Date: Some date in Sept 2013
Location:Office(Second Shift)
Time:6:30PM(remember it coz it’s the free snacks time)

Me sitting at my desk and frantically trying to solve a 15 min mock DI test I have decided to take.One guy who sits near my cubicle comes up and askes,”Hey you preparing for CAT??”I’m thinking,”Damn,There goes my DI score down the drain”.Still I keep my cool and answer.”Yes I am. Going for snacks??”.He totally ingnoes my question and starts telling me,even he once decided to do MBA but couldn’t get the time.He is now having 7+ years experience in IT.And there all I could think was my test timer smiling at me saying..”Well done Nikhil..keep wasting your time and you’ll do well in CAT”.And then I realise this guy has stopped talking and I’m giving him a blank smile for no reason!!

Damage Control Time:I reply “Yeah its pretty tough,you need lot of time to prepare and concentration. and blah blah”He goes on to ask me which colleges I’m aiming.I say pretty much any of the IIM’s. The very next question he asks me is do you any reservation?? I reply No.I don’t for which he says,”Hmm..then its gonna be tough”. Then I see on my screen the timer has stopped and is showing a message ‘Time Up Click here for your score’.And then something happened for which I’m writing this article.This colleague of mine whom I’m trying to get rid of,asks me “Have you heard of a college named Great Lakes?? It’s in Chennai.”. And I’m thinking here I have just told him I am aiming for IIM’s and this guy asks me of some college I haven’t even heard. I reply “No, I haven’t”. He goes on to explain it is only for experienced people..it is very good and improving every year. Here I am thinking “Another sad DI score awaits ahead”. I nod to whatever he is saying with a blank face.

I go ahead and give my CAT on the last day of the scheduled window..get my score and I wonder.”Damn with this score what college will I get”. I still apply to colleges looking at the ratings and rankings from numerous websites. I still don’t remember what made me apply to Great lakes. I remember visiting their website and looking at the forms which asked references and I used to just close the application form. But now I believe it was for the best when I finally submitted my form. As it turns out GLIM was my first interview,first convert and my first and last MBA college as well.

GLIM here I come ?