Oxbridge 2011 applicants

Sorry for not checking this thread earlier as I was travelling a fair bit in the last month.

I want to clarify aspects of the Cambridge admissions process arising from some of the discussions that have started after we sent out interview decisions earlier this month.

Firstly, we do spend a lot of time on each application. It might not seem that way because we turn around our decisions so much faster than other business schools but our speed is down to a well-tuned process rather than a lack of rigour. I personally clear my schedule for the 10 days after every deadline so that I can spare the time to read applications carefully. I don't have the stats but I personally read about 50% of all the applications that were submitted in Round 1, and I am not ashamed to say that that is a much higher volume than what other admission directors read. That we have five application rounds also means that we have, on average, fewer applications to read per round compared to other schools.

If anything, we have spent even more time per application this year. I have personally called some candidates to clarify certain aspects of their application before deciding whether to invite them for an interview.

Secondly, there were questions about the type of candidate that we are looking for. I can't and won't go into individual details of candidates but I will say that we are looking for candidates who are intellectually strong and curious, have a global orientation, demonstrate strong leadership potential, collaborate well in cross-cultural teams, have a strong moral ballast and have something unique that they can offer the class. I also ask myself how each applicant measures up against our current students and recent alumni, and in many cases, I make a comparison against a current student or alum who has a similar background.

Because the admissions process revolves around people, it will never be 100% precise. You will see this again when you interview for jobs during your MBA. So, at times, it will be difficult to see why you were accepted by one school and not another. What I can say is that we received a large pool of applications in round 1, and the competition was very stiff. To the people on this forum whom I had to reject, I know that you have strong backgrounds and I am confident you will get into an MBA of your choice. To those who have received an interview invite, I look forward to either meeting you on-campus on the 8th.

Conrad Chua
Head MBA Admissions
Cambridge Judge Business School
Follow me on @CambridgeMBA