Mumbai-based new-age business school, The BITS School of Management (BITSoM) has started its first academic session on July 5 for the two-year residential MBA degree program with its founding class of 140 students, out of which 35% 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.
In the current situation, classes will begin virtually from 12th July 2021. After the situation normalises and the government gives permission to educational institutes to resume classes physically, classes will be conducted at BITSoM’s world-class campus at Powai.
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.
Commenting on the commencement of the founding class, 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 personalized development plans, we will now help them realise their potential.”
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.
The students of the Founding class are well-rounded individuals, with achievements beyond academics. With roles ranging from being a scriptwriter and a production manager for a movie featured in an International Film Festival to starting their own online mobile accessory start-up and authoring books, a few have achieved success at a higher level. The batch also has a swimmer who has won four international medals till now.
