When we start our journey for an MBA, I am sure each one of us must have googled The best MBA colleges in India. We then start referring to endless blogs and websites and rankings, and finally narrow down upon the best college to do MBA from after extensive research and assessing our CAT/GMAT/XAT/CMAT score. People often think of MBA colleges as one-size-fits-all institutions, but this is far from the truth. Every college has its own unique advantage and disadvantage and choosing the right college for an MBA program is crucial for long-term success. When I was researching MBA colleges, I quickly realised that the Great Lakes in Chennai was the among the best choices for me.
When it comes to choosing an MBA college, the decision is always a challenging one. The options are plenty, but selecting the best one that aligns with your career goals can be tricky.
PGPM, an accelerated path to growth
I was working with an SMB cloud hosting provider, which was relatively new in the industry, and I wanted a good scope in the field of marketing but I wanted it quick, and for me taking admission in the One Year PGPM program of Great Lakes was the shortest path to growth and making the desired switch. Great Lakes offers a rigorous curriculum with a focus on experiential learning, including case studies, simulations, and live projects, which provide students with practical business skills and real-world experience. PGPM is a one-year full-time residential program that offers a holistic experience to students. This is one of the key reasons why I chose Great Lakes over other MBA colleges. The program is designed in a way that covers all the crucial aspects of business management in a compressed time frame. The fast-paced, rigorous curriculum is challenging, but it also ensures that students are fully prepared to face the competitive business world before they graduate.
The Best Marketing and Strategy Faculty
Whenever we try to select any college to do our MBA from, which in itself is a huge investment, one thing that we look at is for sure the placement reports and what is the average salary after MBA, but in addition the next most important factor is the kind of teachers and professors that would be there at the college and how is a particular college offering the speciality of our choice. In general, Great Lakes is perceived to be a really good college for someone coming from technical background, and a paramount college for analytics, but very few people actually know that it is also the Mecca for marketing if you are looking for colleges in the southern part of India. I am particularly interested in marketing, and for me, Great Lakes was an obvious choice. Great Lakes has the best marketing faculty in all of the MBA colleges in southern states of India. Dr. D Sriram, Dr. Suresh Ramanathan, who is the dean and an absolute expert of consumer behaviour and Dr. Easwar Iyyer are renowned in the industry and academia for their expertise in marketing. Apart from them, industry veterans such as Dr Suresh Srinivasan, who has worked in leadership position in Emirates, teaches strategy, which in itself is a preparation for your job interviews. Learning from them has been a life-changing experience for me, as they have helped me develop a deep understanding of the subjects.
State of the art Infrastructure
Another very big reason for me especially being a female was the on campus accommodation. Unlike some other MBA Colleges, which only offer triple/double sharing rooms for girls, the PGPM Candidates are given single occupation rooms which is a very big plus for me because I wanted solace and privacy for my stay. And the quality of accommodation is really good with well-lit rooms, air conditioner and all essential furniture. Even for PGDM, female candidates have an option to choose from double and single occupancy rooms. Even the double sharing rooms on the campus are big enough for 2 people. They are so spacious that they are often the rendezvous points for committee meetings and group parties.
A Gateway to Career Transformation
Great Lakes is a great option for people who want to go into consulting with big names like Deloitte & Accenture Strategy. The institute has a strong reputation in the consulting world and has a great track record of producing leaders in the consulting space. However, Great Lakes is not limited to consulting roles. The institute provides an exceptional choice of subjects offered, such as design thinking, boardroom simulation, mergers & acquisitions - things that are really relevant for real-life business experiences. Another special feature that I saw at Great Lakes and something that I could not find in other colleges was an entire course on Empirical Studies. It is especially great for students like me who come from a non-technical background. For me, I had never done any projects in my college or research paper for that matter, but here at Great Lakes for the empirical study you get to choose a topic and a genre of research and get to pursue it over a course of 8-9 months under a guide. It is also a great asset to flaunt on your resume and gives you talking points during the interview.
Global faculty from Ivy League colleges
Great Lakes offers an overall holistic experience to students, and this is evident from the regular lectures of Deans and senior professors from Stanford and Kellogg. These lectures provide a global perspective on business management and give students exposure to the best practices from around the world. This is a unique feature of Great Lakes that sets it apart from other MBA colleges in India. Dr. V. Srinivasan, who is a Stanford professor, comes here for a semester to teach Consumer focused product planning, he is known for his work in marketing research and especially as an expert in Conjoint Analysis, a key skill required by marketers in modern times. Even our Dean, Dr Ramanathan, who teaches subjects like consumer behaviour and Advanced marketing strategy, is a NYU Ph.D. scholar and was a professor at the Texas A&M university. Apart from him, there is a majority of professors who are accolades and industry experts from the best institutions around the world, this actually ensures that we are exposed to quite insightful, and fresh pedagogies. This was one of the BIGGEST convincing factors for me, and something I did not find even in the newer IIMs.
Exceptional Career Grooming Services
Great Lakes has an efficient corporate and career services unit that works selflessly towards students' placements. The institute's career grooming services ensure that students are fully prepared for the competitive job market. The career services unit works with students on their resumes, cover letters, interview skills, and networking skills to ensure that they are job-ready. This is a crucial aspect of any MBA program, and Great Lakes excels in it. One of the most unique things that I liked about Great Lakes Chennai campus was the Product Management course they offered. It is one of a kind boot camp program that trains us in the nuances of product management, marketing. Something very unique and yielding, and which has also helped a lot of students in landing product manager designations at companies like Accenture and Junglee games.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, choosing the right MBA college is a crucial decision that can shape your career. Great Lakes, Chennai, was the obvious choice for me, and it has been an incredible experience. The institute provides a holistic experience to students and covers all the crucial aspects of business management. It has the best marketing faculty, regular lectures of professors from Stanford and Kellogg, exceptional career grooming services, and a great reputation in the consulting world. All these factors made Great Lakes the best choice for myself, who wanted to transform my career in short period of time and was keen on getting back to the industry.
Here is what my batch mates have to say about Great Lakes PGPM
Daksh Dhiman, PGPM (AI/ML, Analytics and Blockchain Major)
Great Lakes Institute of Management is considered one of the best options for MBA in analytics in India for several reasons. Here are a few:
Strong focus on analytics: Great Lakes is a pioneer in analytics education in India. They have been offering and teaching analytical programs even before it caught the attention of top B Schools in India. The programs cover a range of topics such as Regression, data visualisation with the help of tools like Rapid Miner, Power BI, Knime, statistical modelling, predictive analytics, machine learning, and deep learning.
Experienced faculty: The faculty at Great Lakes Institute of Management are experts in their respective fields and have extensive experience in teaching analytics. Many of them have worked with top companies in the industry and bring their real-world experience into the classroom.
Industry partnerships: Great Lakes Institute of Management has established partnerships with leading companies in the analytics space, such as IBM and SAS, which enables students to gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools and technologies.
Placement opportunities: Great Lakes Institute of Management has a strong track record of placing students in top analytics firms in India and around the world. Many students have secured roles in leading companies such as Tiger Analytics, Latent view analytics, etc.
Pedagogy: The pedagogy at Great Lakes is unique with a blend of theoretical and practical approaches. The curriculum is regularly updated to meet the changing demands of the industry. Big names such as Dr. P K Vishwanathan are key stalwarts associated with analytics specialisation at Great lakes.
Overall, If you are someone who wants to make a career switch from some technical or nontechnical field to analytics or even advance an existing analytics career with a better business acumen then Great lakes is a great choice. Great Lakes Institute of Management offers a comprehensive program in analytics, backed by experienced faculty, industry partnerships, and strong placement opportunities, making it a top choice for MBA in analytics in India.
Kartik Goyal, PGPM (Operations Major)
Studying for an MBA is a big decision. It requires a significant financial and time commitment, so it's important to make sure you choose the right college for you. After researching and comparing different MBA colleges in India, such as TAPMI, a few of the newer IIMs, I ultimately chose Great Lakes for many reasons.
One of the main reasons I chose Great Lakes is because of the accelerated one-year program. While many MBA programs are two years long, Great Lakes can reform your career in just one year. This is extremely appealing to me, as I want to get back out into the professional world as soon as possible. Additionally, I find the curriculum at Great Lakes to be very comprehensive, covering a wide range of topics in business, management, and finance. This means I will gain a wider range of knowledge and skills, which will be beneficial for my career.
Another reason I chose Great Lakes is its reputation as a top business school in India. It has a strong history of producing successful graduates and has excellent placement opportunities. Employers know that Great Lakers have high-level skills and knowledge, making it easier for me to find a job after I complete the program.
Finally, I chose Great Lakes for its excellent facilities and resources. The college has a modern campus with state-of-the-art classrooms and labs, as well as access to 24-hour IT and library facilities. This ensures that I will have all the technology and resources I need to perform at my best during the program.
I am confident that Great Lakes will provide me with the knowledge and skills I need to succeed in the world of business.
Written by,
Aditi Jyoti,
PGPM Student
