An interaction with Shruti Soni (MBA, Alumni) from Chitkara University Chandigarh

Chitkara University Punjab is a private university established in 2010, recognized by the University of Grants Commission. The university offers UG, PG and Ph.D level courses in streams like Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, Commerce, Mass Communication & Journalism, Medicine & Allied Sciences, etc. Admission to Chitkara University is offered based on students merit in the PI round and marks obtained in the entrance examinations. Chitkara University course fee for UG, PG and Ph.D programmes is between Rs 1.18 lakhs to Rs 17.50 lakhs. Recruiters that participate in the Chitkara University placement drive are as follows: Deloitte, Airtel, DHL, Amul, American Express, Adobe, Dell, E&Y, etc.

Careers360 brings you an interview with Shruti Soni, MBA (Healthcare Management) Alumni from Chitkara University Chandigarh. Currently she is working in the Healthcare IT Industry with Technology, Healthcare, and Big Data Analytics Pvt. Ltd. In her interview to Careers360, Shruti shares her experience at Chitkara University. What was it like to be a part of the university? How did she choose the Chitkara University MBA in Healthcare Management course? And other things about the university like admission process, Chitkara University courses and fees, placements stats, campus life and more. Know more about Chitkara University from an alumni perspective, go through the complete interview of Shruti Soni.

Careers360: Tell us a bit about yourself.

Answer: I’m Shruti Soni, an MBA in Healthcare Management who passed out in 2021 (MBA Healthcare Management Batch 2019–21). I was the academic topper in my batch. Currently, I’m working in the Healthcare IT Industry with Technology, Healthcare, and Big Data Analytics Pvt. Ltd. Earlier, I worked with organisations like Deloitte Consulting and Fortis Pvt. Ltd. I have an immense interest in growing in the healthcare industry.

Careers360: What were the factors that made you choose your institution/university?

Answer: Chitkara University, being the best private university in North India, was one of the main attractions for me. Also, I had heard a lot about the industry-academic relationships the university has and undoubtedly experienced the same. The approach of making the students industry-ready was again an attraction for me to take admission at Chitkara University.

Careers360: Why did you choose to pursue your specialization?

Answer: As I mentioned, I have an immense interest in growing in the healthcare industry, so I chose Healthcare Management (Hospital Management) as my specialisation. Also, the university has collaborations with big brands in the industry like Fortis Healthcare Limited, and others so this was also a reason to choose the specialisation, as I was hoping to get exposure to such organisations.

Careers360: Please describe your journey till date.

Answer: Words would not be enough to describe my journey so far. Undoubtedly, the management of the university is so competent that they are not only focusing on the academic development of students but also making them industry-ready. I had a fantastic journey, starting from classroom module sessions to guest lectures, internships, and finally the best placements I could get. I passed out in 2021, but the staff is so generous that they are still keeping a check on us to see how we are doing in terms of growth and success, which is remarkable. Not only that, they are always there to help. It is difficult to express in words what Chitkara University means to me.

Careers360: What are the key learning points from your college days that have held you in good stead so far?

Answer: First and foremost are communication skills, which were highly enhanced by the faculties and the preparedness to face the competition in the industry. We were made competent in all parameters like presentation skills, grooming skills, communication skills, how to manage the interviews, and other skills to make us stand out from the other competitors.

Organising conferences at the national level was again a learning experience in which we came across the challenges and opportunities that exist when organising an event.

An internship exposure of 6 months was highly knowledgeable as it was full of learning, be it on-the-ground knowledge or working under pressure situations. It was a roller coaster ride as COVID was on the rise at that time (June 2020). We got to learn the unexpected and most valuable aspects of healthcare management.

To sum up, the university did not fail to provide us with the best exposure, even in unfavourable circumstances.

Careers360: Share a few good memories from your college days.

Answer: It is full of good memories, but currently what is and will be on the top of my mind is Global Week, where we got to learn a lot from teachers from across the world.

Another is the marketing that we did before our conference (Curacion 2019), in which we visited different colleges and invited their staff and students to participate.

Apart from these, the classes, which were more like learning-with-fun sessions, playfully shaped us so well concerning our communication skills and others.

Careers360: What were the extra curricular activities you participated in during your college days? How did they help in shaping your future and career path?

Answer: The below mentioned extracurricular activities helped me shape my career, as the skills I learned from these activities are helping me a lot now.

• Organising conferences

• Participating in workshops

• Writing and publishing a research paper

Careers360: How would you describe the support that you got from the faculty and team / classmates? How did it help?

Answer: The faculty and team are fantastic when it comes to support. They are so understanding and never fail to amaze us with quick solutions. Like they used to take regular feedback after every week on how the modules were going. They even asked us about our preferences during internship placement. Also, academically, the staff is supportive.

As I mentioned earlier, they are still always ready to help us whenever we are in need.

Careers360: What was your placement season like? Any memories you would like to share with our readers?

Answer: Placement season was the season with the most jitters. I never felt like that earlier in my life. Every time we were informed of the industry that was coming for placement, we were all hoping to get placed. Sometimes, someone aced, and sometimes the other. Excitement was at its peak when the most desired organisation came for the interviews, which was Deloitte Consulting. All were excited and applied for it.

After all the levels of assessment, I was placed at Deloitte. That was the happiest moment of the placement season. Undoubtedly, the placement team puts in tremendous effort to place every student as per their preferences for location and organisation.

Careers360: Do you believe that constant reinvention is a must and one needs to keep abreast of the updated trends in the field? How best would you describe the process?

Answer: It is critical to growth, and we all need to be mindful that we reinvent and keep updating ourselves from time to time to avoid becoming stagnant and staying ahead of the curve.

Careers360: Your advice to future aspirants?

Answer: I would advise future aspirants to be open to the challenges and new learning opportunities that come their way. Never restrict yourself because of any obstacle that comes your way. Never make assumptions until you enter the industry. Mental preparedness and industry competency are the two things that always help us grow. Never be hesitant to ask for help if you are in need or have any confusion. Always keep networking, because your network will help you go places.

Disclaimer: This content was distributed by Chitkara University and has been published as part of Careers360’s marketing initiative.

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