Representatives of the Cambridge Judge MBA program will be hosting an information session in Tokyo on August 8th, 2017. More details as well as the registration form can be found here.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
Showing posts with label Judge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judge. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Monday, August 29, 2016
Harvard / Stanford / Cambridge MBA Alums to Appear at Tokyo MBA Event on September 22 2016
A former client asked me to post a link to an upcoming event for MBA applicants that will feature recent alums from Harvard, Stanford and Cambridge. More information as well as a link to register for the event to be held on September 22, 2016 can be found here.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Cambridge Judge Admissions Webinar for Japanese Applicants to be held on November 27, 2015
I was informed by a former client that three current Japanese students in the Cambridge Judge MBA program will be hosting a webinar (conducted in Japanese) for applicants on November 27, 2015.
Those who are interested in participating in this event can register here.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
Those who are interested in participating in this event can register here.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Interview with a current Cambridge Judge MBA student
I am pleased to offer this interview with a current Cambridge Judge MBA student!
1. After you were admitted, looking back on the way you prepared for the MBA in the spring and summer, is there anything you would change? Anything you would have done more of or less of?
If I had more time to spend before going to the MBA, I would have read many more books about MBA classes written in my native language (Japanese). For instance, I did not know a lot about Strategy and Marketing, so I have sometimes had difficulty in understanding those classes. However, I could have gotten a lot of foundational knowledge by reading textbooks or website advance in Japanese. I therefore think that with getting pre-information about areas that were unfamiliar to me, my understanding could have been deepened.
2. What's a typical day in the life of an MBA student in your program?
This is not my case, but if you are a job seeker during the program, you should spend at least four days like the case below.
730am Wake-up and breakfast
830am Leave home for campus by bicycle
900am-1230pm Core/ Elective Class
1230pm-200pm Lunch at college close to campus
200pm-530pm Core/ Elective Class
530pm-700pm Career Session
730pm Formal Dinner
930pm Arrive home
A fifth day can be off if you want, but you can also choose to work on projects outside the program. If you have a chance, you can participate club activities or social communities after classes, too.
3. Can you write a bit about a course that you would recommend future students take?
I would like to recommend Strategic Human Resource as an elective. This is a course about management HR, and we can get a lot of insight for managing an organization from it. The highlight of this class was when we visited one of the biggest finance groups in London. It is like a real case study, but we can feel how a big finance company struggles in terms of management where different cultures exist. I would say the class is sort of mix between practicality and theory of management, but it would be useful for post MBA.
4. Have you had the time to get involved in any extra-curricular activities? If so, what ones and what are you doing in them?
I was involved in one of the university’s sport club activities. This is really important because attending an Oxford match, a Varsity match, is one of the most honorable activities in Oxbridge (Cambridge/Oxford). I actually represented the Cambridge karate first team this February, and won one match. After participating in the match, the people who represented the first team can receive the title of “blue”. This title is the highest honor and enables you to join some societies among blues. I also got the title of blue after competing in the Varsity.
5. What have your experiences been like in learning/project teams?
One is management of people who have different culture and backgrounds. The other thing is to get in touch with new business areas I have never known. We can experience at least three projects during the course, so I deeply worked with more than 10 people during the program so far. There are many nationalities within teams and different ideas that we worked on during the projects. At first, I found it difficult to work with people from cultures that embrace aggressiveness more than my own, but gradually understood what I should do to manage the team. In addition, I belonged to an agri-tech project and a DNA sequencing project during the programs. Both areas were not familiar to me before coming to Cambridge, but each experience proved to be really valuable. For example, when working for the DNA project, I stayed in Mountain View, California for a month and got in touch with people in Silicon Valley. We succeeded to propose recommendations to the CEO of the company and I felt this was a breakthrough experience for myself.
6. Can you share your plans for the summer?
I am not going to find a job since my company is sponsoring me. I therefore will try to source a summer project. The one I am considering is aiming for French company’s business development since this company would like to expand its network in Japan. It would take one month to finish this project and now I am having conversations with the potential client about the project scope.
7. Looking back, what has been most surprising to you about your MBA life, compared to your original expectations before you enrolled?
I cannot imagine the extent to which Japanese people, including myself, are not able to express their opinions during classes. Even if Japanese students say their opinions, they have difficulty in managing discussions. I think this is because of their lack of training. I would like to encourage people from Japan to speak without hesitation. No risks, no gains.
I'd like to close here with a big thank you to the interviewee for taking time out of his busy schedule to communicate with me.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
Monday, January 12, 2015
Cambridge Judge MBA students to host webinar (information in Japanese)
A current student in the Cambridge Judge MBA program let me know they'll be hosting a webinar next month. Details and registration below (in Japanese).
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
2月7日に在校生によるオンラインセッションを開催することにな りました。 在校生主催のセッションになりますので気軽にご参加くださいませ 。
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------
Cambridge MBA在校生によるオンライン学校説明会 2/7開催
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------------
前回の11月開催の説明会に引き続き、 MBA受験生の方を対象として、 在校生による非公式の学校説明会(オンライン) を開催いたします。
当日はCambridge MBAプログラムの説明とQ&Aセッションを予定しております。 前回とは一部内容が重複いたしますが、 インタビューを間近に控える方もいらっしゃるため、 当日はインタビューに関するお話もいたします。
Cambridge MBA在校生によるオンライン学校説明会 2/7開催
------------------------------
前回の11月開催の説明会に引き続き、
当日はCambridge MBAプログラムの説明とQ&Aセッションを予定しております。
本説明会を通じてCambridge MBAをより知っていただければ幸甚です。
なお、本説明会は在校生が主催するものであり、 入学審査とは直接関係ありません。
なお、本説明会は在校生が主催するものであり、
▼日時
2015年2月7日(土)AM0時~1時半(日本時間)
※金曜の深夜です。
2015年2月7日(土)AM0時~1時半(日本時間)
※金曜の深夜です。
▼開催方法
オンライン(Webinar形式)
オンライン(Webinar形式)
▼当日のプログラム
第1部:在校生によるプログラム説明
第2部:Q&Aセッション
第1部:在校生によるプログラム説明
第2部:Q&Aセッション
参加を希望される方はフォームに以下を記入ください。
③と⑤ はあくまで日本語サイトや説明会のコンテンツを検討する上で参考 にするためのものであり、
入学審査には一切関係ありません。率直な意見・質問を お待ちしています。
③と⑤
入学審査には一切関係ありません。率直な意見・質問を お待ちしています。
①氏名
②メールアドレス
③ケンブリッジになぜ興味を持ったか
④ケンブリッジ出願状況
以下いずれかに状況に当てはまるか教えてください。
・出願済
・2015年度中に出願予定
・未定
⑤当日質問したいこと
②メールアドレス
③ケンブリッジになぜ興味を持ったか
④ケンブリッジ出願状況
以下いずれかに状況に当てはまるか教えてください。
・出願済
・2015年度中に出願予定
・未定
⑤当日質問したいこと
【Cambridge MBAプログラムについて】
Cambridge MBAは12ヶ月のジェネラルマネジメントプログラムで、 実践的なプログラムを通じ、特定分野のみに秀でた人材ではなく、 ビジネスも含めたあらゆるマネジメントシーンでチームをリードし 、 社会の健全な発展に貢献できるリーダーの育成を目指しています。 また、 世界有数の名声と800年の伝統を誇るケンブリッジ大学は、 ハイテクスタートアップのスピンオフを多数生み出し、 欧州最大のハイテククラスターの中心としても知られ、 MBAプログラムとも密接に連携しています。 自主性と協調を重んじるケンブリッジ大学のカルチャーとケンブリ ッジという地の利を生かした数々の実践的なプロジェクト活動がC ambridge MBAの特徴です。
Cambridge MBAは12ヶ月のジェネラルマネジメントプログラムで、
【ご参考】
以下の公式ページおよび日本語サイトを参考としてご覧ください。
Cambridge MBA公式サイト
http://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/home/
Cambridge MBA日本語サイト
http://cambridgemba.blog32. fc2.com/
The Cambridge MBA, Judge Business School 日本語サイト Contact Us
http://cambridgemba.blog32.fc2.com
以下の公式ページおよび日本語サイトを参考としてご覧ください。
Cambridge MBA公式サイト
http://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/home/
Cambridge MBA日本語サイト
http://cambridgemba.blog32.
The Cambridge MBA, Judge Business School 日本語サイト Contact Us
http://cambridgemba.blog32.fc2.com
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
UK MBA Programs and the TOEFL
A stir was caused in the application world a few months ago when news surfaced that the TOEFL test would no longer be accepted as a component of the visa process that accompanied successful applications to top MBA programs in England. This caused some MBA programs based there to announce that they were no longer accepting TOEFL as an element of their admissions process as well. This left applicants scrambling at the time to investigate other tests, such as IELTS.
Shortly after this occurred however, London Business School representatives stated publicly that they could continue taking the TOEFL both as a requirement of admission, and as a part of the visa process. Cambridge Judge, after initially posting on their admissions website that a test other than TOEFL would be required for admission to their program, are now saying that TOEFL is acceptable, both for their own admissions process and for the visa process as well.
Not all school have followed in that lead however. Here's a quick summary of the TOEFL landscape amongst MBA programs in England that I consider the top schools. Each school name can be clicked through to the page on their admissions website that contains instructions on assessing English proficiency.
London Business School:
Accepting TOEFL for admissions, no language requirement needed for the visa
Cambridge Judge:
Accepting TOEFL for admissions, no language requirement needed for the visa
Oxford Said:
Accepting TOEFL for admissions, no word on the language requirement for the visa
Manchester Business School:
Accepting TOEFL for admissions, no word on the language requirement for the visa
Warwick Business School:
apparently not accepting TOEFL for admissions
Cranfield School of Management:
accepting TOEFL, but including a note that the TOEFL is not accepted by the UK Home Office for Tier 4 visas
I am monitoring this situation and will post on it further when I have more information.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
Shortly after this occurred however, London Business School representatives stated publicly that they could continue taking the TOEFL both as a requirement of admission, and as a part of the visa process. Cambridge Judge, after initially posting on their admissions website that a test other than TOEFL would be required for admission to their program, are now saying that TOEFL is acceptable, both for their own admissions process and for the visa process as well.
Not all school have followed in that lead however. Here's a quick summary of the TOEFL landscape amongst MBA programs in England that I consider the top schools. Each school name can be clicked through to the page on their admissions website that contains instructions on assessing English proficiency.
London Business School:
Accepting TOEFL for admissions, no language requirement needed for the visa
Cambridge Judge:
Accepting TOEFL for admissions, no language requirement needed for the visa
Oxford Said:
Accepting TOEFL for admissions, no word on the language requirement for the visa
Manchester Business School:
Accepting TOEFL for admissions, no word on the language requirement for the visa
Warwick Business School:
apparently not accepting TOEFL for admissions
Cranfield School of Management:
accepting TOEFL, but including a note that the TOEFL is not accepted by the UK Home Office for Tier 4 visas
I am monitoring this situation and will post on it further when I have more information.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Interview with Cambridge Judge Business School's Conrad Chua
I am pleased that Conrad Chua, the Head of
Admissions, Marketing and Recruitment at the Judge Business School at theUniversity of Cambridge could take time out of his busy schedule to answer my
questions. Be sure to follow his twitter feed or take a look at his blog.
1. How did you get into this line of work? What
do you like and dislike about it?
I
stumbled into it! Through a previous role, I got to know a recent alum from
Cambridge Judge Business School who gave me great insights into the values and
ethos of the MBA programme. These resonated with me so that when this role
became available, it was a natural choice for me.
I
have been in this role for three years now, enough time for me to see talented
people go through the entire Cambridge MBA lifecycle - from a prospective
candidate to a current student and now as alums. I love hearing their stories
about their lives and their accomplishments. And it helps that I have a good,
committed team that reflects the values of the school and our community.
The
only thing I would like to see change is the harmful way in which MBA rankings
are perceived. I value feedback and rankings do measure some very important
criteria but we should understand that an MBA experience cannot be reduced to a
number.
Admissions
2. The Cambridge Judge admissions website lists
110 as the minimum required TOEFL score for entering the program. Should applicants not apply if their score is
only 100? How about 105?
Candidates
may still apply if their score is 100 or higher in TOEFL. However, any later offer would be conditional
on them undertaking an assessment by the University of Cambridge’s Language
Centre. They may then request that the
individual attend an English course prior to the MBA if necessary.
3. Why is the second referee to be a team
member or peer? What kind of information are you hoping for?
The
Cambridge MBA is a highly practical programme, with a focus on group work and
collaboration. This includes real consulting projects for actual clients. As
such we need to understand how a candidate works within a team setting, and
what skills they utilise and contributions they make when working with others. The value of a diverse class only comes when
people are willing to share their experience and skills with others.
4. Why do you ask as the 3rd required essay a
hypothetical question about what the applicant would change about their current
organization?
The
third question is designed to help us to understand the candidate’s ability to
reason an argument and to critically analyse the industry and company in which
they have been operating. It is also an
opportunity to demonstrate clarity in writing and original ideas.
Curriculum
5. Cambridge is gaining a reputation for being
strong at entrepreneurship. Do you agree, and if so can you give example as to
how?
Cambridge
cannot help but be strong in entrepreneurship by virtue of the environment in
which the business school sits. Firstly,
the wider University of Cambridge is a hub of ideas and innovation, and has
been for 800 years. Secondly, this has
infiltrated into the local business environment and the city is renowned for
being one of the start-up hubs of the UK – Silicon Fen. An example of how we take advantage of this
is through the Cambridge Venture Project. At an early stage of the programme
the students are required to undertake an actual consulting project on a real
brief for a local start-up or other entrepreneurial venture.
6. Some MBA professors bring real-world
experience to the classroom. Others focus on academic research. How would you
characterize the faculty at Judge?
Our
faculty are very international, with a range of backgrounds. Many have worked in leading global companies
and bring that experience into their research and teaching. Others have followed a more traditional
academic path, but will bring “real-world” experience to their work through
their engagement with clients on Executive Education courses, or through
consulting projects that they may be doing for companies. One of the benefits of a relatively small
programme such as the 150 cohort at Cambridge is that they are open and
accessible, available to discuss ideas with the students whom they will get to
know by name and not just as another face in a lecture theatre.
7. The Cambridge Venture Project occurs
relatively early within the academic calendar. What are the benefits of getting
such a hands-on experience so early within the MBA?
There
are two main benefits to undertaking the CVP early in the MBA. As I mentioned previously it is firstly an
opportunity to sample the local entrepreneurial scene and to work on a project
for a business that is in its early stages of development.
Secondly,
it feeds in to the core course in Management Practice. The CVP is undertaken
with your study group – up to five individuals with a broad range of
backgrounds who will not know each other very well. The exercise therefore also
provides insights into how teams form and organise themselves and how this can
be managed. This can then be related
back directly to the Management Practice module.
Outside
the Classroom
8. Cambridge uses a college system. What
benefits does this offer to students in the MBA program?
The
collegiate system allows MBA students to engage and network with brilliant
minds from across the various disciplines being practiced within the University
of Cambridge. In the past this has even
led to the formation of successful entrepreneurial ventures. It is also a place to socialise and undertake
extra-curricular activities. The
Colleges allow participation at all levels, so there is the opportunity to try
out a new cultural or sporting activity.
Being Cambridge, rowing is particularly popular amongst the MBAs.
9. Do student clubs and organizations MBAs tend
to get involved in originate within Judge, their college, the greater Cambridge
community or all of the above?
I
see the opportunities for MBAs at Cambridge to be multi-layered. The Business School Club provides student
Special Interest Groups that may be of specific interest to those studying for
an MBA. However students can also engage
as part of their College community or at the university level in the amazing
range of clubs and societies that only being part of a world leading university
can offer.
Thank you Conrad for taking the time to answer
my questions!
John
Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
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Friday, May 10, 2013
Cambridge Judge Releases 2013-14 MBA Application Deadlines
The Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge has updated its admissions website with application deadlines for those aiming to enter their MBA program in the fall of 2014.
Round 1 -
Deadline: 10/11/2013
Interview Day: 11/29/2013*; 12/2/2013
Outcome: 12/6/2013
Round 2 -
Deadline: 1/10/2014
Interview Day: 2/21/2014*, 2/24/2014, 3/3/2014
Outcome: 3/7/2014
Round 3 -
Deadline: 3/7/2014
Interview Day: 4/28/2014*, 4/29/2014
Outcome: 5/2/2014
Round 4 -
Deadline: 4/25/2014
Interview Day: 6/6/2014*, 6/9/2014
Outcome: 6/13/2014
7/1/2014 is the final deadline for submitting all application documentation including test scores and references.
* These are telephone interview days only.
Their admissions site also notes that "applicants are welcome after round 4 on a rolling basis and will be considered on a case-by-case basis".
Please confirm this information directly at the Cambridge Judge admissions website.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
Round 1 -
Deadline: 10/11/2013
Interview Day: 11/29/2013*; 12/2/2013
Outcome: 12/6/2013
Round 2 -
Deadline: 1/10/2014
Interview Day: 2/21/2014*, 2/24/2014, 3/3/2014
Outcome: 3/7/2014
Round 3 -
Deadline: 3/7/2014
Interview Day: 4/28/2014*, 4/29/2014
Outcome: 5/2/2014
Round 4 -
Deadline: 4/25/2014
Interview Day: 6/6/2014*, 6/9/2014
Outcome: 6/13/2014
7/1/2014 is the final deadline for submitting all application documentation including test scores and references.
* These are telephone interview days only.
Their admissions site also notes that "applicants are welcome after round 4 on a rolling basis and will be considered on a case-by-case basis".
Please confirm this information directly at the Cambridge Judge admissions website.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Interview with Naoki Kamimaeda, current student in the Cambridge Judge MBA program
Naoki Kamimaeda is a
current student at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge,
and was gracious enough to spend some of his busy time answering my questions
below. Read his own blog here (in Japanese only).
Your Life at Cambridge
1. What's a typical
day in the life of an MBA student at Cambridge?
The Cambridge MBA has four terms during the academic year:
Michaelmas, Lent, Easter and Summer Activity. In the first two terms (Michaelmas
and Lent) students mainly take core MBA courses such as Corporate Finance,
Strategy and Marketing. A typical day during these terms looks like this:
9:00 – 12:30 Classes
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch,
group work, projects or extracurricular activities
14:00 – 17:30 Classes
18:00 – 19:30 Career
Sessions or some talks from guest speakers
19:30 – 22:30 Social
activities like formal dinners or dinners and drinks with friends
22:30 – 2:00 (or 3:00) Preparation for the next day’s classes
In the Easter and Summer Activity terms, students mainly take
electives or complete a self-project. So, students can have more free time than
the two terms above.
2. Where are you
living now?
I am living in a college accommodation. The University of
Cambridge has a unique college system.
When students get an admission from the school, students are
allocated to a college. Most foreign students can have an accommodation within
or near to a college, if they wish to.
The Classes and the School
3. If you could
recommend just one class to prospective applicants, what would it be and why?
It would be hard to choose one class. But, if I had to, the
class would be in an area such as Strategy or Marketing. These classes are core
courses in other MBA programs as well. As far as my own experience at
Cambridge, I found these classes were very interesting, interactive and
engaging.
One thing I want to mention about the Cambridge MBA is that
it focuses more on projects than classes.
I think this is a strength of the
program. In one year, it is possible to join four projects: the Cambridge Venture Project, the Global Consulting Project, the Capstone Project and the IndividualProject.
As far as I’m concerned these four projects are incredibly fruitful,
because we can test our takeaways from classes in real world experiences
immediately.
4. What kind of clubs
or student activities are you involved with?
I am involved in a football club and some study groups
organized by students. I am putting a lot of my time and effort into the Intrapreneurship
Study Group at Cambridge. I founded this study group with some MBAs and other
students at the university so we could have opportunities,to discuss how to
foster an Intrapreneurship mentality within large organizations. I believe,
especially for Japanese companies, this way of thinking is crucial, because
still most great employees work for large organizations.
5. Have you
collaborated with any students outside of the MBA program, and in the greater
Cambridge community?
As I mentioned above, I am discussing Intrapreneurship
issues with not only MBAs but also other students like Ph.D. students at
Cambridge.
There are so many opportunities to do something with other students
outside of the MBA program, if students are willing to be proactive. Which
opportunities students can get involved in is totally up to them.
Your Advice for Others
6. Do you wish you had
prepared for the MBA program any more or any differently? What's your advice
for someone already accepted and waiting to start their MBA?
I wish I had studied core MBA courses like Corporate
Finance, Accounting, Strategy and Marketing before coming to Cambridge so that
I could have had more time to be involved in extracurricular activities. In my
opinion, we can learn more from extracurricular activities than classes,
especially in the case of the Cambridge MBA, because there are plenty of
opportunities such as creating new businesses with other students and having
lectures or talks from famous people like nobel prize winners and CEOs of large
companies.
Thanks very much for your time
Kamimaeda-san!
John Couke
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Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Cambridge Judge MBA Essay Analysis 2012-13
One of the clearest trends in MBA admissions over the past year has been the decreasing amount of space applicants are given to tell their story in the form of essays. Many programs have either cut the number of required essays, or decreased the word limitation for them, or both. One thing to keep in mind when considering the amount of writing a school allows you to provide about yourself is that some applications have essays within the application, beyond the main application essays, and that overall, there's a lot of space to tell your most important stories. One great example of this is application for the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge.
A quick look at the Judge MBA admissions pages reveals the main application essays required as a part of their application, and this is a good place to begin.
Main Application Essays:
1. What did you learn from your most spectacular failure? (200 words)
Two things need to be considered here - you need to write about a real, actual failure that is your own, and in addition to that, you need to show a significant learning from this experience, as well as how you applied and benefitted from that learning. Some may consider a non-work related episode if only because the entire set of Cambridge application essays tends toward encouraging stories about working experiences.
2. What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have? (please do not exceed 500 words)
This is a standard goals essay where you need to state what you wish to do in the future. skills you already have that are relevant to these goals, areas in which you need to focus on in an MBA program and how Cambridge is the best choice for you. You may be writing similar essays for other schools, but be sure to be specific as to what it is about Cambridge that is relevant to the gap between your current skill set and the one needed to attain the goals you've set out for yourself.
3. If you could change one thing about your current organisation, what would you make different? How would you overcome obstacles to this change, and what impact would this change have in the short-term and long-term? (300 words)
If you plan to return to your organization upon completing the MBA, you may consider writing about a topic that is close to your goals, or even the detail behind your actual short-term. Be clear about what you would do and how your company would be impacted as a result. What to do then if this is an organization to which you don't plan to return? Don't use this essay as an opportunity to complain. Instead, use it as an opportunity to show your analysis ability and potential to make change in the future. Maybe for instance your current organization has struggled with the idea to expand globally, despite declining domestic business opportunities. Be clear as to how you could overcome this challenges, as well as how you'd leverage your strengths (and those of your company) to grow overseas business.
One last note on essay 3 - for most "your current organization" is the company for which you work. But freelancers or others who may divide their time between a job and a significant volunteer activity (for instance) there may be some leeway in interpreting this question.
Additional Essays:
These three essays give the applicant 1,000 words about a failure, one thing you'd change about your organization, and a personal statement. This is, relatively speaking, a significant amount of writing space given the shrinking applications of other MBA programs. A close look at their application however reveals that there are a lot of other opportunities to tell your story. In fact, the entire application contains about 1,900 words of space you can use to reveal all that is great about you. I use "about" here because some of the additional essays offer a character limit in addition to the word count limit. Let's take a look at the additional application essays. They can be found in two places: the work experience and the additional information sections of the Cambridge MBA application.
Work Experience section:
Previous Roles/Promotions and Dates within your current company (1000 character limit)
Find space to show the nature of former positions, as well as reasons for any promotions, particularly for ones based on your accomplishments. Offer a brief translation for job titles that may be confusing or vague in order to ensure that you are demonstrating to the fullest the work you were responsible for.
Describe your primary job responsibilities; 1) type and size of internal and external teams with which you work or supervise 2) type and number of clients or projects you manage; 3) size of budget or revenue for which you are responsible; 4) international experience or exposure (150 word limit) (1000 character limit)
This is an opportunity to describe your current role within your organization and, importantly, the scope of what you do and how it affects others in your organization. I'd include project-based supervision in #1, rather than only "official" subordinates for whom you are responsible. In addition, for the international experience section, aim to be as inclusive as you can, rather than leaving this part blank or assuming that your examples are not significant. If you aren't sure, list anything that comes to mind and then get someone to check and give you feedback on your experiences.
What is your most significant challenge within your current company? (1000 character limit)
This should not be a re-write of main application essay 2, although thematically it may be similar. To rephrase the question, consider this: what is the biggest difficulty or roadblock towards the successful completion of your current goals? A good essay will include examples of how you are currently attempting to address this roadblock or difficulty.
What is your most significant accomplishment within your current company? (1000 character limit)
This is a "top of the resume" line item that demonstrates the biggest impact you have had in your organization. Make sure the impact is clear and substantial, and make sure too that this is truly your accomplishment - not someone else's. If you are torn between more than one option and are wondering which one might be best, one thing to consider is the transferable skills (i.e. strengths that are relevant to your goals) that you noted in the second of the main application essays. If leadership is something you've got that you'll be relying on in the future, then the story that best shows that might work well here.
Additional Information section:
Please provide information on any aspect of your candidacy that requires further explanation, or information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know (300 word limit). (and 2,000 character limit in the box)
I divide optional essays into two types: ones for which you should only address glaring weaknesses in your application, and others that allow you to address another strength to your application you couldn't mention in other essays. This essay definitely falls into the latter category, offering you a valuable chance to delve into a new area. As most of the application is heavily work-related (note that 4 of the 8 essays are included in the working experience section) this will be for many a good opportunity to write about a significant extra-curricular activity. If you choose this route, choose something to which you have shown a strong level of devotion to, otherwise it may be difficult for the reader to learn much about you. In addition, be clear as to why you enjoy this activity, and how you have benefitted from your experience with it.
The Entire Essay Set:
One thing that I always do, and I encourage anyone out there to do as well, is clear the desk, turn off the phone, and read through your completed essay set and application from start to finish. Do this and then ask yourself what you've learned about this applicant to b-school. Is their future direction clearly laid out? Do they have what it takes to be successful in the future? Do you know what they do at work, and outside of it? Are they interesting? These are the questions I ask myself when I read a finished application. I encourage you to do the same, or at the very least seek out someone who'll do this for you.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
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Thursday, August 16, 2012
Cambridge Judge MBA Application Essays for 2012-13
Cambridge Judge has released their admissions essays for the 2012-13 season. There is one personal statement as well as two essay questions. However throughout the entire application, there are four additional employment-related essays, as well as an optional essay too.
Required essays:
Required essays:
1. Please provide a personal statement. It should not exceed 500 words and must include the following:
- What are your short and long term career objectives?
- What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them?
- What do you hope to gain from the degree programme and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have?
2. If you could change one thing about your current organisation, what would you make different? How would you overcome obstacles to this change, and what impact would this change have in the short-term and long-term? (300 words)
3. What did you learn from your most spectacular failure? (up to 200 words)
Employment essays:
1. Previous Roles/Promotions and Dates (150 word limit)
2. Describe your primary job responsibilities; 1) type and size of internal and external teams with which you work or supervise 2) type and number of clients or projects you manage; 3) size of budget or revenue for which you are responsible; 4) international experience or exposure (150 word limit)
3. What is your most significant challenge? (150 word limit)
4. What is your most significant accomplishment? (150 word limit)
Optional essay:
Please provide information on any aspect of your candidacy that requires further explanation, or information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know (300 word limit).
Please verify all information at the Cambridge Judge MBA admissions site.
John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com
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