Saurabh Sharma's Review On Institute Of Hotel Management Catering Technology And Applied Nutrition - [IHM], Mumbai

In conclusion, IHM Mumbai is highly regarded and respected in the industry. The admission to the college is quite competitive due to its country rank. There is a sense of pride in each student and pass out from the college. The teaching methods, facilities and placements are of highest possible standards. The college is highly recommended for people who want to make it big and need a head start in the hotel industry.

All India Entrance test - National Council for Hotel Management Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) rank 203 reason for choosing - Highest ranked hotel college in India.

The course content is best in the industry and is very comprehensive. It combines the core hotel operations subjects such as Food production, Front Office, Food and Beverage and Houskeeping with management subjects such as Finance, Marketing and Human resources. Subjects are split into Practical and theory with more weightage given to the practical components. The degree is given in collaboration with IGNOU and Syllabus also includes IGNOU components such as tourism, communication skills, Human resources the syllabus also includes a research project, very well organised and overlooked by a dedicated research lecturer.

The course structure requires 6 months of mandatory industrial training. The students normally get placed in the hotels (such as Taj, Hyatt, Four seasons, Marriott) through campus placements rounds stipend can vary from 5000 to 8000 INR.

The college normally is able to arrange for 100% students placement. Campus placement interviews are held during the final year of the degree. Companies include hotels such as Taj, Marriott, ITC, Four seasons, Hyatt, Airlines such as Jet, Indigo and several retail chains. Package ranges from 10000 per month to 30000 per month (2008 figures).

Many technical events are organised such as sushi festival, culinary events and wine exhibitions. Many international delegates visit during the events. Local culture is celebrated extensively such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Janamashtmi. College also organises debate competitions with participation from across the year students. College has a basketball court and competitions are conducted.

Since the college is governed by ministry of tourism, the fee structure is very reasonable and payable semester wise across 6 semesters (average 45,000 INR per semester) Hostel fees and other expenses such as tools, security, evening food (for hostel residents) are in addition to the course fee. Overall the course is quite affordable compared to other private institutes and hence competition to get admission is tough.

I availed loan from SBI. Since college is government owned and top ranked, loans are easily available from banks.

Gender ratio is 60:40 Males to Females. Fresher/farewell parties are organised evey year. There are several cooking workshops conducted through the sessions. The students are very diverse and join college from across the country. Some international students also join due to college reputation. The college is very disciplined and does not allow any sort of gender, race, religion bias and normally students are free to act within the discipline.

Hostel rooms are limited and higher rank holders in JEE exams are given preference. Rooms are on shared basis with 3 students per room. Hostel fee is about 30000 per year. Hostel rooms are spacious and sufficient. Accommodation is available in external hostels at a similar rate. Renting a room can be very expensive ( about 6000-10000 per month) Lunch is free and Mess food is cooked by the students during their practical cooking class and is reasonably good to eat.

College seniors are very helpful and can help with out of campus placements, teaching material and general college advice. The college website encourages passed out students to register as alumni. I was able to secure useful material for my assignments from the seniors and they also provide good tips for the exams.

Exams are split into Practical and theory. (More weighting to Practical). Ignou exams are conducted in addition to the NCHM exams and normally scheduled during separate period. Labs are equipped with latest technology and are very student friendly. Exams are time pressured and require good time management skills and persistence. Practical exams (specially cooking require good physical stamina) and long time standing and working across the labs ( much like master chef competition.

The faculty is very seasoned and have been teaching the college for several years (with many teaching for more than 15-20 years). Most of the faculty are alumni from the same college and hence very much qualified in their teaching disciplines. The faculty is very dedicated and commited to highest standards of teaching.