IBS Mumbai: Interview with Siddharth Agarwal (Student)

ICFAI Business School (IBS), Mumbai was incepted in 1995. In the year 2008, Institute set up its campus in the Hiranandani Gardens, Powai Mumbai area. Over the years IBS Mumbai has become one of the top B-Schools in India. The students' strength has grown exponentially since 1995. IBS Mumbai provides admission to postgraduate (PG) management programmes.

Careers360 brings you an interview with Siddharth Agarwal, student at IBS Mumbai. He is pursuing his PGDM in Marketing at the institute. In his interview, Siddharth has shared his experience and life at IBS. What is life like inside the institute? How to choose a career path? And other things about the college. To know more about the experience of an IBS Mumbai student read the full interview of Siddharth Agarwal with Careers360 below.

Careers360. Tell us something about yourself such as from which place are you from?

Siddharth Agarwal. I am from Kolkata, city of joy, culture and sweets. I have come to Mumbai for fulfilling my dreams as well as giving a boost to the start of my corporate career.

Careers360. Presently which course are you pursuing and in which year are you?

Siddharth Agarwal. I am currently pursuing PGDM specializing in Marketing. I am currently in my second year, third semester.

Also Read: IBS Mumbai Admissions

Careers360. Did you face any difficulty in the initial months when you joined the institute?

Siddharth Agarwal. Initially as we were running on online mode due to the pandemic, students did face certain problems as the classes were taken on zoom which had its own set of pros and cons. But due to our faculty support and approach we could easily solve the things and overcome the obstacles coming during and after the lectures.

Careers360. What activities are offered in the institute? Are there any clubs etc for the various extracurricular activities? Which ones have you taken up and are a part of?

Siddharth Agarwal. IBS Mumbai provides a 360 degree development and makes us industry ready so that we can be an asset to a company even as a fresher. If we talk about extracurricular activities, SDCC has always upheld the bannership to provide the students the platform to develop their skills in various domains and interests. We have three distinctions amongst 22 clubs and 2 committees as domain, performing art and personal development. In my first year, I was part of E-cell, Marketing 360, and Dfusion. Currently I am the anchoring co-head in Dfusion and Content Apex 2022-23 of Marketing 360.

Careers360. Describe a typical day at your institute – what do you do from the time you wake up till you go to sleep?

Siddharth Agarwal. When we talk about online mode, we had our faculty sessions scheduled for the week. And when the hybrid mode started, it made us more disciplined. We used to reach college by 9:25 AM as our classes started at 9:30 AM and then we took a lunch break of 1 hr and furthermore we had two more classes. As it was in hybrid mode so many faculties were not supposed to come to campus so we used to sit in the Reading Room or Library and attend the online classes. By 5 PM we used to wrap up on most of the days.

Quick Link: IBS Mumbai Courses and Fees

Careers360. Tell us about the faculty-student ratio here and about the teacher-student relationship in your understanding.

Siddharth Agarwal. Teacher and student ratio at the institute is 1:20, the relationship among teachers and students is very professional and genuine. They provide us with deep insights about various industries and corporate culture.

Careers360. What facilities do you have on campus? What do you like here the most which you feel is unique and differentiating?

Siddharth Agarwal. We have the following facilities in college-

• Cafeteria

• Atrium

• Library

• Reading room

• Water Dispenser machines

• ACs

• LED Screens

• Conference Room, etc.

Important Link: IBS Mumbai Facilities

Careers360. How comfortable are your hostels and how about the cleanliness factor over there?

Siddharth Agarwal. As IBS Mumbai doesn’t provide hostel services but still they help the students by circulating legit brokers who help them to get the flats and PGs. It depends on the place and type of accommodation we are opting for.

Careers360. What about the medical facilities? Can you avail requisite medical attention if needed in an emergency?

Siddharth Agarwal. IBS Mumbai has various kinds of medical facilities. Hiranandani hospital is right in front of the college. The institutes has first aid kits for safety and precautionary measures. The campus has a tie-up with Hiranandani hospital and Powai hospital for any emergencies.

Read More: IBS Mumbai Reviews

Careers360. How do you balance your studies, projects, exams and other activities?

Siddharth Agarwal. Due to the case-study approach it's more application based rather than a theoretical approach. Our faculties give us enough time as it's usually mutually discussed between the class and the faculty.

Careers360. Tell us about the clubs and societies at the campus and how significant are they from your point of view or students point of view?

Siddharth Agarwal. As mentioned above, IBS has 22 clubs and 2 Committees which helps the students in overall development. We have domain clubs, performing art clubs and Personal development clubs. The activities organized by these clubs are very enriching for students as aside from academics. The activities help in team building and also provide a platform for students to explore their curiosity of taking challenges and optimizing opportunities.

Careers360. Is there any in-house magazine or journal for the latest events or happenings at the institute?

Siddharth Agarwal. The institute has in-house magazines, newsletters and also modes of communication through social media platforms, Student whatsapp groups and Club-groups. SDCC clubs are as follows:

• Manthan By IBS Mumbai

• Dimensions By IBS Mumbai

• Corpvision - Newsletter of Corporate Connect Club

• Panorama- Newsletter of Marketing 360 Degree

• Finletter and Finstreet by Kautilya Club

• Markosphere by Markophilia Club

• Annual Calendar by I-Focus Club

Careers360. What are the popular hangouts at the institute? What, according to you, are the most-visited places nearby?

Siddharth Agarwal. Sixth Floor Canteen and Library are two major places where students hangout! Most-visited places nearby our college are Galleria, Starbucks and Theobroma I feel.

Quick Link: IBS Mumbai Q&A

Careers360. How do you spend your leisure time at the campus?

Siddharth Agarwal. We talk and engage amongst each other, go to any one of the canteen or library to sit down, relax and explore opportunities for development of skills and enrichment of knowledge.

Careers360. Do you have any Facebook page of your campus where the students express their views, jokes or ideas, or maybe even a blog where they write about their experience of life at campus?

Siddharth Agarwal. No, the IBS Mumbai campus does not have a Facebook page; but each club has its own active social media accounts.

Careers360. What type of companies come for campus recruitment and what percentage of students get placed every year? How is the recruitment process here?

Siddharth Agarwal. Many companies visit the IBS Mumbai campus to recruit students. The institute offers various profiles based on skills required and industry. Sales, marketing, finance, HR, operations and logistics, Data analysis & research, and many more profiles that are relevant to the industry and market are offered at IBS. Companies like Aditya Birla Group, JP Morgan, HDFC, ICICI Bank and many more visit the institute. The process of placement at IBS Mumbai is as follows:

Step 1- Skill enhancement, placement training sessions, and current news updates are provided to students via different channels of IBS Mumbai.

Step 2- The placement opportunities are notified from the company to the college placement cell and the students in the placement team along with the officers help the students to enroll for the company selection process.

Step 3- The selection criteria is usually given to the placement cell for refinement of the application. And hence the students who clear this round usually go for a GD/PI based on the company HR strategy of recruitment and selection.

Step 4- Post this, the company informs the organization and the students who applied for the job via official channels about their recruitment result, offer letter and other important details. And based on the instruction given by the relevant authorities the students start the journey of their corporate life.

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