Judge (Cambridge)

"- Interviewed by Head, Adcom - 35minutes total duration (25min interview + 10mins my questions) - structure: very direct and conversational Questions: 1. Why an MBA? Why MBA now? Why CJBS? 2. How will you act if team dynamics within your direct reportees become absolutely hostile 3. Tell an innovation which you did at your current organization in last 6 months 4. Are you comfortable with being managed by someone with significantly lower work experience than you? What do you look for in your leader? 5. How can you motivate a person who doesn't want to work with you 6. What according to you is the most significant invention in last 150years 7. What if you're not able to achieve your short term goals 8. Do you have any questions for us ( I asked 3 questions)"

"Virtual interview for the Executive MBA 1. why cambridge, why an emba? 2. which modules am I most excited for and least excited for? 3. where do I want to be in 10 years? 4. do I think I have enough experience to do the mba? 5. what do I think the biggest impact on the economy will be in 10 years? What would I do if I were the prime minister? 6. what was the most innovative idea I've ever had?"

"If I had to describe my interview experience in one word, the word would be DELIGHTFUL! The AdCom took the pain to match my profile as close as possible with that of the interviewer (I come from a tech background). The questions asked were pretty standard: Why Judge? Why MBA? Why Cambridge? What are my future aspirations? How does my present profile fit into my post MBA aspirations? For every answer I gave, I received feedback immediately. The Professor appreciated that I provided my answers in points (literally stating point #1...2 and so on..). At the close of the interview I was asked one last question (I had heard about these curved ball questions from other students): What according to me is the greatest challenge that the world is facing today, i.e what is the world's biggest problem?"

"My interview experience with Cambridge was very delightful. I had joined a full half an hour earlier on the zoom invite for the meeting having done little prior research on my Interviewer professor. The professor was very courteous and welcoming. The tone of the interview was very conversational and we covered the below questions naturally flowing from one other. We had a good off the topic discussion about music as well which took us close to the interview time limit. Overall 25 mins of questions with 5 for myself to ask questions post that. Questions not in order were. Why MBA? Why Cambridge? The rationale behind the decision making of my career progress till date. What do I think the music industry will look like in the next 10 years. Strengths, weaknesses, leadership style. Knowing it is a one year MBA and seeing you can do many things, how do you plan to make use of your MBA the most. I got my admit decision 8 days post my interview date."

"The interview was on Zoom and lasted for around 25 minutes. It was a fast-paced intellectual discussion and was very conversational. The professor opened the interview with the most anticipated question: why Cambridge MBA, in which I answered by (i) giving a brief intro about myself; (ii) stating my short term and long term career objective; and (iii) explaining where Cambridge MBA fits in the picture. Then he asked a few other questions: 1. Why don't you stay in your current company given your superior career progression 2. What was the most difficult decision you have made in your professional life 3. What are the biggest threats the current economy is facing today 4. Tell me about a business idea you have thought about in the last 5 years and how would you execute that (he emphasized that it doesn't need to be something you have done) He also gave me an opportunity to ask questions during the last 5 minutes. In general, it was enjoyable. He did challenge me when he felt he kind of disagreed with my argument, but I addressed his concern directly. That's why I felt it was much more like an intellectual discussion. Hoping I'll get the good news in the next 1-2 weeks"

"The interview was on skype. They had shared the details of my interviewee well in advance so I had a chance to go through his profile, research, etc. The interview started exactly on time. It was quite conversational and I was asked the following questions: 1) My work-experience so far, short-term and long-term goals, why MBA and why judge - (everything in one question yes) 2) What are some digital innovations that I feel are important? 3) Has there been a time when things didn't go as planned? How did you manage that situation? 4) Tell me about a time when you were a contrarian? 5) Any questions for me? In the last question I asked a question about his research and I also asked for opportunities to research and work with students from other disciplines. He listened to my answers carefully but with a straight face so I wasn't able to gauge much from the conversation. However, he did tie the conversation back to my answers and about what I want to do at Judge so I knew that my answers landed well with him. In all, I was quite honest in my answers and could talk about my experiences with clarity and depth. I got a favourable result 3 days after my interview."

"Had my interview through Skype. My interviewer tried asking questions that were specific to my background and work experience (I won't mention these questions because they're likely not that relevant to other applicants). "General" questions I got were: - Tell me of a time when you needed help from others. - What does your undergrad course lack that an MBA can help in? (+ another version of "Why MBA?") - What do you like about CJBS? - Tell me of a business book that you have read. - Where do you see yourself in X years? - Any questions for me? Got my acceptance with $ 9 days after the interview. Goodluck."

"(Interview questions at the bottom) The whole interview experience at Cambridge was amazing. Very friendly adcom, great group of fellow applicants and very open current students. The interview experience on Campus consists of two days; Day 1: Formal diner in one of the college dining halls (Trinity & Queens as far as I know) During the diner you´ll get the chance to talk to a mix of current students, ad-com and career service employees as well as your fellow applicants. Overall it is a very friendly atmosphere and it doesn´t feel like a stressful part of the interview process. Day 2: The day started with a light breakfast at the Judge building (old Hospital in Cambridge), however, most of my fellow applicants (me included) were to nervous to really eat much. After the breakfast we each got a daily schedule which detailed when we would have our career and info sessions as well the name of our interviewer. After the interview and the group sessions we got to have lunch with current students, without the adcom being present, to be able to ask questions in a more open environment. The afternoon consistet of a walking tour through the beautiful city of Cambridge and we concluded the day with a tea in the afternoon (o so very British). Overall this was an amazing experience and left me with a very positive impression of the school and my fellow applicants! The interview was held by a member of the faculty, very friendly conversation and she seemed really interested in getting to know what I do at work. Questions: How does a normal day at work look like? Why is now the right time to do an MBA? What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? - This different from my immediate goals, thus I had to explain the transition. What do you bring to the Judge Community? Why did you chose Cambridge Judge in particular? How do you learn? (This one threw me of a little bit) How do you deal with conflict and dissapointments? Do you have any questions for me?"

"I opted for the F2F interview, and I was one of the lucky few who was given accommodation in Westminster College. They gave only one night though, so I contacted the college to extend it by another night at my own expense. It started with amazing three-course dinner at the Queen's College old hall. There was more people than I expected - I think around 70 - 80 people were in that hall - a combination of interviewees, staffs and current students. It's a wonderful opportunity to connect with them and ask them literally anything. The next day a taxi picked us up from the College to the business school, in which they give us our full-day plan. Everyone is given specific schedules on what time their careers-team discussion is, who the interviewer is, and what time the interview will be. If you're lucky, you'll have a bit more time to google your interviewer, but some people only have 15 minutes to get ready for their interview after receiving the schedule! The questions I got, as far as I remember, were as follows: 1. Tell me about your career progress so far, why MBA is needed to progress that career, and why Judge? (yes, in one question) 2. Tell me about a recent innovation from the last 10 years which you feel is very significant. 3. Tell me about a time when you changed your mind. 4. What is leadership to you and how do you emulate that? (I'm a line manager so he asked me this question). There were a few other behavioral questions but my memory felt wiped out lol. The interviewer was very friendly but his face remained emotionless the entire time, which was mildly intimidating. It indeed felt more like an intellectual discussion than an interview, but I had the impression I did quite badly and could have done better when I reflected back on my performance. After the interview, there was a walking-tour and the guide was fantastic :) F2F interview is definitely encouraged! I got the admittance letter 14 days after the interview despite having a lower-than-average GMAT score, so it's true that the GMAT is only a component and they do look at you holistically. Best of luck to future applications!"

"There were none of the usual questions which was surprising. The interviewer mentioned they wanted to use the interview to know me on a personal level. The interview lasted about 35 mins. Some of the questions i remember were 1. Tell me a business book you enjoyed reading. Did you use what you learnt in your current job? 2. in the next 5 years what are the areas you hope to grow in (professional and personal) 3. A culture conflict that came up from working in a diverse team 4. What other schools i'm applying and based on my research why i think Judge is a better fit for me 5. (In my application i had a professional challenge question that i answered in a way that it ended in a success) he wanted me to talk about a challenge that hasn't been resolved yet. 6. Any questions i had for the interviewer."

"I was interviewed by a Professor over a Skype call, which lasted about 20-25 minutes. The conversation was enjoyable. I shortly introduced my self and briefly answered questions regarding my essays. We then talked about my post-MBA goals, the reasons I chose Cambridge, and how I could contribute to the school. Other questions were about my leadership style and the book I read. After the interview, I also sent a short thank you note to the interviewer."

"My interview was over skype by a member of faculty. It felt really like a conversation, with us spending a lot of time talking about Thailand where I've worked extensively. This was followed by a short discussion about my post MBA goals, basically to delve how deep I had gone into researching my options. Overall, it was really positive, with almost non standard Leadership/teamwork/cliche questions. I'm waiting to hear back, let's hope there's good news coming."

"Cambridge put on an amazing event for the interviews. We arrived to dinner at Queens college - started with a few networking drinks with more people than I'd expected (maybe 75 odd). Dinner was great and the candidates I was sat with were fantastic company for the evening and the next day. The following morning we arrived at the business school building at 8.30am and were given our schedule for the day as well as refreshments and light breakfast food. Everyone was different but my day consisted of a faculty interview first thing (over and done with before many others!), a "why Cambridge" presentation (all present), a "careers workshop" with a careers consultant, a lunch with current students and a walking tour of Cambridge. The interview itself was a walk through my career, my logic behind business school and thoughts on life after with a few challenges that were a bit tricky. Felt less like a friendly chat and a bit more formal than other interviews."