Recollections of FMS - my Alma Mater
I recently chanced upon this report ( Why FMS Delhi rocks ) about my alma mater, the Faculty of Management Studies at the University of Delhi. Six long years of post-MBA professional gruel doesn’t seem to have dampened my sensitivity or loyality towards the institute and hence I find myself compelled to blog this.
The article talks about how FMS, being a university faculty cannot match upto autonomous or private MBA schools in terms of campus facilities but makes up for this obvious drawback by virtue of being physically located in the heart of India’s best university. In fact, the faculty premises are sandwiched between the Delhi School of Economics, DSE (unarguably, the fountainhead of economic research/policy in India) and the Institute of Economic Growth, IEG (another leading economic think-tank of the country).
I can vouch for what report says ; some of my most endearing moments at the institute were the guest lectures we attended at FMS, involving some of the ‘superstar’ economists of the country viz. Prof. B. B. Bhattacharya, director of IEG and Bibek Debroy, who was then at IIFT and currently is the head of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies.
To this day, I rue the missed opportunity of listening to Amartya Sen (fresh from his 1998 Economics Nobel Prize) address a gathering at the DSE in 1999, owning to some unavoidable concurrent engagement. The opportunity to interact with such people, take up non-credit courses( this seems to be a new thing ) and access the libraries of these institutes is something, no other MBA school in the country can match and kind of compensates for all the shortcomings associated with studying at a university funded institution.
While on this topic, here’s a quick, spontaneous back-of-the-envelope SWOT for the institute.
- Student Quality– excellent, comparable to the best anywhere in the country
- Quality of Education– excellent for majors in marketing/finance/HR; good for operations; ok for IT/Systems
- Infrastructure– needs improvement; many lower ranked institutes probably have better infrastructure.
- Interaction with Faculty– very good, since batch strength is only 75
- Interaction with Industry– excellent, being in the capital
- Feel of the Place/Atmosphere – the way it should be at any top grade MBA school
- Cost– very inexpensive, being university funded
- Placements– excellent for marketing & finance; good for IT/systems, consulting & operations; ok for HR
- Lesser independence in shaping course content; hence trifle slow in incorporating latest industry trends in syllabi
- Reputation in Industry (based on alumni)– excellent (however you are not likely to encounter a large number of FMS alumni in industry, since batch strength is only 75 a year)
- The road ahead- the institute has to guard against erosion of its reputation as private institutes (with more financial muscles) and foreign universities get firmly established in our education system.
16 comments
Hi Amit , Most things are still the same
Hi, Amit,.. I’m in the FMS Batch of 2007.. got routed here through Lijo’s blog. It’s great to read good stuff about the institute. :).. Although I’ve just joined..been here for the past 3 months… its a fabulous place
Hi Li & Aishwarya ,
Thanks for stopping by ; you should make the most of the time you are getting to spend at FMS. The place will slowly grow on you .
I’m nostalgic about the place as I write this.
Hi Amit,
Chanced upon this link while searching for FMS references at blogspot.com
. I am from the batch of 2006 and have just joined my first job. I have great memories of FMS and must say that I have really benefited from the experience. Its great to see other people who seem to share the same feelings.
Manuj Ohri
Batch of 2006
Hi Amit
Great job man……..
keep in touch
Hi Amit,
Chanced upon this blog while looking for links on FMS. Am part of the first MBA(management of Services) batch at FMS….just passed out this year. Fortunately, I was able to witness a lecture by Amartya Sen at India Habitat Centre in 2005. was an experience.
Seriously though, its only FMS that could provide a new course like the MS programme a perfect launch. Its only because of the Alumni, the links and past heritage that FMS beats other more “resourceful” business schools year after year in more fields than one.
Hi Premjit,
A specialised course in Managemnet of Services at FMS sounds interesting; It would seem that FMS is keeping up with what the industry needs.
amit
What is the quality of education at FMS ?? Since it is a govt college , I doubt if there are any classes that are held, like in the IIMs
Amit,
Please verify the facts. The number of FMS alumni are much more in the industry you have projected in your text. You are forgetting the people from MS batch, PT batch and PHD scholars.
Hi! Nice to be at your blog. I am from the FMS FT Batch of 2004.
I became the first person in FMS’s 50 yr history to get an International Summer Placement as i went to Houston on a project with GE Real Estate through GECIS back in summer 2003. I must say that FMS proved to be an outstanding platform and today I am flourishing in my Real Estate business mainly because of skills and experiences gained through my education at FMS Delhi.
Hi!!
I have enrolled myself in MBA (part time) for 2009~2012 batch.
Can anyone suggest how to benefit myself the most ?
hello,
it was my dream to study at FMS, which has realized and i enrolled
myself in MBA(PT) 2009-2012, I am working in LIC of India, for 17 yrs
B.A.,LL.B., Fellow of indian institute of insurance. I am in delima, as
there is no specific use of MBA in LIC and My age 40, what gain I can achiev from the Degree of Management.
Hi, i am very eager to come at FMS ,good infrastructure for good students always gives them and ideas that is sharing of ideas with the faculty and colleagues.Now the exam on 10th JAN ,will anybody help me regarding the exam what not to leave.
Thanks & Regards.
wow! its great
I happened to be part of North campus and kamla nagar market was quite famous for chole bhutre, traffic and banana shakes etc. I havent been there for a while but FMS and KMC college proximity to each other gave us enough goosebumps about management studies and all. Hope FMS is teaching some practical stuff and not text books.
Hi Amit,
Great stuff and it definitely helps me in coming over my dilemma…
i am selected for IIML n FMS , but not able to select one.. and many r suggesting that looking at long term benefits IIML can help better than FMS, can u please help me regarding this , send a mail to me please regarding this
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