Kickstarting my MBA journey with the online induction program at Welingkar Mumbai -By Sneha Mundhra

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In these unprecedented times, where the pandemic situation has taken a toll on everybody, our college, Prin L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management and Research (WeSchool), left no stone unturned to give their students a warm and unique welcome. We were invited to a virtual induction program at Welingkar on 24th August. On this day, we had a webinar scheduled early in the morning, following which we were addressed by our respected Director and many other esteemed professors and faculty members.

NEEV: The 14-day program

The induction program at Welingkar commenced with a 14-day Program called 'NEEV'. The focal theme for the program was, ‘Building Resilience: Aanamyata’. It promoted the ideas of the reboot, reinvent, and rebound, the ethos our institute stands for. Coincidentally, the holistic theme of the induction program at Welingkar corresponded with the ongoing situation of the pandemic, thereby inculcating the drive in students to adjust and evolve with respect to the ‘new normal’'. 

During our virtual induction program at Welingkar, we had numerous sessions across varied domains and industries. This included data analytics and technology, and insights about various industries (namely retail, e-commerce, healthcare, media and entertainment, and rural). We also had an attractive line-up of guest lecturers who spoke on captivating topics like how to make the most of our MBA journey, how to be ready for the post-COVID world, and what we can do in terms of our overall wellness and nutrition. 

Along with such engaging guest lecturers, the induction program at Welingkar also held industry immersion sessions. These were beneficial in providing us with a better understanding of different reputed industries like Godrej, Colgate Global, Mahindra Group, Lokus Design, Bloomberg, Future Factory, KPMG, and many more.

Addressing important issues

Since everything was online and through a laptop screen, I had assumed that interacting with my batchmates would be a problem. Fortunately, our induction program at Welingkar made necessary arrangements to address the issue of effectively socialising with one another. We were provided with breakout rooms to interact with one another, in order to ensure that everyone got the opportunity to speak up and introduce themselves.

The schedule for the 14-day induction program at Welingkar was efficiently planned to emphasise on some crucial issues, which are the need of the hour. These issues included conversations on mental health, body image, the idea of happiness in relation to success, and other such enlightening topics. 

Fueling our creativity

To keep the students engaged throughout, the induction program at Welingkar had curated compelling sessions on photography, theatre, dance and various other such creative activities. Even though our schedules for the coming days were jam-packed, the seamless execution of the program by our extremely helpful professors and seniors made the week memorable. 

The virtual induction program at Welingkar was successful in overcoming the shortcomings of communicating over laptop screens, and ultimately in giving us a flavor of what our MBA journey would be like!