SP Jain Student Ambassador, Ms.Deepika Balaji from R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore shares her experience…

A memorable Global Learning experience!

SP Jain’s Student Ambassador Program, conducted from 22nd to 24th June 2015, is the perfect example of a program where students experience “Learning by doing”. Right from the time we boarded our flight to Singapore, we had the privilege of being on our own and exploring all the opportunities presented to us during this trip. The well planned accommodation and agenda ensured that our schedules were tightly packed, and at the same time, gave us the well-deserved break every evening to explore the wonders of Singapore.

After a sumptuous breakfast on campus, we kicked off Day 1, with Ms. Yasmin Krishan, Head of Singapore Campus, addressing the gathering. Then began the enjoyable “Egg-Dropping activity” conducted by Ms Haggit. We were grouped into teams of five, and given a small pack of assorted materials. We then had to design a carrier for an egg, such that when the egg was dropped from a height, it wouldn’t break even after it falls. The biggest take away from this activity was the brainstorming we did. Each member on my team contributed to different aspects of the design, and instead of being stressed out by the short time we had, we actually had a lot of fun! The fact that ours was the only design that managed to achieve its purpose was an icing on the cake!

This session was followed by an interactive session on “Design Thinking” where we all thought of innovative uses for a paper clip and also studied the various steps involved in Design Thinking: Design the challenge, observe people, form insights, frame opinions, brainstorm and then finally, experiment.

We then broke for lunch where we were given a taste of Thai food and also interacted with the MGB students currently enrolled at the campus. We had many questions, and talking to Harish and Lohita (students) over lunch was very informative for us. Both of them also came from an Engineering background, and they could easily relate to our queries. A fair warning to all vegetarians, Singapore does not offer much choice for us. So the campus food would be your best buddy for the semester!

Later, Ms. Preeta George gave us an overview about the MGB program. She spoke about the core subjects, immersion projects, Global projects and the specialisations. She also mentioned the 5 credits online course we would have to complete before joining, to ensure that all of us would be on the same page when we begin. The classroom pedagogy involves SBRs and Case Studies, thereby, giving students a lot of scope to shape their classes according to their needs. We were then given a case study to read up and come prepared for a special SBR the next day.

With that, Ms. Biraj took over and gave a crisp and wonderful insight to Global Learning which left us all wanting for more. But, it was now time for the much awaited Dragon Boating session! All of us grabbed our S P Jain T-shirts and quickly prepared ourselves for the water onslaught awaiting us at Kallang. A quick training session ensued, and we were split into two boats. After a tough battle between two talented teams, the victorious team doused the burning rage of the other team with a water bath, using their paddles. Once we returned, we all took a nice evening break roaming around the city and shopping for souvenirs. Most of us spent a sleepless night, preparing for the case study session scheduled for the next day.

Day 2 began on an interesting note, with a session on Decision Making, where we used an online simulation tool that taught us how each step of a product’s production involves critical decision making. We read a few Harvard case studies, and also solved a problem using Decision trees. This was the most practical session. Then, we had two sessions on Industry Interface Projects, and Careers after MGB, where we understood the opportunities that would come knocking our doors once we complete the program.

Apart from a global exposure, the program also ensures a stimulating learning experience by rigorous academic training and internships. Next, Dr. Bhanu spoke to us about P2E, a program that continues for the entire course, unlike other two week courses, and grooms us for the corporate world.

We then had a good lunch at the campus canteen, and braced ourselves for the case study. After a short GD, supervised by Dr.Bhanu and Ms. Haggit (I will cherish my interactions with Ms Haggit because of her spot-on inputs and friendly demeanour. We all appreciated her creative efforts to make the sessions enjoyable for us!), we proceeded to the SBR. A quick role play was enacted by Chinmaya and Aditya, and then began the debate. We all put our thoughts forward. Some played the Devil’s advocate. But Ms Preeta effectively compiled all our points and gave us valuable inputs on how a typical SBR would be helpful for the MGB program. In a short span of time, she gave us a clear picture on the effectiveness of an SBR, and that was something I thoroughly enjoyed!

We also had the privilege of talking to Mr. Nitish Jain, through video conferencing, and he very patiently answered all our questions. This was followed by distribution of certificates and finally, it was time to announce the winners of the ASAP 2015 contest. I had given the program one hundred percent and cherish every single moment I spent in Singapore. Be it the wonderful guidance of Mr. Amit, Mr. Noel, Mr. Deepak and Mr. Sanjay, or my memorable interactions with my fellow ambassadors. When my name was announced as the winner, along with Siddhant Arora, my joy knew no bounds! The award has inspired me to strive for excellence and better myself each day, because that’s exactly what Global Learning is about— Learning from new experiences every single day, with an open mind and a cartload of confidence.

If there is something I would like to convey to the future ambassadors, it would be this. The trip made me get out of my comfort zone. And believe me, that’s where all the magic happens. This wonderful initiative by S P Jain gives us, the student community, a chance to expand our horizons and grow into a Global Business leader, and that is something I am glad I was given an opportunity to do.