BITS School of Management (BITSoM) Mumbaihas started its first academic session today for the two-year residential MBA degree programme with its founding class of 140 students, out of which 35 per cent are women.
The batch comes from some of the best Indian and international undergraduate colleges such as the IITs, BITS Pilani, St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, Jesus & Mary College, Indraprastha College, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Jadavpur University, NIFT, University of Warwick, UK, New York University at Abu Dhabi, Purdue University, USA and McGill University, Canada, according to the release from the institute.
Diverse backgrounds
The students were selected after a rigorous selection process that comprised of academics, CAT/GMAT/GRE scores, extra-curricular achievements, and a personal interview. Fifty percent of the class has work experience of two or more years with top companies such as Amazon, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Morgan Stanley, TCS, and ZS Associates from across more than twenty industries.
BITSoM has already garnered strong interest for summer internships and/or final placements for its students from coveted names such as McKinsey & Co., Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Co., Hindustan Unilever, Pidilite, Swiggy, Udaan, and the Aditya Birla Group.
Dr Ranjan Banerjee, Dean, BITSoM said, “This is a strong founding class. Many of our students have chosen BITSoM over top national and international schools. This is remarkable for a school in its first year. The class has been chosen not only for academic excellence and test scores, but also for exceptional extra-curricular interests. We have a diverse, talented and enthusiastic class with strong communication skills. Through our unique curriculum, and personalised development plans, we will now help them realise their potential.”
Orientation plan
The first week of the academic session begins with a virtual orientation where students will attend workshops on solving case studies, a session on leadership perspectives by Prakash Iyer the best-selling author, motivational speaker and leadership coach. Prof Leena Chatterjee, head of the Department of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources, will conduct the introductory sessions on self-development. Each student at BITSoM will have a self-development plan which will be a first step towards their leadership journey at BITSoM.
During the week, a session is also planned for students and their families with Prof Raj Raghunathan, a member of the BITSoM Governing Council and a Professor of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.
In the current situation, classes will begin virtually from July 12, 2021. After the situation normalises and upon government approvals, classes will be conducted at BITSoM’s campus at Powai.