Keep yourself abreast with what is happening in the world. - Reshma Majithia

Mukul Mehra an ardent stamp collector, an avid reader, a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) fan, did his Engineering in Electronics from VJTI, Matunga, worked for 14 months at Tata Teleservices as a Senior Engineer and then joined up for an MBA course at Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education (SIMSREE) to better his educational and career profile. He shares the particulars of his journey with Reshma Majithia.

Tell our readers a bit about yourself, sketching your profile from a B.E electronics graduate from VJTI to an MBA student at Sydenham?
Well, I obtained very good marks in PCM (296/300) in Higher Secondary Board of Maharashtra (HSC) and I decided I would pursue an engineering course because at that time it was either medical or engineering as a career choice. I opted for VJTI and the four years I spent there taught me a lot of skills. After which I worked for 14 months at Tata Teleservices as a Senior Engineer. At work, I made most of the technical learning that I had acquired at VJTI but realized that I needed to have a post graduation degree. The choices available were to take up an MS or an MBA degree. I wanted to stay and work in India and hence that was instrumental in eliminating the MS option. When I finalized on the MBA, I took the Maharashtra CET 2009 and scored 99.78 percentile to get into Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education (SIMSREE).

Tell us about your job profile at Tata Teleservices?
At Tata Teleservices, I worked in the Operations and Maintenance Department handling the Value Added Services (VAS). Now, the VAS field is an upcoming area and it forms a large extent of the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) of the Telecom Industry. Also, my work involved a lot of technical knowledge. Hence, I got well versed in a lot networking, databases, signaling, etc. I would say the experience at Tata Teleservices has been very dynamic.

What led you to do an MBA and why did you choose Sydenham?
While working at Tata Teleservices, my job profile was very technical and I felt I could do better if I knew how the entire organization worked and how all the different departments worked in unison. Also, I wanted to take on more responsibilities and be in a position where I could make some substantial decisions. I realized that I needed to have some post graduate degree, which would help me to reach that level hence I decided to go for an MBA. I took the CAT, but unfortunately I did not do well. I then sat for the CET and scored well enough to get into the top colleges under CET. Sydenham as an institute is reputed and is one of the oldest colleges in India. Hence, I chose Sydenham over other colleges like KJ Somaiya, Welingkar's and PUMBA.

Why did you think of doing an MBA in Marketing after a BE electronics?
My main motive was to do an MBA. Once I joined Sydenham, I was given a year's time to decide the specialization from Finance, Marketing, HR, Operations and Systems. Over the course of the first year, I realized I had a flair for selling, negotiating and I could promote/ project an idea, product well. Since these attributes are more related to Marketing, I decided I would take up Marketing. I also developed a keen interest in all marketing related subjects as also the FMCG industry. Hence, I finalized on an MBA in Marketing.

What were your weakest areas when you started for CET? How did you work on them?
Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation were my weak areas when I started preparing for CET. These overcame only by sheer practice. Now CET involves the use of speed along with accuracy. And the only way to succeed at CET is through constant practice. I used to solve at least two mock question papers daily by creating an exam like environment at my home. I used to spend two hours on writing the question paper and the further four hours on analyzing the entire paper and finding out areas where I could have done better.

Tell us about your selection experience at Sydenham highlighting the structure and the way the process is conducted?
Sydenham follows DTE's Common Admission Process (CAP). To get admission in Sydenham, you first need to appear for CET. The CET written exam is of 200 marks, which involves 200 multiple-choice questions (MCQs). You get one mark for every correct answer. No negative marks for incorrect answers. The DTE declares the CET marks before starting the next process. The next process involves the Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). The student has to register for GD/PI and he is allotted a date and centre for the GD/PI. The GD is for 17 marks and the PI for another 17 marks. 4 marks are allotted to your previous academic performance and 2 marks for your work experience (if any). The total evaluation is out of 240 marks. A rank is assigned to you based on your marks out of 240 and depending upon the rank, you have to give your preferences of colleges you want to take admission into. Once you submit your preferences, you are assigned a college as per your rank. Once the college has been assigned you have to take admission there.

I scored 142 (99.78 percentile) in CET out of 200. Then I had my GD/ PI sessions at Jankidevi Bajaj Institute of Management in Santacruz. Since my previous academic performance was good I got 4 marks there. Also, since I had worked for 14 months, I got 1 mark for my work experience. My GD/ PI went well and I scored 29/ 34 in GD/ PI which brought my overall score to 176/ 240. I got a state rank of 125 and Mumbai University rank of 111. At my rank, I easily made it to Sydenham PGDBM in the first round itself.

How was your experience with the GD and interview? What were the most valuable lessons that you learned from that experience?
As far as my experience is concerned, the PI experience was really good but I can't say the same thing about the GD. The topic, discussed in the GD, was "Ethics and Values in today's corporate culture". There were twelve of us in the discussion and only five (including me) of us spoke and brought out good points to make it a healthy discussion. Others were trying to speak but they managed to repeat some of the already stated points and could add nothing new to the GD. The good thing was that it didn't turn out to be a "fish market". The discussion went on for 15 minutes and at the end everyone was given a chance to summarize.

Considering the PI, elections 2009 were under way around that time and the results had just been declared. I had followed the elections with great interest. My PI hovered around the elections only. It was so much in detail that the panelists even asked me the exact count of the number of seats by which UPA won. But I was prepared for that answer and give out all the figures. They seemed pretty satisfied with my answers. They also quizzed me on the stock markets and the impact of recession on the markets. I was prepared for that too and gave them satisfactory answers. So, overall my PI went well.

A very important lesson learnt here is that you need to keep yourself abreast with what is happening in the world. You need to know current affairs well. For that daily reading of the newspapers is a must. And it is not just plain reading. You need to form your own opinion on each and every issue/ news item you read. Ask yourself what is right or wrong, what should be done, how to do it, etc. Also, you should read editorials as they give you valuable insights about current topics. They help you decide your viewpoint on a particular issue.

Another lesson learnt was to keep your calm in pressure situations. The panelists in the PI would try to unnerve you, but you have to remain patient and not try to be upset. You have to stay calm and composed.

What is the course structure and pedagogy followed at Sydenham?
At Sydenham two courses are offered to students, MMS and PGDBM. MMS is a degree course, which comes under the University of Mumbai and PGDBM, which is a diploma course. It is also an autonomous course conducted by the Government of Maharashtra. The syllabus, however, is more or less the same for both the courses and the placements too happen on the same level i.e. the recruiters do not distinguish between the students of the two courses.

Sydenham follows a semester pattern. The two years are divided into four semesters. The first year (two semesters) is common for all the students. The third semester is specialization specific (Finance, Marketing, HR, Operations and Systems). The fourth semester is again common for all the students.

There is no CGPA system followed at Sydenham. We have the normal percentage system, which is followed by the University of Mumbai. The course structure is designed as per the norms of the University of Mumbai.

Considering the pedagogy, each subject follows a 60-40 rule. The evaluation for each subject is out of 100 marks, which are divided into 60 marks for the written exam, and 40 marks for the internal evaluation. Each semester comprises 1100 marks of evaluation. 14 teaching sessions of 3 hours each (i.e. 42 hours of teaching) have been allotted for each subject. The professors teach the subject first in these hours. The internal evaluation (40 marks) happens on case studies, presentations, class tests, class participation and vivas. Post the completion of the 42 hours; the remaining 60 marks are evaluated on a final written exam.

What would you like to tell all MBA aspirants who probably yearn to be in your shoes?
MBA requires a lot of reading. So, those aspiring to go for an MBA degree this year, start reading newspapers. Current affairs are a must. Follow business news; try to understand what goes into a business. Of course, you will not understand all of it but at least get familiar with the terms associated with it so that you can connect with the topics when they are being discussed in an MBA class.

Anything that one needs to know and be prepared for when it comes to an MBA programme?
The MBA journey is not going to be an easy one. You would have to go through grinding hours of pressure. You would have to manage several things all together at once. You will not have a single moment of relaxation at least in the first year of MBA. But you would enjoy doing all that. So, be prepared for that. You have to be proactive in all the things you do.

Also, realize that MBA is not about studying, studying and only studying. You have to be involved in extra-curricular activities too. They help you in building your overall personality.

So, come with an open mind and utilize these two years of MBA in learning as much as you can, as these learnings would help you throughout life.