Life @ K J Somaiya Institute of Management

MBA CAT 2024
1

Hey All,

K J Somaiya Institute of Managementhas been amongst the best institutes for the longest time now and with the recent enhancements and an all-new hostel, it has the best-in-class infrastructure.

 

As far as studies are concerned, the faculty is world class and the curriculum helps students to get an extra edge in their career.

 

Lets have a look at how engaging and fun Life@ K J Somaiya Institute of Management is beyond studies!

2

Hey all,

SIMSR has been among the best institutes for a long time now. and with recent upgradations and an all-new hostel, it has bettered its infrastructure over time.
As far as studies are concerned, the faculty is excellent, and they believe in ensuring that education attains a whole new level. Not by putting in 18-20 hours a day of studies, but by working smart and working right. The whole atmosphere is amazing with students from varying backgrounds selected so as to ensure the perfect blend and a strong foundation for learning.

SIMSR also boasts of a HUGE campus that few other B-schools have.
Hostel-life could not have been better with excellent net connectivity, all modern amenities, etc.

So yeah, all those considering an MBA, do consider SIMSR and live the experience of a lifetime that will leade you ahead

3

For those who have not heard of SIMSR.... Its actually KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai.

Shoot ur queries:2gunfire:
We are :bigear: listening.


Cheers,
Mani Pradhan
1st Year PGDM,
SIMSR

4

To add to wat hersh had said abt the improving infrastructure...

guys we have a all new state of the art gym in the hostel...

yippie...

5

It's time again to unwind the history, to relish the memories and to rejoice in the spirit of belonging. Belonging to an institute that stands for its values, belonging to a family that has brought many a diverse souls together to coexist in harmony under one roof, belonging to a group with the same objective, that of learning and realizing success.
SIMSR is all set to witness another year of 'Nostalgia' garlanded with grandeur and crafted with measures to complement the same.

An initiative by the Alumni Committee of SIMSR, Nostalgia, an Annual Alumni meet, is wonderfully held every year in the Campus. Nostalgia 2008 will be on 18th October 2008, 5:30 pm onwards. It would start with a tour of the campus, followed by the cultural program from 6:30pm to 8:30 pm and then finally the dinner.
The entire event has been designed taking the alumni into consideration. From 1985 to 2008, all the alumni have been invited to grace the event and reconnect with their alma mater. Thus, it is obvious that the atmosphere during Nostalgia is nostalgic, sentiments laden and highly emotional.
Like every year, this year will also see batches getting felicitated. They are batches of 1989 and 1990.

The hard work, the preparation, the planning and the practice put up by everyone working towards making Nostalgia a grand success aims just to see the Alumni happy, content and proud while they leave the institute after the event, with an urge to return back soon.
And so does the entire ALCOM team along with the volunteers, enjoy and capture moments that beckon pride for them and memories to relish upon in the future.

Nostalgia '08 promises to be splendid. The heritage continues. And with each passing year it's only getting bigger and better.
6

Ok, I think this thread needs a little more detail so here goes :


Our college started on the 16th of June 2008. The first 15 or so days, we had an induction session. There were classes related to Economics, Accounts, HR, Leadership, and classes related to presentations etc. The induction course was pretty comprehensive and brought quite a few people up to speed(especially the slow learners like yours truly) about many of the subjects and terrors we were about to face in the first trimester. This was also the time when we got to know each other well for the first time. Most of us were new to the atmosphere of a B School and did not know anyone else in the batch. There was a particular stress on group activites in these 15 days. This helped tremendously in the whole class getting to know each other better.

Once the induction classes were over, the first trimester officially started on the 1st of July. The timetable was not all that taxing really, but there was quite a lot of work and study which ensured we didnt have too much free time on our hands (because, as you all know, people like us are just waiting to slip into complacency ). Most days our classes were 9 am to 4 pm, with Wednesdays having 9-5 and Fridays having just 9-12 along with a guest lecture or two.

Then came the problem for the lazy types like me: Exams. Exams in SIMSR are quite frequent, with mid-terms and end terms coming in every 45 days or so. This can especially be a pain in the neck for those people (Read : My types) who are not studious. We had our midterms in the first week of August and had our end terms from Septemeber 24-27. The exams are a real mad rush. We have to write two papers a day :shock: of mostly 3 hours each. I somehow survived them and live to tell the tale, atleast so far . This is not all : there are class tests nearly every week, sometimes they're surprise tests, and most of the times, the students end up clueless.

There is a strict emphasis laid on attendance in college, and some of the SIMSR junta found that out the hard way before the exams (luckily I escaped somehow). The college firmly enforces the 75% attendance rule. Also, deadlines for projects, presentations etc are strictly adhered to. SIMSR firmly beleives in ethical conduct of its future managers, and those who are caught cheating or using unfair means during exams or other activities are in for a really really hard time for their tenure in the college.

So, thats all the stuff I have to scare people off. Now for the other side of life at SIMSR,

1. We have Saturdays and Sundays off, atleast in the first two trimesters, so for those people who live in nearby towns or have their homes in Mumbai its a real boon since you can take your work home, (or decide not to) and come back on Monday. This also gives people a lot of time to indulge in extra curriculars and for some (a rare minority): Extra Study
2. The faculty here is among the best I have ever seen. And no, I am not saying this as a promotion tactic. Many of the faculty that taught us in the first trimester and are teaching us now, have 20 years plus experience in the industry. They have a vast amount of knowledge and some of the teachers are really impressive in their teaching methods. Most teachers are highly approachable as well.
3. Guest Lectures : The kind of guest lectures we have is pretty impressive as well. Emminent personalities from the industry come to the college week after week to give us gyan and keep us up to date about all the latest happenings in the various industries. These lectures are absolute true value addition to every student in SIMSR since the knowledge most of the speakers bring to the table are top knotch. Recent speakers include the Marketing head of Colgate Palmolive, the MD of Bell Ceramics, Morgan Stanley etc....
4. Life in Hostel : The life we have in the hostel is awesome. The hostel itself is quite swanky and I doubt you will find a better one in too many B-schools in our country. Counterstrike is an absolute religion, some people's lives revolve around it. If you're good at Counterstrike:snipersm:, you earn the respect of half the college. You will also find people playing other games. I have made a lot of new friends here. Parties and masti are the order of the day, with faces turning grim and moods turning foul during exams..LOL. People rarely sleep before 1 or 2 in the night, whether they have work or not is immaterial. If there is work, we'd be slogging our butts out for completion, and if not, you'd find people engaging in gaming, needless chatter or lots of other 'activities'. Birthdays are celebrated with a lot of fanfare at 12 am, and the poor Bday boys are always the worst sufferers. They have to face the wrath of the entire class for Bday bumps.

Overall, the experience in the first trimester, has been an enriching one for me. Its a good mix of fun and work. There are a lot more things that happen in College that need to be covered in this thread, I or others will complete it if possible..

Till then, Ciao people !:D

Dhiraj N
IB 08-10
SIMSR

1 Like
7
Ok, I think this thread needs a little more detail so here goes :


Our college started on the 16th of June 2008. The first 15 or so days, we had an induction session. There were classes related to Economics, Accounts, HR, Leadership, and classes related to presentations etc. The induction course was pretty comprehensive and brought quite a few people up to speed(especially the slow learners like yours truly) about many of the subjects and terrors we were about to face in the first trimester. This was also the time when we got to know each other well for the first time. Most of us were new to the atmosphere of a B School and did not know anyone else in the batch. There was a particular stress on group activites in these 15 days. This helped tremendously in the whole class getting to know each other better.

Once the induction classes were over, the first trimester officially started on the 1st of July. The timetable was not all that taxing really, but there was quite a lot of work and study which ensured we didnt have too much free time on our hands (because, as you all know, people like us are just waiting to slip into complacency ). Most days our classes were 9 am to 4 pm, with Wednesdays having 9-5 and Fridays having just 9-12 along with a guest lecture or two.

Then came the problem for the lazy types like me: Exams. Exams in SIMSR are quite frequent, with mid-terms and end terms coming in every 45 days or so. This can especially be a pain in the neck for those people (Read : My types) who are not studious. We had our midterms in the first week of August and had our end terms from Septemeber 24-27. The exams are a real mad rush. We have to write two papers a day :shock: of mostly 3 hours each. I somehow survived them and live to tell the tale, atleast so far . This is not all : there are class tests nearly every week, sometimes they're surprise tests, and most of the times, the students end up clueless.

There is a strict emphasis laid on attendance in college, and some of the SIMSR junta found that out the hard way before the exams (luckily I escaped somehow). The college firmly enforces the 75% attendance rule. Also, deadlines for projects, presentations etc are strictly adhered to. SIMSR firmly beleives in ethical conduct of its future managers, and those who are caught cheating or using unfair means during exams or other activities are in for a really really hard time for their tenure in the college.

So, thats all the stuff I have to scare people off. Now for the other side of life at SIMSR,

1. We have Saturdays and Sundays off, atleast in the first two trimesters, so for those people who live in nearby towns or have their homes in Mumbai its a real boon since you can take your work home, (or decide not to) and come back on Monday. This also gives people a lot of time to indulge in extra curriculars and for some (a rare minority): Extra Study
2. The faculty here is among the best I have ever seen. And no, I am not saying this as a promotion tactic. Many of the faculty that taught us in the first trimester and are teaching us now, have 20 years plus experience in the industry. They have a vast amount of knowledge and some of the teachers are really impressive in their teaching methods. Most teachers are highly approachable as well.
3. Guest Lectures : The kind of guest lectures we have is pretty impressive as well. Emminent personalities from the industry come to the college week after week to give us gyan and keep us up to date about all the latest happenings in the various industries. These lectures are absolute true value addition to every student in SIMSR since the knowledge most of the speakers bring to the table are top knotch. Recent speakers include the Marketing head of Colgate Palmolive, the MD of Bell Ceramics, Morgan Stanley etc....
4. Life in Hostel : The life we have in the hostel is awesome. The hostel itself is quite swanky and I doubt you will find a better one in too many B-schools in our country. Counterstrike is an absolute religion, some people's lives revolve around it. If you're good at Counterstrike:snipersm:, you earn the respect of half the college. You will also find people playing other games. I have made a lot of new friends here. Parties and masti are the order of the day, with faces turning grim and moods turning foul during exams..LOL. People rarely sleep before 1 or 2 in the night, whether they have work or not is immaterial. If there is work, we'd be slogging our butts out for completion, and if not, you'd find people engaging in gaming, needless chatter or lots of other 'activities'. Birthdays are celebrated with a lot of fanfare at 12 am, and the poor Bday boys are always the worst sufferers. They have to face the wrath of the entire class for Bday bumps.

Overall, the experience in the first trimester, has been an enriching one for me. Its a good mix of fun and work. There are a lot more things that happen in College that need to be covered in this thread, I or others will complete it if possible..

Till then, Ciao people !:D

Dhiraj N
IB 08-10
SIMSR


Hi, I am Manish Sharma from PGDM-IB-08-10 batch. Please fill the survey below.Your inputs will be valuable for us.Thanks in advance.
Survey provided by FreeOnlineSurveys.com

The below is the link of the k.j.somaiya admission form.
K.J. Somaiya
1 Like
8

We will soon be starting an official query thread, but untill then as Mani said, any questions regarding the college please shoot...

9
jinesh.vasa Says
We will soon be starting an official query thread, but untill then as Mani said, any questions regarding the college please shoot...




We have already started the thread to answer the queries. the link is

http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/cat-and-related-discussion/34902-2009-11-queries-simsr-kj-9.html#post1303631

Pls shoot ur queries here.
@Jinesh.. nice to have the PR cell here.. Pls monitor this thread 😃
10

Hey Mani,

Thank you for the update. And yeah we all can surely make the difference.

11
Samavesh 2008

Samavesh 2008 was schuled for 11th, 12th and 13th December with array of Speakers who had done exceptionally well in their in life and also are seen to be an inspiration by many in the society. Samavesh was divided into various sessions and each session was dedicated toa particular topic for discussion.

The event began with the lighenting of the lam by our esteemed Director General, Prof. P.V. Narasimham. Mr. O P Mishra, Pro Vice Chancellor, IGNOU was the key note speaker and gave some insights on the market scenario.

Session 1: Human Equations
Topic : Employee Engagement - Challenges in Current Scenario.

The event started with an address from Santosh Dixit, Senior Consultant, Watson Wyatt, S K Dutt, Head Group HR & Admin., ABG and Dr. Uday Lajmi, Dean Mgmt Education Training and Development, REMI. The theme of Human Equations was Employee Engagement and Emnerging Issues and Challenges in HR.

The next module of the event consisted of Mimansa- the case study contest which witnessed participation from all over the country. The judges for Mimansa were - Mr. Raj Dubey, Chief Training and Development Manager IOCL, Ms. Falguni Thakkar, CEO, Ensamble, Mr. Suhas C Biswas, Bhatia Shipping. The winners of the event were Ms. Rashi Sharan and Ms. Shirley Aranha from SIMSR, while Mr Manuj Bansal and Mr. Rohit Kataria from NITIE emerged as runners up.

Session 2: Entrepreneurship

The Event started with a Bang, as Mr. Rajeev Samant, Sula Wines started with his story as to how he became a successful entrepreneur. He had completed his graduation from Stanford University and then he was working in Oracle Corporation.
Then after working there for two years he returned back to India Nashik and bought a huge grape plantations => wineries in Nasik, itself.
It took him two years to get a license. Till then he arranged for finance, plantation preparation, etc. As a result there was just 4-5months time lag. The company was named after Mr.Sawants mother.
In the 1st year the company sold sold 4000 cases and the production increased to 3 million bottles in 2007-08.
As of now it is the Biggest premium wine company in India.
The company has 40 wineries in Nashik and around 250 employee. They export to 15 countries US, UK, France, etc
Took a big risk when he left US, but it paid off well and now India is the fastest growing wine market.

The next module was a panel discussion on Challenges for Entrepreneurs which was followed by question and answers. Below is a excerpt from the same.

In the economic downturn, how do entrepreneurs handle different aspects of building organizations?
I] How is this downturn different from the previous one?
1It is Integrated economic environment and countries like India, China etc also impacted but not to that extent
2.This time, downturn was driven by poor spending habits
.3.Impact is higher when you bump into a speed breaker while running at a faster speed.

Remedy cut down our earnings for the betterment of the society.
II] Any specific characteristic of the downturn that affected any particular sector or company (of the panelist)?
Very nice opportunities for start-ups as job losses are high, Customer are facing problems as they require Faster response time and on top of it, this is bad time for Venture Capitalists due to fall in stock market.

III] Can we avoid VCs?
They are Vulture Capitalist and not Venture Capitalist so we can't avoid their eyes. Also the funds are sacrosanct.

IV] Massive bail-outs by government for companies, are there any incentives for self-employment?
Self-will and motivation should be the driving force. Govt. comes later. Entrepreneur needs to bail himself out. Make value for self. Also it is observed that Healthcare and agriculture are not much affected by the downturn. One key point is to Keep the government as far as possible. And during this recessionary times Deserving people will get jobs, undeserving will get corrected.

V] Would you start a new venture at this time? In which sector?
Yes, new venture is always an option. It might be Outsourcing or legal outsourcing busines, online book ordering, other online services. Also Movie rentals like seventy mm and bigflix are also good options.

VI] Recent attacks would put India in a different zone of terror. Does the attack put you on the back foot with your key competitor?
Even US had its 9/11. People respect you more if you come out stronger of all this.The world is together for terrorism
Tourism will be affectedand new opportunities like security ventures , karate classes for kids etc. can be looked into

At the end :
Mr. Prashant Bhaskar
Befriend the top-graders, as they would be your future employees. Make them feel you are in awe of them and at the same time let them make them look up to you.

Thus, Day 1 at Samavesh Ended with encouragement for all the budding Entrepreneurs and also giving inspiration to be an Entrepreneur.
1 Like
12

Samavesh Day 2:
International Business and Excellence in Operations

Topic of Discussion : Globalisation and Challenges for Indian Companies

Speakers:
Shri R Balasubramaniam, President, Tata International Ltd.
Shri Anil Shekhar, Regional Manager North and West Africa, Tata Motors Ltd.


Samavesh Day 3:
Economic Meltdown - Challenges for India

Speakers:
Shri B S Nagesh, MD Shoppers Stop
Shri G V Nageswara Rao, MD Fortis
Shri R R Mokasi, ED Care
Shri Ramesh Damani, BSE
Shri V Shanmugam, Economist MCX
Dr R Gopal, Dir, D Y Patil Institute of Management Studies

1 Like
13
4th SIMSR-Asia International Marketing Conference
The 4th SIMSR-Asia International Marketing Conference took place in the premises of KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai on the 4th and 5th of January. Eminent academic personalities from around the world, and also from India, came and participated in this mega international paper presentation conference. The broad categories of topics for paper presentation included such diverse management disciplines like General Marketing, Brand Management, Retail, General and Consumer Behavior. For the past three years this conference has been bringing together some of the best minds from across the globe in the field of management. This year was no different. Excellent papers were presented and a wealth of ideas was discussed through the course of 2 days.
The event was inaugurated by Mr. AD Sawant, Pro VC of University of Mumbai and the paper presentations ensued thereafter simultaneously in four different classrooms. The presenters featured academicians from famous Indian institutes like University of Mumbai, SIMSR, Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi, Vinod Gupta School of Management (management wing of IIT Kharagpur), Welingkars, NMIMS and many more. Also, there were management academicians from institutes of Mauritius (University of Mauritius Reduit) USA (Siena College Loundonville, Angelo State University, San Angelo) Denmark (University of Southern Denmark), France (Ceram Business School, Sophia-Antipolis) and Oman (College of Applied Sciences, Ibri Ministry of Higher Education, Sultanate of Oman). The event also featured corporate personalities like Wockhardt Hospitals MD Mr. Anil Kamath, LOOT India MD and Chairman Mr. Jay Gupta, DraftFCB + Ulka CEO Mr. M.G. Parameswaran and many more. The audience involved students from SIMSR and other institutes who immensely benefitted from the wealth of knowledge being discussed.
The discussed and presented topics encompassed a gamut of issues like Employee Engagement among Sales Professionals, Medical Tourism, Religious Factors and Consumer Behavior and much more. While some of the issues highlighted the Indian context, a few others touched on international flavors like Niche Market Strategies in SMEs in Mauritius. This fusion of ideas gave the event a truly global and relevant perspective.
The conference was finally rounded off on Monday (5th January) after one and half days of presentation and knowledge sharing.
14
An article on SIMSR-Asia Marketing Conference was printed on DNA Academy (Jan 6) under the headline 'Its boom time for marketers'.

Consensus of experts
is that, this is
an ideal time to increase
marketing
activity. This was
the sentiment at the 4th International SIMSR-Asia Marketing
conference, organised by KJ Somaiya Institute of
Management Studies and Research. "The slowdown is ideal
for marketing activities as advertising rates are reducing,
talented manpower is available at low cost and interest
andproperty rates are plunging," said, CEO of Loot India,
Jay Gupta.
"During a recession, as consumers buy the product that
has a strong brand image. Hence,marketing and branding
efforts become important," said, Professor Eric Viardot, Ceram
Business School, France.
Speakers concluded that rural marketing was the future
of the field. "Fifty per cent of rich consumers reside there.
Hence marketers should focus on this sector," said, said MD
Wockhardt Hospitals, Anil Kamath. Stress was laid on 'going
green' with regard to marketing efforts, and increasing
power of women in the decision making process.
15

....................

16

Hi Guys,
Can anybody inform me what are my chances of getting selected in PGDM-IB for 2010 course. I have been given a waitlist of 17 for IB course. I also like to know about the difference between this two courses in terms of study, placement. Thanks alot. Pagalguy Rocks!!!
Regards,
Ashish

17

thanks for taking the initiative and starting this thread.
Weekends off sounds gud. Do you get a long break after ur endsems or during ganesh chaturthi (big in mumbai) which enables outstation ppl to go bak home?
And how are the hostel rules? Strict? 😁 what is the deadline at night?

18

Hey folks ,this is a thread to cater to all your queries about the life at SIMSR as PGDM,PGDM(IB) students .

you can shoot a variety of queries like:

1. The hostel accommodation availability and how to go about it.
2. The lovely campus (It is one of the biggest in Mumbai ).
3. The student life at SIMSR, the culture at SIMSR.
4. Party culture at SIMSR!!
5. The great areas in and around SIMSR, how to reach SIMSR.

6. Anything you wanna know about the life at SIMSR, the daily routine, about the course (PGDM & IB), how students party, a normal day at SIMSR , work load. etc. etc.


Go ahead guys/gals shoot all your queries. anything you wanna know about SIMSR apart from the admission process. There is a separate thread which resolves queries pertaining to the admission process to SIMSR. for all the remaining queries, here we are. the 180 students of the PGDM & IB all set to set you free!!!

" If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. "

19

Life at SIMSR is lots of fun! A campus where minds from diverse backgrounds interact on many an issue - future Financial Officers,marketing Managers, budding HR Managers & Operations Managers, they are all there in the SIMSR campus debating or discussing various angles to a problem. One is always apprised of more than one perspective to a subject.

A campus which is probably the largest amongst all the Management schools in Mumbai, is forever buzzing with activities. Sounds of achievement from every corner of the campus, singing of the Birthday Song at midnight from the Dinning Hall, practices of events from and to the campus or presentation slides being prepared in the hostel rooms- this campus stays alive everytime!

The PGDM & IB students are amongst the most enthusiastic participants in any event that takes place across the country, be it the IIT Kanpur to IIM Indore. We welcome the rains or various festivals celebrated across the year ranging from Janmashthami, Onam, Durga Puja and Christmas.


The greenery & space in our campus simply takes your heart away. The ambiance of the college will play its charm on you. Adding to the fun are regular co-curricular activities that keep happening in the college - parties, plays, cultural festivals - IT ALL HAPPENS HERE. Saturday night movie watching and Sunday morning breakfast with friends and a group visit to Bombay is something you would rather not miss (even if it means returning to your cozy bed after you are completely exhausted).

Life rocks at SIMSR campus and why wouldn't it when have you so much to do!!!
20
thanks for taking the initiative and starting this thread.
Weekends off sounds gud. Do you get a long break after ur endsems or during ganesh chaturthi (big in mumbai) which enables outstation ppl to go bak home?
And how are the hostel rules? Strict? 😁 what is the deadline at night?


Yes, weekends are off for us as of now, though the second year students in some branches do have lectures on weekends. It all depends on the faculty's availability.

For the PGDM courses, breaks are far and wide. The only break we get after exams is the weekend that follows. This is because of the trimester system and the amount of subjects and syllabus to cover in each of them. About Ganesh Chaturthi, we had our end terms bang during that period.

Yes, the hostel rules are pretty strict, but manageable.