A Hotel Management Student- MY COLLEGE LIFE

 I come across various aspirants who ask about doing a course in Hotel management. Lets put it one by one how I made it through a Hotel Management institute, my college experiences all jot down in the blog.

Firstly , How I applied for this course!

Every year there is a Joint Entrance Examination by NCHMCT (National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology) a national-level entrance exam conducted to offer admission to aspirants in hospitality and hotel administration programs .10+2 candidates can apply for Diploma / BSc course. Admission are based on merit and suitability for Diploma courses and NCHMCT JEE scores for BSc course.Question paper is divided into 5 parts namely Numerical Ability and Analytical Aptitude, Reasoning and Logical Deduction, General Knowledge & Current Affairs, English Language and Aptitude for Service Sector.

NCMHCT colleges includes IHMs and a list of colleges where you get the admission depending on your All India Ranking (AIR). Also, there are reserved number of seats in college for this programs. Other than that, you have an option of going for Private Hotel Management Institutes. I went to a Private college International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) Delhi.

I came across various advertisements of colleges in magazines and newspapers. So I selected my college in terms of its Location, so yes.. you can chose to study in your own country or abroad its all upto you. Other than that I had to keep in mind the fee structure, the place I would be residing throughout, the quality of academics, also the Internship and Placement records of the particular institute matters, because that is the most crucial part of studying for the degree.

Other Parameters to select the college:

• The college should be affiliated or accredited to ensure all the curriculum are carried out according to the set national/ international standards. International Partnership or affiliation adds value to the degree I want to pursue.

• Well equipped classrooms / practical labs are most important part while choosing a college for Hotel Management..what we learn theoretically needs to be put practically, to have a better learning experience. We had different  practical labs for different specializations- Housekeeping Lab, Front Office Lab, Food and beverage lab for dining and bar experience,Kitchen for food preparations etc.

• College faculties needs to have strong academic background with quite a good experience of the hospitality industry. This ensures the students to grab more on both academic as well as industrial knowledge.
• Placements and Internship reputation is a major consideration and never just count the figures but also try getting in touch with the alumni, or currently pursuing students to have a better opinion on How the placements and Internships are actually being carried through the semesters.
• Anti Ragging campus should always be your first priority, mine was too..

First Semester: Breaking the Ice

First few weeks were all about getting along with each other, you will learn to treat the other person as a work colleague other than friend. Seniors and Juniors to be exclaimed as Sir/Mam and Mr./Ms. Breaking the communication barrier, learning the importance of each department in the hotels..their liaison , Personal Grooming, Greeting and Crisp English is the major constant throughout the course.We were all provided with a shining name badge, ID cards and crisp business suits-HOTEL MANAGEMENT STUDENT UNIFORM is incomplete if any one of these are missing, and sorry no one shows mercy when you are short of any...

Attendance is a major drawback of any Hotel management institute,and one should better have enough percentile to appear for semester examinations.

Second Semester: Focus Focus- shortest semester

While a lot of things are happening around, your basics should be strong enough for any department so that you clear any internship interviews coming next while the semester ends. 

Our college used to have an Indismart Breakfast Buffet which is purely held by the newcomers also we get a good experience of how a buffet at any Luxury Hotel looks like..and also to deliver the service with a class..

Internship interviews starts.. Brand hotels are priority, but don't get upset even if you get 4 star property to do internship , make it a whole lot of learning experience..

Third Semester: Internship- Game Changer

So I got the major exposure of how the industry works, the operations and guest services, an eye opener which last for six months, in the mean time WE develop the area of interest we would like to work on, i.e. - SPECIALIZATION.. for the upcoming two years. Appreciation letters and awards from Hotel fuel us up making the direction more clear.

Fourth Semester- Power packed Learning period

After coming back from training we were all hyped up for this semester,as now we have the clear picture of what we want.. this semester also holds up a Food festival arranged by the Second year students followed by Realia- themed dining for a week and Entrepreneurship event afterwards..in which we used to have the kitchen for food production and small eatery in the campus itself in which we used to make revenue out of the money invested..enjoying all forms of service and different cuisines..it was all a part of PRACTICAL learning on-campus.

Fifth Semester- Real Struggle for MAJOR begins

So the areas/ departments of interest needs to be chosen,the entire two semesters is all about the same. Presentations , Researches, Projects .. that is how you score for the semester exams.

Placements starts some where in the mid of fourth and fifth semester ,competition take a higher altitude altogether. Under this competitive environment one feels a lot of stress when one of the friend gets placed in first or second day campus placement and you don't. During this period you will see both failure and good experience where in if you feel bad,don't avoid your problem.. focus on it instead. Every one wants to get into the best Hotel. Prepare yourself with mock tests and interviews.

Sixth Semester- Final Chapter

The last semester of college ends with bonding and digging in more on the area of specialization, soon to be Professionals brush themselves up, making their fit for the hospitality industry.

Finally we all are bid farewell.. and handed over our Hotel Management Degrees we worked hard for the past three years..

So, this is how I ended up graduating from a Hotel Management Institute and made it into the Industry.

Do let me know, if you want to have some more details, please mention it in the comment section.. Be sure to hit that subscribe button before you go, if you really liked this article.

See you guys in the next blog, till then

Keep spreading love

XOXO