Likes and Hates about NMIMS

Yesterday was my birthday. And I had a good time. But only just. I am currently going through a bout of malaria. Thankfully I got a good doc and the medicines are working well and I am feeling well since yesterday. So I could maintain good spirit yesterday. But for 2-3 days before that, I was feeling like shit. Thats when I once again went thru that phase of regretting my decision of joining NMIMS. Of course, when I regain my senses, I realise that it was the correct decision. But the fact remains that, NMIMS, despite being a highly reputed institute, it lacks a lot. I shall try to list out the various pluses and minuses of the institute from a student's viewpoint.

Pluses:
1. Good placement- This is the number one criteria on most students' mind while choosing a B-School, and NMIMS scores well here. Especially since it became a deemed university 3 years back, the placement record has been very good. The average package of last year was 5 lakhs which I think is pretty good considering that the batch size is 240.

2. Location- The institute is located in a prime location in Mumbai. This gives a huge locational advantage to the institute and helps in attracting a lot of guest speakers apart from helping in attracting many companies for placements. Also, for any student, staying in Mumbai for 2 years is a good learning experience.

3. Babes- If there is any Mumbaikar reading this, he might be knowing the location of NMIMS. There is a cluster of colleges in the vicinity of NMIMS and the students considerthemselves to be among the "heppest" in the country. So, one can expect a great feast for the eyes throughout the day. Now I am not saying that it is a criteria for choosing a b-school, but if you are at NMIMS u can benefit from this 'facility'.

4. Good peer group- Since last year (my batch) NMIMS removed the gujju quota for its selection process. They have a 15% management quota which is again based on your score in the selection process. (Mind you, this works out better than even the IIMs' quota for SC/ST and handicaps which creates a huge differential among the students in terms of quality). In fact, NMIMS has one of the most transparent selection processes among Indian B Schools.All this has meant that most of the students here are very good. Many of them just missed out on IIM or XL selection and almost all of them could've got into an IIM with a little bit of luck. Interacting with students of such high calibre for 2 years is a big 'value add' for any student.

5. Reputation- One of the most important assets of NMIMS is that it has a good brand name. Though it might not be well known among the public in south India, it is known to those who matter.

Minuses

Now lets have a look at the ugly side.

1. Space- It the single most obvious factor that hits at you when you first visit the institute. There is a severe lack of space. In fact there is a severe lack of most resources. The resources might be acceptable in the eyes of some, but we are talking about a premier b school here. When a student goes thru a rigorous selection process and finally gets the prize of getting a seat in a
premier b school, it is natural that he expects a good campus. It may not be as lavish as an IIM campus, but atleast some space that can give a decent environment. NMIMS hardly has a campus. The institute is built in an area that is less than 1 acre. The hostel of course cannot fit into this, so it is located outside. To make things worse, the institute has zillions of courses
running in it. part time, full time, pharma, family business, executive program, MBA tech, MBA capital markets,..the list just goes on. No one is sure exactly how many courses are run, leave alone the no. of students enrolled. And all these students have one building that has around 10-12 class rooms, 1 comp lab with around 60 comps, 1 library and a small space inside the compound where you can relax and chit chat in between classes or in the evenings.Oh, that is if you can compete against a couple of hundred others for 30 odd seats available. During certain times like exams, the open space which we call as the 'quad', gives a good resemblance of a Mumbai local. ( If you are from chennai, a better example would be the scene inside a 29 C bus at 8.30 pm). The library is very good at NMIMS (IMO). But the sheer no. of students means
that very few are properly served.

2. The pedagogy- NMIMS was under mumbai university till 2001 or 02. So most of its faculty are used to teaching its students and helping them get 'good percentage' in the board exams. The predominant pedagogy applied in NMIMS is black board and lectue based. The widely used case study based methodology used in other top b schools is not regarded favourably here. Of course there are a few exceptions among the faculty members here, but they are, well, few.This pedagogy means that there is a certain lack of rigour in the course. Of course, students here do burn the midnight lamp and no one sleeps before 1 or 2am, but one can definitely feel the lack of seriousness or rigour in the air.
The hangover from the mumbai university era has also meanr that there is a lack of discipline in the air. There is little incentive for meeting deadlines, coming to lectures on time or even coming to classes at all. IMO, strictness in all these areas would make a better manager.

3. Batch size- The batch size of 240 is huge. Except some of the IIMs, I dont think any other institute has such a huge batch size. Such a huge size means that it beocmes difficult to get all students placed with good companies and packages. Also, it is more difficult to get a bonding among the students. (of course, opinions can differ).

4. Hostel- Now this is where my malaria case comes into the picture. Now, NMIMS does not have a hostel. The MBA students of NMIMS stay in the hostel of SVKM, which is the trust that runs NMIMS among othet educational institutes. Last year the NMIMS students did not get to stay in the hostel because "it was shut for renovation". Those guys were lucky. I dont know what renovation was done though. Soon after the monsoon started this year, the roofs of many rooms started leaking. The approach road to the hostel,...well, ther is no approach road. there is
just a lot of mud and stones. And the hostel is surrounde by slums. And the food is pathetic to say the least. Prime conditions for malaria. During the monsoon, everything came. Students were down with malaria, jaundice, dengue, rat fever, and what not. many of us were paranoid during the 1st trim exams. I somehow escaped the season relatively unscathed with 'simple' throat infections and viral fevers. But it got to me
finally. Now i am lying on the bed with malaria.
To sum it up, the hostel that the NMIMS students are staying in, is a shithole. And the worst part is that the authorities know abt it and are least bothered.

OK..its a long blog eh? Anyway, that is what was in my mind. But having said everything, the bottomline is that the most important criteria for most students in choosing a b school is placements. Money matters- doesn't it?