an advanced level of both subjects as we were asked to make over 1000 PPTs and it was necessary to perfect them. You will be screwed if you are not so good at these subjects. This was the first semester, I talked about as in next semesters, and we learned the management subjects like team management, customer retention, and communication. All our skills were honed at the college through the medium of live projects. We were made to work for big corporate, and our performance was judged by industry stalwarts rather than college faculty. Their feedback was invaluable as I changed my actions accordingly.

It was easy to communicate with the professors. They were spot on with their teaching skills, and also, a few of them took us on tours. Faculties were free to build student focus the way they felt right. This gave faculty an edge to use all their experience of corporate jobs as most of the professors have left their corporate job and have become professors.

Placement cell gave us serious warnings that 100% placement is impossible, so we have to give our best. Being an engineer was an added advantage as my banking job doesn't need any of UG credentials, but still, they were mighty impressed with my UG degree more than my management course progress. Companies like AXIS, ICICI, and HDFC Bank were the top recruiters. ITC, HUL, Infosys, and Tata Motors also showed some interest among other companies. Overall, 80% of the students of our batch were placed through campus placements. The college is one of the best in the region, and finding a job with an SDMIMD degree wasn't tough. Average campus placements were of around 6-7 CTC. A bit less, but one can achieve break-even in 18 months as we paid 9 lakhs for the course, and getting a job close to that amount was more than wishful thinking to me.

SDMIMD has one boys and one girls hostel inside the campus. The hostels are newly constructed, and therefore no one can complain about the hostel building or the facilities. Single furnished room for each hosteller. A study lounge has been made for group studies, and even non-hostellers were allowed to study there. There was a decent parking area in front of the boy's hostel, but the girls hostel building hardly had any parking area. There's a Yoga Hall besides the girls hostel building and without paying any extra charge, the students were allowed to learn Yoga there. Authentic Kannada and North Indian food was served at the dining mess. Since, I haven't tasted myself; it's beyond me to comment about the food.

SDMIMD maybe not located at a pristine location but is located at some of the most iconic points of the city. The college is vast, and it kicks off with greenery all around. The parking area is left to the gate that has parking for over 100 cars and 300 two wheelers. The central building was our admin building, and classrooms are worth mentioning as fully air-conditioned classrooms with semi-circle benches through which one can have a 360-degree view. The library was huge and was open from 8 am to 6 pm. There was just a single auditorium and a single amphitheater, but both of them were no short of calling them world-class. It would be useless if I didn't single out the flower garden of SDMIMD. You will see fresh flowers every day, and students were free to pluck it.

One can hardly enjoy campus life in Management college. Assignments, projects, and lectures will consume your major time. The college would end around 5 pm, so it was more of rushing towards home because college was 7-8 miles from my place. A good management college will enhance your skills and make your career but will take something in return. The return gift that I paid at SDMIMD was a good campus life.