MICA - The School of Ideas PGDM Review By Samiksha Sharma

After failing to get admissions in my desired Colleges like IIMs, NMIMS, Symbiosis and others, the best choice I had was ‘MICA’. The combination of academics and extra activities made life so simpler as staying away from home for so long was not ideal in my books but MICA hardly gave me, or rather anyone, that sort of opportunity. It rather presented opportunities that made learning imposing and took my confidence to a level on which I never imagined. The professors here were the best strikers for me as some of them didn't show up till the end of the semester, but once they started taking the classes, they ended the course in a whisker. Some of our professors were teaching in over 10 regions of the country whom we referred to as the guest faculty were better than the permanent faculty of the Institute. The golden rule which was favorable for students at MICA was that all the students should be placed as we all paid such high fees; and if we couldn't have been placed, it would have been a major loss.

I was aware of the trimester as my previous College has made us know about the academic patterns of the B-Schools these days. Many students failed to cope up with those pressures and faltered, but not me. The academics were blowing hot and cold for the most part because books became secondary here, as there were so many projects, guest lectures, and visits to lecture halls sometimes so wished that students would please come back to the classes. Attendance criteria here are such that if we have a project for which we want to be absent, we will be marked as present in the class. So, even though I maintained attendance around 40-50% in the classes, I was never warned for my lesser attendance.

Their degrees and work experience counted, but I was impressed with the visiting faculties who came and taught us for one trimester in the entire year. They were teaching simultaneously at IIM Ahmedabad, and other B-Schools of the country, so they would also update us about the kind of things which our course didn't cover. So, if I could narrow down the visiting faculties and the permanent faculties, I would rate the visiting faculty much higher than that of the permanent ones. They kept giving assignments and to impress them, we also had to participate in the events.

Ahmedabad and Bangalore are two different worlds. The set of companies that came there for placements never came to MICA, but the top industries that believe spending in marketing have come here. Adani Group, Birla Group, and Reliance Group, which are the biggest industrial organizations in the country, have come for recruitment. The placements offered were also in the range of 8-20 lakhs, so ROI wise, the placements were imposing. Almost all the students were placed in some or the other organizations and there were a few unlucky ones who couldn't find themselves anyone, and that's because of the kind of CGPA they maintained.

I have already stayed at a star hostel and MICA hostel was shimmy in comparison to those. The first-year hostel rooms were small and we still had to share those. No lockers were provided in the room and even though nothing got stolen, girls do wear gold and having a locker always helps. In the second year the new lady's hostel had individual rooms, so even though there were no lockers, at least we were sure that room was ours and nobody could enter without permission. So, rooms, I would still say were average, but all the other facilities provided including the food, were excellent.

Thanks to the greenery inside the campus and the building shapes too should be complimented that restricted sunlight in the common areas. I didn't know Ahmedabad is as hot as Rajasthan in summers and the months of April, May and June which we spent at the campus could have killed us if the campus didn't have that kind of greenery. The admin block was amazing, and the lecture halls, which had many common lectures among the students of various specializations, were better than any that I have seen. For competitions and events, I have been to IIM Ahmedabad and the lecture halls of MICA are better than them.

Life was frenzied at MICA as our workload was such that managing that in the nick of time took a lot out of me. To make sure I don't have to attend many classes, I ensured my entry in various off-campus projects. We used to have annual sports and cultural competitions and those who were left behind in their assignments were barred from participating. I was barred in both the years, but rather than performing, watching those events was fun too. So, my campus life had more positives to look for.