It has been one year now since I made that life changing decision to join MHRM course of IIT Kharagpur, following my ambition to do an HR course from a top tier institution, so as to develop myself into an efficient people manager. As in the case of every CAT aspirant, taking this decision involved a lot of questions, research, curiosity and doubts prior to it; and also the rejection of many other promising offers. One year down the lane, I am happy that I could take the most judicious decision of that time, and hereby have consolidated my whole experience of the one year:

1. Opportunity to undergo Winter Internship Training

One of the major benefits that I gained by being the part of MHRM IIT KGP is the one month vacation in December to do a full time winter internship, apart from the usual summer internship programs. This is an exclusive benefit of the IIT academic calendar. For a fresher like me, that one month proved to be the bridge between the academia and a well-designed corporate exposure. I was able to relate and implement my theoretical knowledge into a practical domain, and could get a full-fledged experience of how a real HR team in a multinational organization functions. Post the experience, all the theoretical inputs provided by the course further, were easily relatable to the functioning of any organization and the purpose of each of the theories and concepts taught could be clearly understood.

2. IIT tag and exposure

It is generally said that the IIT tag is the second most valuable brand in India after the Taj Mahal. Being the part of MHRM IIT KGP, the IIT tag was something which cannot be overlooked; and which can stays for one’s whole lifetime. Apart from the tag, the exposure given in the vast lush green 2100 acre campus of KGP, housing various disciplines of engineering, management, law, humanities, aerospace and even medicine is just incomparable. It is a fun talk that there is no specialization which is unavailable in KGP. During the last one year, I could connect and learn with a number of people; starting from PhD research scholars to All India JEE toppers of B.Tech. The insights and knowledge that I gained by connecting with researchers in the fields of Economics, Finance, Electronics, Medical Technology and even Law, have helped a lot in building up my overall personality and awareness.

3. Links with VGSOM

One of the main advantages of being a part of MHRM IIT KGP is the chance to connect and learn from the Vinod Gupta School of Management (VGSOM). Apart from having classes of Marketing, Operations and Strategic Management together along with the MBA folks in VGSOM, we also get the opportunity to attend Guest Lectures and other events like HR Conclave organized by VGSOM. Making connections with the much bigger batch of VGSOM has given me the platform to learn various aspects of other fields apart from HR, and also receive inputs from leading minds from diverse backgrounds.

4. Core focus on HR, exclusive Psychology courses

Being part of a specialized course in HR, MHRM has given me the opportunity to focus and dedicate more time to my field of interest starting from the first day, along with subjects like Economics and Finance, and hence helped me in planning out my career and future paths in a much more efficient way. MHRM IIT KGP is the only HR course in the country which has specialized courses on Psychology, Psychometric testing and Research Methodology; all of which are critical components in strategic Human Resource Management. Psychometric testing has become an indispensible process in any Talent Acquisition exercise. Statistical analytics is also given great importance throughout the syllabus, which is the future of any field.

5. Faculty-student ratio

MHRM IIT KGP might be the only management course in the country having more number of faculties than the number of students. Owing to small batch size, this leads to more personal attention to each student and his/her development, with all faculties knowing each student personally by name. This has helped in being much more comfortable and thereby aiding in self-development. The small batch size also reduces extreme cut throat competition for internships/placements for the companies that visit us.

6. Campus life

The obvious benefit of being a KGPian is the campus life. KGP is equipped with full time free Wi-Fi, gyms even at hostels, swimming pool, subsidized eateries like Café Coffee Day, Subway, Dominos, Mio Amore etc.; a Tech market inside the campus where all goods required by students can be bought, a fully functional hospital, helipad, Netaji auditorium for movies every week, students’ gymkhana, lakes; cricket, football, basketball, tennis, badminton, hockey grounds and what not! The 2100 acre campus itself is a source for relaxation and relief to go cycling around. Major landmarks like Nehru Museum (Hijli jail, Air Force Base of WW1) give that historical touch to the first IIT of the nation. My one year at campus also gave me exposure to IIT KGP’s Techno-management fest “Kshitij”, annual social and cultural festival “Spring Fest” and the famous “Illumination” celebration of IIT KGP during Diwali. The location disadvantage of KGP has also been solved through corporate Guest Lectures shifting to virtual mode, especially during to COVID scenario.

7. Access to digital library, courses sponsored in Coursera

Being part of an Institution of National Importance also gave me access to various amenities and facilities provided for carving out the best in ourselves. The Central library of IIT KGP is one of the largest technical libraries in Asia, equipped with modern facilities. It gives us access to a number of renowned journals, publications and also to a vast collection of books in all areas. IIT KGP also provided us with sponsored certification courses in Coursera platform, and hence giving us the freedom to improve ourselves with the aid of internationally renowned universities in the areas of our interests and obtain certifications for professional advancement.

8. Return on Investment (ROI)

Another notable highlight of MHRM IIT KGP has been the ROI it provides. With a fees of just Rs.75,000/- per semester and other subsidized stay and mess charges, there is always less pressure on the students to repay bank loans after completion of the management course. Hence this allows us to choose our career and role wisely as per our intrinsic motivation, and thereby grow in it. This factor becomes very critical especially in a pandemic situation like now, where heavy investment in MBA is a highly doubtful matter. With an average CTC of close to Rs.10 lakhs per annum, MHRM IIT KGP undoubtedly can be one among the top management courses in terms of ROI.

Overall, my one year has been very rewarding and enriching at MHRM IIT KGP, developing myself into a better personality and a better manager. I am very thankful to all those who have played a role in this development process.

Niceson Sunil

My One Year Experience At MHRM IIT Kharagpur