Hundreds of MBA students have just about left or are in the process of leaving Mumbai after having completed their summer internships with some or the other firm. For most, this is their first and only close call with actual ‘corporate’ experience during the MBA. PaGaLGuY reporters Anjali Mangal, Rozelle Laha and Tendar Tsering caught up with some of the interns to learn about how the experience was and whether it was worth cherishing.

Q: How do you find Mumbai as a place of work?

Poluru Deepti of Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad said, I faced problems of finding accommodation in Mumbai. It is not easy to find a place to stay in this city. And when you do find a place, you have to share it with so many people there is no sense of privacy in Mumbai.

Shardul Bahuguna of IIM Rohtak on the other hand said, Finding a place was not tough for me. I had worked in Mumbai between 2008 and 2010 and stayed with three other friends in an apartment. This time I did the same thing.

According to Charu Bhatnagar of the Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication (SIMC), Pune, I faced a problem with traveling in local trains, especially if I had to catch them at peak hours. I travelled from Mira Road to Churchgate everyday carrying my laptop which was a big hassle.

Ranjeet Pratap Singh, FMS Delhi

Q: What was the summer internship experience like?

Nimisha Mishra of SIMC Pune said, I did not learn as much as I hoped to. Seniors often treated me and the others as if we did not know anything at all. At the end, I do not think I gained as much as I should have from this internship.

Her batchmate Himanshu Punjabi had a different tale. The company I worked with was really good in terms of teaching me new things. I had seniors who were extremely helpful and they encouraged me to present ideas. They also recommended different ways in which I could make my work better.

Ujjwal Kumar Kejriwal of the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai said, I had a great working experience as an intern in Mumbai. My project demanded that I work in multiple functions. The overall exercise gave me a better understanding of the job.

According to Ranjeet Pratap Singh of the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi, My internship was good because it showed how things worked practically. The knowledge I gained has been extremely helpful.

Q: Were you satisfied with the nature of work during the internship?

Aarish Angrish of Amity Business School, Noida said, The company I was hired for burdened us with extra work of filling up surveys which was not related to the summer project I was assigned. This extra work would not be a part of the internship report I have to submit to the college. It was as if the company was making us do some of their additional work that we had not signed up for.

Poluru Deepti of IIM Ahmedabad said, I wanted to work as a consultant and the kind of training I received was really good. The office was really cool. I got to use the concepts I had learned in my classroom. I also got to learn new things about tool-designing. If given a chance, in the future too I would like to do consulting.

Shardul Bahuguna of IIM Rohtak too said that the internship helped. “In my b-school, I was taught to make straight questionnaires. While interning, I learned to frame better questions and in different formats.

Q: Are you happy with the stipend you earned? (the students spoken to were paid between nothing to about Rs 45,000 per month)

Poluru Deepti said, I was given a good stipend. Cannot complain.

Nimisha Mishra said, I was not paid anything. I was expecting to be paid but nothing came. I had a problem managing my budget here.

Accordig to Aarish Angrish, I was paid some money but it was not enough. I had a tough time managing my food, stay and travel with the money. I had to borrow money from my parents.

Q: How are you planning to spend your stipend money?

Sandeep Duvvuru of NITIE Mumbai plans to use the stipend to clear a few debts he was carrying.

Ujjwal Kumar Kejriwal, Raveesh Pandhija and Anupam Prasad of NITIE plan use their stipend money to go on a trekking vacation.

Kailash Goel of TA Pai Management Institute, Manipal said, I have got a meagre stipend. I am planning to use it to pay the hostel fees for second year at college.

Poluru Deepti of IIM Ahmedabad however said, I am planning to travel to France in next few months and will use this money for it.

Q: How did you unwind after work during the summer internship?

Ranjeet Pratap Singh worked for 13-14 hours every day and therefore did not get much time for leisure. “But whenever I managed to squeeze some time, I went out with friends.

Prayag of Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi said, My office was far from where I stayed so I got little time to do anything else. Whatever time I did get, I used to sleep it out.

Kailash Goel, for whom Mumbai is also hometown said, “My working hours were quite flexible and I got time for myself. It was a more of a vacation for me as I came back home after a long time.

Charu Bhtanagar of SIMC Pune said, I have friends in Mumbai and whenever I got time, went out with them.

Q: Would you like to come back to work in Mumbai?

Aarish Angrish of Amity, Delhi said, I loved the city as well as the kind of speed at which people work. I would definitely come back if I got a chance.

Said Charu Bhatnagar, Of course, I would like to work in Mumbai. Mumbai is my hometown. If you compared Mumbai with other cities such as Delhi, it is a safer place. You dont need to carry Pepper Spray while going out. There are beaches, pubs and places to hang out here. When you go out you need friends, which I have here. Besides, people in Mumbai are very friendly.

Ranjeet Pratap Singh of FMS Delhi however did not find the city that exciting. Mumbai is not my favourite place to work for because I find the weather hot and humid, traffic to be chaotic and besides most things are very expensive. But then again, almost all the big companies in the country have their headquarters in the city and if I get a good opportunity I may have to come back to work in Mumbai.

The interviews were conducted at various spots in Mumbai by Anjali Mangal, Rozelle Laha and Tendar Tsering.