Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies MBA Review By Suba Bhaskar

Staying in Pune for graduation, Symbiosis is the one institute that everyone not just in Pune but across the globe longs for. The only problem with SIMS is that it has army quota and therefore SNAP cut-off can be called abject here. Every other classmate of mine was an army personnel and the seats for other civilians is actually quite less. Having attended the college for 2 years or rather living those 2 years was an unforgettable experience. I did MBA specialization in Marketing and for people opting for other Symbi institutes can join SIMS is marketing is your genre. SIMS is located in Khadki and the campus is rather at a place where there not many places nearby but thankfully the army personnel students mostly North Indians had their own cars at the campus and roaming around was never an issue. All the talks that student had was talking about their dad’s rank in the army and the area they served. I know about every regiment of Army as 180 mates of mine had a new story to tell.

The bright cohort, a term that I learned at SIMS meaning the learning at the college is great. The classes were a treat as everyday it was a new learning and the learning was a tier above any other institute that my friends have passed out from. I know this because being surrounded by students of various B-schools pass out discussing college life is the main topic of discussion. SIMS marketing has a whole different concept. Live projects were the one we were introduced in second semester itself. I still remember marketing for Zoomcar which was a quite a small start-up then and has grown leap and bounds today. I am not saying that SIMS students are the only one to be credited for that but they approached our college and 50% of the workforce is SIMS passed out. If you doubts, you can visit Zoomcar’s Bangalore office and check it yourself.

Not just knowledgeable but helpful is how I will describe the faculty of SIMS. Not just the college faculty members but every now and then guest faculty attend the college and give lectures. Faculty from IIMs and other foreign institutes also come and take lectures to brighten the student’s knowledge. The regular faculty of the college are also no less as they are into teaching for decades and are the ones who have produced some of the great alumni.

The average comes around Rs. 9-10 LPA but that went down as some failed to get the jobs while some decided to stick with their businesses. Otherwise all the students had a package worth Rs. 14-20 LPA. The consistent recruiters at SIMS are DCB Bank, Deutsche Bank, and Deloitte. Since our course was a dual specialization many start-ups also showed interest and one such was ZoomCar. We did assignments and live projects for them and our team of 8 were hired by them even before the placements started. All domains options can be procured at SIMS and a proper and much acclaimed training is provided by the institute to get through the dreaded placement week. In short, SIMS is worth it.

The hostel is a compulsion but since the hostel rooms were mostly consisted of Army wards, on request the college did allowed us to find a location nearby. All the rent lease agreement had to be submitted for the approval. The hostel has different rooms from twin sharing to 4 sharing the room. The room’s size varies as per the number of students. Both boys and girls hostel is inside the college campus. The hostels have time bound but a call from family and you can stay out the whole night. MBA students should have that liberty and SIMS at least understands that. The rooms of the hostel were equipped and the mess food was also brilliant.

The infrastructure is great. From hostels to classrooms every inch of the campus is Wi-Fi enabled. The recreational and sporting activities at the campus are available in abundance. Being dedicated institute for army personnel the college campus gives you the feel of an Army residence. The campus has swimming pool, basketball court, volleyball courts that are shared by both boys and girls. The campus also has a grocery shop, a canteen and a mid-night canteen that serves food till mid-night.

Only 10% of the seats during our time were reserved for civilians and from my sources I have learned that it has now been increased to 20%. The Symbi brand carries cachet and the tag of being a Symbian will stay with you for life. Increase in seats for students who don’t have a defense background will only revamp the college name. I have doled out what I felt about the college and there is nothing against anyone. I am an alumnus of this institute and say with pride to all that I have done my Masters from SIMS. The alumni network of SIMS is great and Alumni are invited to share their share of experience and that helped us the value that SIMS brings.