[Official] The School of Inspired Leadership (SOIL) Student Experience (Life@SOIL)

MBA CAT 2024
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Hello PUYS !
I am Saurabh, a student of the Business Leadership Program 2009-2010 at SOIL, Gurgaon.
In this thread, we, the students of SOIL will share all our experiences (and exposures) that we have had at SOIL till now. We hope this benefits the people who are willing to apply to SOIL .
This will also work as a thread to share information with the outside world.

Welcoming the Junta willing to share the experiences they have had at SOIL ... till now.

Cheers...
HBaruaS

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Hello PUYS !
I am Saurabh, a student of the Business Leadership Program 2009-2010 at SOIL, Gurgaon.
In this thread, we, the students of SOIL will share all our experiences (and exposures) that we have had at SOIL till now. We hope this benefits the people who are willing to apply to SOIL .
This will also work as a thread to share information with the outside world.

Welcoming the Junta willing to share the experiences they have had at SOIL ... till now.

Cheers...
HBaruaS


Thanks Saurabh...
i have been eagerly waiting for someone from SOIL to gather inputs...
i want to apply there but hafta talk before that...
can u provide us with some general feedback...
How the process runs.. wats the fee structure etc
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The day at SOIL starts at 9 am with the morning circle where each one of the students and faculty members together form a circle & join hands and seek the blessings of the almighty. After this the students are free to share any experiences / learnings with the whole group before getting ready for the class at 9:15.

The sessions are divided into 4 sessions of 1.5 hrs each day.. with 2 breaks of 15 minutes each and 1 hour lunch (12:30-1:30)

Sometimes the classes are followed by guest lectures, which may last from half an hour to 2 hours.

A weekly leadership series :- a series of lectures is conducted every Thursday, wherein leaders from the industry are invited to share their leadership journey and experiences.

Apart from this Company Days are also held atleast once a month, in which the companies from the consortium are invited, and senior members from the company share information about their companies and the knowledge about how the company functions, its history etc.
Till date companies like Max New York Life Insurance, Kohler, Tata Steel and Dabur have been to the campus.
Some of the companies also conduct case study competitions by dividing the students into various books.
So this turns out to be a great learning experience.

Classes of the visiting faculty for a particular subject are usually held for 1 week at a stretch, with a test on the final day for most of the subjects. Some of the subjects also involve making presentations, project reports etc.

The students also work for their respective NGO's , almost every Monday (regular classes are held at college on a few mondays).

Students have also been allocated Individual Mentors from top companies and are encouraged to meet them face-to-face (atleast once every month), discussing their career path, industry specifics/trends etc.

These days we are busy preparing for the inspired leadership conference , which will be conducted in January next year. Prominent personalities from the consulting world and Top Indian/MNC companies will be attending the session.

That's a day in the life of a student @SOIL ...

Cheers...
hBaruaS

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Hi ,

How are the accommodation facilities in gurgaon near soil .

Why is'nt soil providing any accommodation ? For a business school it will be better if the students stay nearer !!!!

Are there any internship programs in SOIL ??

Thanks,
Rajiv

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I just got confirmation from soil team that they are planning for a month long internship program from the next batch. There are also some changes being made in the trimester method.

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Is soil going for foreign univ tie-ups for student exchange and other facilities.
Wats the latest placement scenario??
is the news regarding 1 month internship true??
seniors plz guide!!

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Sorry to bump in into this thread...

Any updates guys? How are things going?

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Guys you can refer to this thread for now..

http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/school-of-inspired-leadership-admission-2010-2011-25047312

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Guys you can refer to this thread for now..

http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/school-of-inspired-leadership-admission-2010-2011-25047312


any updates on placements??? seems like everyone is shying away from telling how were the placements. had months and months to place handful of students and still nobody has a clear picture even with new batch in campus.
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end of june.. placement stats anyone?

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Is it true tht u run from a single building??


Mate, All great B-schools started their programs with a single building. However what matters is kind of pedagogy, industry exposure and how it makes difference in your life.

Also insted of ne standard exam u follow some kind of leadership exam??


Yup, SOIL is here to nuture the future leaders. SOILs vision and mission is Inspiring potential leaders to aspire their goals. So it won't be any surprise if potential candidate gauge on their leadership skills. Hope it helps you mate. 😃
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Thanks veeru for starting this thread. I was really very keen in seeking admission in SOIL but due to some personal reasons backed out at last moment 😞 Through this thread we will get to know what exactly is goin on in SOIL campus and thus will have some clarity about life,pedagogy and uniqueness of SOIL while applying for the next batch.

Keep posting mate !!!
ATB
:)

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Hey guys, since this is the "Life @ B. School" section, please try to keep the posts about happenings in & out of the B School. For any queries that you would have on admission etc. you can use the query thread that has been started here -> http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/soil-school-of-inspired-leadership-2011-intake-queries-25058153

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Anyhow,I c u r interested in applying for HRLP....if i am right?!

Where r u from?? and when will the application process for the same begin??


I was interested in HRLP mate. Now I am in SOIL and pursuing my HRLP program. Cheers

And i know tht the corporate world really doesnt care about AICTE recognition.but can somebody tell me if SOIL would be going for AICTE recognition, like GLIM has done.I for one know.some of the most downtrodden and worst colleges are AICTE recognised!!!AICTE recognition makes thing easier if one wants to go for a Ph.d at a later stage!!

There is however one more thing in my mind.I would be applying to columbia,yale and INSEAD singapore to.No where in the world after travelling to more thanv9 countries have i heard some 1 giving a 1 year PGCM which is equivalent to a mba in terms of rigour and knowledge(as preached by SOIL) to fresher candidates...!!


Nice to see you here mate, both of us aiming for the same. I will be too applying for further abroad studies few years down the line.

My experiece @ SOIL is very enriching and memorable. SOIL is a platform where you need to find your purpose and work for that. Its unique B-school which impart 5 pillars. About AICTE, nah I won't even think about it. We all know what kind of standards and values AICTE and UGC stands for. I can see your point, but mate please visit top b-school doctorate programs, they clearly said that they need Bachelors degree. Even if they ask Master degree then it's upto you, HOW YOU SELL yourself to the adcom.

dont get me wrong guys I am making remarks,which might sound a bit confronting,but i am doing this cause i am a genuinely interested in applying and want to rid of all doubts i have before applying!!

As for Caliper , i have worked as a consultant ERP for them .Yes they undoubtedly do a good job.But the point is when the best in india as well as the world make gmat scores compulsory,why shouldn't SOIL?

I have also found out that in the previous year all the seats were not filled up because of lack of proper talent.Is it so difficult in a country like india to find proper talent??


Never mind mate, Your questions are valid and genuine. It will help other prospects too. So ask as many questions as you have. We too appreciate it. Even I strongly suggest other prospects to do the same as you are doing. Its good to give your best shot with clear mind. :)

About GMAT, most of classmates have CAT scores and GMAT scores. I suggest you to take GMAT before applying to SOIL because it will increase the probability of selection. SOIL made GMAT/CAT as optional. Because there is reason behind that. You need to find it on your own.

About Caliper, many of top notch fortune firms use caliper while promoting the employees. It's no wonder if you take early and start work on your areas of development in nascent stage. Caliper is damn good. It portays the mirror of YOU :).


keeping all that aside,Chatraveer can you tell me the kind of help SOIL provides if one wants to go into entrepreneurship??

I ask this because, apparently SOIL is dedicated to producing "LEADERS FOR THE CORPORATE WORLD" as told to me by the representative on the phone.


Supposing i say in the interview that I wanna go for entrepreneurship rather than working again,will I still be given admission to SOIL?? Or do you think it will go against me?


Be honest in what you say. SOIL value it most. After getting into SOIL, you might arrive at a situation where your thoughts and beliefs will be challenged and your preference might get changed/strengthened :). At SOIL, its learning process which never ends.

Hello Puys!
I would like to share with you the values that make the foundation of SOIL. SOIL believes in 5 Pillars namely:
1. Compassion
2. Diversity
3. Ethics
4. Mindfulness
5. Sustainability


Thanks veer for sharing the pillars of SOIL:)
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Old Trafford Says
Hey guys, since this is the "Life @ B. School" section, please try to keep the posts about happenings in & out of the B School. For any queries that you would have on admission etc. you can use the query thread that has been started here -> http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/soil-school-of-inspired-leadership-2011-intake-queries-25058153


Rightly said. Thanks for pointing it out Old Trafford. I request all the prospective/interested studens who want to know more about admission related queries. Please post it in a respective threads:)

Danke
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Teary-eyed and nervous I walked out of the premises of SOIL. Walked out to a place which was new to me and which threw up many challenges at me, be it that of settling in a new city, in a new organization, in a new role (a role which was new for the organization itself) or that of a new ME.
But, today as I write this two months down the lane, I seem to be much more comfortable, with all the newness I mentioned above. Those seemingly boring and tedious lectures on values, mentoring, appreciation and all things encompassing the human psyche which we heard at SOIL, seem to be bearing fruit for me. I experience a subtle ease with which I can understand, acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of all associated with me. If I had to single out one thing which SOIL has helped me practice, it would be, humility without letting go of your convictions. Needless to say, the course on Virtual Teams by Svetlana, couldnt have been put to better use, with me cohesively working as part of a team, with all members dispersed across geographies. Thanks To Nishchae Sirs course on Total Rewards, I find myself in an extremely comfortable spot when it comes to handling and discussing C&B; issues. To top it all, the different leadership courses which I was part of at SOIL, have brought out a different persona, and helped me identify myself with the organization and yet be different.
My parents gave me roots and they gave me wings, but SOIL gave me all that was required to preserve my roots and the flight to keep my wings flapping.
All that I have to say is Thank You SOIL
- Student of the batch of 2009-10
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On 15 th October we at SOIL had the opportunity to host Mr Raj Jain CEO Bharti-WalMart India. Mr Raj Jain addressed students of Business Leadership batch and Marketing Leadership batch. There was discussion on wide variety of topics ranging from the future of retail in India, how Bharti-WalMart is different from its competitors and Bharti-Wal-Marts future plans for India.
The students were thrilled to learn about the approach taken by Bharti-WalMart in India. Mr Raj Jain talked about how Bharti-WalMart is all about slow steady and sustainable growth. The students discussed how Bharti-WalMart intends to utilized the potential of Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in India.
There was also a range of discussions on why some of the retail chains were not able to leave their footprint in spite of the rapid growth in the number of outlets. The discussion came to the conclusion that some of the retail chains got carried away by the euphoria around Indias retail revolution and didnt take time to build the proper infrastructure around the retail outlets. Things like supply chain were overlooked to a large extent.
The students learnt the philosophy behind every day lowest price outlets of WalMart which was truly fascinating. Many of the students who had already worked on case studies and projects on WalMart were thrilled to get an opportunity to interact with someone who could answer all their questions and quench their curiosity.
At SOIL we get business leaders from diverse fields come and address us. The students are always pumped up about it and ready with their list of questions. It gives a new dimension to the learning and also gives a welcome change from busy schedules of daily academics.

Abhijeet Kumar
Marketing Leadership Program
SOIL
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I was selected in SOIL and even paid Rs.30,000 as first installment. But withdrew from it due to some reasons and did not attended even a single class. Now, they are not returning my money. As the institute is not AICTE approved, is there any other way to ask for money refund ????

42

I was selected in SOIL and even paid Rs.30,000 as first installment. But withdrew from it due to some reasons and did not attended even a single class. Now, they are not returning my money. As the institute is not AICTE approved, is there any other way to ask for money refund ?????????????????

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Its all about what do you expect out of a B-School when you join it! If you are looking out for just placements, then I would like to tell you that perhaps this is not the right place for you!(this is not to offend you; let me explain it to you:
As far as the course goes, It is a life changing experience here at SOIL. The faculty is at par with the top B-Schools in in the country and ranges from (XLRI, ISB,TISS,MDI,SIBM etc).
Right from our Founder, HR chair to all permanant faculty here at SOIL need no introduction.
The kind of rigor, practical exposure (through participating in seminars conducted by NHRD, SHRM and like wise) gives a student edge over other students studying in different B-schools.
We at SOIL study subjects like- (Crafting and larning organizations, Employee engagement, People Capability Maturity model, Employer Branding etc) which is USP of SOIL as they are practically implemented once you are On-The-Job.
Needless to say, our HR-Academies concept here at SOIL connects a student to eminent personalities from industry and the knowledge transfer takes place through the experience that is shared, the best practices being followed in the industry and answers to questions like"What does a potential employer look out for in a candidate graduating from a B-School"?
At SOIL, the kind of exposure you get as a HR-Student is perhaps the best in the country!
The faculty, Industry-Academia interaction,Mentoring, Self leadership series,Individual Learning plan,SIP etc are some of the things that any aspirant would vouch for and I feel blessed to be at SOIL!
As far as the placement goes, I strongly believe that after this amazing learning and transformational experience here at SOIL, you will end up marrying your aspirations to that of your dream employer.
The opportunities are immense, its just you need to raise your level and grab one! I hope this clarifies your doubt to some extent.
Please feel free toreach me anytime, I will be happy to clarify any of your doubts.
So if you believe in the values of SOIL (ie)--> Mindfullness, Compassion,Diversity, Ethics and Sustainability and vouch for a career in HR (ie) perhaps the best in the country, We welcome you at SOIL! Then you are at the right place buddy! :-)
Thanks and Regards,
Ankur Sehgal
Student-HRLP (2010-2011)