Those were the days...

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think back to my college days is what a great time I had. The mad rush to complete reports on time, the hectic schedule of classes, the nervousness before presentations, the heavy academic discussions, the sleepless nights before exams, and the relief afterwards, the industry seminars that we attended, the picnics and the college trips, the cricket matches, and Yes! Sometimes cutting classes and going for a movie, and later being reprimanded for it! I could not have asked for a more complete college experience than the one I had at Skyline Business School.

I keenly remember my first class discussion. Our teacher asked us to define the term professional, "What or who in our opinion is a professional?" Oh! The class responded with enthusiasm and threw out words like dedicated, efficient, expert, honest, experienced, qualified, effective, etc. Our teacher agreed to all that we said and then added a simple statement, "A professional is someone who takes pride in what he does, and does it with dedication." It's something that I will never forget. And its not because I was so impressed with the statement. I was, but the reason that I'll never forget the statement is that I saw proof of professionalism every time I went to college. I found professionalism in everyone at Skyline - from the teachers to the peons, everyone was a professional. We had an incident where the teacher was in an accident and yet she came to take our class. We have had instances where the library was open from 9 in the morning to 10 in the
night, and many times even on Sundays, without any complaints from the library administrators. Professionalism was taught in Skyline not only through books, but also through live examples that we witnessed everyday. But what makes this place unique is the fact that it encourages its students to think creatively, to explore problems from all possible, and then some more, directions. This is what, I feel, my alumnus has given me above everything else - the questioning spirit and the confidence to question. The three years in Skyline have taught me that if there is a problem, then there is a solution. If there is no solution, then the problem does not exist. There is always a way out. This attitude that I developed during my college days has helped me more than I ever imagined, now that I have joined the workforce. Today I feel that I am better equipped to deal with the work environment than any other graduate does from any other institution. The teachers and the administration worked seamlessly towards making a manager out of a student. I will spend the rest of my life making sure that their efforts succeed.

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Ajay Kanwar
Air France
Skyline Business School - BBA (Hons) Tourism

Today when I sit back and think about the time I spent at Skyline, I realise that what I gained there is invaluable and is what I call "real experience". The training and education I got at Skyline is different from any other education institute I have ever attended.

First of all the teaching methods used here are very innovative Learning is not just "cramming' from a text book and reproducing it on an answer sheet. Half of our grades were based on individual studies, research & essays one had to complete in order to pass a course This greatly helped in transforming me from an average student into a thinker .All of us students had to ourselves 'create' a piece of work on each and every area of management, be it marketing, operations, finance or HRM Thus one was propelled into finding out a solution of management problems (in the form of case studies essays, research works, role plays etc.).

Our instructors were not only academicians but also professionals currently working in our area of specialisation -tourism and management. We got the optimum mix of theoretical and practical exposure as they helped link the management theories to reality.

As part of our curriculum we had to make presentations in class and engage in group discussions. This greatly helped in building my self-confidence and transformed me from a person who was terrified of facing an audience to a person who today loves making presentations.

I also personally feel that no other library in Delhi contains as wide a range of books on our area of specialisation - tourism management as does Skyline. We had written material -on each and every facet of tourism.

We students really value our experience at Skyline because the administration was very receptive to our needs and went a long way in solving our problems. We had chosen faculty and all the academic infrastructure we required.

Perhaps the only area where Skyline lacked was in sports and extra curricular activities. With respect to education in management Skyline was by far above the rest. Sports and cultural activities could have been promoted more though Skyline has now come a long way from the time it was established in 1996. Sports kits have been acquired and a number of cricket matches, chess and carom tournaments held. Four or five outstation trips have been organised and Skyline has not only participated but also won some prizes in Inter College competitions.

I would like to end by saying that what I am today, the knowledge that I have, the confidence and the drive that I possess, is because of this friendly, innovative, educative and democratic learning environment in which I had the fortune of completing my graduation.

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Kangan Ahluwalia
Amadeus India
Skyline Business School - BBA (Hons) Tourism

The three years that I spent at Skyline were the most remarkable years of my life. Skyline’s education to me was like the first step or if I may say the foundation stone to my professional career. Today when I compare Skyline to a Delhi University college I feel very privileged at having belonged to SBS.

When I was given the choice between a Delhi University college and Skyline I was somehow surrounded with all ambiguities when it came to Skyline perhaps because we were the first batch to get started with this Tourism degree. Today, I am happy and full of pride that I took the right decision of deciding for Skyline. In Skyline unlike other colleges not only did we study the theoretical part of the subject but we also dealt with the practical bit of it. By practical I mean professionals from the same trade often visited us and gave us a fair picture of the market.

Today when I am working with Amadeus, more than the theoretical knowledge, it’s the practical knowledge that has helped me to excel in the organisation. When I look back even the state-of-the-art-facilities used at Skyline helped us to imbibe fundamentals faster and better.

When I was studying at SBS I could never understanding the relevance of frequent tests or assignments but today again I feel that if I were not taking these tests at short intervals by the end of the term it would have been quite a load. Quizzing was also an integral part of the testing process which gave us indepth knowledge of the subjects.

My most memorable experience in Skyline was our trip to Sharjah. At Sharjah we had a wonderful time going to the green Cornish, visiting MNC’s like AlFuttaim, the International Airport of DXB. It became all the more fun with the annual fete at the Skyline College, where we had a wonderful time. We interfaced with students from cross-cultural and multilingual backgrounds.

The single factor I am thankful to Skyline for is that it has made me confident and self-reliant. I remember my very first presentation when I was trembling, my papers were falling and I almost forgot what I had to say next in the midst of a presentation. When I look at myself today with all my skills sharpened, I find giving a presentation no big a deal.

The credit for all the skills that I have today, the personality that I have developed, the knowledge that I possess goes without any second thoughts to the faculty. The pains and efforts that teachers took to instill knowledge and confidence in us was simply remarkable. They were there for us all the time not only to teach us the subject but also to guide, tell us on dos and don’ts; we were free to ask them any thing under the sun without hesitation. Today whatever I have achieved in my career or personal front is because of their counseling, support and above all their confidence in me.

I would always be thankful to SBS for giving me a wonderful environment for my personal and professional grooming.

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Pooja Batra
Cox & Kings Ltd.
Skyline Business School - BBA (Hons) Tourism.

When I ponder over my past few years I feel so grateful to my college Skyline Business School, which has really taught me a lot. The course BBA (Hons) with specialization in Tourism had subjects like Marketing, Management, Managerial Accounting, International Business, Special Interest Tourism, Human Issues in Tourism, Management of Tourism Enterprises etc. All the subjects were taught to us by the best of faculty members in terms of their educational and professional background and also subjects like International Fares and Air Cargo were taught with meticulous care so that we would not face any problems in professional life.

Apart from the BBA (Hons) programme Skyline also offers diploma courses like IATA-UFTAA & IATA-FIATA. I’ve done my IATA UFTAA (Standard) Geneva with training at Skyline Business School which is incidentally an Authorised Training Center of IATA.

I’m really thankful to the friendly and helpful staff in the college. I never had any problems regarding material available for any particular

subject, Skyline's library is well-stocked on books concerning all the relevant programmes.

I’ve gained enormously from this course or if you really come to the core of it, over the years I’ve felt a change in my overall personality. The presentation skills have been greatly enhanced in so many ways. I firmly feel this course has been an asset to my career.

At Skyline emphasis on the collective or team approach is total. This has really helped me in my professional life. I necessarily have to work in a team in which I am most at ease now, thanks to our compulsory group presentations & activities (it is a part of my personality now). The team-building spirit was always emphasised and really helps when you are working with your colleagues.

One thing I must mention is that Skyline could have been better if there were more of extra-curricular activities and more sports facilities to ease pressure of students workload in projects, presentations, dissertations, essays etc.

I’m really happy and contented after studying in Skyline because these three years of my life has really made me more confident and knowledgeable. Not to forget the outstation trips and study trips which were an amazing experience: we got to learn a lot when we were actually closer to real life situations.

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Siddhartha Mathur
Bax Global
Skyline Business School - BBA (Hons) Tourism.

Skyline is an institution whose objective is to develop young people into fine managers keeping in view the global perspective. As a student I always wanted to be in one of the finest business schools in the country but found it to be very difficult. I wanted to get into the aviation industry which was one of my prime targets. After passing out of school and keeping in mind the above, I began my search for a degree course which would well equip me for a career in the field of aviation. Surprisingly I couldn’t find a single college which emphasised on such a subject except a new college which had opened recently and had advertised for the first batch of management graduates. That was in July 96. The only course available then was BBA (Hons) with specialisation in Tourism which I decided to take. I found it completely different from other colleges because from day one we were treated as management trainees and not as students. Throughout the education process of 3 years the college provides the students a broadbase of knowledge of the related industry/field and also the technical aspects of the industry, which further enables the students in taking a timely and logical decision.

The education process includes – Regular extensive classes: This fills up the students with the theoretical knowledge of the industry as he/she has access to the latest books, case studies and people involved directly with the industry.

Seminars and guest lectures:

These are one of the most important parts of the process as experts from the industry visit the college and participate in the seminars and lectures.

Presentations:

The most important thing in today’s competent environment which one should have is confidence and ability to converse and put across one’s views with clarity. I doubt if any one is born confident and articulate enough to express his views on any subject. There is a process through which one learns all this. Honestly, I learnt it in my school days and most of it in the college during the presentation sessions. When we are exposed to a whole crowd to speak in front of, it requires a lot of confidence and maturity which I as a student gathered through such frequently organised sessions. From such sessions we imbibe effective presentation skills which in turn add to the overall personality of a person/student. This gives him confidence to present himself and his work in the actual/real environment. Since such presentations are judged by the industry professionals, it makes the whole process an effective learning experience with the help and guidance of true industry professionals.

Course contents and evaluation:

A product can only be judged once it is consumed/used. I had many ambiguities at the back of my mind before I was made familiar with the course contents and the evaluation process. The contents of the course are industry specific and high quality with a focus on specialisation. It is fun to learn from people who practice what they teach in the industry. The quality of the faculty is also very good.

The industry is looking for professionals who can not only talk but perform effectively. One becomes professional when he works/studies in such an environment. Apart from the college environment, the students work with MNC’s and large corporates as trainees and gain a lot of experience and on-hand knowledge. As a student I joined Bax Global, which is the No. 1 company (MNC) in freight forwarding. After graduating, I joined KLM, worked there for four months and rejoined Bax Global as a sales executive.

Another excellent stream which the college offers are the professional courses like IATA-UFTAA & FIATA which are valued in the industry. The industry today is looking for such colleges which will produce professionals who can join the race and excel in the global market scenario.