UniPune (SPPU) MBA Review By Kavya Pandya

My answer to PUMBA may sound a little diplomatic, but there are indeed various good things about the institute that I didn't even though twice before taking admissions here. Entrances are mandatory, and PUMBA is a serious college, so one needs to score seriously good to have a seat here. The grass is not green until you clear the GD & PI rounds as the competition is high, and from over 1000 students who appeared for GD & PI, only 180 were selected. The best part of PUMBA is that the fees are quite low and the facilities and, most importantly, the kind of jobs that they provide are exceptional. PUMBA can serve as a decent beginning to a bright career. While choosing a B-School, choosing a brand name is important. PUMBA is probably the second-best name for MBA in Pune after the Symbiosis Institutes. A good brand name's importance can't be ruled out as it plays a crucial role in getting their students placed. So, overall, the institute is among the top 50 institutes of the country, so don’t think one should be critical about this institute.

Pune University has started a trimester system for the MBA program. Three semesters every year, and each semester of it was for three to three and a half months. An eight-week compulsory internship in the second semester is mandatory. Along with studies, we were taken for industrial visits as Pune is the biggest auto industry in India. Bajaj Auto, Tata Motors, Skoda, and all have their plants in Pune. So, if you think CAT or MAT is tough, try for CET as a good or even above par score in CET can help you get admissions here.

The faculty were used to the fast-paced life of Pune, and they went too fast. Firstly, the trimester system makes it compulsory to run as fast as you can because there's hardly any time for self-study. Thus, paying close attention to what they teach becomes inevitable. Their notes and calculative approach made things a little sorted for us as a student. They were always on song as they adopted a nonsense policy. If anyone dared to not submit their assignments on time, they were left sorry for the entire semester. So, if you don't want to feel sorry, make your faculty's wish as your command.

The P-Cell of PUMBA kept sending mail to the students once the internship was over. The institute has done exceptionally well in bringing the top Indian companies like Bajaj Auto, Jamna Auto. Munjal Auto, Zensar Technologies, TCS, and others. The average placements were in the range of 5-6 Lakhs. The fees was just 1.2 lakhs and the placements that got were four times of that. Since we invested two years in doing MBA, so even if I calculate time theta to the cost we paid, we could easily recover all our costs in less than a year. If ROI is a measure of gauging the placements, I would love to see a college close to PUMBA.

PUMBA is inside the university campus, and the university hostels are common. There are seats reserved for PUMBA students, but very few. Thus, getting a seat in university hostels is nearly impossible. PUMBA is located at Ganeshkhind which is a kind of student area. I used to stay at an apartment which was not at stone throw distance but at a walk able distance from the University. Hostel part needs refurbishing because the girls ratio at PUMBA was quite less due to lack of hostel facility.

Savitribai Phule University is spread in over 400 acres of land. There are various departments as all University colleges are maintained from our campus. Inside the beautiful campus, there are many cafés, book stores, libraries and shooting areas. Many films have been shot inside the campus and one such movie that all will remember was Dhol. From mental health counseling to physiotherapy, there are clinics for all medical services at the campus. There are many libraries, but Jaykar library was the biggest of them all. Department of Management Science was right next to the jogging track of the campus. The campus has many recreational facilities and a world-class gym made accessible to university students at a very low cost. So, infrastructure can be called moderately good, but I don't think anyone will complain about University's infrastructure.

Life at the university was so hectic that even the much-hyped cultural fest of the University, Dhruv, lacked inspiration. In this busy schedule, it was almost impossible to find time to get involved with the fest. The Aniket canteen was the most peaceful place inside the campus. After classes, the most time that I have spent at any place on the campus was this canteen. I couldn't enjoy the campus life largely due to the course I opted for.