"It is in fact a part of the function of education to help us escape, not from our own time — for we are bound by that — but from the intellectual and emotional limitations of our time." - T.S. Eliot
A highlight of the MBA program at IIM Raipur is the
opportunity to meet and interact with students from premier B Schools across
the globe. In my case I was selected for a winter exchange term at HHL graduate
school of Management, Leipzig, Germany whose flagship course was ranked 21
by FT.com recently.
The 3 month long exchange program was rich in academic
experience along with interaction with students across the globe. It is a
particularly good feeling when people in a class are from over 15 countries
around the world. The institute had diverse courses to offer for students from
all backgrounds and as a marketing major I was fortunate to work with the best
professors in Marketing in Europe who provided an international perspective
into my MBA. The high degree of interaction with the professors, pedagogy that
is different from India is certainly something one can look forward too.
Leipzig as a city also as a quite to offer. Being a
university town one is always surrounded with students. With a vibrant ERASMUS
culture (which is the European exchange programme) there are new people to meet
every day in mess, markets, campus and of course parties and pubs. The
city also has a rich past and was the starting point of the Protestant movement
and was the city of famous classical composer Richard Wagner. A visit to the
Gwendhaus which houses the famous Leipzig Orchestra is always a treat.
What I loved about the exchange was the fact that
there were new people with whom I interacted, understood their culture, shared
their experiences with mine over the famous German beer (it is kind off
difficult to avoid when it is cheaper than water). I saw Europe when it was
covered in snow (words are grossly insufficient to what my eyes saw but maybe a
NRI flick by a bollywood producer would help complete the picture). There are
always those moments when Germany can show why it is worth visiting like the
rush of driving on an Authobahn at 180 km/hr. Europe is incomplete without a
trip to Amsterdam.
As IIM Raipur spreads its wings across the globe
with partners now across Mexico, France, Germany, Greece, Thailand already, it
is an opportunity that offers exciting avenues to PGP participants and with
more students going for this, it just made PGDM at IIM Raipur the best time I
ever had.
The pictures are the proverbial tip of the iceberg;
you may visit my facebook profile for more.
Contributed by: Tarang Singhal, PGP 2011-13. He can
be reached at pgp11040.tarang@iimraipur.ac.in
