Student Report MDI Fall 2011
University:
Management Development Institute (MDI)
Exchange semester:
Fall 2011
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
MDI (Management Development Institute) is located in Gurgaon not far from the capital of India; New
Delhi. The campus is a green oasis between the busy roads of Gurgaon. Gurgaon is one of the fastest
growing cities in India, and is home to global company headquarters and plenty of shopping malls. The
city is divided into sectors, MDI is in sector 17, and most of these have their own little market or
centre. Between the high rise buildings of big companies, Gurgaon is pretty rural, but with busy roads
so getting around by foot is practically inpossible.
In the fall semester of 2011 we were approximately 35 exchange students enrolled in the post graduate
program, 250 students in total.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway we received some information about the school from MDI, but it was quite
limited, just practical info like and like address and price of accommodations. MDI requested
information on our arrival date in order to prepare rooms and a buddy to show us around and help us
get settled. They also offered to arrange pick-up at the airport to make sure we made it safely to
campus.
Visa
To go to India and study at MDI you need an Indian student visa. This must be applied for in Oslo
before your departure and it takes approximately 10-14 days. The Visa application office is called
TTServices and you do not have to go to the Indian Embassy. The school and the Indian government
demand that you obtain a residence permit at the Foreign Registration Office in Gurgaon within 14
days after your arrival in India, or else you have to pay a fine. Students at MDI helped us in that
process.
Academic Calendar
We attended the 5th semester at MDI (which equals the 3rd semester of masters at BI). The term started
on the 9th of September and ended with our last exam which was held on the 12th of December. Classes
go on till one week prior to the exam period. All exams are usually held during one week. Mid-term
exams are held during one week in the middle of the semester.
Reception
Arriving at the airport there was some confusion as our booked driver from school was not there to
meet us. We waited for a while and he finally showed up. We arrived quite early, nearly one week
before classes commenced and campus was practically empty making it quite hard to get settled. After
a while, though, a member of the IRC met us in our assigned hostel room. We were assigned an Indian
buddy each, but getting in touch with them turned out to be quite difficult so we looked around campus
ourselves and asked around to get things fixed. The Indian students were very helpful. The student
from the IRC helped us apply for the residence permit and guided us to the Foreign Relations Office.
Housing
All students at MDI are required to stay at campus. There are several hostels on campus for the
different programs and most of them are separate for girls or boys. Most exchange students were
placed in the same hostel, both girls and boys. In the hostel we stayed, two people shared a room and
every room had its own bathroom. The rooms cannot be compared to any European standard and are
very poorly equipped and dirty. There is a cleaning guy working on every floor, cleaning your room
every day when dust and pollution makes it necessary. There is hot water, but very little and only for
two showers maximum. Some of us stayed at the hostel Shitish, and the ones who arrived late came to
stay at PGPM hostel, which is older and even worse than ours. There is a common room on every floor
where you can hang out, party and work with school. We did not usually go there because we proffered
to be outside school.
Costs
Although there are expensive places to be found in and around Delhi, compared to Norway, India is
quite cheap and the student loan gets you a long way. The monthly expenses on exchange are the rent,
food and travel expenses. Books are paid when the classes start. Rent is approximately 7500Rs or
around 750NOK. MDI provides the students with course material and we paid in total 2500Rs or
250NOK for this. Food at campus is cheap. The mess serves three meals a day at very low rates, we
only ate there the first two week and then started to go out of campus for dinner as well as making
some food arrangements in our room (water-boiler, cup noodles, white oats, instant coffee, soup, etc.).
Restaurant prices outside campus vary, but it’s generally much cheaper than in Norway.
Travelling in India is cheap, trains, busses and domestic flights are very affordable. Getting around in
Gurgaon is easiest by auto or cycle-rickshaws (auto rickshaws can fit up to four people and there are
shared rickshaws which are even cheaper, but can get crowded). Getting to the malls by a ‘private’
rickshaw costs around 40Rs or 10Rs for a shared one..
The International Office (IRC)
The international relations committee (IRC) at MDI is run by students. IRC are in charge of assigning
buddies to the exchange students, help you get the residence permit in order and assists with additional
information during the semester. The IRC was very helpful and helped us sort out any problems
throughout the semester.
Exchange promotion
There was no such exchange promotion. But we also spoke to several interested students about how it
is to live and study in Norway at Bi, due to their interest about the country.
Social Activities
There are several social get-togethers arranged by the school during the semester. Among these are
‘Dandyia Night’, celebrating with traditional Indian dances and music, Illumina and other academically
related activities and events during the semester. Most exchange students were very social with each
other and travelled a lot in groups. We, however decided to socialize and network in and around Delhi,
to get a foothold in India and to make it easier to go back there as well. This way we spent a lot of time
with Indians and learned a lot about culture and business culture.
Indians on campus are also very friendly and helpful, but they normally study a lot and don’t socialize
much outside of campus. You can also join many different groups run by students.
Culture and Language
Students and faculty members speak fluently English, but their pronunciation is heavily influenced by
Hindi and may be hard to understand in the beginning. Culturally India is very different from Norway.
Firstly the language barrier is there, and you have to accept that things take a lot of time so be patient.
Indians are generally very interested, curious and willing to help but you should also be aware that you
may be tricked so be prepared to bargain on prices. Also prepare for a lot of attention, some Indians
have never seen white skinned people and some might stop you asking to touch your skin or take a
picture.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
Being on exchange in India is a challenging but unique experience. Interacting with people so different
from yourself and living in a world so different teaches you a lot about others but mostly about
yourself. You learn how to handle different situations, your patience will improve and if you make the
effort you can learn about business culture as well. India is one of the most interesting economies in the
world today and the experience you can get from studying there is very valuable. Even if your intention
isn’t to have a career related to India, you will benefit from the experience you get in dealing with a
new culture, with different people and settling in a new country and environment.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
Classes are thought in English although it sometimes can be hard to understand everything. Some
Indians speak very fast and their accent makes it even more challenging to follow so do not hesitate to
ask or ask again if something is unclear. The system also takes some time getting used to and the
academic content is sometimes quite different than what we are used to at BI. Most students at MDI
come from engineering background, so their skills in technical and mathematical issues are
overwhelming. We experienced that our background from BI which is broader worked in our
advantage as many of the cases are strategic and requires a broader view. Classes are both theoretical
and practically oriented with extensive use of cases and group work. The Indian students are generally
quite active in class while the exchange students are quieter. Students are required to address teachers
by Sir or Ma’am, but the teachers generally more relaxed and easy to talk to. As an exchange student at
MDI not taking too many subjects, the work load is not overwhelming.
Required Literature
All lecture material was provided MDI for a fee. Cases normally come from aknowledge publications
like the Harvard Business Review etc. And all in all we felt the amount of reading required was less
than at home. The exams are normally based on a mix of readings and topics discussed in lectures.
Exams
We only had written exams, one mid-term and one end-term exam for all courses, both about two hours
long. In addition to exams there are quizzes, presentations and assignments to be handed in during the
semester and the amount of cases and presentations to be made was heavier than we are used to at BI.
We were always busy with schoolwork, due to the pretty heavy amount of assignments, hand in and
quizzes. Of course this depend on your own contribution to the courses, but the professors was kind of
picky and noted every time you came, and did not show up. Exam and midterm is held one week,
including Saturday and Sunday.
Other
Campus has a library and a computer centre which are open till late at night. The computer centre has
internet access and many available computers. All the communication between teachers and students
goes either trough e-mail and you are required to check it regularly. Also, a lot of information goes by
word of mouth and the Indian students are always willing to help you out. But there is huge lack of
information, for example; You have no idea when your midterm or exams starts, date or topic. If your
lucky you get the information before you actually supposed to be there.
Description of Courses
Course name:
Prereq.
Exam
Major at BI
Approved as
None
Written
Int. Manganement
Elective
None
Written
Int. Manganement
Elective
Written
Int. Manganement
Elective
PGP-HR:
Learning and
development
PGPM
Financial Risk
Management
Strategic alliances
None
and joint ventures
Business Marketing
None
Written
Int. Manganement
Elective
Management of banking
None
Written
Int. Manganement
Elective
None
Written
Int. Manganement
Elective
and financial institutions
Marketing of consumer
financial products
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Any other experiences:
All in all the exchange to India was one of the best experiences of our lives. We tried to travel as much
as we could, but classes sometimes made it hard (Monday to Friday, and even Saturday + Sunday
sometimes) India is an incredible country to travel in, its cheap, everyone is ready to help you, the
culture and the people are amazing and you will get truly unique and fantastic experiences. Also you
will most likely end up with friendships lasting for a lifetime both with Indians and other exchange
students. To end with; be ready for everything from monkeys, donkeys, sickness, dirt and pollution.