Calling all Judge (Cambridge) MBA Applicant:(2017 Intake)Class of 2018

Welcome to all Cambridge full time MBA applicants! Use this platform to know each-other, build network, exchange ideas/information, discuss application strategies, share interview /school visit experiences, and boost one-another's morale to face the tough admission process.

Good luck to all!

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Quick question guys - The Cambridge online application asks the question 'Reasons for leaving?'

Does anyone know what is the context of this question? I mean, I am employed and I intend to stay that way until I start business school.

Hi Animesh,

Apologies for the delayed response.

This is with reference to your query regarding 'Reasons for leaving?'. Through this question, the admission committee wants to know 'How and why do you think an MBA program from Judge Business School is necessary in your career'. In your response, you need to call out the following :

a. What are the gaps you feel you have in your skill set/ theoretical knowledge, which you feel you will be able to bridge through the program.
b. The reason for your MBA may be numerous - stagnation in career progression, industry/domain shift, developing a network, getting a holistic idea of how a business is run etc. Whatever may be the reason, you will need to showcase, when and how did you realise that there was a gap and what are the precise things you hope to attain from the MBA program that will help you get to your desired goals.

While framing a response to the goals question, please use the below mentioned framework as reference :

X+Y=Z ; X is what you have currently (work experience, skill sets, knowledge base, connections), Z is your goals/professional aspirations and Y is the bridge
Y needs to be a combination of multiple factors – education qualification/pedigree (knowledge about marketing/finance etc.) + personal attributes ( team building, time management) + interaction with people from diverse background (alumni base/network). All of this can be gained from a professional MBA.
Z should further be divided into SHORT term and LONG team. Logical progression is Who you are today + MBA = Short term Goal ; Achieving short term goal will lead you to LONG term goal. Ex. I want to become a Management consultant in the next 3-5 years working on multiple clients across multiple domains and multiple stages
Leveraging the exposure to multiple sectors will help me identify suitable opportunities where I can fill the gap with my potential venture , which will be my LONG TERM goal

Once you figure the X,Z and Ys – next step is to decide what is the best place to get the Y from – This is when you answer the WHY "Specific School" angle of the essay . In order to demonstrate that you can talk about specific courses, clubs, alumni, professors, career support, values/principles, competitions, geographic location etc. of the school. Ex. If you want to be a hedge fund manager, NYU Stern is the best place because its courses and study module is tailor made for Finance, its located in NY (hub of commerce) and its alumni is present across all financial companies

Please use the above formula to place your thoughts and I am sure you will find the right direction.

Hope this helps

Wish you all the very best for your admissions.

I am an ISB alum from CO14 and run an admission consulting firm. Please feel free to reach out to me at +91-9701215544 or Skype : arijit_biswas89 or arijit.biswas@mbaessayconsultant.com for further questions.


Cheers !
Arijit

I find the question very confusing, too. Even more so since they ask for the leaving date in the line right above, assuming the candidate has quit already.

If they wanted to know why the candiate pursues an MBA, wouldn't they most likely just ask: Why do you want an MBA?.

Since the field 'reasons for leaving' is not mandatory, I am inclined to leave it blank for now.

Other suggestions?

hi

"Please indicate the total number of years of full-time post-graduation work experience you will have completed by the Programme start date." As I understand it, work ex after completion of postgraduation (Masters degree) is to be entered....
Am I correct???


Best Regards

Hi Everyone,

I am planning to apply in third round, what are the chances of getting a bursary when we are applying in this round?
Is 3rd round too late to get any or still there are some chances?

What date will the R1 results be out ?

Cambridge Admission Facts (Stated by Cambridge Admission Officers)

In last two years we conducted many live Q&A sessions on GMATClub with Cambridge's admission team. I am posting here compilation of important comments made by Cambridge adcoms during these chats. I think this information will provide useful insights into Cambridge's admission process and hope that applicants will find it useful.

Admissions

• 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.
  
• 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)
  
• You can apply to CJSB even if you already hold an MBA. However, you would be expected to outline what you believe you would gain by undertaking an additional MBA within the context of your career trajectory.
  
• Recommendation Letters: We only require one recommendation letter - it should be from a supervisor or line manager. If you wish, there is space to submit a second letter of reference but this is optional and we would only advise you do this if you feel it would add to your application. For the reference letter, we provide guidance on the questions that we would like addressed but your referee is free to write this as an essay or a letter - however they prefer. Please choose a referee who knows you well and can speak about you in depth with specific examples of your strengths and weaknesses.
  
• Essay limit: 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
  
• Academic Transcripts: When you are completing your application you can just scan official copies of transcripts. If you are then invited to interview, you need to bring or post the official copies to us.
  
• R1 vs R2: Admissions Committee will treat all applications in the same way, regardless of which round they apply in. However, there is naturally an advantage in applying earlier if candidates wish to secure places at their preferred colleges and it is also worth bearing in mind that some scholarships have earlier deadlines.
  
• Re-applicants: Candidates are welcome to re-apply in a new admissions year however they would need to evidence a change in their profile - otherwise the decision is likely to be the same. For example, an increase in prof. experience with a promotion or a higher GMAT score
  
• There are lots of scholarships on our website so please do check there for your eligibility. Otherwise we are also part of the Prodigy Finance loan programme. Prodigy is open to all students who have been made an offer to join the Cambridge MBA programme.
  
• Please be assured 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!
  
• We connect candidates with local alumni once they have submitted an application and are progressing through our application process. If you are looking to connect with students I would also recommend using tools like LinkedIn.
  
• The programme has a strong offering in entrepreneurship. You will find further details through this link: https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/programmes/mba ... eneurship/

GMAT, GPA, Work Experience, AGE, TOEFL/IELTS, & Extracurriculars

• Generally volunteer experience can be put 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.
  
• Age Limit: 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.
  
• Prior international exposure is a plus but not an essential component. You may find the following blog useful: https://insight.jbs.cam.ac.uk/2015/how-c ... a-profile/
  
• GPA Conversion: 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.
  
• Importance of GPA: The course requirement is that students should normally have the equivalent of a 1st or 2.1 under the British system (or GPA of at least 3.3 under the US system) at undergraduate level or that students have come in the top 25% of their class at undergraduate level. However, the Admissions Committee will also look for evidence of necessary academic ability elsewhere in your application - for example a strong GMAT score.
  
• We are looking for a TOEFL of 110 with no section below 25. For IELTS it would be 7.5, with no element below 7.0

Interview

• 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.
  
• All interviews are conducted by faculty members - either at our on campus day or by telephone/Skype. We NEVER use alumni or other staff so the process is fair and consistent.
  
• A telephone interview will not undermine your chances. But you would of course have greater scope to assess the programme and environment of the business school if you attended in person.

Career Development

• Changes to UK work rules have caused confusion but please be reassured that it is still possible to work in the UK after graduation. Graduates will have four months after the programme ends (until end of January) when they finish in September to secure a visa. The UK actually remains one of the highest post-MBA destinations too.

Chat Transcripts

We request all applicants to add Cambridge's MBA program on your MBA timeline so that the applicant stats displayed in the first post reflect true picture of admissions. While adding the program, MAKE SURE you are setting it for graduation year i.e. 'Class of 2018'.

Anyone got invite yet? Was getting their email last week inviting for on-campus interview (of which I can't attend). Was surprised that they sent out invite so early (I thought they were sending it out by October 24th).

I'm still waiting on my R1 application results, it's "under review" as of 3 October.

From the Cambridge MBA website: "We will send you an email notification as to the status of your application approximately three weeks after the relevant application deadline." The October 24th date should be around the time they start conducting the interviews.

Source: https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/programmes/mba ... s-process/

Just got an email with the subject "application has been rejected" and the body email is just:
Hi,



From,

JBS

is it a joke? a prank?
How can Cambridge Judge business school can be so unprofessional delivering a bad news?
So insulting... Very disappointing...

Hi henry12345, sorry to hear that. Could it be a glitch in their computer system that's causing it? You can try to contact the admission team to clarify further. Good luck for Oxford!

Hi Everyone,

I am looking to apply in R2. Could someone help me with the time of the deadline? I know it's Oct. 21st but trying to understand if the time deadline is midnight, 5pm, etc.

Thanks for the help.

Hi - I believe it is 17:00 on the day of the deadline, but not 100% certain.