Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition B.Sc Review By Rahul Jha

If I start saying that IHM is the best hotel management institute in the country, I know I am not exaggerating. I have encountered various hotel management colleges during my time in IHM. The teaching method and the way theory sessions are conducted at the college was unimaginable. Always had an interest in cooking and hailing from UP, never thought will end up entering IHM, Hyderabad. However, when I look back now, I can proudly say that joining IHM was indeed the best decision that I took. The institute was established in the year 1984. Previously the institute was known as “Food Craft Institute Society” but was then renamed as “Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition” in the year 1984. The institute is governed by NCHMCT, Noida, and therefore we got more opportunities than the colleges affiliated with the state universities.

The college is spread across 10 acres of land and is a little far from the main city. The campus has as many as 6 buildings and we never felt like going out as the campus had almost all the facilities. The training that we were provided gave us enough room to hone the skills for which we joined this college. The college staff and faculty members were quite supportive and more often than not joined the students during fun activities. Our course was such there wasn’t much pressure of theory sessions. The only complaint though is that they were way too harsh while training. To get admission in any of IHM, you will have to clear NCHMCT JEE, and based on the score you will get the admission. This was the best part as the college never distinguished among the students. All were given equal importance and opportunities

If people think that hotel management is only practical then let me tell them that they are horribly wrong. We had theory sessions not as much as engineering or management students have. Still, we had a fair share of it. Study wise the IHMs have a reputation and IHM, Hyderabad lived up to my expectations. The classes were too long as we had a theory and practical sessions daily and bunking was not an option. Thus, if you are among those who have a problem with being regular then I am sorry, don’t dare to enroll at IHMs. Teachers were strict and no leaves were granted without permission.

The best part was that if you have missed out on something, we had enough revision sessions and the students who missed out can catch up. Thus academic wise the college scores 11 on 10 and there’s no question of choking as the college is strict in this regard. People who just joined for learning the managerial skills in the tourism business had the leverage of missing a lot of practical sessions but students engaged in the cooking part didn’t have that option. They had to be present in both and I was among them. Did felt exhausted sometimes but knew where I will head if I could survive this phase of my life.

IHMs reputation is because of the faculty that it has. Not just the best but better than the best. They treat students like friends and where on this earth have you seen teachers having lunches and dinners with the students? Well, I witnessed that, and not just the faculty members but our principal sir Sanjay Thakur too personally used to come and praise our efforts. This motivated us to the moon and 3 years were gone by with the blinking of an eye. Faculty made sure to infuse in students Hoteliering not just as a course but as a lifestyle. In the faculty’s vein showmanship was more than blood for sure.

Our faculty members have unparalleled wisdom and intelligence and that has what made the students of IHM achieve the highest of highs. The faculty always motivated the students with a “can do” approach and made sure that no students were left out. One thing that I will never forget is the tradition in which all the students prepare a dish and serve the faculty. This tradition has been followed in IHM for a long time and I am glad that I could witness it.

All the top hotel groups such as ITC Hotels, Taj GVK Group, Oberoi group, and Marriot group have been the top recruiters for a long time. The placement record in our batch was 100% and it has been the same for a while now. Well, that is why IHM is among the top institutes of the country. The average package offered by the college was around INR 5 lakhs. The highest was around Rs. 10 lakhs. In addition to hotel groups, various other companies such as Aditya Birla Group, Bata, cure.fit, and Indigo airlines were also the front runners.

College gave us ample training and made sure that each student gets placed. For the students who were not smart enough, the college directly recommended them and made sure no one is left behind empty-handed. I won’t be able to thank enough to IHM for getting me placed to the start-up cure.fit. I have learned a lot and I know the opportunities that are there in the tourism industry.

This is indeed a little tricky one to answer. Hostel for the first year we were accommodated in a dormitory and to be honest, was not so hygienic. The cleaning was done daily but the students made a mess of it. Bathrooms were also common in the first year and were something hard to tolerate. After the first year though, we were given the room on triple sharing basis. The rooms to be honest were quite small and were not ideal for triple sharing. However, coming from other state, I didn’t have a choice and had to stay in a hostel. The bathroom was attached and was also too tiny.

Hostel had a common TV area where seniors used to play the channels of their choice and even after turning senior I never got a feel of the remote how it actually feels like. Warden seemed like had no business in listening to complaints and therefore after a couple of complaints, I just stopped complaining and stayed in my room after classes. The hostel also had a mess but the food just like canteen here too was terrible. I am from North and that might be one of the reasons why I didn’t like the food. There are 2 hostel buildings on the campus as separate boys and girls hostel buildings.

The college campus is vast and has many as 6 buildings in the college. The main building is the biggest of them and all the courses classes are conducted on different floors. The college campus also has a playground that is ideal for playing Football and Cricket. The college classes are wide and well ventilated. The classrooms are also air-conditioned and the seats were also comfortable. The college outfield is lush green and one will never feel too hot inside the campus. The college is located on the outskirts but had all the means of transport available within walking distance from the college.

The college has a huge auditorium and a lot of great personalities used to come and do a pep talk with the students. The college also has a huge stage and a large LED and all the upcoming events are displayed there. The college also had 2 huge canteens but was good enough just for beverages as the food was terrible. I am sorry but it was. The college goes through renovation now and then and is therefore well maintained. The ground too is watered daily and that is why it is lush green. I mean I can’t ask for more as the college campus had an ATM, medical facility, and hostel facility, and more.

Campus life was something that I wish never concluded. Learning was made fun and still can’t believe how fast 3 years were completed. There were always some or the other competitions going on inside the college campus and many times students from various other IHMs came to our campus for competitions. We were always occupied and that was the best part as that is what I left home for. College campus there was an anti-ragging policy and the college was very strict about it. Still remember once a senior asked a junior to bring water for him and he complained. The guy was immediately suspended for a week and was given a final warning. The college was that strict when it comes to ragging.

Security-wise we were never allowed to leave the campus premises after 10 pm. Thus in 3 years of my life there were no late-night movies other than Saturday night as on Saturday we had the luxury to return before 1pm. Even the girls had their reservations and if somebody approached them without their permission the college strictly dealt with the matter. Thus if you are a girl and worried about the environment, I can assure you will feel at home inside the campus. All I would say is, I had the best time in the college campus and at the same time the worst of my moments were shared in the same college’s hostel. I wish the management take note of it and do something for the students coming from the different provinces as we can’t consume Rasam Rice daily.