Congratulations on your admits!
Sorry it's been a very busy weekend with 20+ topics so I am slowly going through them
You have great work experience and seem to be a very strong candidate. Your career goals are pretty specific but potentially challenging to recruit for. Pivoting/changing/shifting, especially into PE. I don't think they recruit on campus anywhere really and all opportunities would be networked. I can't see them coming to Judge and bypassing Said or LBS. So the question comes to - will you be able to network better being at Cambridge in the UK or with the help of a summer internship from Paris? It is Internship vs. Location
My perspective is that you want to go to school in the country where you intend to work. I break this rule sometimes for schools such as INSEAD, LBS, HBS, MIT, etc. but in general it stands. With Judge being in the UK, it will be a lot smoother to settle and ease into a job than from France/EU for example. However, the fact that you can work in EU definitely helps and is a consideration.
There are still a number of variables and unknowns but you can reduce them somewhat - you can do some networking research early and spend a few days on LinkedIN researching PE companies in London/EU and see if you can have any access via the HEC or Cambridge network. See if you are seeing patterns. This should not take long to come up with a list of companies and then search their staff via LinkedIn.
Second, I would also contact AdCom or student ambassadors at Judge/HEC and connect with someone with similar goals and ask them about life. Obviously it is a hard time with Corona but ask them for advice. What would they do in your shoes with EU work permit but no language skills? Ask the same question to both and connect with them. It will be helpful as you may be able to sublease your apartment from them or get some free household items as they move on with their lives. it is good to be in touch with the students and know what's going on in the program.
Third, you can consider learning French. You will be surprised how far you can get in 4 months. It is a consideration....
I personally like on-campus recruiting and a 2-year program better than 12-month one without on-campus recruiting
However, I don't see UK employers taking the train and going to Paris to look for internship or management talent especially in PE. I also think with Coronavirus, a 2-year program with an internship is safer and allows to wait it out and plan better.
P.S. You seem to be realistic with yourself and understand that while Cambridge has a good global name, you will be competing with Said and LBS students for Jobs, in particular with LBS in London where it is the strongest. There are some good reviews from current students and none seem concerning but both have ranked it 4 stars:
https://gmatclub.com/reviews/business_s ... e-judge-26 (everyone said that the career services and job opportunities could be improved).
Congrats!
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