IFMR: Where traditional management meets the modern way

It’s been two months now since my batch graduated from IFMR, but the memories of the Institute, the classes and the professors haven’t faded yet. What made IFMR so special to all of us? It was the student-friendly management, highly qualified professors — among the best in the country, and, of course, the state-of-the-art campus located on a sprawling 40-acre campus among MNCs. IFMR is a place where the traditional way of management meets and mingles with modern ideas.

Financial engineering

IFMR is one of the few B-schools in the country that has a niche course in finance, called financial engineering.

As the risks faced by the financial markets have increased following the global recession in 2008 and with the introduction of Basel 3 norms for banks, financial engineering helps design products with proper risk-management measures at their core.

Student committees

One of the busiest and most interesting aspects of student life in a B-school is being on a student committee, be it with Placecom, a selfless job, where you have the responsibility of placing the entire batch; the External Relations team – constantly maintaining industry-academia relationship by organising guest lectures and conferences; or Alcom, which maintains the network of alumni by organising alumni chapters across several cities.

These responsibilities give one the ability to think on one’s feet, manage crises and, most importantly, how to work as a team.

Campus life

Apart from working on one of these committees and the endless assignments, there are several clubs too. Most students are members of one of these: sports club, music club, Laasya (entertainment club) or quiz club.

These facilities make sure that students chill out periodically and have enough fun to rejuvenate themselves. When we didn’t have classes on a particular day, we would love to spend our time at the library, having coffee chats and playing badminton or table-tennis.

Placement preparations

The preparation for placements begins from the start of the fourth trimester, with the juniors constantly bugging seniors on what questions they faced during interviews and what certifications they need to make an impression with the interviewers.

One can find lot of crash courses relating to companies that visit the campus and also the topics they would discuss with the students.

Abhyudaya

Abhyudaya is the annual management fest organised by IFMR, which is completely student-driven. Students from top B-schools across India battle it out through various competitions in strategy, marketing, valuation, HR and operations. It is a three-day event with a choreo nite, band music and a fashion show.

Lakshmi Bal Mahotsav

Lakshmi Bal Mahotsav is the flagship event of IFMR, organised by Samarthan, the Institute’s social service club. The campus is decorated according to a theme. On the day of the event, children from the nearby orphanages and children’s homes are brought to the campus and the students spend their day with them, organising magic shows and games, and screening movies for them, and also providing them with school kits before they go back home.

This event not only provides us an opportunity to do service to society but also imbues in us the commitment to make a difference socially in whatever role we aspire to perform in the future.