Exaaaaamsssssssss…. Snoooooozzzee!!

The very word gives us jitters doesn’t it? If you are student it has to and it will and if not either you are a scholar or Einstein or abnormal. If we were the members of the educational board we would have made sure that exams were banned. Any sort of exams be it a simple class test or vivas or be it boards exams it gives us sleepless nights and the worst part is we tend to forget things at the last moment and feel blank, everytime you read the chapter you feel “ Hey I have never read this before”. Does that sound similar? if it does then come join the gang. MA PR students of Mumbai University, kalina campus are no different we share common views, like they say “Great minds think alike” How true!

All that pains that we take no sleep, no masti only study for those few days, but the question remains why? This is what our parents ask us ‘Why do you leave it for the last minute?’, Why don’t you go through whatever is done on a daily basis?, and the first thing that comes to our mind is Are you kidding me? I have a full 3 months to go and before you even know you have less than a fortnight left and then it rings a bell in your head ‘OMG I have so much to study and I have done absolutely nothing’, One word to describe this How shameless are we or How shameless can we get!!. Finally when we get done with them we feel like we just fought a war and won a Province… Except for a few I am sure all the students of Department of Communication and Journalism face this problem. If we had an award for last minute preparation we would win the first prize hands down, no questions asked!!

The funniest part is every time I make a promise to myself that this time I will not push it to the last moment and start studying at least a month prior to the exams and revise the entire portion at least twice but the irony here is all this has just been in my thoughts and refuses to come out in action. Every time I realize what I put myself through and decide that next time this won’t happen or I will not let it happen but then…… U know what I mean :-P 

A day spent in the University campus

Nothing is forever but what stays with us forever is our memories and that is something that no one in the world can take that away from you. There are can be all sorts of memories good ones bad ones but there are yours. Many a times you feel that ‘I wish this never happened’ and otherwise you feel ‘Oh My God!! I just wished that day never ended’. I have a lot of memories from school, college and now the latest ones are memories of MA PR Mumbai University Kalina campus.

I still remember the day I came in for my interview I saw my batch mates of MA PR, Mumbai University Kalina campus and thought to myself will I ever be able to make friends and if I do will they last forever and my mind was wavering and was bombarded with a zillion questions, but as and when I got to know them I realized and thought to myself ‘Hmmmmm not bad, it’s not as difficult as I thought it would be’, people around you behave or react the way you perceive them it’s all in the mind. I have spent a wonderful time and there have been so many moments that made me happy, but I would like to talk about the day when I met my friends and got to know them and shared an instant connection and meeting them somehow light me up in a way that I somehow thought that I have finally found good friends.

In our department i.e. the department of communication and Journalism all the festivals are celebrated with equal enthusiasm and interest. It was in the month of August or September that we had an Iftaar Party organized by our department for all the students and the staff. It was beautiful to see the entire department coming together without any discrimination or barriers to celebrate the festival. I feel this was the time all the students of MA PR, Mumbai University Kalina campus got to know each other better and in a way connected with each other. It is very important to have a connection and get along with your peers and stay united especially in an educational institute it benefits the students as well as the professors. It’s a huge advantage when you have your classmates by your side, I am sure all the students must have understood what I meant J.

OMG I have a submission tommorow!!!

Anxiety is something that everyone goes through every now and then in life, in professional life when you have a presentation or a report to submit or you need to report to a client with your progress, face the music in your boss’s cabin when you are being bombarded and questioned left, right and center. Parents face anxiety when their children have exams, fights with their husbands, wives, in laws. Last but not the least we students in schools, colleges, different perspectives that causes disagreements and clashes with parents and the main reason being generation gap and most of all to top the list is assignment anxiety. We as MA PR students of Mumbai University Kalina campus face a lot of anxiety, pressure when it comes to assignment submissions.

Deadlines are deadlines and you have to respect that even if you are dead that is the motto of our department i.e. Department of communication and Journalism, Mumbai University Kalina campus, no matter what you have to adhere by the deadlines, in a way we are being prepared to enter the corporate world because we all know this is how it is going to be and is the ground reality. I feel that all MA PR students of Mumbai University, Kalina like being on their toes because all of us choose to do things at the last moment and I am sure this is not the case with just our University but almost everywhere else, but there is definitely one thing that I would like to admit that no matter what we do complete our assignments and meet our deadlines even if it means having five caffeine shots to help keep your eyes wide open for the next two days.

I always feel that I should start the assignment as soon as I get it and get done with it so that I don’t have to stress myself so much, but I guess I like it this way J it’s just not in me to start early, I guess the last minute thingi gives me an Ad reline rush…but I think its high time we all realized that it’s important to start early and give more thought and time to our assignments which will help give us better outputs. It is also necessary to put that to practice now and mold ourselves in a way the industry would want us to be or let’s say accept us.

Are they good enough??

The question of perception arises when people know of our existence by that I mean individually and this can be possible only when we start working with the industry. Our good or bad performance will help decide our fate in an organization being MA PR students of Mumbai University Kalina it is very important that wherever we go we give our best and to begin with PR yourself in a positive light.

Mumbai University Kalina has made a place and created a good reputation for itself over the years, every year there are thousands of students passing out from our University, people know that students passing out from this University have great potential that will help them reach the top. Not so long ago Mumbai University felt the need to come up with a Department of Communication and Journalism, which constitutes of courses like MA PR(Master in Public Relations), MA CJ(Masters in communication and Journalism and MA EM(Masters in electronic media), based on the performance of the students in and outside the campus especially after passing out has seen an upward movement in the graph of success and performance. Every year the number of applicants have been increasing and in no time I am sure it will be very tough competition and difficult to scrape through and get an admission. The best way to spread the message is word of mouth and this helps make or break a brand be it universities, line of clothing or automobiles, word of mouth is the strongest weapon in Public Relations. It is a simple theory, when a student passes out from the university they are bound to talk about their past experiences with the others if the others get a good feedback only then will the brand gain positive publicity.

It takes one negative feedback to get the image of an organization to ground level from the sky, at the same time it takes years of hard work and dedication to keep your organization on the top level, that’s the law of nature Ironical isn’t it? All the students of MA PR, Mumbai University Kalina will seal their fate in the month of April where we will face the real world and the industry while doing our internships. This is the time when we decide whether we give a chance to the PR professionals to perceive things about us or be sure of what we are and what we are capable of doing.

What do you think research is all about??

Does that sound familiar? I am sure all the students of MA PR, Mumbai University Kalina know what I am talking about. To start with according to me I feel research is a subject which is tooo critical and detail and to come to think of it research is a detailed study of a particular topic where you get down to the Nitti gritty of a particular subject.

This is exactly what we are doing and will have to do a larger scale for our dissertation a thesis of about 20,000 words can you imagine? It is giving me jitters as I write about it, I am sure you can imagine what it is like in practical when I say research. I am sure a lot of people would disagree with me and at the same time most of them would agree with me especially students of MA PR Mumbai University, Kalina that it can be a nightmare.  The researcher needs to put in a lot of patience and efforts in completing a research and coming up with conclusions that will be useful and credible for future reference. Every researcher has a different point of and the same topic can be looked upon in 100 different ways because it completely depends on the findings and perceptions of a researcher. No research has a life time validity because time changes, people change and with that come change in perceptions and thinking. Every researcher has a reason of their own in order to prove their research right. The findings of two people of the same topic need not be the same it can be completely the opposite.

It is very important for a researcher to choose their research topics very carefully keeping in mind the do ability of the research it need not be something that you think might change the world especially if you are a beginner because if you do so there are wild chances of you falling flat on your face. There are so many things that one needs to keep in mind as a researcher especially if you choose a sensitive topic, a researcher must make sure that he/she does not hurt anyone’s feelings and keep the researched identity as a secret if they don’t wish to disclose, a researcher must respect their privacy and make sure that they don’t intrude any individual’s space. At the end of the day research is your baby, you can shape it or mold it the way you want to this is what I have realized being a MA PR, Mumbai University Kalina campus student.

We are on a holiday sirrr..No assignments pleasee.!!!

It’s a known fact that all the students go for study tours with the sole aim of having fun and by the end of the day we tend to omit the study and concentrate on the word tour. MA PR students of Mumbai University Kalina are no different. This time when we went for our study tour to Kerala, we had a few assignments that we had to submit during our study tour and few assignments were assigned to us once we came back from our tour. The day we were about to reach kerala we were already told that we would have to do an assignment, after such a long journey all of us were damn tired and were just looking out for a bed to crash.

The same night we had to prepare a script which was postponed to the next day luckily I guess the faculty showed us some mercy looking at our dead faces. We had to present a script on chauvinism and I must admit that we had fun doing this act, especially on the cruise. All of us had a blast even during the acts it was good to see people coming up with new ideas and funny acts. It’s good to see people working together as a team and trying to get along with each other which is exactly what we students of MA PR and others of Mumbai University kalina campus did. For all who missed the tour or could not make it for the reasons best known to them missed out on a lot, all the more because we had our seniors who were an absolute delight to be around with because they are soo lively and most importantly hilarious to the hilt. You might never get this time with them again since it is their final year and might not get to meet them again. I guess this was the best way to get to know them personally.

We have had such wonderful moments with all the students that will definitely remain with us forever and I am sure few years down the line not on MA PR students but all the students will cherish these splendid moments spent and have a good laugh for the rest of our lives.

KERALA YIYEEEE!!!!

All of us wait eagerly for one thing every year and that is the study tour. The very thought of study tours generates excitement in all the students especially when we get the opportunity to go to such exotic places. This year in January our entire department i.e. Department of Communication and Journalism of Mumbai University, Kalina campus decided to take us to Kerala also known as God’s own country. For all the students of MA PR it was something that we were desperately looking forward to. The idea of travelling in trains doesn’t really excite me but the journey turned out to be a fun experience and was that bad.

I realized that you need to have good company especially if you have to travel for almost 30 Hours which is a long time, but it didn’t feel that way because we literally had a blast and blew the roof. Study tours helps the students get to know students not only from their own class but the entire department and I guess that is the whole idea behind organizing study tours. All MA PR students of Mumbai University Kalina including other departments got the chance to get to know each other better. We got the chance to develop a rapport with our professors because this is the time when they are at their informal best. It’s a different feeling when they are in college compared to when they are outside the campus; during the tour I realized that the entire faculty was soo friendly and one amongst us.

Kerala is rightly known as God’s own country, the backwaters, the boart rides, the bird sanctuary you will find greenery everywhere, less pollution compared to other cities and the best part is people hardly honk, whereas in Mumbai people keep honking and knock your brains off, but there is something that vegetarians need to know that you cannot survive for long if you are one, there are very few options available and I remember my friend cribbing about the food every day and I felt sooo sorry for her poor thing! But all in all it was a trip of a life time and i am sure students of MA PR of Mumbai University, Kalina are looking forward for another trip next year and hope that it will be far more adventourous and rocking than the previous one.

Pillars of MA PR

To construct a building you need perfect architecture, secondly a strong base, similarly to run an educational institution successfully you need excellent faculty who are the pillars of the institution. Pillars of MA PR, Mumbai University Kalina are definitely our faculty. There have been our pillars of strength and motivation.

It is not an easy job to act as sources of motivation for all the students but I think our faculty does a great job of keeping the students together and motivating them and pushing them further to do better, especially in our final year during our dissertation which is like a nightmare for most of the students or let’s say all the students. The faculty of MA PR, Mumbai University Kalina guides us throughout the course especially during our dissertation. It requires a lot of patience and willingness to handle so many students and tackle their issues with care. The Head of our department Mr Sanjay Ranade tackles each and every situation with such ease and dignity that it actually amazes me and that’s something I would love to learn from him and the kind of patience he has is commendable. If I were in his place I would probably being pulling my hair or hitting my head to the wall, sometimes things can really get on to you especially when you are handling so many students.

In fact I respect and admire all our lecturers for their patience and their willingness to help students progress and most importantly treating each and every student with nil partiality which is very very important because according to me each and every student needs to be treated equally with absolutely no partiality. This can really affect the psychology of the student and in a way creates a sense of hatred or disliking towards the faculty which affects the relationship and the performance to a great extent. I am glad that I am part of MA PR, Mumbai University Kalina campus where there is no place for any of this.

One change that would make a difference to MA PR

The one change that would make a lot of difference in MA PR, or for that matter the entire Department of Communication and Journalism in Mumbai University Kalina is the infrastructure. I personally feel that the entire building should be renovated and made more attractive. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to add an additional floor to make it more spacious which can accommodate more students. 

The current classrooms have less room or space which causes inconvenience for the students as well as the lecturers except for one, but that’s mainly reserved for the MAEM or MCJ students. Sometimes students of MA PR find it difficult especially during presentations because it becomes very congested. Its ok during the winters but in summers it’s going to be a mission especially summers in Mumbai. It would be exciting if our department organizes international study tours, which would definitely be a refreshing change and to come to think of it would be a good learning experience for all the students of the Department and something that all the students are looking forward to. I also wish that the University has international student exchange programs, it would be a different experience all together for the students here to stay and study in a different country and observe different people understand different cultures etc.

Last but not the least ‘Campus Interviews’, I wish MA PR Mumbai University Kalina had campus interviews it would have been a lot more easier for students of the department, like most of the universities or educational institutions Mumbai University should also have campus interviews for students, where reputed companies take interviews and offer jobs to all the deserving students. I hope that our department comes up with campus interviews ASAP…… I am sure if these changes are incorporated there is no stopping from being one of topmost universities for MA PR not only in Mumbai but in the entire country.

Why MA PR in Mumbai University, Kalina campus? Well here is your answer!!

USP (Unique selling preposition) is something that is not only important to sell a product but is important even for universities in order to attract student. Everyone wants to enroll their children in one of the best colleges and courses available. According to me Faculty is something that makes or breaks an institution. It is very simple if the university has an amazing faculty the students are bound to get good results which helps in building reputation of the educational institution and talking about MA PR Mumbai University Kalina campus it has the best faculty with experienced and highly qualified lecturers.

The department of communication and Journalism started about 4 years ago, it has the freshness and a completely new environment most importantly it has managed to grab many eyeballs in a short span. Many people are aware of the course and you see a lot of applicants in this department every year. MA PR, Mumbai UniversityKalina campus has a lot to offer and technically very sound because the department has advanced computers i.e apple mac desktops with all the latest software and Wi-Fi internet which makes it easy for students to do their projects and research and this is something that would definitely attract the students

One of the factors is that it is in the University campus which is huge and attractive because of its greenery.

There are various language courses also available which makes it easier especially for MA PR students to learn other languages which is definitely an added advantage . It is said that it is important for PR professionals to be multilingual. Every festival is celebrated with equal enthusiasm and interest, this is when the entire department comes together, so it is a blend of all cultures and religions and that is the beauty and one of the many USP’s of this course and the Mumbai University Kalina campus.

Experience in MA PR

It feels like just yesterday I gave my entrance exam for MA PR Mumbai University Kalina campus and joined the course, but in reality I have come to the end of my first year of my Master’s degree, time flies. When I first entered the department all the faces were somewhat familiar because a few lecturers were already known to me because I have been taught by them during my Graduation.

It was not very difficult to make friends because all the students in MA PR MumbaiUniversity Kalina campus are quite friendly and easy to mingle with. I found our seniors very cooperative rather than being bossy and dominating and throwing their weight around which seniors usually do. The faculty that we have especially the head of our department Mr. Sanjay Ranade is very knowledgeable, most importantly a very balanced person he is usually a very jovial person but when things go out of hand or when students try to cross their line he can be a real taskmaster, other faculties apart from Sanjay sir are Meenakshi Upadhyay who is a great teacher and appreciative if we do a good job at the same time can be very difficult with the students which I guess is necessary especially with students. She is someone you can share anything with and she will always be there to support and guide you. There is one rule in the department and that is meet your deadlines even if you are dead so this is one thing that is common amongst all the lecturers and i.e. all of them are very particular about deadlines, unless you have a genuine reason for late submission of assignments.

MA PR MumbaiUniversity Kalina campus has definitely taught me a lot and most importantly given me such precious people in the form of friends and our wonderful faculty, honestly my original plan was to work for a year or two and then do my masters but then my parents forced me into it saying that once I start working it will be next to impossible to get back to studying which is true especially for someone like me and I am glad that I did what my parents wanted me to do. I am lucky to be in this course and grabbed the opportunity to study PR something which I aim to take up as a career in the near future.

Where does MA PR take you 2 years down the line?

Most of us who have joined MA PR Mumbai University Kalina campus with the main aim of becoming PR Professionals, some want to get into entertainment or celebrity PR, some into lifestyle or corporate communications. Some of us even plan to gain some work experience and join a B school or PHD.

MAPR Mumbai University Kalina campus gives you the platform and also the opportunity to gain industrial knowledge which would help all the students to chalk out a plan for their future. Two years down the line I see myself completing this course and a proud holder of a Master’s degree and most importantly I see myself working for a reputed PR agency and handling multiple accounts, most importantly handling them successfully and bringing out the best in me. It is very important to prove your worth when you are working with an organization, in a way it helps you gain respect. All though it cannot happen overnight but I would like to start working towards it as soon as I join an organization. I want to prove myself as an asset to the organization. One of the most important factors would be that I will no longer be financially dependent on my parents. I don’t expect to earn in lakhs as soon as I start but definitely reasonable enough to pull of my expenses and that feeling of earning and living a life where you are completely independent is something that I have been longing for which I am still looking forward to experience two years down the line.

People say that once you start working you miss your college days like crazy and I am sure I will miss MA PR Mumbai University Kalina campus like every other student. There might be times when I want to be a college going student. Student’s life is the most beautiful phase and to come to think of it the most relaxed phase of your life and most of us realize that when you are not a student anymore, when you have loads of responsibilities, professional commitments and of course you have no other choice but to go back to work every single day, you realize the liberty one gets of bunking college whenever you want to, so that is something all of us would definitely miss doing once we pass out from college.

MA PR Course at Mumbai

MA PR (Masters in public relations) was introduced in the Mumbai University Kalina campus about 4 years back. Just 4 years old and this course seem to have gained the necessary momentum and there are so many people willing to study and do their masters in Public Relations.

MA PR (Masters in public relations)  in Mumbai University Kalina campus provides the necessary exposure, which would help the students when they pass out and start working in the industry. The faculty makes sure that we get maximum exposure and prepares the students to work under sheer pressure, which is very important in order to survive in the industry. Unwrekable deadlines, assignments, keep the students on their toes all the time. The faculties of this course are very friendly with the students and help them to accomplish their goals. The university organizes for visiting faculties who are experienced and highly qualified; they also organize guest lectures where people from the industry share their experiences and their knowledge, which help the students to get a better insight of how the industry works. The Department of Communication and Journalism come together and get into the festive mood during festivals, so it is a perfect blend of all cultures and religions.

Apart from MA PR (Masters in public relations), which is a part of DCJ also known as Department of Communication and Journalism in Mumbai University Kalina campus there are other courses it offers like Masters in Communication and Journalism and Masters in Electronic Media, selection is done on the basis of entrance tests followed by a personal interview. All these courses are full time 2 years masters’ degree courses comprising of two semesters, each which sums up to four semesters for 2 years. The final semester in MA PR is completely concentrated on dissertation, which is dreaded, by most of the students but the faculty is always there to help the students wherever they face difficulty and provide all the necessary information and share their knowledge and do the best they can to make things easy for the students. The department itself has a huge library, which makes it easy for the students to refer to. All in all MA PR is in demand amongst youngsters and wouldn’t be surprising if the number keeps increasing every year. The industry requires good PR professionals and Mumbai University has set the perfect platform.

Taken for granted....

Hello people,
The title of my post might be a little confusing and you guys might wonder Why this title? Well, I chose this because i felt it was necessary to bring to light or discuss about the issue when people are taken for granted especially women. When a woman walks down the road men don't miss a single chance of degrading her or making her feel uncomfortable why?? If you see a girl/woman coming back late it definitely means that she is up to something and the next best thing that you can do is question her character which is absolutely rubbish.

Not  very long time back i encountered these roadside rascals who made it difficult for me to step of the house and then finally one fine day i decided to put my foot down and get things straight so i called 100 and make things easier and later i realized that it was as simple as dialing 100 and trust me i haven't seen them around since then, I don't know if that was a permanent solution but i definitely know that it was the best thing i could do to save my dignity. My mum thinks i should'nt have taken this step because they might come back with the intention of taking a revenge which is scary but then to come to think of it it was HIGH TIME!
That's all i have got for now will come back ASAP with more.