Dear Applicants,
Thank you for attending live Q&A with Cambridge admission team member on Tuesday. For those who could not attend this event, here is collection of important question/answers and chat transcript.
"Honestly, there is no right type of candidate that we are looking for. We want you to use the application to explain about your profile and how the Cambridge MBA will help you to achieve your goals. The main elements that we look for in a strong application would be….
1. Solid academic ability (the Cambridge MBA is a fast paced one year programme so we have to be sure that you will manage the workload)
2. Interesting professional experience / career progression (there is lots of group work on the Cambridge MBA so we need to see that you have interesting perspectives to add to the class discussions)
3. And finally how the Cambridge MBA is going to help you. (Use the Career essay to really explain how our programme is going to be the right option for you and help you with that next step)." - Charlotte Russell, MBA Admissions Coordinator at Cambridge (Judge)Solarus: Hi Charlotte, thank you for doing this today. On the CV template available on the application form, it doesn't clearly state where volunteer experience may fit in. Should I put this under my work experience in the same format?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Hello Solarus, great to hear that you have volunteer experience to add to your profile. Where you place it in your application will probably depend on how serious the volunteering was. In most cases I would put it under your Hobbies and Extra curricula interests. If the volunteer experience is relevant to your future goals, please make sure that you mention it in your career essay too though - to really highlight it.
@Tapis: In some schools, there might be a disadvantage for candidates who have exceeded a certain age to apply for the MBA programme. Is this the same for Judge?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Hello Tapis, thanks for joining us today. There is no upper age limit but our class tends to range from about 25 yrs old to 45 yrs old. We have taken students with more work experience who are older - it really depends on your motivations for the MBA. Many older candidates don't want to study full-time and prefer to opt for a EMBA or Part-time programme. Don't let this put you off though - if a full-time programme is right for you then use the Career essay to explain why.
ankitm: Hi Charlotte , for the essay questions especially" the spectacular failure " one , is it ok if a candidate is exceeding the same by 20/30 words or should it strictly be under 200 words ?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Hello AnkitM, don't worry we can give you a bit of flexibility with the word count on essays. An extra 20/30 words is fine - we just don't want an additional 200
dgangwar18: What are the criteria Cambridge looks for in an application?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Honestly, there is no right type of candidate that we are looking for. We want you to use the application to explain about your profile and how the Cambridge MBA will help you to achieve your goals. The main elements that we look for in a strong application would be….
1. Solid academic ability (the Cambridge MBA is a fast paced one year programme so we have to be sure that you will manage the workload)
2. Interesting professional experience / career progression (there is lots of group work on the Cambridge MBA so we need to see that you have interesting perspectives to add to the class discussions)
3. And finally how the Cambridge MBA is going to help you. (Use the Career essay to really explain how our programme is going to be the right option for you and help you with that next step)
ankitm: The other question in regard with the GPA . The website mentions 3.3 as the criteria. My educational institutes (Grad, Post grad) have all followed a percentage system. Should I keep it as percentage in my application as I am not sure on the conversions?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Please keep all your marks in their original format and report them as the original %. We have many international candidates so are familiar with different marking systems.
@PrasanthNalle: what is the minimal Gmat score expected with 5yrs of work experience?
Cambridge_Charlotte: PrasanthNalle our average GMAT is around 690 and we would expect a strong candidate to score somewhere in the region of 640 - 740.
jaspreets: I have a question about financing the study. What MBA financing options are available to students and how long it would take to pay off the amount, and how would be the job market after MBA so that loan payment could be taken care of?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Hello Jaspreets, I think you have the million dollar question! Many candidates fund their MBA through a mixture of personal savings, loans and possibly a scholarship so it's not unusual to need some financial assistance.
Please take a look at our scholarships/loans page as there are too many options to discuss but we work with
Prodigy Finance to provide loans to MBA students and this might be a good option for you if you need to borrow a significant amount
Link for funding -
https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/programmes/mba ... s-funding/Most candidates would be looking to pay back their loans within about 3 years but much depends on where you are working and the sector.
Narenn: Charlotte, How good is Cambridge MBA program for those who want to go in Investment Banking after MBAr? Can you name a few investment banks that recruit at JBS?
Cambridge_Charlotte: We have a number of companies that will come on campus during the year. Usually we don't have Investment Banks because they recruit in a different way, but we do have Consulting firms and lots of Industry clients such as BP, Google, Amazon for example.
Solarus: What is the procedure for uploading transcripts? Are we allowed to simply scan an official copy for immediate use? Or is there an additional process involved?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Solarus, when you are completing your application you can just scan an official copy. If you are then invited to interview, you need to bring or post the official copy to us.
ankitm: From a consulting standpoint I see Strategy Consulting firms such as BCG , MCkinsey and other firms list Cambridge university as a priority campus. Does it mean that they conduct events at Judge Business School as well?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Yes AnkitM, many of the Consulting firms you mention will hold on campus events. These might be through our dedicated Careers Team or they might be more alumni led, informal sessions that are organized by the student clubs. Don't forget, your classmates will also be coming from many of these backgrounds and are a valuable networking and preparation resource.
Chatpro: Charlotte can you shed some light on Cambridge's admission process? i.e. What happens in background from submitting an application to getting an interview invite (or denial without interview )
Cambridge_Charlotte: Hello Chatpro, so we run a staged admissions process and will review all applications together after each round. Readers will look through your full application and if we feel you would be a good fit with our programme then you would be invited to interview. No offers are made without a candidate being interviewed first. A quick point to highlight on our process, we only use MBA teaching faculty to conduct our interviews, either on campus or via phone
Solarus: Is a GMAT score that is 10-20 points higher than the class mean and a sharp upwards trend in senior year grades (for a difficult major) be sufficient to alleviate concerns over a low cumulative GPA?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Thanks Solarus, it sounds like your academic ability would be demonstrated fine then. If there is a weak area on your undergrad transcript, you could also use the "Additional information" section on the application to explain more fully
Prasanth: What is the strength of alumni network and how it helps us to get placed?
Cambridge_Charlotte: With the Cambridge MBA you have two alumni networks. You will have a solid, 150-160 MBA class network but in addition you also have the wider university and college network.
The alumni network is great in terms of giving you informal information about different sectors and also an insight in to the working culture and culture in general at the company. I would encourage all candidates to look at our alumni profiles to learn more about the post-MBA career outcomes of students -
https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/programmes/mba ... es/energy/@Rafid: How the experience of an exchange studentship under Erasmus Mundus increase a candidate chances to get selected for the program?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Hello Rafid, we often see that applicants have completed an exchange as part of their undergrad experience and this is great to show your global outlook. The exchange in itself doesn't guarantee you a place on the course but use the career essay to bring out how it has influenced you or what you gained from it. Many candidates that complete an exchange in Europe want to come back for their MBA because they enjoyed the experience so much!
Narenn: Charlotte, Any idea what percentage of applicants generally get interview invites and how many of those interviewed get final offers? I just need rough estimate.
Cambridge_Charlotte: Just a quick comment on application numbers and interview numbers, we don't operate any quotas so please submit your application when you feel it is at its strongest. Typically we would invite to interview about half the applicants in each round but this is not exact and really depends on the quality. Ultimately we have a small class (approx. 160) compared to many schools so the application stage is competitive
Prajat: I came to know that the University prefers candidates who can visit the campus for interview. Does it reduce the chances of admissions for those who can't?
Cambridge_Charlotte: Hello Prajat, please be reassured that a visit to campus is not necessary and does not have any impact on your admissions decision. We have such an international class that for many students it is simply not practical for them to visit. However, I would really encourage you to try and come to campus if you are invited to interview. This doesn't increase your chances but it will allow you to meet our team and some of the other applicants who are going to be your possible future classmates!
Solarus: How diverse is college selection at Cambridge? The College system is a very interesting aspect of the whole package and seems very unique and fulfilling. (I should clarify that by "diverse" I mean, are a large number of colleges open to MBA applicants, or is it more streamlined than say an undergrad?)
Cambridge_Charlotte: There are 31 colleges at Cambridge and you are right, they really add another aspect to your MBA experience. It's a great way to meet students and faculty from other departments. Don't worry about the College application process at this time; we will work with you once you have an offer to secure membership. In terms of being accepted at all 31 Colleges, there are three that only accept women and some others that are more undergrad focused but otherwise you still have a really broad "choice"
Chat TranscriptAttachment:
28 Jun 2015, 23:54
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