Monday 28 January 2019

Opportunity comes to those who dare to attack.....!


Born in Rajasthan and brought up in Kolkata, he was an average student with strong passion for body building. During the mentees’ meet, he used to take more interest in body building competitions. He went and attended several of them in Pune and other places.

Few days back he walked up to me and told that he was placed. Looking at his academic background (which is average to describe the most) I was very happy and asked him to celebrate. But he looked confused and lost. He did not have confidence in the company from where he had received the offer. AVP (Placements), who had connected with the company, asked him to join without thinking much. Looking at his modest resume, I also pushed him to join the job. His father told him to give it a trial……….

Prof. Sushant Nanda
HOD - Marketing
Suddenly he walked up to my room yesterday. He looked restless and wanted to desperately share something (during the meets he never talked too much). After throwing a clinically penetrative look at him, I asked with apprehension “Is everything okay?”   “Great going Sir, thanks to Prof Vidhya Srinivas, I got a great opportunity” he said. I said “But I remember, you were complaining about the offer (and was trying to recollect the name of the company that he was selected)”.

“No sir, they actually offered me much more”.  This was something unusual to hear. I looked at him eagerly to hear more.   “And “he continued….. “ During the selection process they had announced the fixed CTC @ 4 lacs +  incentives. But once I joined, they asked me if I was open for the international marketing cell, where they had a vacancy. They also assured me to train me there and I agreed”.   “It sounds interesting, please continue”, I said.

“The moment I gave my nod, they confirmed my appointment letter with 5 lakhs fixed CTC. Besides they give me meals and beverages services on the house. I am going to travel overseas soon after my training and currently applying for my passport for the same”. He continued in one breath and would have loved to go on. But the mounting loads of answer sheets all around me forced me to cut the long story half way.

He has now joined a posh and upmarket gym at Bandra bandstand and trains there everyday morning before going to the office which is closeby). He carries his office clothes and takes a shower before changing over. On a lighter note, the promoters are friends of Shahrukh khan whose house is one house away. And he is, of course, looking forward to meet him sooner than later.

Long live Vishnu Lahoti and his employers M/s Stelmec Ltd.  Long live the AVP, Prof. Vidhya  Srinivas, who helped Vishnu to reach there.


Morale : “Opportunity comes  to those who  dare to attack” … And we have to constantly push our students to attack them in this cut throat competition!

Wednesday 9 January 2019

UBS - My Alma Mater!


Samita Kumar Chahal
Cardiff MBA2 

(Batch 2013-14)
Universal Business School, popularly known as UBS, is a dream come true for the students who are interested in international education at affordable investment with exceptional pedagogy focusing on experiential learning.
Learning in the lap of nature is such a delightful experience that one of our students, Raj Kattimani ended up writing a whole book which is dedicated to his tenure at Universal Business School with each chapter committed to different aspects of his stay at campus.
Diverse Classrooms
At present, there are approximately 500 students from almost all 26 states of the country making UBS a melting pot of cultures. All the batches have students ranging from academic backgrounds like science, commerce, humanities to work experience and freshers which makes the institute ‘universal’ in true sense. The biggest advantage of being a part of assorted batch is that one gets to learn a great deal about different cultures prevailing in one’s own country, their traditions and customs, their beliefs and disbeliefs which widens the mental horizons of the students. This helps in laying the foundation of the professional world which is the ultimate goal of majority students wanting to pursue MBA. 
UBS Admission Process– Universal in its true spirit
Awarded as the “Most Innovative B-School” in Mumbai by India Today and Aajtak, UBS is committed to having a class which is an amalgamation of all possible academic streams, cultural backgrounds, family credentials so on and so forth. There are six key parameters on the basis of which students are selected namely Academics (10th, 12th and graduation), Entrance Exam (CMAT, GMAT, C-MAT, CET), Extra Curricular activities, Communication Skills, Work Experience/ Leadership and Statement of Purpose/ Letters of Reference. Even if one has all these parameters in place, admission in UBS is not a cake walk because a stringent admission process awaits you ahead.
Apart from showcasing your presence of mind, general awareness, ability to handle challenging situations, you need to bring in unpretentious and authentic recommendations from your mentors. Another piece of advice is to plan and write your statement of purpose which plays a crucial role in the selection process. This essay should clearly mention your career goals, the reasons to pursue MBA and UBS as your choice of school.
UBS Advantage
Though there are varied leads for the MBA aspirants to select a certain b-school yet there is one utmost reason which should be at the top of their list while making a choice and that is the faculty. As teachers, mentors and scholars, faculty plays a crucial role in the academic life of the students. Universal Business School certainly has an edge in this sphere of the academics as well. One of the finest in the country, UBS faculty comprises of nationally and internationally experienced academicians. Equipped with corporate experience and academic governance, the faculty at UBS imparts theoretical as well as practical competence while making the students corporate ready from the nascent stage. The world class faculty at UBS teaches at some of the prestigious global establishments like Stanford, INSEAD, Oxford, IIMs and JBIMS. Since the learning methodology at UBS focuses on experiential learning, academics is an intellectually stimulating experience. Events like 50 hours case study competitions called Case Blazer, Interaction with real world CEOs through Global CEO Series, trading in global markets in stocks, bonds, commodities and currencies in Thomson Reuters Global Cross Asset Trading Room are a few highlights of academics arena at UBS.
For holistic approach towards professional development, UBS has a plethora of student clubs which are professional as well as social like Marketing Club, Reading Club, Finance Club, Rush4Rush, Midnight Sunrise and many more. Overall, participation in such events with strong domain knowledge is the seamless recipe for unparalleled placement opportunities provided by UBS. Over the years, there have been more than 300+ companies on campus with 857+ campus interview openings to the students. 6.87 interviews per person and 121 pre-finishing offers in the year 2018 alone are evidences enough for UBS’s robust corporate connect and its alumni metal. Looking at sector wise distribution, Banking & Financial Services, FMCG and Consulting remain the top three recruiters at UBS.
Advice for aspirants
One advice which all MBA aspirants should take seriously is to work hard on the application; most importantly the interviews and statement of purpose. It is your attention to detail and focus which will get you through the admission process at UBS. And at UBS, it will be life transforming experience with only possibilities and no limits!