A close look at XLRI Jamshedpur
It will not be completely wrong to state that majority of the MBA aspirants don’t know much about their dream B-schools. They often form perceptions about B-schools based on readings about them in newspapers or hearing about them on television. But B-schools are much more than what is visible in the electronic and print media.
To provide the right insight into top B-schools of our country MBAUniverse.com had recently launched the special series ‘India’s Top B Schools’. Under this series we are providing you a peek into the leading B-schools – what makes these B-schools great and life at the campus. Till now you have got closer look at B-schools like IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA), FMS Delhi, IIM Indore, IIM Calcutta and others. Today we will talk in detail about another top league B-school of our country – XLRI Jamshedpur.
In a world where the need for business leaders is an urgent priority, the presence of good B-schools in the country is an added advantage by all means. And the one such B-school committed to inventing new mindsets is the celebrated Xavier Labor Relations Institute’s School of Business & Human Resources (popularly called XLRI) which was set up in 1949 by Fr. Quinn Enright.
The centerpiece that one gets influenced by while talking about XLRI is its alumni. One such famous alumnus is B. Muthuraman. He is currently serving as the President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). He is also the President of the Indian Institute of Metals. He is currently the Vice Chairman of Tata Steel.
The other alumnus of XLRI who has made it big but in computer technology is Vineet Nayar. He is currently the CEO of HCL Technologies Ltd. He has served this IT Company in various roles since he joined it as a senior management trainee way back in 1985. He is responsible for taking HCL to a global stature with his strategic vision which has helped it achieve a strong growth.
Another alumnus from XLRI who has spread the wings of India as a land producing highly influential business executives on the global scale is Rakesh Kapoor, Global CEO of Reckitt Benckinser. He joined this company in 1987, working for Reckitt & Coleman as a regional sales manager in India then.
The other famous alumni who matched up to XLRI’s expectations are: Jaspal Bindra, CEO, Standard Chartered PLC & Standard Chartered Bank in Asia, Abhijit Bhaduri, Chief Learning Officer at Wipro and bestselling author, Ajay Kaul, CEO, Jubilant Foodworks Ltd., Satish Nambisan, Professor, Lally School of Management, RPI, Madhukar Kammath, CEO & MD, Murdra Communications Pvt. Ltd. etc.
Besides its alumni as they leap forward in their corporate lives, there are plentiful of things that XLRI offers to its students and the industry experts to shed light on changes taking place in the corporate industry and discuss their pros and cons.
XLRI has carved out its own identity in the area of management education. It believes in grooming its students with business acumen combined with an ethical understanding to make business look like an enterprise of harmony rather than a medium to serve one’s own interests only. And its curriculum is designed to sharpen the skills of its students in such a way that they could meet the challenges of the corporate world without losing their ground at all. Learning is worth so many things in life and if one knows how to make the most of it, then the problems prevailing in society could be easily reduced to a minimum.
Based on this criterion, XLRI has got a program of two years in the form of Business Management (BM) and Personnel Management and Industrial Relations (PM&IR) which give lessons to students on the model of ethics-oriented business, setting it apart from other B-schools in the country. As a part of this program, the students are geared to participate in social projects which include putting up a clothes bank to be distributed amongst the poor for their welfare work and hence helping them sell their tribal products too in India and abroad.
The other reason why it’s chosen as a destination for doing MBA by the MBA aspirants is because of its status in imparting excellent management education. It has been a B-school consistently enjoying 4th spot or 5th spot amongst the top B-schools in the country.
So as the students are taught and put on the edge by their faculty and feel like taking some respite from all this, its location acts as their savior and revitalizes them every time. After all, a nature-friendly environment serves as a good catalyst for greater learning. XLRI is located in the Circuit House Area in Jamshedpur which is a beautiful place and the nearby location is perfect. There is the Tata Iron and Steel Company in the south of the campus. Then in the North, it has got the Dalma hills. However, since it is next to the Jubilee Park, both the students and the visiting guests from the industry have good time as it makes them experience serenity along with nature. For them, it’s a perfect recreational strategy to escape that tough world out there in the classroom.
Not only this, XLRI has a bio-diversity project called “The XLRI Flora Project” which aims to make its fraternity environmentally aware by planting different kinds of flora in the campus. It would attract numerous birds from different regions, letting the campus overblown with the so-called natural beauty.
Its library is also the reason why it’s so different from other B-schools in the country. It stores more than 100,000 books including journals and electronic database relating to labor relations, management and its allied subjects. This place is said to be its heart and soul. In fact, the Tata Auditorium is another interesting landmark of XLRI for it has the best acoustic systems in this part of the world. Many artists, academicians and litterateurs of national and international stature have given their performances here and have appreciated it too. This is where major events like the Annual Convocation, the Ethics Oration to Ensemble are organized.
There is no doubt that work without fun becomes dull and at the same time appears to be a burden. And XLRI certainly buys into this philosophy and puts together some major events on its campus to lighten the loads of academic syllabus from their shoulders to make them analytically sharp like Socrates-IT seminar. Under this, there are two events held which consist of The National IT Seminar and Apocalyptica.
The first one recognized as The National IT Seminar is an inter-B-school event allows both the eminent people from the corporate world and the students to share their ideas with one another on issues that are changing the nature of business. During this, the industry stalwarts give speeches and there are also students’ activities happening all around like case study competition, paper presentation, quizzes and so on so forth.
The second one is interesting for that fact that it’s a war of games. This contest takes place between senior and junior students, testing their mental skills against one another. This way, the students feel relieved to have abandoned their usual routine and be able to indulge in something thrilling. As this high-adrenaline war goes on, the tension becomes visible on everybody’s face but the sound of comforting music playing in the background soothes their nerves.
For students the day begins edgily
There is a sense of uncertainty about what’s going to happen on their faces as they get ready to attend their first class which they think will be tough to manage. Their faculty members will stand in the way to make their experience a bit horrible by ordering them to resolve the puzzles they have never faced before. The class starts at 8.30 am. Then what? They are bombarded with lectures, assignments submissions on time and surprise quizzes. There is no way that one can take it lightly.
Hangout zones of XLRI
For students, nothing can be more relaxing than getting some time off their academic pressure to take delight in things which make life wholesome. So the one place where the students spend time with one another and discuss about easy part of life is their cafeteria where they get to bond with human soul without worrying about the need to excel. This takes place over snacks, delicious coffee and Indian cuisine which will make one remember his or her home. To add to the excitement that unfolds here, there are good eateries as well outside the campus where they can taste the best foods available.
They have another option to unwind freely without being disturbed. This place is truly unique. It’s the central lawn with its immaculate outlook where they can perceive by going deeper and deeper like a philosopher. However, this area is called “JLT in XL jargon as it compels one to think philosophically.
Hostel life at a glance
The students eagerly wait for the night to fall so that they could talk about their secrets with one another and chalk out the daily activities in order to enjoy each moment as if they are one family with nothing to hide. It’s inspiring to all of them in the midst of so much pressure to do well academically. They feel at ease with themselves in this emotional bond.
There are separate hostel facilities for boys and girls on the campus. It has four hostel blocks comprising more than 400 rooms.
Sports are equally important
To remain competitive and healthy in life, one needs to play sports. Also, it helps him or her to become a fighter so that they could cope with any situation like a warrior. So XLRI has outstanding sports facilities for its students like courts for tennis, volleyball, badminton and football. In its new S C Sarkar Gymnasium, it has arranged amenities for indoor games as well as equipments for workouts and exercises. Moreover, the students are also provided with swimming pools, squash courts and a synthetic athletic track.
Events that reflect what XLRI stands for
The major events celebrated on the campus annually emphasizes upon the inherited values it has got and must preserve. These treasures are its strength. These events are Maxi Fair and Ensemble.
Maxi Fair- It is the oldest market research fair in the country and a famous household name in Jamshedpur. It’s a two-day event during which the students have a lot of fun but at the same time they have a serious matter in hands in the form of using marketing tools to know about the changing consumer behavior. Their research facilitates the FMCG companies in their mission to put their new products on trial to be consumed by the sample audience. Through this venture, the students of XLRI are made to learn the finer aspects of marketing.
Ensemble- It’s a yearly management fest organized to elucidate upon the marketing tricks that can ensure better exposure for the products before they are put on the shelves in the market. Several B-schools from all over the country come and partake in this festival which is about testing the best of brains that can show the way out in this complex world.
Similarly, there are other Maxi events held like Maxi Bazaar, Maxi Writers’ Guild and Maxi Labs & Mindscapes.
For the XLRI aspirants
The number of seats at XLRI for BM programme is 120. PMIR programme also has 120 seats. XAT is the entrance exam organized by Xavier Labour Relation Institute (XLRI) Jamshedpur. This is considered to be the toughest MBA entrance exams in India. XAT scores are accepted by several prestigious MBA institutes like Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar (XIMB), S P Jain Institute of Management Research (SPJIMR) Mumbai, Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA) Chennai to name a few.
The notification for the XAT exam is generally out in September and the exam is normally held on the first Sunday of January every year. The sections of the exam are: Data Interpretation & Quantitative Ability, Analytical Reasoning & Decision Making and Verbal & Logical Ability.
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