Flame School of Business MBA Review By Jayendra Marwi

Flame Business School is a part of newly started University, Flame University. MBA is its flagship course and have done well to attract students from all inches of the country. The word of mouth publicity has done the trick as I came to knew about this University during my final year of graduation. My friends were not happy with the promise that Pune brings but after clearing the GD and PI section which was in a way formality became a part of this University that certainly has some fresh ideas and a unique way of making students feel home at the University. The MBA is a residential program and you can take admission only if you agree to stay at the campus as there was no schedule and we even had to comeback for classes after having dinner. Surprise element is in blood of Pune colleges and I can say this I have experience from not 1 but 2 of the most promising Universities of Pune.

All the specialization of MBA is provided by the college but I chose MBA in communications management. My other friends who were doing MBA in regular streams couldn’t believe that a course like this even exists. The MBA of Flame University is a distinction as the teaching methods and the way the balance between the theory and the practical’s was maintained was so overwhelming. We never felt that the classes were long as the breaks between the classes made it easier. The course demanded industrial training and from second semester itself we were sent for industrial training and learning was done not just from books but also through working was the beauty of the MBA from Flame.

Faculty members did their best to make us understand the importance of an MBA student. What all we bring to the table and how we can help an industry grow has to be the main expertise of an MBA student. It’s not that as if we didn’t know that but listening from the faculty was heartening. The faculty members were helpful as we were never thrown assignments which are not relevant and were given extra time in case we needed for submission. The faculty was never hard and fast during the 1st 2 semesters but things changed in the last year as they tend to be stricter but because none of them were naturally strict they couldn’t hold on for long. The faculty was qualified enough to never let it go easy but were never hard for sure.

We were trained like animals but didn’t have the placement that we deserved. All the training and hard work that we put in felt in vain because only 60-70% got the placements and I was among those who can’t find an employer who could believe in my skills. Not just me the disappointing faces were galore and why not after paying huge fees we couldn’t even get the campus placements. Many banks and IT companies like Infosys, TCS came at the campus and took some of them. The average salary that the students took home was Rs. 6-7 lakhs and even they were not satisfied with that.

It is safe to call them flats because a balcony and a separate living area was there in each room. There were only 2 students allowed in a room and we had the option of choosing our room-mates. People mostly came in pairs as the college is little far away and staying alone and making friends could have been tougher and that must have been the thought process I believe because most of the students brought their friends along. No complaints with the hostel whatsoever as I stayed in 2 different buildings both the years and both were highly equipped and clean.

From classrooms to recreation rooms everything about the campus is worth mentioning. Classrooms that had 60 students were capable of having seated double the students as it was that huge. The computer lab was again huge and one doesn't have to wait in queue to get their turn as there enough PCs to find one. The campus had Xerox centers and grocery shops at the campus. The cricket ground I wish I could share the picture as it was an unimaginable sight at first. The reservoir or the Kund was like a river-front as it was an evening hangout spot. There were 5-6 different cafeterias and one can have Mughlai to Chinese at the campus itself as outside food was strictly prohibited at the campus. Smoking was also ban at the campus but students had figured out spots where they secretly smoked.

Unlike many other colleges of Pune, Flame which was anyways far from the city had no business in holding events every now and then. Yes annual events, annual meet, farewell program did happened but not on that scale. The University has given a campus that can never let you feel homesick and that was the beauty about Flame. I had fun for a while at the Flame and so will you.