FMS (Faculty of Management Studies) Delhi is literally “The Red Building of Dreams”. Most of the people here come to realise their dream of becoming proficient in management education and the school does not disappoint. It is definitely not like your typical top B-school in the country. Apart from teaching you core management skills through classroom and societal activities, it also helps you become street smart.
The lack of hostel infrastructure pushes you to find your own accommodation, travel and food arrangements. A life in the corporate world would most probably require you to find accommodation, live by yourself with people you haven’t met before and balance your personal and professional life. That is exactly what this experience exposes you to. It teaches you independence and ability to deal with people from various backgrounds. It particularly educates you in the art of figuring out your demands, compromising on certain needs, communicating clearly, negotiating and taking a stand for what you believe in.
Another skill that every FMS student can boast upon is time management. With regular classes from 9 till 5, Assignments, Projects, Society activities, Guest Lectures and other interactions, it sounds like there would be absolutely no time to breathe. But students often find a way to fit all of this into their day and give their 100% to every activity that they are part of. Apart from this, they also participate in multiple national B-school, cultural and sports competitions.
With our class size being fairly small (around 60 students), there is an opportunity for more one on one interactions with the professors. It gives the students an opportunity to ask more questions in the class and clarify their basic concepts. All in all, FMS is one of the very few B Schools that gives you the opportunity to learn and gain professional aptitude while building life skills.
A MEMORABLE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE IN B-SCHOOL
When it comes to describing the most memorable experience in the classroom, I probably cannot pinpoint one experience out of all the ones we have had over the last 10 days. From professors who make sure that the class has a laugh every once in a while with their sarcastic remarks, to students coming up with stunning quips, it has been a surreal journey so far. However, I would like to describe how the general classroom experience has changed particularly for me.
Having converted FMS in the later lists, everything felt extremely overwhelming initially. People who converted in the first list had the opportunity to get to know each other fairly well while it seemed impossible for me to socialise in and outside the class. I felt fairly distant from the whole experience having moved out of the house for the first time. A number of external factors mentioned before like house hunting, adjustments, homesickness, workload and a whole lot of new people further added to it. The fear of failure gradually set in.
After a couple of days into the system, the section lists came out and I did not have to look back. Although initially, I made a conscious effort to go and interact with as many people as possible, things began to look better. Now, In a classroom of 60 odd students, everyone knows everyone. There are no little clicks that people stick to and everyone goes that extra mile to make others feel comfortable and it already feels like family. In an extremely short period of time and in spite of the other factors remaining constant, the experience that I have had initially and the one I am currently undergoing are like night and day.
INTRODUCING - SOME OF MY CRAZY BATCHMATES
Mridul Agarwal
I am sure most of us know about iDiva’s segment on South Delhi Girls. Mridul is an amazing actor and our favourite bit of hers is when she emulates the girls from the video. As soon as anyone from the batch now hears the phrase “Gokul bhaiyyaaa”, they would think of her. She comes from the city of Jaipur and has been to South Korea, Goa, Himachal and a multitude of other places all by herself. She loves laughing and her smile is infectious.
Pratishtha Agarwal
A number of people do an MBA typically for a better salary or a change in career. What’s unique about her is that she left a well- paying job in the field that she absolutely loves just out of pure passion for further education / an MBA degree. She absolutely loves solo travelling and has been to Phuket, Himachal, J&K, Uttarakhand amongst other places. Pratishtha is extremely straightforward and does not stay quiet if she believes someone is being discriminative.
Sahiti Audi
Probably the first thing I should tell you about her is that she hates being photographed. What she really enjoys, however, is reading. Her being an IIT Kharagpur graduate, who is now in FMS makes her seem like she is conventional. Her dream, however, is to write fiction for children. She is smart, creative and more than anything, a great person.
(Her favourite series is the Harry Potter series)
Maruti Ram Jonnalagadda
He again started off by taking the conventional path and went to IIT-BHU. One year after graduation, he decided he wanted to pursue finance as a career. He finished 2 levels of CFA before coming into graduate school at FMS. Apart from being an overachiever, he is incredibly humble, friendly and puts everyone around him at ease. He is also notorious for getting into all sorts of trouble.
WHAT ABG COMPANY WOULD YOU WANT TO WORK FOR?
Aditya Birla Group has adopted a very strong value system comprising of Integrity, Commitment, Passion, Seamlessness and Speed. Although these values are reflected in all their companies, it is especially evident in Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited. I personally appreciate its culture of fostering excellence and giving people enough space to take initiative. I have always wanted to work for a company that puts its values before its business obligations while also keeping up with the changing consumer needs. The company embodies these traits empowering its employees to meet both personal and professional goals, resulting in the attainment of a growth mindset.
