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Starting my IMB Journey

I started my IMB journey at SDA Bocconi Asia Center in July after clearing the admission process in the first round itself. The time gap in between gave me enough time to contemplate my decision. I have been born and brought up in Ahmedabad and have had very limited connections with people outside Gujarat. However, I started interacting with my fellow colleagues from the very beginning. The diverse background of the students made it a very overwhelming experience to start with, considering their age and spectrum of experience. I found myself in a crowd of people who were exceptionally talented and highly motivated to achieve something in their lives. Having a peer group of such talented individuals gave me the confidence that I would require to transform myself into the best version of myself in the coming 2 years. Any management program demands immeasurable hours of studies, sleepless nights and not to mention undeterred dedication but our institute made sure that they prepared us for what was to come with the help of various workshops. These workshops were designed for us to get accustomed to and have basic knowledge of the courses. This was possible because the school acknowledged the fact that all the students are from various backgrounds and everyone stands differently. Market research, idea generation, and accounting were some of the workshops conducted among others that helped lay a foundation for us to start our studies upon. Only after ensuring that the students have the basic knowledge did the institute go ahead with the core subjects of the curriculum. Despite the online platform of studying due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I made a lot of friends and we studied together on video calls. We spoke not only about our cultures, but I also extremely enjoyed learning about the different lifestyles of people. We had myriad guest lectures from the start, covering different domains, ranging from sales, marketing, operations, and supply chain management which were led by top leaders from the industry. They tried to give us an insight into these domains to help us better understand the scope of the current job market. During these lectures, many activities were conducted to break the ice among the students and help them get acquainted with each other well. This was followed by various committee selections which demanded hard work and dedication and it was my privilege to get into the Placement Committee of SDA Bocconi Asia Center. Moreover, we were exposed to case study competitions wherein we won some and also lost some. The school has many professional clubs such as marketing, finance, operations, entrepreneurship, HULT Prize, 180 DC, TedEx Masters, and many more which offer you opportunities to explore more in the fields of one’s interest. I enjoyed the vigorous and creative selection process for these clubs while helping my other friends throughout this process. Being from a technical background, I faced difficulty in understanding finance and accounting. We had Italian professors for the subjects of Accounting and Understanding Investments. They paid special attention to each and every student to ensure that everyone had a strong foundation for the subjects. We always had our teachers and our seniors to guide us which made the process easier. I would like to make a special mention of professor Davide Reina who took the subject of marketing for us. I loved how a three-hour class was made so interesting and interactive where the first one and a half-hour of the class would be a lecture and the second half would consist of case studies that we would solve in groups. He has such a unique teaching style and always kept the class interesting. I really look up to him. I am excited about charting out my journey with SDA Bocconi Asia Centre and growing through every part of this course About Mansi Shah, IMB Class 2023 An information and communication technology engineering graduate with a penchant for constantly pushing the limits and dabbling into diverse departments sums me up perfectly. I have a distinguished history in managing several avenues ranging from academics, sports, internships to extracurriculars and breezing through them with substantial results. I am a national level volleyball player. I enjoy writing, modelling and dancing. Having said that I am a published writer. Not limiting myself to just one domain, I have held various leadership positions in sports and entrepreneurship cell of my bachelors institute. Author – Mansi Shah | Editor – Rohan Mehrotra and Vedika Nathani

At The End Of The First Trimester At MISB Bocconi One Feels…

This article is written by PGPB5 student Arko Biswas Alongside the long Diwali weekend, the first trimester at MISB Bocconi also came to an end last week. It was 4 months of new introductions and experiences as I began my journey. It has been quite a start, as someone from a conservative Mumbai College it has been quite a journey. The first thing that appealed to me about my class at MISB was the remarkable diversity that had been assembled for the 5th PGPB batch. I got the opportunity to meet colleagues from almost every state in India. This has played a significant role in broadening my worldview. I have never lived outside of Mumbai before and it was quite a thrill to meet people different states and backgrounds. This was also probably the first time when I hung out with a group where every individual was from a different state and had their unique sense of humor and eccentricities. This impact this exposure had on me cannot be understated. Academically, MISB has been a period of adaptation and great exposure. Having spent most of my life in the typically mechanical learning based Indian education system MISB has been a welcome change in pace. Meeting professors that genuinely care about the learning process their students go through and get involved in our lives by providing a personal touch. For instance, almost every professor has shared with us details of their families and personal lives, sometimes in the span of a few weeks we develop a bond deep enough for them to share stories about their children and insightful tales of their career experiences. In fact, at MISB we are even encouraged to invite our professors out for drinks on the weekends. This unique relationship that we develop with our professors is one of the reasons why MISB has been so academically enriching. These few months at MISB have also been instrumental in changing my opinion of myself, coming into the course I was young graduate full of self-belief and a know it all attitude. However spending time with my new colleagues and professors has been eye-opening. It has been a humbling experience as I have come to realize the caliber of competition that I will have to face as I step into the market after my MBA. Facing my first intensive day of interviews and group discussions, competing with classmates who pushed me to be the best has been one of the highlights of the last few months. Additionally, the best thing about studying and working at MISB has been the batch size. As a result of which we have become a close-knit group. I have learned about solidarity and facing challenges as a unit. Every time a colleague wins a competition or lands a good internship I believe we all feel proud together. We are quick to share opportunities with each other and help each other out. Even the administration and career development services are able to give personal attention to almost every student, which will make a huge difference in the long run. In summation, the first trimester at MISB has been a wholesome ride. Combining the hectic life of an MBA program with the growth experience of making new friends and forging bonds with our professors, its had been a start of changing opinions and broadening horizons. A solid bedrock has been laid for the program ahead as we as a class work to better ourselves and eventually step out into the world as proud Bocconians.

Bocconian in Powai

This article is written by Livia Thomas of PGPB5 Its 4PM and you’re dying to just get out of class so you can do that epic Bollywood run in fields of daisies towards your best friend from the other class and into the outside world. Okay maybe not that dramatic, but here’s what your life post 4PM in Powai is going to look like through the week. Powai is kind of a hub of everything you need. It’s like a goodie bag of all your needs and wants. To meet your grocery needs, Powai offers you D Mart (most of their stuff is discounted) and Haiko. Try to not go there on Friday nights or weekend nights – if you have to go, I would suggest carrying a bottle of water and some tents because it’s gonna be a looong night at the cash counter. Powai has an array of restaurants ranging from a Maggi budget to a Sushi budget. When you’re broke, I would suggest eating from Santosh Café (All mallus, take note), Faasos, Relishus, Curry me Up and Gold Coin (Check Zomato for more restaurants in the like). There are a lot of dabba systems around here in case you want home cooked meals. When you feel rich and fabulous, go down the lane after D-Mart  you’ll come across a lot of fancy nice places like Red Olives, Pizza Express, Chili’s etc. There are also places like Subway, Papa John’s etc on the same lane. Sugar lovers, not to fret, Powai has Theobroma’s, Naturals Ice Cream, Aromas and SO much more! Now let me introduce you to our second home after college  GALLERIA. This is a mini hub where you have all sorts of stores ranging from electronics stores to chaatwaalas to other eateries to accessories shops . Okay you get the idea. You sort of have to pass by Galleria to get to a lot of spots in Powai. You party people, you! We have the famous Harry’s Pub, Rumours Lounge (they have karaoke! Can I hear an Amen?!), Rude Lounge (great music, lot of space, good crowd, good food) and a lot other places. Don’t worry, we have budget places in this category as well. Phew, guys, there is a lot more to explore in Powai. If I tell you everything, what’s the fun in going to a new place? So let me take leave here and let you guys do the exploration. Welcome to Powai, folks!

Women at MISB Bocconi: An Organizational Imperative

                  A growing body of evidence continues to point to the value of women in business. And yet a recent report by the Harvard Business Review points to an incongruent lack of representation by women — both students and faculty — at many international business schools. We believe strongly in the case for gender diversity at MISB Bocconi, and have established bridging this gap as an organizational imperative. Let’s take a closer look at the current state of women in business in India, at MISB Bocconi, and what we’re doing to make equality a reality. The Case for Women A recent report from global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company reveals that gender equality is more than a social concern, but also a critical factor in global growth. How much so? McKinsey research suggests that achieving parity has the potential to add a whopping $12 trillion to the global economy. With the fastest projected incremental GDP growth in the world, India is uniquely positioned to lead the pack when it comes to fueling the economy by adding more women to the workforce. However, India also faces unique challenges when it comes to promoting gender equality. In fact, a recent study from Catalyst, the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to creating more inclusive workplaces, reveals that while top-level women in India’s high-powered technology sector may actually begin their careers at levels equivalent to men, they advance less quickly and earn less over time. Shachi Irde, Catalyst India WRC’s Executive Director asserts, In India’s growing economy, with high job mobility and the corresponding high demand for talent, organizations must do everything they can to attract and retain women who, the study shows, are amongst their most committed employees. Ensuring pay equity, equal access to developmental opportunities, and flexible and inclusive environments for women is critical for retaining talent in India’s technology sector.” Aiming for Diversity at MISB Bocconi If you’ve read any of our application materials or blogs, you’re likely already aware that diversity is critical at MISB Bocconi. In our quest to foster a class with a global frame of reference and accordingly rich perspective, we strive to welcome students from many different backgrounds. We believe that women are a very important part of reaching that goal. Currently, women make up approximately 30 percent of each PGPB class, and are also well-represented on our faculty. However, we know we can do better, and we are constantly striving to add more women to our community of thought leaders. In doing so, we believe we can position India for even greater success on the global stage.