Participant’s Life at SPJIMR

Placements, Return on Investment, Networking, Alumni, Participant-faculty ratio, etc are some of the commonly used buzzwords in the parlance of MBA aspirants. However, what most of the aspirants tend to overlook is the importance of learnings beyond the classroom. Understanding people, working with others for a common cause and networking are some of the intangible aspects that contribute to the overall learning curve of participants. In this article, we will articulate the activities which provide such learning avenues and form an indispensable part of participant’s life at SPJIMR keeping them busy beyond classroom hours.

Clubs and committees form the core of participants’ life at SPJIMR. There exists a diverse range of clubs across the spectrum of recreation to career guidance. Recreational clubs like Tasveer (Creatives), SPeak (Public speaking), SPelled Ink (Literature), SPin (Dance) and B-Major (Music) take an active part in organizing the cultural and other periodic recreational activities on campus. Participants play an active role in these clubs to recharge themselves and further hone their skills in the fields of arts amidst the intense pressure of B-school lurking around the corner. Some of the technical clubs on campus include the Analytics club, Product management club, consulting club and investing club. Participants in these clubs help their batchmates develop functional expertise in their area of interest thereby helping them to chart a career path during their MBA and beyond.

While participation in clubs is optional, it is mandatory for them to be a part of a committee at SPJIMR. Committees come under the umbrella of ADMAP, a Non-classroom learning course offered at SPJIMR. Hence, committee participation at SPJIMR is slightly different from the other B-schools in the country. With the faculty closely monitoring the progress of the work, participants get engrossed while taking an active part in everyday decision-making on campus.

SPJIMR boasts of hosting SPRINT, the largest B-school sports fest in the country in terms of registrations and footfall. None of this is possible without the penance and dedication of its participants. They make sure that their passion for sports is reflected through the fest. Participants continue to pursue their interest in sports like cricket, volleyball, football and basketball. SPJIMR not only boasts of hosting the above-mentioned outdoor games but also provides facilities to encourage indoor games like table tennis, pool, carrom and chess. Along with SPRINT, participants at SPJIMR also host OJAS, the cultural fest, during the same window in January. Debates, case competitions and a slew of cultural competitions are common phenomena during the fest.

Mental health has been a topic of discussion of late amongst working individuals. As future contributors towards building a healthy and sustainable society, participants at SPJIMR have come up with the initiative of Vishwas. Vishwas is less of a committee and more of a platform open for participants to contribute. Its main objective is to recognize the importance of discussing and thereby addressing mental health issues within the confines of a safe space. ‘Flashback Fridays’ is a weekly mailer where participants share their thoughts, emotions and dilemmas in the form of a blog. Volunteers of Vishwas have recently come up with a unique initiative called ‘Bring a smile’ where the participants write personalized messages for their batchmates anonymously.

‘EOD talks’ is the most recent addition to the list of activities initiated by the participants at SPJIMR. It is a podcast series that started 5 months ago to connect with the seniors, faculty, and alumni informally for sharing their wisdom, advice, and fun moments of college and industry. This podcast series enables the participants to network structurally with different stakeholders.

The value of an MBA program goes beyond the regular buzz words and as established in this article, SPJIMR provides ample opportunities for the participants to go beyond their call of duty and improve themselves to be future-ready.

Note: The views expressed in this article are that of SPJIMR - S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha