Why I Chose FMS Delhi for My MBA Journey

Written By: Abhishek Kumar

Why MBA from FMS over Other Colleges?

Doing an MBA, or even giving the CAT exam was not a part of my plans for 2020. After completing my B.Tech. I had gotten a job role as an Inside Sales Manager in a startup selling courses. At that time, I had planned to work in the Sales and Marketing domain for 2-3 years, before giving CAT and getting a boost in my career, and align my skill set even more with my future aspirations. Covid had other plans though. In May 2020, I passed my 4th year, final semester exams. In June 2020, I received a mail from the company that they could not onboard me due to the global crisis, and hence the job offer was revoked. 

FMS Delhi Campus (The Red Building of Dreams)

Due to the pandemic situation, the situation seemed just a tiny bit hopeless at the time. No job prospects, no work experience, no career plans, and I had to take a step back. Having always been good at reasoning and quants, a few of my friends, and my sister advised me to write the CAT exam. Since there was not much to lose, I filled the CAT form in August 2020. And in November 2020, I gave the exam, scoring 99.99 percentile in the same. 

Ultimately, I secured admission in FMS Delhi, and the roller coaster ride of my MBA started thereafter. 

When people are asked about their preference for FMS Delhi, especially over IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore, XLRI and sometimes even IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta, it always comes down to RoI. And while I will admit that RoI was a factor, candor does force me to admit that FMS was most definitely my best call. Due to various reasons, I did not receive a call from IIM B or IIM I, and among the others, either the interview did not go well enough (C, K), or my cumulative score did not get me past the Wait Lists(A, L). Average academics, what can you do! 

FMS Delhi Campus

Now, FMS’ primary USP, at least in the mind of people doing MBA, has always been it’s RoI, but after completing my MBA, I can say with certainty that it is not just that. Apart from being in the country’s capital, something that provides individuals with many unique and amazing opportunities, and being able to interact with and learn among the best of the peer groups, FMS also boasts of great teaching methods and even better faculties. All in all, a complete package. 

The fact that my initial interest in MBA was inclined towards Sales & Marketing, and FMS’ fame for this domain even among B-Schools is high, is just the cherry on top of this very tasty cake. 

Hostels at FMS Delhi 

Moving on from the USP and the attractiveness, I believe I should discuss the (cons?) of the college as well, or cons, as many would consider it. 

There are no designated hostels, I want to make it clear from the beginning, and while there is a small quota for FMS students in the VKRV hostel, in most batches, 5 or at most 10% of the FMS population lives in the DU hostels.

It might sound a bit cheesy if I say this, but at FMS, the whole world becomes your campus, and all the surrounding areas - whether it is Kamla Nagar, Kalyan Vihar or Shakti Nagar - your hostels. It is certainly not an equal to the campus and hostel life that the IIMs boast of, but then again, FMS did teach me a lot about life outside college. 

FMS Delhi Hostel

The FMS life is all about the self, and how much one wants to become involved in everything. I’ve seen people in my own batch who are Delhi natives, the ones who came for classes, then on most days, went back when the classes for the day were over. There is nothing wrong with this practice, but then, while you may still end up in a good place after the MBA, you won’t have all of the experiences alongside. Sudama ki Chai, or Kamla Nagar ke cafes, taking the e rickshaw to GTB for a metro to CP or Gurgaon, the late night Yulu rides in DU area, it is all a complete package where you can pick and choose what you want, and that is exactly what you get. 

Having experienced the hostel life during my UG, I of course missed it in FMS, but the FMS life taught me how to adapt to new circumstances, how to revel in those little-little moments of happiness. Driving scooties and bikes in wintery mornings for a breakfast of Samosa and Gulab Jamun was amazing. But so was taking walks in the evening around the colony, and finding newer and better chai ki tapris for those cups of chai and din bhar ki gossip. 

While I might have been able to have late night maggi parties in a hostel, the hostel might not have given me the experience of cooking Paneer Butter Masala and ordering rotis from zomato for a group of 6 while party songs play in our dining room. A dedicated hostel might have meant that every fest would have amazing participation, every fun activity will be inclusive of the whole batch or every lunch time would be spent gossiping in the mess, but the people who came to any gathering at FMS, a cultural event, a quiz, a race, a competition or literally anything else, meant to be there, and that almost always added to the fun. Spending evenings eating Dolma aunty ke momos or naturals ki ice cream might not have happened as much either. 

‘Rushing out of classes would mean you would be stuck in the Delhi traffic’ is a phrase that I never thought I would associate with myself. But as I remember turning my scooty around and taking the long way (and forgetting the way home in the initial days, only to stumble upon beauty of DU while fumbling along the roads at 8 in the night), all I feel is a nostalgia for what was, and that I want what that was to be with me again. Sure, FMS never gave me a hostel with a room of my own, but the memories I captured for myself will stay with me forever. 

Placements at FMS Delhi

While a B-school does not portray itself as a placement agency, and it of course, isn’t one, placements are an integral part of the B-Schools, simply because they give a direct fruitful result to the efforts of MBA students, and validate their 2-year journeys in the most materialistic manner.

During my time at FMS, the Summer placements started at a time when the pandemic was, not exactly at its peak, but still showing its terror in many ways. As such, the entire process took place online. Now, while I did have some experience with the offline placement process during my undergrad, the processes those days consisted of 1-2 companies coming to college in a day, and us sitting around mostly idly, while waiting our turn for the PI (Personal Interview). 

In FMS, even in an online setting, the placement process was very unexpected. Especially because I had not thought that sitting on your chair, and facing a screen while waiting for audio announcements on a zoom call could be so anxiety inducing. The online process obviously was a new one, against the norm, but our placement team (called CRAP, and yes, I’ve heard all the jokes and more), made adjustments all throughout to ensure a fair and systematic process, as much as possible. 

The college itself provides a base of operations for the CRAP team to operate, even in an online setting, and gives the students a break from the classes for the duration of the placement process, so that they can focus on getting a good internship/final offer. 

One does have to keep track of different portals, emails, new openings, new JDs and what-not, but the process is not as trauma-inducing as you would think after reading this (and I would know, because only on the second last day of the process did I give my very first interview, due to a mixture of bad luck and my CV not being really good, and cracked my second interview itself, so I would know much about the stress of the process). 

While the online and offline processes are different simply because of the virtual vs physical nature of the activity, I would share a typical placement day that is similar on both the aspects. First thing to note is that the days are long, the process may start for some companies from 4 or 5 am, and the last of the companies might still be taking interviews till 8 or 9 PM. While in the online setting, one is still in the comfort of their homes, and able to get a good meal at all times, having gone through both the processes, the online one felt worse at times, especially because I was separated from the rest of the unplaced people by a black screen, and there was no one at home who could understand me, commiserate, sure, but none of the people around me were undergoing placements themselves. Not only that, but in the online scenario, the timings blurred at times, as compared to offline, when you would receive more information regarding the line up and their arrivals, and could reach early or late depending on your applications and/or shortlists. 

There were also many bittersweet moments on seeing your friends, batchmates and people around you getting placed during the final placements taking place offline. You reveled in their joy for a moment, then reality came crashing in, that you were still a part of the process. There was no overt negativity, but when people come back from interviews and sit around you, waiting for the next company’s call, it does not create an amazingly positive atmosphere. 

All-in-all, I would say that the placements were a memorable experience, and I will not forget those two moments, one, during my summer placements when I received news regarding my internship at Cipla, and then finally, during final placements, when I was called alongside others to accept the offer from OfBusiness. Could things have gone better, definitely, but

things are always different in hindsight, but the ending justified the process, at least for myself. 

There are some dream companies of people at FMS, which everyone wants to crack. There are obviously the MBBKs of consulting, HUL for marketing, Morgan Stanley, Avendus, Goldman Sachs for finance and few more, which one would wish for, even if it were not their most preferred domain. The people who go into these companies, while not very dissimilar from everyone else, do excel in at least one thing that shows in their CVs, whether its academics, internships, live projects, extracurriculars or something extra, that makes them stand out from the rest. 

As far as i am aware, almost all of the people sitting in the placements got offers, and for the few that were not able to secure one on the placement days for any reason, CRAP (placement team) brought in more companies and ensured that they did not leave the college without a job offer. 

As far as compromises go though, those are more prevalent during the Summer Placements process, especially because at that time, many people are not even aware of their preferences, or the domain that they would excel at. As such, during that time, it is all about the learning, and what you can identify about yourself. 

During the finals, CRAP tries their best to match people with their preferred domain, and in most cases, it succeeds. There is obviously no hundred percent guarantee, but FMS itself gives people a good enough starting point that people, if and when they want to switch towards a different domain, will be able to do so, perhaps easier than many others. 

And to wrap it up, yes, the life and atmosphere at college did change after placements. I lost count of how many times I went out to CP or Gurgaon, and while I did keep count of the number of mini and not-so-mini trips I made, it is fair to say that that was a good number as well. 

Life at FMS Delhi

Honestly, it is not easy to point out just one thing as my favorite in the whole of FMS. The college itself, and the 2 years I spent there, was an unforgettable experience. If I did have to point out one thing though, it was the DU locale itself. The late night excursions on our bikes to have Sudama ki Chai, the Yulu rides to have an ice cream, the study sessions that turned into dance parties that lasted past morning, and so much more. I made friends, but more importantly, I made memories that make this time of my life very special. 

FMS Delhi Library

The first day, first week, first month and even the first year was a lot different than usual, and especially different than what the people who join FMS now will experience. The virtual life was different, perhaps not as immersive, but an experience worth having in life. 

FMS Delhi Classroom

Still though, I believe that my second year, when I gained the full FMS experience in Kamla Nagar was the better part of my college life. Going to classes, taking part in case competitions, enjoying club activities and parties, joining clubs and committees and what not.

It might sound cheesy, but I believe that while my first year is not as memorable as the second, the second year let me make enough memories for two years of my MBA. 

I joined the Literary Society, took part in book clubs and book readings, took part in case competitions (won some of them, some at campus level, and some, where we reached the nationals), choose my own courses and thus my own path going forward, made friends, truly enjoyed life for the first time after the pandemic, and that is not even the whole highlight reel. 

Now, I know that some people would want the full FMS experience, and as such, I will share a typical day from my second year. To begin with, you must know that I was living in a rented flat along with two of my batchmates (and now close friends). The college was around 1.5-2 

km away from our locality Kalyan Vihar, and we used to go to classes on our own vehicle. Me and one of my flatmates had shipped our scooty and bike to Delhi, and we three used to commute through that. Based on our class schedule, we would go to classes around 8-9 after a light breakfast, and then a day of classes typically included big enough breaks to go to Kamla Nagar for a coffee, or just relax in FMS’ gardens (FMS is small, but not that small, we do have a tiny, little campus). 

Yoga Session at FMS Delhi

On some days of the week, we used to take the college bus to our South Campus (yes, surprise, surprise, we have two campuses, the other one is even smaller, but the whole DU area is bigger there, so more space to roam around between classes), and the rest of the days, it was all about finishing the classes and getting ready for the GLs (Guest Lectures, the most integral part of the B-school life and something that you have to experience, can’t describe more here). On days where there was no gap between classes and GLs, we used to come to classes, fully suited for the lectures ourselves. Post that, it was time to go back home, and face the traffic in our little journey of 1.5km. Enough traffic that we often took the longer route just to reach early. 

On days with no plans and no guest lectures, we 3 and a few other friends who lived close by would just go for tea or snacks around the area and become chatty for no reason.