Term 1 at SPJIMR: An enriching experience

‘Can time move fast and slow at the same time?’ is the first thought that comes to my mind when I look back at my first term of the Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) here at SPJIMR. Days felt long and draining, but in hindsight, weeks and months whooshed by in a jiffy.

June–July: Drenched and delighted

Excited as ever, I remember sifting through all of the thorough emails from the institute, keen not to miss any small detail. I entered the Bhavan’s SPJIMR Campus for the first time on a Sunday morning, aptly accompanied by lazy showers of rain. It was refreshing (thanks partly to the rain) to come across new faces full of excitement and happiness. Excitement at the looming future and contentment at having reached this far.

I was prepared and motivated to take on whatever came my way. Except for the relentless monsoon. (As I’m writing this, the Sun is shining as brightly as it has in the last 4 months – a welcome sight we’ve all missed.)

After the customary orientation and rulebook briefings, we were given a soft landing into the academic rigour. Oh, and this would only become apparent two weeks later, when our everyday idle time was near zero. Barely a month into the ecosystem, autopilot had already kicked in. We couldn’t resist some foosball, even with two assignments due at 11:59 pm. We roamed about the beach at 3 in the morning, overlooking the pre-reads for the 5 academic lectures the next day. We woke up consistently just 30 minutes before our first lecture of the day, regardless of the hours of sleep we had accumulated over the preceding three days.

August–September: Purposeful chaos

Lost in the glitter and glitz of all of our antics are the lectures themselves. Our professors – thanks to their decades of experience – ensured that the ‘theory’ we were learning was as grounded in reality as possible. Discussions and debates inside the classroom formed the bedrock of learning. We learnt that we, as future managers, had to observe situations from 10 different perspectives. Of course, there were a few courses where we tried to strategically position ourselves behind the person in front to avoid being cold-called, but at the same time, there were courses where a few of us used to (unapprovingly) get labelled for DCP (Desperate Class Participation). And to fuel our systems between lectures, we continue to craze over the consistently inconsistent chai and the semi-spicy paneer sandwich from our cafeteria. Just as we were getting a handle on the academic rhythm, another main character loomed on the horizon: summer internship placements.

As placement season neared, business leaders from top corporations helped us understand the evolving future of work for management graduates. Though draining at the time, these sessions were invaluable. They lent a sense of awareness about the skill competencies required and trends in the overall business scene, which helped each one of us develop our own niche or story in our minds for the job roles we were keen to explore during the internship placement process. I can now confirm that our batch did secure 100% placements for summer internships thanks to our individual and the institute’s efforts in bringing top-notch firms for recruitment!

October: Catching our breath

A month into Term II, which feels half as busy, we often find ourselves reflecting on how the last few months have transformed each one of us. But if someone were to ask me for the defining moments, it’d be when we found time for movies between industry network meetings and when we were picking the best beach to amble around at 3 in the morning (with an 8 am Operations Management quiz and a wailing wallet).

So, I’ve loved my time here so far. What made it truly worthwhile? The people. The culture. The environment. It’s just SPJIMR (shrugs).