[2008] Ask Great Lakes, Chennai: Official Query thread feat. Admission Director

MBA CAT 2023
1

Hi All ! I take pleasure in welcoming Mr TN Swaminathan, Admissions Director, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai - the institute founded by the Prof Bala V Balachandran, the legendary professor of Accounting from Kellogg School o…

2

Hi All !

I take pleasure in welcoming Mr TN Swaminathan, Admissions Director, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai - the institute founded by the Prof Bala V Balachandran, the legendary professor of Accounting from Kellogg School of Management.

Mr Swaminathan would be answering all your questions related to getting an admission into Great Lakes Institute of Management. So if you've been looking to consider studying management at this school, here is a chance to ask all your questions about admissions, academics, placements, faculty and more about Great Lakes to a person of authority.

How does it work?

  1. First go through the thread to see if a question similar to yours has already been asked and answered.
  2. If not, you post your questions about Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai here by hitting the 'Post Reply' button on top.
  3. Mr Swaminathan, who will keep a watchful eye on this thread will answer all your queries on a regular basis.
  4. So once you post your question, you can come back to this thread in a couple of days to find your answer or even better, Subscribe to this thread by clicking on the 'Thread tools' link on the top-right side at the top of the thread to receive updates on your email.

Mr Sriram's ID is Admissions@GreatLakes

All the best to all. Ask away and learn
3

Sir,

I have some question regarding the Insitute.


1> Are there any specialisation one needs to complete in Great lakes? Or are an MBA from great lakes is a genreal MBA.

2> Can you throw some light on the general roadblocks which are preventing 'big' consulting firms to visit campus. What is the institute doing to tackle these issues.

3> How good is Great Lakes when it comes to changing industry sectors. According to the placement statistics nearly 50% of the folks who join GLIM are from IT background and nearly 50% land up jobs in the IT sector.

Regards,
Trex

4

Sir,

I am a re-applicant to Great Lakes. I had applied last year for 2008-2009 batch and was offered admission.

But due to some unavoidable circumstances and considerations, I couldn't honor the offer. I had written a mail stating my inability to admissions last year. Will this go against me this time?

In the last one year, I have improved my profile, gained another year of Work Ex. and is hoping for a better CAT score.

Please guide.

Cheers
NoeL

5
Sir,

I have some question regarding the Insitute.


1> Are there any specialisation one needs to complete in Great lakes? Or are an MBA from great lakes is a genreal MBA.




2> Can you throw some light on the general roadblocks which are preventing 'big' consulting firms to visit campus. What is the institute doing to tackle these issues.

3> How good is Great Lakes when it comes to changing industry sectors. According to the placement statistics nearly 50% of the folks who join GLIM are from IT background and nearly 50% land up jobs in the IT sector.

Regards,
Trex



Dear Trex,

Please find below the answers to your query:

1.There are specializations in Mktg, Fin and ops at Great Lakes.
2.Big consulting firms like PWC, KPMG have already considered our students for employment but we could not provide the right kind of profile they were looking for. They are likely to be part of the placement this year. E&Y; has already empanelled Great Lakes as a top tier institute. Our efforts to get Mckinsey and BCG is on and we are hopeful of succeding in this endeavour.
3.As many people want to leverage their previous work experience they tend to go back to the inudstry they come from. However, all that who came from IT didn't go back to It and there are many with non IT bacground who have gone to IT. When one wants to change his/her industry, their previous experience is likely to get discounted by the recruting industry if the expereince is not relevant. For example, if an IT person goes to FMCG or BFSI industry, they may not get any credit for their previous experience. As long as the student is clear about this and willing to forego the credit for the experience, industry switching is quite possible.

Regards,
S.Sriram
6
Sir,

I am a re-applicant to Great Lakes. I had applied last year for 2008-2009 batch and was offered admission.

But due to some unavoidable circumstances and considerations, I couldn't honor the offer. I had written a mail stating my inability to admissions last year. Will this go against me this time?

In the last one year, I have improved my profile, gained another year of Work Ex. and is hoping for a better CAT score.

Please guide.

Cheers
NoeL

Dear Noel,

Thank you for your continued interest in Great Lakes.

We do not offer deferred admissions and hence you need to apply afresh and go through the normal admission process.

You are welcome to apply this year.

wishing you all the best.

regards,
S.Sriram
7

Sir,

I have few queries regarding the recommendation letters.

1. Sir I am working in DRDO and as we do not use internet for official use, no one in my office has any official id on internet. So if I have to forward my recommendation letter online what should I do?

2. Will my application be undermined if I choose to get recommendation from my colleagues.

thanking u in advance......

partha

8

Hi Sir,

I have a query pertaining to the selection criteria. Can you please let us know what are the parameters Great Lakes would consider for selecting a candidate like CAT score, Work-Ex, Acads, Extra Curricular activities, etc.,
Moreover what would be the percentage of each such parameter as part of selection criteria (ex: Cat score-60%, work-ex 10%, Acads-10% etc..,)

Hope it's a valid query in this thread. If not kindly ignore the same.

9
Dear Partha,

You seem to be a special case &Iwould; like you to send a mail relating to our Admission commitee [email protected] and they will reply back to you.

Obtainning recommendations from your superiors at work is strongly encouraged.
All the best.

Regards,
S.Sriram
10

Hello Sir,

Thanks for taking some time out to answer the querries of great lakes' aspirants

Can you please let me know whats the minimum CAT score one should apply with?

In case you don't have any such minimum score criteria, can you please let me know the average CAT score for the current batch of students.

I am asking you this because I scored just 87.2%le in CAT'07, so i am a bit skeptical about applying to great lakes because i feel my score is on a lower side.

I have arnd 3 yrs of work ex in IT industry, so will it help in compensating for my low score.

Thanks & Regards
Kunal

11
Hello Sir,

Thanks for taking some time out to answer the querries of great lakes' aspirants

Can you please let me know whats the minimum CAT score one should apply with?

In case you don't have any such minimum score criteria, can you please let me know the average CAT score for the current batch of students.

I am asking you this because I scored just 87.2%le in CAT'07, so i am a bit skeptical about applying to great lakes because i feel my score is on a lower side.

I have arnd 3 yrs of work ex in IT industry, so will it help in compensating for my low score.

Thanks & Regards
Kunal

Dear Kunal,

Your work profile is strong, but your CAT is slightly below average. The average CAT score of current year is 95.9 percentile.

Please retake CAT/GMAT as it is below average and may be a weak point in your application. Also strengthen your application with other extra curricular activities, thoughtful essays & in depth recommendations.

Good Luck!

Regards,
S.Sriram
12
Hi Sir,

I have a query pertaining to the selection criteria. Can you please let us know what are the parameters Great Lakes would consider for selecting a candidate like CAT score, Work-Ex, Acads, Extra Curricular activities, etc.,
Moreover what would be the percentage of each such parameter as part of selection criteria (ex: Cat score-60%, work-ex 10%, Acads-10% etc..,)

Hope it's a valid query in this thread. If not kindly ignore the same.


Hi Yeshwanth1605,

If you have very specific admission queries, you can post them on the thread mentioned below:

http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/great-lakes-admissions-2009-25034065
13
Hi Sir,

I have a query pertaining to the selection criteria. Can you please let us know what are the parameters Great Lakes would consider for selecting a candidate like CAT score, Work-Ex, Acads, Extra Curricular activities, etc.,
Moreover what would be the percentage of each such parameter as part of selection criteria (ex: Cat score-60%, work-ex 10%, Acads-10% etc..,)

Hope it's a valid query in this thread. If not kindly ignore the same.



Dear Yeshwant,

The weightage for the various criteria are different at different stages and the exact weightage cannot be revealed.

Regards,
S.Sriram
14
Hi Sir,

I have a query pertaining to the selection criteria. Can you please let us know what are the parameters Great Lakes would consider for selecting a candidate like CAT score, Work-Ex, Acads, Extra Curricular activities, etc.,
Moreover what would be the percentage of each such parameter as part of selection criteria (ex: Cat score-60%, work-ex 10%, Acads-10% etc..,)

Hope it's a valid query in this thread. If not kindly ignore the same.

Dear Yeshwant,

The weightage for the various criteria are different at different stages and the exact weightage cannot be revealed.

Regards,
S.Sriram
15

Dear Sir I have a query regarding the recommendation letters:I am a marine engineer working with a tokyo based shipping company for last 3.5 years. Now i am planning to apply to Great lakes for 2010 batch.Here my problem is getting the recommendation letters as it seems difficult to get the letters online.The reason is our company policy regarding using the satellite internet on board ship. WE are allowed to exchange email of the size of not more than 6-7 kb. And that is only on ship email ID. We( ship crew) dont have any official email ID. And, moreover, no attachment is allowed at all.That means my recommeders working on board ship,that time, can not be contacted forrecommendation. Even though we can not access to them through courier, postal mail or on telephone.To me, the only way left to get the rec letters is to approach my superiors who are on vacation at home.( I believe my company will not entertain such request from me or the selection commitee (of the institute iam applying to).The institute being applied for can make a difference just requesting the my manning company(Mumbai) to be a mediator to the my recommenders.Again will not entertain any request, i think)I am totally confused what i should do. I request you for a solution.( You have intaken many mariners in 2009 MBA batch.)Your concerned reply would help me a lot. Thanks alot.

16
pooni59 Says
Dear Sir I have a query regarding the recommendation letters:I am a marine engineer working with a tokyo based shipping company for last 3.5 years. Now i am planning to apply to Great lakes for 2010 batch.Here my problem is getting the recommendation letters as it seems difficult to get the letters online.The reason is our company policy regarding using the satellite internet on board ship. WE are allowed to exchange email of the size of not more than 6-7 kb. And that is only on ship email ID. We( ship crew) dont have any official email ID. And, moreover, no attachment is allowed at all.That means my recommeders working on board ship,that time, can not be contacted forrecommendation. Even though we can not access to them through courier, postal mail or on telephone.To me, the only way left to get the rec letters is to approach my superiors who are on vacation at home.( I believe my company will not entertain such request from me or the selection commitee (of the institute iam applying to).The institute being applied for can make a difference just requesting the my manning company(Mumbai) to be a mediator to the my recommenders.Again will not entertain any request, i think)I am totally confused what i should do. I request you for a solution.( You have intaken many mariners in 2009 MBA batch.)Your concerned reply would help me a lot. Thanks alot.

I think you can always write to your Head Office to provide recommendation for you by entering the official email id (online -while applying)of your superior who will be recommending you from the head office.

Hope i have clarified your doubt.

Regards,
S.Sriram

17

sir,
Thanks a lot for thorowing light on our queries. Ever since I read about Great Lakes I have wanted to be a part of it. I am planning to apply with my cat 2007 score of 93.15 percentile, am also having another shot at CAT this year.

My Question , do you have a rolling system of admissions, like most 1 year programs, the faster you apply the better? Do you think I am safe applying with my 2007 scores? I have 30 months experience in IT with some good achievements in extra curriculars in college and on job.

18
sir,
Thanks a lot for thorowing light on our queries. Ever since I read about Great Lakes I have wanted to be a part of it. I am planning to apply with my cat 2007 score of 93.15 percentile, am also having another shot at CAT this year.

My Question , do you have a rolling system of admissions, like most 1 year programs, the faster you apply the better? Do you think I am safe applying with my 2007 scores? I have 30 months experience in IT with some good achievements in extra curriculars in college and on job.

Thanks for your interest in Great Lakes.
There is no rolling system. you are eligible to apply now. You can give a shot at CAT this year too and apply with the best score.
Regards,
S.SRiram
19

Hello Sir,

I have a few queries on Great Lakes,

1) I have a work experience of 8 Years in a Top IT Company with 18 months of International experience . I work as a business development manager for ERP services currently at Wipro. But a relatively low GMAT score of 620 what are my chances at Great Lakes ? I am a BE Comp Science with great acads.

2.) Do you think there will be any problems during placement for people with considerable work experience ( 8 yrs) at Great Lakes or are companies eager to looking to hire senior profiles as well ?

3.) Considering that the peer group at Great Lakes will be abt 3- 4 yrs work experience, do you think that Great Lakes is a good option for people with considerable work experience such as me ?

I am keen on doing a full time PGPM at Great Lakes and want suggestions from you.

Please share your thoughts and suggestions.

Regards

Amol.

20
Dear Sir,
Thanks for taking your time off to address all of our queries about Great Lakes.
I am applying to GL this year and need a few clarifications!
1) I currently have 4.5 yrs IT work exp.
  1. CTS 2 yrs
  2. TCS -5 months
  3. Oracle 2 yrs as of March 09
I have a good academic record and have done some technical certifications. I have also received client appreciations and Recognition for my work. However, my GMAT score is 630. What are my chances of getting shortlisted? Am a bit worried about my low GMAT score.
2) Considering the current economic situation and the decision of many IT companies to freeze recruitment, will Great Lakes IT/Consulting placements be affected this year and the next few years. Will there be a reduction in pay packages offered by IT companies for MBA students?
Thanks & Regards,
Rajasimhan