SOIL Campus Life- “Face adversities but never give up is what we learn at SOIL” says Boishali

Nowadays, candidates have varied options to opt for management courses. Everyone wants to study from a good institute that provides quality education. Now the question arises, which B-School to apply for? We all have aspirations about how our dream b-school should be? We take admission a hunch about how will be the course structure? How all will teach? Will the curriculum include any extra-curricular activities apart from the base study pattern? What extra facilities will candidates be offered? etc., Therefore to answer all such questions related to SOIL Institute of Management, sporty and fanatical postgraduate candidate Boishali interviewed with Careers360.

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

Boishali - Being born and brought up in a society which celebrated each festival, I deeply understand the value of diversity with inclusion. I was born in Silchar and then moved to Guwahati, Assam. After staying there for 18 years, I’ve spent 4 years in Sikkim for my Engineering in Manipal University, post which I travelled and stayed in Hyderabad and Bangalore for my job.

Currently, my family resides in Kolkata, and I will most probably be moving to Chennai for my job.

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

Boishali - I am pursuing my post-graduation in Human Resource from SOIL. This is a 1-year course and I am about to finish the course in 30 days.

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

Boishali - SOIL has been a very welcoming institute despite it being a rigorous 1-year course. All the professors, the staff and everyone from the gate till the Board members are extremely helpful and listen and take care of every student’s concern.

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?

Boishali - This is a 1-year roller coaster ride for people who are already into extracurriculars or want to learn and express something new. I am a part of the College Student Council. I was in an integral part of creating various clubs like Dance, Literary, Sports and Wellness, Design Thinking, Creativity and Music club. I have also been a part of all their activities and seen almost all the batch join in one or the other activity, club or event

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

Boishali - I wake up around 7.15 am, get ready, have my breakfast and reach college by 8.20 am. At, 8.30 am, we have the morning circle where all the members of the institute come together for a prayer and a sharing session. Post which we have 4 classes of 1.5hrs with 2 15 min breaks and a 1 hr lunch.

Post classes, I come back to the hostel and rest. After that, I start my assignments and projects, prepare for the next day, have dinner, gossip with my friends and then go back to sleep. In between all this, are all the extra-curricular events, interesting interactions with faculty and classmates, responsibilities to uphold as a member of the student council and a lot of fun!

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

Boishali - The faculty-student ratio is about 1:20. There is a deep relationship between a student and a teacher here. Some of the professors are also our mentors who constantly understand any difficulties we might face and highlight our strengths. They always push us to upgrade ourselves. Even if they are not our mentors, we are allowed to walk into any chamber at any point of time including our esteemed SOIL founder, Mr. Anil Sachdev despite his busy schedule.

Careers360 - What all facilities do you have in the campus? What do you like here the most which you feel is unique and differentiating?

Boishali - We have 6 floors from the basement to the 4th floor. The basement has our well lit, huge cafeteria along with a pool table, a TT table, a foosball table, a big dining area and a sofa with newspapers. The ground floor has the meet and greets rooms and 1 executive education room and the reception.

1st and 2nd floor have classes with accommodation of about 50-60 people and other facilities like the library

3rd floor is the Board room followed by all the faculty cabins and cubicles

4th floor has a huge auditorium which can accommodate around 100+ people. We also have printers and a students area. Outside is a small lawn where you can soak in the sun and have tea during winters.

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

Boishali - The hostel rooms are huge with TV, Geyser, AC and the beds and almirahs are also quite accommodating. We have 2 washing machines in each hostel and a dining area. There are balconies in every room and a kitchen where you can also cook. The terrace is also open and a lovely place to hang out. It’s a great atmosphere and very comfortable. Food is provided 2 times a day with tea in the evening.

The hostel is secure, we have a security access card without which nobody can come in.

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

Boishali - SOIL has tie-up with Artemis hospital which is near the hostel. It provides some discount to students and its quite reassuring to have this facility. There are also multiple small clinics and medical shops near the hostel for smaller medical needs.

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

Boishali - I believe it is all about the mind. Everything can be managed if you have the will to do it. Some people do face difficulties when there is a lot to be done but it is not impossible. We form a community of students, helping each other. The staff and faculty are also wonderful and give great advice if anyone is struggling

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

Boishali - Everything is uploaded on the SOIL Social Media. All the students are currently working on the annual SOIL yearbook which will contain all the happenings of our year at SOIL.

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

Boishali - Ardee mall is the nearest mall, however, near the institutes, there are small food joints or the HUDA city centre metro station where we have some great hangout places. Gurgaon is the hub for all kinds of hanging out places, cafes, restaurants and so much more – we are never short of any options.

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

Boishali - We spend time with friends, playing around, dancing or clicking pictures, going out for coffee and sitting in the lawn to relax.

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?

Boishali - We have a wonderful tradition of sharing in the daily morning circle. There is also a blog on Fedena (in house app) where we can express our views

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

Boishali - In our 1 year, full time PGPM, we have achieved almost 100% placement record in the last few years. Companies such as Infosys, Tata Steel, Genpact, Accenture are some of our key recruiters, along with Newgen, Cognizant, Infosys, HCL, Volvo Eicher, Mahindra & Mahindra, etc. The recruitment process starts from early October and goes on till at least 1-2 companies have come for every student with his/her interest. The average packages received by students were INR 10.7L and highest package of INR 16.9L. The SOIL Career Management Services team completely supports each student and helps them prepare for the business world. Prior to placements, we had resume reviews, mock interviews, group discussion practise, etc. Interaction with peers and industry mentors from different fields and different domains also helps us prepare.