To draw an analogy I would say that the first month at TISS has laid the foundation for the two-year journey here. The one month here has been full of chaos, from attending guest lectures, plant visits to numerous assignments and I can draw a parallel with my engineering days. But the rate at which circumstances/situations change here is inversely proportional to the reaction time for it. And I would say that this is something which prepares me competently for the subsequent challenges.
Life is all about hits and misses and the choices we make is what defines us. All of us at some point or the other regret few of our decisions made earlier, likewise a new episode at TISS gives me the prospect to shape my further journey the way I would have wanted it to be. Mentored by best of the professors in the field of HRM & LR, I can vouch for sure that the two years here are going to be a great learning experience for me in terms of personal as well as professional growth.
Curriculum at TISS focuses on learning and leadership rather than just grades. The whole purpose of our college is to produce socially responsible managers who can make the corporate world a better place for the stakeholders involved with minimal side effects on those affected by it.
TISS is all about co-existence and creating a win-win situation for everyone. By this I don’t mean we don’t believe in competition, rather what I mean is that we strive towards self-improvement and being a better version of ourselves. The factors such as people, infrastructure, curriculum, location, ROI, batch size and the strong alumni network sets us apart and the past one month gives a good glimpse of it.
People - The diverse set of people at TISS belonging to different parts of the country and different cultures makes TISS one of the best places to study HRM and LR. Had it been a conventional b-school we might have been surrounded by a similar set of people like us but here we have the added advantage to meet and interact with people from different schools of social sciences be it in Dining Halls during meals, canteens or library. The much talked about weekly Foundation Course classes conducted on Wednesday and Thursday for all the first semester students of TISS at the Convention centre provides a great opportunity to make friends among different schools of TISS and to get a broader picture of social science as a subject.
On a lighter note to meet people from courses different than us sometimes acts as a stress buster.
Infrastructure - I would not boast of the infrastructure at TISS but I can assure that it is optimum to pursue a course here. We have our basics in place. The lush green campus adorned by the Mumbai rains is bewitching enough to make one forget about the daily struggles of student life and enjoy its serenity to the fullest. The two campuses of TISS, the old and the new, are titanic enough to accommodate all the students across various courses at TISS. The total fees for the two year HRM & LR course are less than even the initial seat booking fees of many B-schools across India and the facilities available, worth way more than that. And scarcities, if any, themselves teach us to manage resources well and contributes to the overall goal of the course to be effective and efficient managers. And now after more than a month here at TISS, I have made my peace with whatever facilities are present at the college premises because I think this is all that I needed in the first place.
Curriculum - The Curriculum of TISS is designed to include foundation courses, a Fieldwork internship every semester, an NGO experience and a compulsory thesis submission at the end of the course. Even before the completion of one month at TISS, the Field Work internship started for us at various reputed organisations across Mumbai. We have Field Work internships on Monday and Tuesday followed by FCs, regular classes, guest lectures, seminars and plant visits on other days of the week which makes the pedagogy of TISS very different from other B-schools.
Location and strong alumni base - TISS has a strong alumni base and this I can say with conviction given my ongoing Field Work internship experience as well as the regular visits by many notable alumni of TISS at frequent intervals to the TISS campus. Being situated in the financial capital of the country also has its own perks.
Batch Size - It is a long going battle as to which is better small or large batch size. Though sceptical which side to take, one thing that I can definitely say is that a batch of 63 students makes it easier for us to interact within our batch as well as with the senior batch. Apart from that, the small batch size allows us to communicate easily with our professors on various academic as well as non-academic topics.
ROI - Nearly impossible to beat TISS in terms of its high ROI given the quality of education imparted as well as the summer and final placements. To me, it gives a liberty to follow my passion at the end of course completion. It gives me the much-needed space to decide whether to join the corporate sector, continue in academics or a mix of both.
Thus during my one month stay at TISS, I may convincingly state that I had very colourful experiences which will make my future journey even more delightful.
I hope that by learning new lessons here every single day will ultimately turn me into a new person. I will definitely realise my full potential which remains untapped till now and also gain an experience that will be a source of joy forever.
To conclude without wasting too many words, studying at TISS is like running a marathon rather than a sprint.