Interview with Prof. Isha Chowdhry, BMS Co-ordinator, Reena Mehta College

An interview with Prof. Isha Chowdhry, BMS Co-ordinator of

Reena Mehta College of Management Studies

I don’t think that BMS will become yet another B.Com as the USP of BMS is the course content and the practical exposure it gives the students along with the class presentations.

• Tell us something about yourself 

Hey, I am Isha Chowdhry, Coordinator of All Professional Courses. I am a part of Reena Mehta College of Management Studies. I did my B.M.S. (Marketing) followed by M.M.S. (Marketing).

I have worked for various corporate i.e. Hutchison Essar Pvt Ltd, Planman Consulting, Matrix Cellular International Services Pvt. Ltd, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India Pvt Ltd, karROX Technologies Ltd at a managerial level.

After years of corporate experience, I have now moved into the educational sector wherein I wish to make a remarkable change.

During my tenure with corporate, I realised what exactly a company looks into a candidate before hiring them. I would want to train my students and make them ready to face the competitive world. Professional courses are the need of the hour and you would find a remarkable difference in you after undergoing these courses.

• Tell us something about your college

Reena Mehta College (RMC) has been offering wide range of Professional course at Graduate level, all of which are affiliated to University of Mumbai. Our Courses Include Bachelors of Commerce in Banking and Insurance (BBI), Bachelors of Commerce in Accounting and Finance (BAF), Bachelors of Mass Media (BMM), Bachelors of Science in Informational Technology (Bsc I.T) and Bachelors of Management studies (BMS).

The vision of the institute is to be one of the best colleges in Mumbai and Thane at graduate level.

It is growing at a very fast pace.

• When did you join the teaching profession? What inspired you to choose this line?

I have joined the education sector 4 months back.

It’s always good to be a part of reforms. Teaching makes me feel responsible for molding raw young minds.

• Which subjects do you teach? What do you love most?

My core competency is Marketing. I teach Principles of management, Strategic Management, Research Methods in Business, International Marketing and Service Sector Management.

• Do you believe in teaching should be full of ideas rather than stuffed with facts?

It has to be a combination of both. Facts cannot be overlooked and the same time, new ideas should be imparted to the students.

• Can a student from Arts/science background also do BMS? 

Yes, a student art/ science background can also do BMS as per university norms. Management is an art as well as a science, so the arts and science background students can cope up with it easily.

• As a BMS faculty, what kind of projects do you expect BMS students to work upon?

BMS students should work on different projects which include Live projects, Industrial Visits, Interviewing the industry people, doing research work and field projects.

• Do you think a BMS Student should participate in College fests and Industrial Visits? Why?

Yes, they should participate in College fests and Industrial visits.

College fests gives them a platform to explore their talents and get recognition for the same at the same time they learn to use their managerial skills and learn from the mistakes that occur. Organizing such festivals also helps them to gain a sense of achievement.

• People say BMS is 70 % of first year MBA. After BMS, is work experience important for MBA?

I agree with the same as I have done both the courses.

Work experience is preferable as the student is able to relate to it and understands the practical implication of the same.

Though many institutions do not insist on work experience, it is still a necessity.

• There is a shortage of eminent professors at bachelors’ level management. With more and more institutes joining the professional courses bandwagon, do you think BMS will become yet another Bcom?

No, I don’t think so that BMS will become yet another Bcom as the USP of BMS is the course content and the practical exposure it gives the students along with the class presentations.

• Do you think the course curriculum is at par with industry expectations? 

Not completely there are few things which do not have a practical implication and a lot of topics should be included in the curriculum to build the industrial and academia gap.

• Today, we often come across students committing suicide out of failure, depression or tension of exams. What do you have to say about this?

Nowadays the competition is fierce and everyone is a part of the race, some students are not able to match to the expectations of their parents and indulge into these things.

• Who in your life has most influenced you?

My parents and all my previous company mentors so far.

• What are your professional/career goals?

To climb up the ladder and to grow with the institute I am working with. I am looking forward to my PHD.

• A famous quote says “A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others”. What would you like to say on this?

Very true. Professors take a lot of pains for the students, they are people with passion and they don’t work for money.

• Who would you call as the best student so far in your memory?

Shivam Gupta – Who has not only improved in his academics but also has started actively participating in extracurricular activities and is striving to make the college proud.

• One touching incident that happened with you in your teaching career? 

When a student came to me crying as he could not continue his education as his father was an auto rickshaw driver and had met with an accident. I forwarded his resume to a few key people in the industry and once he got a job he was really grateful to me for the same.

• What suggestions would you like to give to Mumbai University for amendments in the BMS course?

It could be in conjunction with the industry requirements and the inputs for the same should be taken from the industry people.

• How do you find BMS.co.in? What help should it provide in future?

Various guidelines to the students.

• What message would you like to give to the BMS students?

Aim Higher and Higher

Thank you so much for giving us your valuable time. I’m sure reading this interview would be a great help and inspiration for the students.