Hey there!!! Like every stereotypical post here on this site, I am going to tell you a very similar story which will give you a starlight picture of my college and I will praise my college campus, academics, culture, people, and internships and even tell you it is unique. Haven't you heard this before? Isn't it the clichéd article you have always read here? But here I am, going to tell you a story in this format. If any of you have read Basic Mathematics, you must have gone through this one chapter - Numbers. Here, we assume that N is an irrational number and then go through several steps in which there is a numerator and a denominator and in the end we prove that 'N' is in fact, a rational number. Confused? So was I when I joined Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai (Hyderabad Campus). I was skeptical and I wasn't sure if I made the right decision. Did I make the right decision? Maybe, maybe not. Only time will tell.
Let me give you a glimpse of why this might not be the best decision. First of all, since I am in the first batch, I am not aware of the kind of placements that I will have. But more than the greed of placements, what I completely believe is that today B Schools are yet to offer the quality which we actually need. They are mere power houses that produce identical products with no standout feature. I have no intention of being the antagonist here but why are we not able to produce innovative and smart leaders of tomorrow? It is because of the lack of desire to learn. There is but one goal- Making money. Since I have paid 15 Lakhs and invested two years of my life into a college, I need a decent ROI. This is of course only possible if I land a job that is worth at least 18 lakhs per annum. This train of thought might be logical and even practical in some cases. But and there is a hue but, there is and always will be a dearth of good HR professionals who are actually employable as long as the focus is just on monetary benefits ignoring the HUMAN part of HR.
So, what sets my college apart from these manufacturing units?
TISS IS NOT A B- SCHOOL
- We have a batch of 22 students followed by a batch of 41 juniors. We are a small, tightly knit group; a family that works together on everything. A couple of students and I, who were lucky enough to be in Hyderabad during the second semester, were actively engaged in the Admission Process.
- We didn't have an Admissions Committee, whoever was available, took up the job. Why is this an advantage you might wonder? I am learning economics everyday. It has helped me to allocate my time and energy to decide whether I should focus on studies, on student admissions, focus on college marketing or on some competition.
- We have the same curriculum as that of Master of Arts in Human Resource Management & Labor Studies which is offered in Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. This gives us equal exposure to the various fields of studies ranging from Women Studies, Development Studies, Public Policy Governance, Rural Development Governance, etc.
One very common thing about both the campuses is that there are lush green trees in the campus in the heart of two very busy cities, Mumbai and Hyderabad. There are TISS alumni who are constantly assisting us in developing our new campus and there is the more than obvious - a) the Foundation Courses in Society, Politics and b) several internships. Yes, we do. We have a block internship at the end of every semester and a Summer Internship. Though the future of such a budding course cannot be predicted, the next batch seems extremely promising with not only better numbers in all aspects but also in the kind of spirit that they have brought to the college.
Now, if anybody has ever worked in a startup, they will be able to better relate to the kind of environment I am talking about. Yes, it is challenging and yes it takes a brave heart to get into a new campus, but when I decided to be a part of the TISS family, I was pretty much aware of what I could expect from this institute.
All in all I am extremely content so far. I have worked in the IT industry, Banking and Retail Industry, Manufacturing Industry and my faculty mentors have beautifully carved the HR experience for each student here. My projects have had a huge variety from Employee Engagement, Employee On-boarding, Great Places to Work Survey, Strategy, Employee Bench Management and Labour Laws Compliance and Statutes. I will let the reader decide for whether this kind of experience is worth a shot. And when it comes to placements, I am very sure that this is not an Institute which needs great students to survive. This is an institute that can transform its students into professionals of mettle.
Hence, 'N' is a rational number.
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About The Author:
Rimleena Boro is pursuing her MA in Human Resource Management at Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai - Hyderabad Campus. She is from the batch of 2017.