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Cambridge MBA Essays for 2023-2024

Are you interested in the MBA program at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School? Then get ready to start brainstorming! Here are the Cambridge MBA essays and deadlines for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle.

Cambridge MBA Essays

1. Please provide details of your post-MBA career plans. The statement should not exceed 500 words and must address the following:

• What are your short and long-term career objectives? How will the Cambridge MBA equip you to achieve these?
• Looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits MBA talent and what they are looking for in a candidate?
• How confident do you feel about meeting your short-term career goal? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them, and what preparation are you doing now?

2. Tell us about a time when you made a professional mistake. How could it have ended differently? (up to 200 words)

3. Tell us about the best team you worked with. What made the team successful? (up to 200 words)

4. Provide an example of when someone else positively impacted your life. What did you learn from this experience? (up to 200 words)

For additional information on applying, please visit the Cambridge Judge admissions website.

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2023-2024 Cambridge Judge MBA Essay Tips and Example Essays

Aug 9, 2023

• Who is Cambridge looking for?
• How should I answer the Cambridge essay questions?
• Get Admitted to Cambridge Judge
• Cambridge Deadlines

UPDATE : This article was originally posted on August 24, 2020. It has been updated with new information and tips below.

With its location in the Silicon Fen, Cambridge Judge is at the top of the list for an increasing number of applicants who seek to pursue (or continue pursuing) a high-impact, global career. 

However, with a practical yet innovative curriculum that gives students ample opportunity to incorporate hands-on learning into their MBA experience, competition to join Cambridge’s elite MBA is more difficult than ever. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Cambridge admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips and links to Cambridge Judge MBA sample essays to ensure you give your Cambridge Judge application your best shot. 

1. Who is Cambridge looking for?

(Photo courtesy of @cambridgejudge on Instagram)

“The MBA is a broad management degree designed to develop deep understanding, practical application and vital interpersonal and leadership skills. Inspired by the University of Cambridge tradition of tutorial discussion and debate, the MBA delivers a lively and engaging learning experience in an intensive one-year programme.” Cambridge Judge Admissions

Every year, Cambridge literally searches the globe (more than 40 countries are represented) for the outstanding professionals given the honor of joining its annual class of just over 200 students for its 1-year MBA program. With a strong emphasis on diversity, there is no “typical” Cambridge student, yet the average admitted student does tend to have a mean GMAT score of 690.

Beyond the impressive statistics, though, Cambridge is looking for candidates who want to make a positive impact on the world through their careers. That’s why, in addition to strong academic performance (demonstrated through the GMAT and university grades), Cambridge seeks candidates who possess the following qualities:

We want people who have:

• excelled in previous academic achievements (top 25 percent of class in undergraduate degree)
• are highly motivated and ambitious, thrive under pressure, and have already exhibited clear progression within their career
• have had some international experiences through their work and have a global outlook
• are confident, creative, innovative, with strong interpersonal and collaborative skills
• an interesting and varied life outside their work

If this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll first have to prove you’ve got what it takes by successfully answering Cambridge’s admissions essay questions. 

2. How should I answer the Cambridge essay questions?

2.1. Essay 1 Tips

Essay 1: Please provide details of your post-MBA career plans. The statement should not exceed 500 words and must address the following:

• What are your short- and long-term career objectives? How will the Cambridge MBA equip you to achieve these?
• Looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits MBA talent and what they are looking for in a candidate.
• How confident do you feel about meeting your short-term career goal? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them, and what preparation are you doing now?

This question is essentially a traditional goals essay, a common type of essay required of applicants at many elite business schools, with a unique twist. 

In this essay, you have a big task. In around 500 words , you need to discuss:

• Context for your goals
• Your specific-post MBA goals
• Why you have chosen these goals and how you are prepared for them
• Why you believe an MBA is necessary to reach these goals
• How a Cambridge MBA will help you reach these goals
• What actions you will take between now and starting at Cambridge to help you reach your goals

Each of these elements must be included and must build off of each other. 

First of all, many candidates think they do not need to specifically state their goals, or that it’s better to leave “their options open.” If you are applying to elite business schools, however, you must have and present absolute clarity about your goals. 

TOP TIP : If you’re having trouble figuring out what your post-MBA goals are, we’ve prepared this post to help you decipher this essential part of the application process! 

However, goals without context can be a little confusing to decipher or understand (or they can just seem a bit lackluster). For this reason, we suggest starting your essay with context. 

For example, a client last year initially started his essay by saying: 

“I want to become a Business Development Director at a Brazilian company.”

While interesting, it’s better to give a little bit of context to help these goals come to life. Check out the final version of the same essay’s introduction:

“In the 1970s, the phrase “think global, act local” came into use, suggesting that to have global impact, one must be active locally. With this mindset, I focused my career on Brazilian multinational companies to start creating global change at home. While at Company 1, I led a diverse global team, which showed me that clear communication is essential. I later accepted a finance position at a real estate company where I learned how new technologies can impact traditional local industries and that leaders must adapt to these trends to maintain competitiveness. Most recently, I joined Company 2 to participate in its daring globalization plan. At Company 2, I have learned how challenging it is to formulate effective global strategies to thrive in diverse markets. I have also developed management skills since becoming Financial Coordinator, learning how important establishing a culture of collaboration is to providing stability for organizations.

I now seek to take the next step to becoming a “global” leader by becoming Business Development Director at a Brazilian company pursuing globalization, giving me the experience to assume my long-term goal of CEO of one such company.”

Second, discuss how you are prepared for these goals, and if you haven’t already, why you are motivated to achieve them. Since Cambridge specifically asks you to state which skills and characteristics you already possess that are relevant to achieving your goals, make sure not just to speak in generalities here. Instead, use clear examples that demonstrate you have a strong track record that will directly contribute to your success in achieving your career goals. 

In this section, you should also discuss the research that you have already done on the industry and how recruiters are selecting people. This is important because Cambridge wants to see that you have clearly prepared for your goals and that you will use their MBA wisely and give them a good reputation. Be sure to mention how you found the information that you have. This section can serve as a great transition between what experience you already have and what you still need to gain in terms of skills and knowledge.

Third, you should clearly demonstrate why you need an MBA. 

An MBA is not a catch-all degree that serves a purpose for all career paths. As such, you need to demonstrate that the goals you have set for yourself require the additional training an MBA can provide. 

Be thoughtful about this particular section. If you don’t need to improve in any meaningful way, you might be presenting the argument the admissions committee needs for why you can’t actually benefit from an MBA. 

Furthermore, if you show fluffy or unsupported reasons you need to hone your skills, you’ll also likely see your application tossed aside in favor of an applicant who was able to clearly demonstrate how they plan to leverage their time at business school. 

Fourth, add how Cambridge can specifically help you grow in the areas you’ve identified. Mentioning that you want to go to Cambridge because of its ranking or 1-year format will not cut it here. 

Instead, show that you understand Cambridge’s uniquely innovative curriculum and have done significant, thoughtful research into how the opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom can help you grow. If you have space, it’s also highly recommended that you mention how you can contribute to the community. 

Finally, make sure that you fully answer Cambridge’s unique twist on this question by demonstrating what you are doing or plan to do before your MBA to prepare yourself to reach your stated goals. 

For example, Renato, after clearly articulating how he plans to benefit from Cambridge’s curriculum, states: “To expand my strategic vision and network, I plan to be active in the Technology SIG, create bonds with leaders within the Silicon Fen, and maintain close lifelong relationships with Judge’s faculty and students. I have already met many such alumni, such as ALUM1 and ALUM2, in my quest to integrate myself with the Judge community. Innovation can only flourish in a collaborative setting, and the Judge environment will enable me to connect knowledge and people.”

Though there are many ways in which you can prepare to reach your goals before your MBA, make sure to include clear, concrete examples of your plans in this area in your essay. 

End with a winning conclusion statement that reinforces your personal brand and ties the whole essay together. 

Need more guidance? 

Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of Cambridge MBA essays that worked to get our clients admitted to help you plan out a winning Cambridge Judge essay. 

Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join ! 

2.2. Essay 2 Tips

Essay 2: Tell us about a time when you made a professional mistake. How could it have ended differently? (up to 200 words)

With a general theme of self-awareness running throughout the application, the Cambridge Judge admissions committee’s first non-goals-related essay asks you to recount a mistake you made and reflect on what you could have done to obtain a better outcome. 

In general, I have noticed that our clients tend to want to avoid anything that makes them look bad. And this is a good instinct in general in an MBA application! However, by seeing you honestly express the mistake you made, how you overcame it, and what you would have done differently/what you learned from the experience, we’re able to see your capacity for self-awareness and growth in action. 

As always when it comes to tricky questions, we suggest you start brainstorming examples. You want to focus on examples where you made a mistake at work . You want to make sure you choose a mistake that you were responsible for . Choosing a mistake that was only partially your fault will look like you lack self-awareness and the ability to admit your failings. 

After selecting examples where you made a clear mistake, choose a few to deep-dive into. I would suggest that you think of examples that can fit the following format:

• Decision I had to make/issue I faced/project I was working on
• Mistake I made
• The results of my decision
• What I could have done differently and how this experience shaped me

If your examples don’t fit this format, I would suggest that you discard them. They are not likely to fit the STAR format of telling stories adequately or are not likely to answer all the aspects of this question. 

After placing your stories in this format, consider what you learned/how you grew from the experience and what each one tells the admissions committee about you. The best example should clearly stand out! 

When telling the STAR story, make sure you clearly convey the mistake, give a specific example of how you would do things differently and why you believe this would be a better approach, and share how the skills you built or the perspective you developed as a result of the mistake positively contributed to making you the better professional you are today. 

TOP TIP : Including so much information in such a short essay can be highly challenging. That’s why we’ve prepared this post , designed to help you tell your story in a compelling way, even when word count is tight! 

2.3. Essay 3 Tips

Essay 3: Tell us about the best team you worked with. What made the team successful? (up to 200 words)

When discussing what the MBA experience will be like with clients, I always like to joke that the only part of the program you’ll do alone is your final exams. All joking aside, the MBA is a highly team-focused, collaborative experience that demands excellent teamwork skills.  

This question gets right to the core of this issue, focusing on your capacity to work effectively in a team.  

First, to start writing this essay, brainstorm a list of potential achievements to focus on, making sure each has a clear team component. Since Cambridge does not state that you need to choose a professional example, feel free to brainstorm ideas from both your personal and professional lives. However, we suggest making sure your overall essay set is balanced, so choosing a personal example would complement your professional example in Essay 2.

Note: You don’t have to choose a specific story here; you could describe a team in general. However, using a STAR-format story here can be especially helpful in showing the team’s success, explaining effectively why the team was successful, and demonstrating how you contributed to that outcome. 

After brainstorming a list, select the example you feel best demonstrates your ability to thrive and grow in a team setting. I would suggest that you focus on a story that shows your team overcoming some type of challenge since this also goes a long way to demonstrating the team’s success and can make it easier for you when analyzing why this team worked so well. 

Finally, after sharing the team’s victorious outcome, make sure you clearly state 1-2 reasons why this team worked so well together. Was it effective communication? Mutual knowledge sharing? Picking up the slack when other members of the team struggled? There’s no right answer here as long as the reasons you choose directly connect to the example you share. Additionally, be sure to state what you learned about teamwork or in what ways the experience helped you become a better team player.

Ultimately, your example should demonstrate that you thrive in collaborative environments, so make sure that all elements of your essay retain a positive tone that shows your ability to thrive as a member of a team. 

2.4. Essay 4 Tips

Essay 4: Provide an example of when someone else positively impacted your life. What did you learn from this experience? (up to 200 words)

This is another example to demonstrate your self-awareness to the Cambridge admissions committee. 

As with essay 3, you are free to choose a personal or professional example here. You can choose a mentor, co-worker, friend, boss, teammate, or coach from a sports team – the possibilities are endless. The point here is not showing off your network; it’s sharing who you are as a person and your capacity to reflect on being on the receiving end of impact. 

For this reason, I think it’s important to first think about STAR stories that fit here. The question asks for a single example of a time that someone positively impacted your life. As such, start by thinking of some of the most impactful moments in your life and the people who facilitated these moments. You want to make sure to focus on examples with a clear beginning, middle, and end and a clear impact on you . 

Then, consider what you learned from each experience and how it has shaped you ever since. The learnings and how it’s impacted you can vary here – you can focus on internal results, like how it impacted how you see yourself, or on external results, like how you interact with the world around you or specific ways the experience motivated you to act or behave. 

Whichever you choose, make sure the learnings and impact are crystal clear since this part of the question is just as important as the example! 

Looking for Cambridge Judge MBA essay examples? 

Check out our real sample essays that got our clients admitted here .

3. Get Admitted to Cambridge Judge

Landing a spot at Cambridge is no easy task. You’ve spent years building a track record of professional success, dedicated yourself to getting a good GMAT score, and carefully developed your application strategy . 

Now is the time to make sure your accomplishments truly shine, and the only way to do so is to write a clear, compelling admissions essay . 

Ellin Lolis Consulting began with one mission: provide the best possible service to our clients and get them the best possible results . 

Serving our customers is at the core of our company, and we know that applying for an MBA can be a difficult, long process, but our goal is to take away as much of the stress as possible by acting as your ally in the process. 

So if you need much more than just a few comments on your essay, but instead want focused help shaping how you present your life’s greatest hits to one of the world’s toughest critics, you can count on us. 

In the words of our client Henrique , 

“Ellin helped me in the application process from the beginning on how to organize myself for the whole year. I truly believe that my interactions with her not only provided a foundation for the application creation, but also, and more importantly, structured my life at business school. I even got a scholarship. I really recommend her since she is really committed and hard-working, and made me feel comfortable and confident during the entire process. Thanks for the phenomenal service, Ellin.”

Get in touch and let our award-winning team of writers and storytellers help you make an unforgettable first impression. 

4. Cambridge Deadlines

Here are the deadlines for the 2023-2024 season. You can access the Cambridge application by clicking here .

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• Cambridge Judge Business School Essay Tips and Examples

July 17, 2023

Jeremy Shinewald

Although some top business schools have been gradually reducing the number of application essays they require, the University of Cambridge Judge Business School still demands four separate submissions from its candidates. The program’s first essay is about applicants’ career goals and related preparation, the second focuses on a “professional mistake” and the candidate’s analysis of it, the third requires that applicants discuss a meaningful past team experience, and in the fourth essay, candidates must focus on a time when someone made a difference in their lives. Read on for our full essay analysis, with tips on how to approach each question and create strong essays for your 2023–2024 Judge application.

Cambridge Judge 2023–2024 Essay Tips

Essay 1: please provide details of your post-mba career plans. the statement should not exceed 500 words and must address the following:, – what are your short- and long-term career objectives how will the cambridge mba equip you to achieve these, – looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits mba talent and what they are looking for in a candidate., – how confident do you feel about meeting your short-term career goal what skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them, and what preparation are you doing now.

Although the school does not frame this essay as such, with this prompt, it is basically requesting a rather traditional personal statement, so our first recommendation is to download your free copy of the  mbaMission Personal Statement Guide . This complimentary guide offers detailed advice on how to approach and frame the information requested in these three bullet points and includes multiple illustrative examples.

More specifically with respect to Judge’s multipart question, the school wants to know not only the basic facts of your career aspirations but also how prepared you currently are to achieve them and how certain you feel about ultimately doing so. How equipped are you already, and how much closer to your goals will earning a business degree from Judge move you? What have you done thus far (and plan to do) that will help ensure that you graduate with the skills, experiences, knowledge, and/or connections you need to build a bridge between where you are now and where you want go? You must refer to specific resources and offerings at the school that connect directly to these areas of improvement so that the admissions committee knows you have thoroughly considered and researched your options and determined that Judge is the best fit for your particular needs and interests. The school also wants to see evidence that you understand you must play an active role in achieving success and that you are ready and willing to do your part, rather than simply relying on the program and its name or reputation to move you forward on your career trajectory. Perhaps you have engaged in job shadowing, arranged informational interviews with individuals in your desired industry and/or role, or read related trade publications; whatever preparation and edification you have thus far completed, make sure the admissions committee is aware. 

The school understandably also wants to know that you are coming to the MBA program with a fire in your belly, so to speak—that you are striving toward your goals with a sense of determination and an assuredness that you will achieve them. Confidence is a crucial factor in success, and demonstrating a sincere sense of enthusiasm and conviction will make a positive impression on the admissions committee. Judge is not interested in candidates who are hoping that the school will simply drop them into their desired role after graduation, so show beyond a doubt that you are determined to attain your professional objectives and ready to get to work.

Essay 2: Tell us about a time when you made a professional mistake. How could it have ended differently? (up to 200 words)

Failures and slipups are important learning opportunities. With this prompt, Judge’s admissions committee wants to know what you take away from situations in which things do not progress as seamlessly as you had planned or hoped. Do you place blame elsewhere and try to make excuses? Or do you view these sorts of setbacks with an analytical eye, using what they can teach you to achieve better results with similar ventures going forward? The scale or scope of the situation in an objective sense is not as important as how affecting and influential it was for you personally. That a world-class business school would be interested in candidates who are self-aware, eager, and open-minded learners only makes sense. Judge has posed similar essay prompts in the past, so the core idea is clearly one that the admissions committee views as pivotal in identifying applicants they feel will be successful in its MBA program.

Finally, “how could it have ended differently?” is a roundabout way of asking you to share what you learned from the experience. By being able to articulate what a more favorable outcome would look like and how it could be achieved, you are showing the admissions committee that you were able to find lessons in the experience and that those takeaways have prepared you to better navigate similar situations in the future. Convey that the information, insight, and/or skills you acquired via the mistake have changed how you view or operate in the world in a positive way. Ultimately, Judge wants to know not only that you have faced and worked through the demanding process of overcoming a misstep but also how the situation has contributed to the person you are today.  

Note that Judge specifies that the story you share in this essay must be a professional one, so you might want to consider sharing a personal story for Essay 3, to provide a broader sense of your personality and background.

Essay 3: Tell us about the best team you worked with. What made the team successful? (up to 200 words)

Many schools ask about teamwork—leading a team, navigating a team, failing as a team, innovating as a team, collaborating with teammates—but an essay prompt about one’s “best” team experience is new and different (not one we have seen in our multiple decades of working with MBA applicants and programs). Do not get tripped up by thinking “best” automatically means “most successful” or “easiest.” After all, we rarely learn the most from situations and interactions that go completely smoothly. We are not saying that you should not discuss such a positive team experience if you have one but rather that you should objectively consider all your past teamwork—as both a team member and a leader—to determine which example was truly the most rewarding. You might be surprised to discover that an experience that on the surface seemed rife with difficulty was actually the most fruitful in terms of what you learned and gained from it, and the resulting essay will likely be much more interesting and memorable to an admissions reader.

As a student at an international business school, you will naturally be enmeshed in a widely diverse environment and will need to work in tandem with and alongside your fellow students when analyzing case studies, completing group projects, and participating in other activities both inside and outside the classroom. Judge clearly wants to hear about your mind-set and working style in such situations. To craft an effective essay response, describe via a narrative approach the nature of your collaboration with the others in the group, showing both what you contributed and what others brought to the dynamic (though much more succinctly). If the experience you choose to highlight was a successful or easy one, explain what decisions, skills, and attitudes made it so. If the example you offer is of a team that did not perform so well but that taught you incredibly valuable lessons or capabilities, clarify for the admissions committee what those important takeaways were and why you view them so positively. A submission that demonstrates your collaboration style, your ability to contribute to group projects, and your capacity to analyze and learn from such experiences is almost certain to make an admissions reader take notice.

Essay 4: Provide an example of when someone else positively impacted your life. What did you learn from this experience? (up to 200 words)

Judge poses four essay questions to its candidates, and three of them have to do with learning from life experiences. The school obviously seeks individuals who absorb lessons by interacting with and participating actively in the world around them, not just by listening to an instructor in a classroom. For this essay, you need to consider all the people in your life who have been additive to you in some significant way and determine which one has had the greatest impact (you will also need to explain why, of course). This individual could be a mentor, friend, supervisor, coworker, professor/teacher, coach, family member, neighbor, even a total stranger—who the person is actually does not matter! Judge is not looking to see if you are spending time with powerful business leaders, wealthy investors, or influential celebrities; the admissions committee wants to get a better understanding of who you are as an individual, the major influences in your life, and your personal values. So the important element here is the significance and lasting effect of your interaction with the individual you discuss. What did you take away from this experience, and how has it (we assume positively) influenced your life ever since? 

The nature of the person’s impact could relate to financial support, an opportunity to belong or participate, the acquisition of a skill, life advice, or any number of other concepts. Judge’s prompt offers a pretty broad and blank canvas and opens the door for you to reveal a truly meaningful and revelatory part of your life. Take a walk or meditate and let your mind fully explore all the different phases of your life and the people who have crossed your path in some way and left a mark. The interaction you had with this individual could be an ongoing or long-term thing, though the wording of the prompt seems to encourage the sharing of a briefer or even one-time experience. Essays that focus on a single encounter might also be more memorable to an admissions reader, so if you are deciding among multiple options for this essay, give a little extra consideration to the short-term ones. That said, the degree of impact and lasting influence is inarguably the most crucial factor here.

Judge also wants you to explain the knowledge you gained from the person’s impact on you, the implication being that it subsequently altered how you behave or think. In what way has the interaction changed your life ? Do you approach making decisions differently? Have you tried to become closer to or distance yourself from certain types of people? What experiences have you since sought out or made a point of avoiding? What behaviors do you now engage in more often or have chosen to discontinue? Exploring these kinds of questions should help you identify possible topics for this essay. Then, focus on conveying how the assistance, information, insight, skills, or whatever else you acquired has changed how you view or operate in the world today.

Business schools outside the United States are increasingly popular among MBA hopefuls, and we at mbaMission are proud to offer our latest publications:  International Program Guides  for international programs. In these snapshots we discuss elements such as core curriculum, elective courses, locations, school facilities, and rankings. Download your  free  copy of the  Cambridge Judge Business School Program Guide  today.

To learn more about the essays for other top business schools, visit our MBA Essay Tips and Examples Resources Page .

2023-2024 B-Schools Outside the Top 15 Business School Cambridge Judge Business School Essays International Business Schools MBA Essay Tips University of Cambridge (Judge)

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• Toronto Rotman School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
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• UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• USC Marshall School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• UVA Darden School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• UW Foster School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management Essay Analysis, 2023–2024
• Villanova School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Yale School of Management Essay Tips and Examples

Click here for the 2022–2023 MBA Essay Tips

MBA Program Updates

• Berkeley-Haas
• Boston University (Questrom)
• Cambridge Judge Business School
• Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)
• Columbia University (Columbia Business School)
• Consortium for Graduate Study in Management
• Cornell University (Johnson)
• Dartmouth College (Tuck)
• Duke University (Fuqua)
• Emory University (Goizueta)
• George Washington University (GWSB)
• Georgetown University (McDonough)
• Harvard University (Harvard Business School)
• IE Business School
• IESE Business School
• Indian School of Business
• Indiana University (Kelley)
• Ivey Business School
• London Business School
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
• New York University (Stern)
• Northwestern University (Kellogg)
• Notre Dame (Mendoza)
• Ohio State University (Fisher College)
• Oxford University (Saïd Business School)
• Penn State Smeal College of Business
• Rotman School of Management
• Saïd Business School
• Southern Methodist University (Cox School of Business)
• Stanford University (Stanford Graduate School of Business)
• University of California Los Angeles (Anderson)
• University of Cambridge (Judge)
• University of Chicago (Booth)
• University of London (London Business School)
• University of Michigan (Ross)
• University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)
• University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
• University of Southern California (Marshall)
• University of Texas at Austin (McCombs)
• University of Virginia (Darden)
• Vanderbilt University (Owen)
• Villanova School of Business
• Yale University (School of Management)

MBA Resources

Cambridge MBA Essays : Sample Essays & Writing Tips

Embarking on the journey to pursue an MBA at the prestigious University of Cambridge is a dream for many aspiring global leaders. The Cambridge MBA, renowned for its rigorous academic curriculum and diverse cohort, offers an unparalleled experience that shapes the business leaders of tomorrow. Central to the application process for this esteemed program are the essays. These essays are more than just a formality; they’re a critical component that allows you to showcase your unique story, professional accomplishments, and personal aspirations. They provide the admissions committee with insight into who you are beyond your grades and test scores.

Understanding the Cambridge MBA Essay Requirements

The essay section of the Cambridge MBA application is designed to give applicants the opportunity to demonstrate their suitability for the program in a more personal and detailed manner. For the upcoming academic year, the application requires several essays, each addressing different aspects of your profile and aspirations.

Essay Question Breakdown:

Career Objective Essay: This essay is your chance to articulate your post-MBA career goals. The key here is clarity and realism. Outline your short and long-term career plans, ensuring they align with what the Cambridge MBA can offer. This question isn’t just about your aspirations but also about your understanding of the career opportunities and resources available at Cambridge.

Personal Experience Essay: Here, you are asked to reflect on a significant personal experience. This essay should illuminate your values, resilience, and character. The admissions committee wants to see the depth of your self-awareness and your ability to grow from experiences.

Teamwork Essay: Collaboration is crucial in an MBA setting. This essay should focus on a time when you worked as part of a team. Highlight your role, the dynamics of the team, and the outcome. It’s essential to demonstrate your ability to work effectively with others, especially in a diverse environment.

Additional Information (Optional): This is a space for you to provide any additional information that hasn’t been covered in other parts of the application. It could be about gaps in employment, academic discrepancies, or additional context to your application that you believe is essential for the admissions committee to know.

Understanding what each essay seeks to uncover is fundamental in crafting your responses. They collectively paint a picture of your potential as a Cambridge MBA candidate. In the following sections, we will delve into strategies for writing these essays, analyzing successful examples, and avoiding common pitfalls.

Strategies for Crafting Compelling Essays

Writing a compelling MBA essay for Cambridge or any other prestigious institution involves more than just sharing your experiences; it’s about presenting your story in a way that resonates with the admissions committee. Here are some key strategies:

Start Early: Allow yourself ample time to brainstorm, write, and revise. Rushed essays may lack depth and coherence. Starting early also gives you the time to reflect on your experiences and how they align with your MBA aspirations​​.

Answer the Essay Question Directly: It sounds simple, yet many applicants stray from the actual question. Ensure that your essay directly addresses the prompt. Authenticity is crucial; write what genuinely reflects your experiences and aspirations, not what you think the admissions committee wants to hear​​​​.

Be Clear on Your Goals: Articulate your short-term and long-term goals. This not only demonstrates your clarity of purpose but also shows how the Cambridge MBA program aligns with your career aspirations​​.

Showcase How You Can Add Value: Reflect on your experiences where you’ve made a significant impact. Describe how these experiences have shaped you and how they would allow you to contribute to the Cambridge MBA community​​.

Keep Your Language Approachable: Avoid jargon and overly complex language. Your essay should be easily understandable by people from various backgrounds. This demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively, a key skill in business leadership​​.

Proofread Thoroughly: Grammatical errors or typos can undermine the professionalism of your application. A well-polished essay reflects your attention to detail and dedication​​​​.

Analyzing Successful Cambridge MBA Essay Examples

To further guide your writing process, let’s analyze some elements that make for successful MBA essays:

Storytelling and Authenticity: Successful essays often employ storytelling to bring the candidate’s experiences and aspirations to life. Authenticity in sharing your journey, including your motivations, challenges, and learnings, is key.

Clear and Concise Writing: Well-received essays are typically clear, concise, and free of grammatical errors. They convey the candidate’s personality and explain why the MBA program aligns with their goals​​.

Balancing Professional and Personal Insights: Essays that strike a balance between professional achievements and personal growth tend to stand out. They provide a holistic view of the candidate as an individual and a professional.

Reflecting on Weaknesses and Growth: Candidates who honestly acknowledge their weaknesses and demonstrate how they have grown from various experiences often leave a positive impression on the admissions committee​​​​.

Specific Examples and Impact: Essays that use specific examples to illustrate the candidate’s impact in their professional or personal life are more compelling. They provide concrete evidence of the candidate’s skills and potential contributions to the MBA community.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Your Cambridge MBA Essays

Crafting an MBA essay that resonates with the admissions committee is a meticulous task. Here are common mistakes to avoid:

Ignoring the Essay Prompts: Ensure your essay directly answers the question asked. Straying from the prompt indicates a lack of focus and understanding of the school’s requirements​​.

Lack of Focus: Your essay should have a clear narrative that ties together your aspirations, the school’s values, and what makes you unique. Avoid unrelated discussions and stay coherent​​.

Pandering to the Admissions Committee: Avoid excessive flattery or trying to force a connection with the school that isn’t there. Stay authentic and trust in the strength of your candidacy​​.

Not Addressing Specific Questions: Make sure to answer every aspect of the essay prompt. Over-editing or using generic essays for multiple applications often leads to missing the specific question asked​​.

Exceeding the Word Limit: Respect the word count provided. Admission committees review thousands of applications; concise and clear writing demonstrates respect for their time and your ability to communicate effectively​​.

Not Acknowledging Past Mistakes: Be honest about your weaknesses and show your ability to learn and grow from past experiences. This demonstrates resilience and adaptability​​​​.

Using Jargon and Complex Language: Keep your language simple and approachable. Avoid industry jargon and slang that might confuse the reader​​.

Reusing Content Improperly: Tailor your essays specifically for Cambridge. Reusing content without proper customization can result in a lackluster application​​.

Rehashing Your Resume: Provide new insights beyond what’s on your resume. Essays are an opportunity to delve deeper into your personal journey and perspectives​​.

Avoiding Freudian Slips and Red Flags: Be careful not to inadvertently reveal behavioral traits that could be perceived negatively, such as poor time management or dependency issues​​.

Finalizing Your Essays: Editing and Proofreading Tips Once you have written your essays, the next crucial step is to edit and proofread them. Here’s how to effectively refine your essays:

Take a Break Before Editing: Give yourself some time away from your essays before revising them. This helps you view your work with fresh eyes and a clear mind.

Read Aloud: Reading your essays aloud can help catch awkward phrasing and grammatical errors that you might miss while reading silently.

Seek Feedback: Have someone else review your essays. They can provide valuable insights on clarity, tone, and content.

Check for Specificity and Clarity: Ensure your essays are specific to your experiences and clearly convey your message. Avoid vague statements and generalizations.

Maintain a Consistent Voice: Your essays should reflect your personality. Keep your writing style consistent across all essays.

Watch for Repetition: Ensure you’re not repeating the same ideas or stories across different essays. Each essay should provide new insights.

Proofread for Grammar and Spelling: Don’t rely solely on spellcheck. Read through your essays meticulously to catch any spelling or grammatical errors.

Ensure Alignment with Essay Prompts: Finally, make sure your essays align with the prompts and answer all parts of the question.

Conclusion Concluding a Cambridge MBA essay effectively is as crucial as starting it. The conclusion should encapsulate the key themes of your essay while leaving a lasting impression on the admissions committee. Here are some points to consider:

Summarize Key Points: Briefly reiterate the main points of your essay, ensuring they align with the essay prompt and your overall application narrative.

Reaffirm Your Goals and Aspirations: Reinforce how the Cambridge MBA aligns with your career aspirations and how you intend to utilize the opportunities it offers.

Express Enthusiasm and Commitment: Convey your genuine enthusiasm for the program and your commitment to contributing to the Cambridge community.

End with a Strong Closing Statement: A powerful closing statement can resonate with the admissions committee, ensuring your essay is memorable.

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July 21, 2022

Cambridge Judge MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2022 – 2023]

The  Cambridge Judge MBA program  is a one-year program with a small class of around 200 students from approximately 40 countries. The Judge MBA is a very experiential program, with three required team projects and another optional one, engaging students with external companies or organizations.

Judge is seeking applicants with proven academic abilities, ambition, the ability to thrive under pressure, international experience, and strong interpersonal skills. Use your essays to  demonstrate that you have these qualities . Keep in mind that Judge is one of the few programs that is extremely strict about its word limits: not one additional word can be entered into the text boxes beyond their word limits.

Cambridge Judge offers 4 essay spaces for you to show your fit with the program.

Cambridge Judge 2022-2023 MBA application essays

Cambridge judge mba essay question #1.

Please provide details of your post-MBA career plans. The statement should not exceed 500 words and must address the following: • What are your short and long term career objectives? How will the Cambridge MBA equip you to achieve these? • Looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits MBA talent and what they are looking for in a candidate? • How do you meet the requirements of your short-term career goal? What preparation are you doing now?

This is a straightforward goals essay with a slight twist in the third bullet. Strong essays will demonstrate clear goals, insight into what skills you need to gain to succeed in those roles as well as how you have started to develop them, and an understanding of the Judge curriculum and other campus activities that will build on the foundation you have already laid.

I personally love the phrasing of this question because for some applicants this is the first notification that they need to take an active role in their post-MBA job search and preparation. The admissions office cannot accept students who expect the school’s name and career services office to open every door for them, so applicants need to demonstrate in this essay that they are comfortable with that reality.

Cambridge Judge MBA essay question #2

Describe a difficult decision that you had to make. What did you learn from this and how have you changed as a result? (up to 200 words)

Leaders must make difficult decisions. Here is your opportunity to show one example of you displaying the analytical abilities required to do so. When selecting an example, I recommend choosing a time you said yes to a risk rather than one in which you were risk-averse: big growth and impact require saying yes sometimes, so these stories do a better job of illustrating your potential as a future leader. 

Cambridge Judge MBA essay question #3

Describe a time where you worked with a team on a project. What did you learn from the experience and how might you approach it differently today? (up to 200 words) 

Much of Cambridge Judge’s curriculum is executed in teams, so the admissions committee needs to know that you work well in that kind of environment . To show what you learned, share some detail about the challenges the group faced – for example, cultural differences, personality clashes, execution conflicts – and how you led the team to resolve them, increase understanding of each other and of the scope of the project. Ideally, readers will hear about the impact of or value added to the project in addition to the lessons you learned about team leadership.

Cambridge Judge MBA essay question #4

If you could give one piece of advice to your 18-year-old self, what would it be? (up to 200 words)

This is a tricky question. The adcom does not want to read 200 words of advice to your 18-year-old self; they do want to hear about a lesson you learned later that you wish the 18-year-old you had known. One way to answer this question is to start with the advice and then share the experience in which you learned the lesson. 

Wondering about the Cambridge MBA interview?

Charlotte Russell-Green, Head of MBA Recruitment and Admissions, talks about what it’s like to interview at Cambridge Judge.

Cambridge Judge at a glance

Cambridge Judge median/mean GMAT score: 690

Average years of work experience: 6

U.S. News  ranked Judge #8 in Best Global Universities in 2022.

Check out the Business School Selectivity Index for more stats about top b-schools.

You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are in life. Now that you’re ready for your next achievement, make sure you know how to present yourself to maximum advantage in your Cambridge Judge application. In a hotly competitive season, you’ll want a member of Team Accepted in your corner, guiding you with expertise tailored specifically for you. Check out our flexible consulting packages today!

We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to top MBA Programs and look forward to helping you too!

Cambridge Judge remaining MBA application deadlines for 2022-2023

Source: Cambridge Judge website

By Jennifer Bloom, admissions consultant at Accepted for 20 years and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). She is an expert at guiding you to produce application materials that truly differentiate you from the rest of the driven applicant pool. If you would like help with your application, Jennifer can suggest a number of options that work with any budget. Want Jennifer to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Why MBA , a free guide to show you how to determine your MBA goals and weave them into compelling essays
• What to Expect From the MBA Experience at Cambridge Judge Business School , a podcast episode
• Leadership in Admissions , a free guide

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2023-2024 Cambridge Judge MBA Essay Analysis

Admit expert.

• August 2, 2023

The Cambridge Judge MBA program is a one-year program with a small class size of roughly 200 students from 40 nationalities. The Judge MBA is a highly immersive curriculum, with three mandatory team projects and a fourth optional team project that engages students with external businesses or groups.

Judge seeks candidates with demonstrated academic aptitude, aspiration, the ability to prosper under pressure, multinational experience, and excellent interpersonal skills.

Utilize your essays to prove that you possess these abilities. Keep in mind that Judge is one of the only programs with extremely strict word restrictions: no extra words may be added to the text boxes after the word limits have been reached.

Application deadline

Cambridge judge mba essays 2023-2024, essay 1 analysis, essay 1 tips, essay 2 analysis, essay 2 tips, essay 3 analysis, essay 3 tips, essay 4 analysis, essay 4 tips, let us help you get into cambridge judge.

Even though some of the best business schools have been slowly cutting down on the number of essays they require, the University of Cambridge Judge Business School still asks applicants to send in four separate essays.

Here are the essay questions on the Cambridge MBA application for the 2024 admissions:

• What are your short and long term career objectives? How will the Cambridge MBA equip you to achieve these?
• Looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits MBA talent and what they are looking for in a candidate?
• How confident do you feel about meeting your short-term career goal? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them, and what preparation are you doing now?

Tell us about a time when you made a professional mistake. How could it have ended differently? (up to 200 words)

Tell us about the best team you worked with. What made the team successful? (up to 200 words)

Provide an example of when someone else positively impacted your life. What did you learn from this experience? (up to 200 words)

Please provide details of your post-MBA career plans. The statement should not exceed 500 words and must address the following:

Applicants are asked to describe their short-term and long-term plans for their careers after getting their MBA. Then, as with most schools, it’s important to show that you understand what makes Cambridge Judge’s program special in order to give a good answer to this question. 

You’ll need to show how Cambridge’s MBA program will help you reach your goals in a clear and convincing way. 

Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs, and extracurricular activities will pay off. You can do this by attending an online admissions event or talking to alumni.

In response to the second part of the prompt, the best way to meet Judge’s request would be to talk about research, such as looking at employment reports, career services, or networking through LinkedIn. 

Keep in mind that 98 percent of the most recent class moved to a new country, job, or industry sector. This suggests that the adcom is looking for applicants who can deal with and plan for change.

In the meantime, you will need to think about your qualifications and be careful when answering this part of the prompt, which asks you to list how you are already ready for the short term and describe what you are doing right now. 

This makes sense if you give a short summary of your career since you can point to your past actions as proof of your current skills. This is the place to talk about how you’ve taken on more responsibilities at work or signed up for a course related to your field.

How to write this Cambridge MBA essay 1

To write the essay 1 for the Cambridge MBA admissions use the following framework and Tips

• Outline your short-term career goals and discuss how the MBA serves as a stepping stone, while outlining your long-term career goals.
• Discuss how the specific opportunities offered by the Cambridge MBA align with and support your long-term objectives.
• Detail the various methods you’ve utilized to acquire new skills across different mediums.
• Elaborate on your comprehensive industry research and articulate your strategic approach for gaining entry into your desired company.

The essay poses a series of straightforward questions. Start by providing a concise overview of your current role. Explain your decision to pursue the Cambridge MBA and emphasize specific aspects of the program that align with your goals and will enhance your professional portfolio.

Describe your post-MBA plans, including the industry, role, and company you’re targeting. To enrich this narrative, substantiate your choices by elucidating the underlying reasons driving your selections.

This could encompass factors such as alignment with your skill set, passion, long-term goals, and the distinctive value proposition that the chosen company holds for your intended career trajectory. Address your existing skill set, highlighting how you achieved proficiency.

For skills you’re currently acquiring or plan to learn, outline your approach and preparations to master them effectively.

Research thoroughly

Now, transition your focus to the research you’ve embarked upon. Are you actively engaging in networking? Are you scouring the web for insights via professional networking platforms? Are you absorbing firsthand accounts from current and former employees? Have you meticulously identified the technological prerequisites for your desired role? Are you proactively enrolling in succinct online courses to bridge any skill gaps?

Detail the spectrum of resources you’re tapping into and elucidate the deliberate steps you’re taking to gain a comprehensive understanding of the industry, your envisioned role, and the geographic context. This comprehensive approach provides a sturdy foundation, aligning your insights with how MBA recruits are integrated within this landscape. Armed with this knowledge, you’re poised to steer your immediate career aspirations towards triumph.

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The admissions committee is interested in your ability to candidly address your vulnerabilities. They want to understand the circumstances that led to a misstep, your approach in managing it, and your subsequent reflection.

Did you explore alternative strategies or sources of guidance, like seeking advice from a mentor, conducting additional research, or reading up on the issue?

To illustrate, consider a scenario where you presented inaccurate data to a client, resulting in potential repercussions from your manager and potential client loss.

Reflect on the options you pursued then – perhaps persevering despite challenges – and then consider alternative paths that might have yielded different outcomes.

These could encompass preemptive measures such as collaborative review with your manager, seeking input from colleagues, or implementing double-check procedures.

Address your actions in the past situation, explore potential alternate approaches, and detail how you intend to approach similar challenges in the future.

How to write this Cambridge MBA essay 2

To write the essay 2 for the Cambridge MBA admissions use the following framework and Tips

• Begin by outlining the context and circumstances that led to the situation.
• Detail your initial response, highlighting the recognition of the mistake and the potential consequences it carried.
• Transition to your proactive approach in resolving the issue, including the steps you took and the reasoning behind your chosen solution.
• Shift focus to alternative solutions that you’ve identified through hindsight, showcasing your ability to learn and adapt.
• Conclude by summarizing the key insights and lessons you gained from the experience, emphasizing personal growth and future application.

The ‘right’ mistake

Various challenges arise in the workplace, from miscommunications to conflicts and skill gaps. The distinction between minor and major errors is less significant here; what matters is your ability to navigate such situations and effect positive change.

When recounting an incident, be candid about the situation without implying a recurring issue in your candidacy.

Avoid discussing legal or ethical breaches that indicate a character flaw. Focus on addressing the mistake succinctly. llustrate your growth opportunities with examples that genuinely showcase your ability to seize challenges and turn them into valuable experiences.

Avoid using examples that might seem cliché or simply frame a positive trait as a negative one, such as “I work too hard.” Instead, delve into situations where you had to stretch your skills, confront your limitations, or adapt to unfamiliar circumstances.

Highlight instances where you took the initiative to learn new skills, collaborate with diverse teams, or navigate through setbacks.

Focus on the solution

What unfolded in the aftermath? Did you proactively acknowledge the mistakes and implement measures to prevent their recurrence? Provide substantial evidence of your efforts to rectify the problem.

Detail what strategies proved effective and outline your plans to build on them. Consider preventive measures you could have taken to avert the mistake in the first place, should it arise again.

Offer honest takeaways and express your determination to prevent a recurrence of the error, showcasing your commitment to growth and improvement.

Examine potential solutions that could have been explored through comprehensive research on alternative approaches to address the situations.

For instance, in the context of miscommunication, consider proposing that the matter could have been resolved more effectively through a face-to-face discussion facilitated by a mediator, rather than relying solely on back-and-forth emails.

This showcases your willingness to analyze different strategies and adapt your problem-solving methods.

The admissions committee is keen to understand your perspective on the essential qualities that contribute to a harmonious and effective team dynamic.

While teamwork styles can vary significantly, they are interested in your vision of an ideal collaborative unit. Highlight the traits you possess that complement those of your teammates and how you contribute to fostering successful teamwork.

Ensure that you elucidate your role both as a team member and as a leader, underscoring how you facilitate team cohesion.

Acknowledge the diverse nature of team creation and functioning, emphasizing that effective teams are carefully constructed rather than randomly assembled, taking into account their unique dynamics.

In some cases, camaraderie among team members might be the key ingredient, fostering a sense of unity and trust.

Alternatively, effective teams could function based on a strategic allocation of tasks according to each member’s strengths, ensuring optimal performance.

Moreover, there are instances where team success hinges on the unwavering commitment of individuals towards a shared goal, even if camaraderie isn’t the central focus.

The multifaceted nature of what propels good teams underscores the importance of adaptability and tailoring the approach to suit the unique needs of each situation.

How to write this Cambridge MBA essay 3

To write the essay 3 for the Cambridge MBA admissions use the following framework and tips

• Begin by providing a concise overview of the team’s composition, clearly delineating roles and responsibilities.
• Detail the team’s approach to project management and workflow, explaining the seamless transition of tasks between different units.
• Explore the specific qualities that contribute to the team’s successful functioning, emphasizing what makes this team’s dynamics effective.
• Reflect on your key takeaways from observing group dynamics, understanding individual team member roles, and witnessing leadership in action.
• Outline your strategic plan for applying these valuable insights in future collaborative endeavors, illustrating how you aim to replicate this success.

Connect style & practice

Select an example that delves into intricate details, particularly focusing on the working style’s implementation and practical outcomes.

This approach ensures ample room for discussing the team’s composition, how different units synergized effectively, the workflow dynamics, and the allocation of responsibilities.

Address potential roadblocks and challenges inherent to this style, and elaborate on the strategies employed to overcome them. It’s crucial to move beyond a mere overview and delve into the specific factors that contributed to its success.

Be sure to elaborate on the reasons behind the success of this particular style within your example. Highlight the specific aspects of this style that resonated with you and contributed to its effectiveness.

Explain how you would apply these favorable elements in future situations to replicate similar success. Discuss why this style enhanced your qualities as a strong team player and how it facilitated leadership dynamics within the team.

Address the strategies or takeaways from this experience that you intend to employ to ensure efficient teamwork in the future.

The question of “positive impact” presents a broad canvas for your response. You have the flexibility to delve into something personal, as long as you can extract a valuable lesson applicable to the future.

Yet, always keep in mind the long-term scale of the individual’s influence – how transformative was their impact, what sparked this transformation, and why it held such significance. 

This involves addressing several sub-questions: How transformative was their influence? Why did it hold such transformative power? What were the factors contributing to its profound impact?

To convey this effectively, each sentence should be carefully constructed. Briefly describing the individual and the context is necessary to establish the setting.

The focal point, however, should be the ‘eureka’ moment when the depth of their contributions to your life became clear. Honesty, vulnerability, and a clear presentation of the context and the pivotal moment are key elements to capture in your response.

How to write this Cambridge MBA essay 4

To write the essay 4 for the Cambridge MBA admissions use the following framework and tips

• Describe the situation or context where you faced challenges and needed assistance.
• Highlight the person who played a pivotal role, detailing their advice or support.
• Explain how their intervention brought about significant positive change in your life.
• Discuss why this experience qualifies as a positive impact and its lasting effects.
• Share the lessons learned from this impact and how they have shaped your perspective.
• Describe how these insights will guide your future actions and decisions.

Define ‘positive impact’

A comprehensive understanding of the term ‘positive impact’ entails delving beyond the surface and exploring the intricate threads that weave together transformative experiences.

It encompasses not only the initial spark of influence but also the subsequent steps taken to materialize that influence within the fabric of your life.

Furthermore, this concept involves reflecting on the profound lessons harvested from these pivotal moments and how they reverberate across the tapestry of your journey.

Imagine a scenario where the guiding hand of a mentor or counselor extended to you a lifeline of educational resources that catapulted you towards higher academic pursuits.

Unpacking the layers of this impactful gesture reveals not only the intention behind it but also the strategic actions put in motion. Delve into the motivations driving your mentor’s decision to provide you with these resources.

Explore the meticulous planning and effort that went into facilitating your access to knowledge that transcended boundaries.

As a result, you found yourself empowered with insights and skills that exceeded your previous horizons. This encounter does not end with the acquisition of resources. It provided you with self-awareness and aspirations.

As you witnessed the tangible outcomes of this intervention — perhaps landing you in enhanced job opportunities and even propelling you toward the pursuit of an MBA — the scope of ‘positive impact’ extended far beyond the initial gesture.

We will help you write essays that portray your unique strengths and experiences in the most favorable light so that your application shines above the rest. We have helped hundreds of students get into top business schools. Let us help you too.

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Cambridge Judge New MBA Essay: Show Your Growth

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Cambridge Judge is among the many top schools that debuted a new essay question for the 2021-2022 season that sought to elicit more personal responses from MBA candidates. Chicago Booth wants to “learn more about you outside the office,” Berkeley Haas asks, “what makes you feel alive when you are doing it” and UCLA Anderson replaced its slate of essays with a singular question on “how the events of the past year have influenced the impact you want to make” (view specific MBA essay tips on these schools by my Fortuna Admissions colleagues).

Among the most unusual new essay questions comes from Cambridge Judge, a bastion of British excellence with an 800-year academic pedigree. (The latest Forbes ranking crowned Judge at #3, behind IMD and INSEAD.) It’s the last of four questions, all of which – beyond the personal statement that wants specifics on our short and long-term career goals, among other pointed details – veer toward the behavioral. In no more than 200 words, Cambridge Judge wants to know:

If you could give one piece of advice to your 18-year-old self, what would it be?  

This MBA essay prompt speaks to growth, which can be a little tricky. As my Fortuna Admissions colleague Karen Ponte cautions, “There is a balance to be struck here between highlighting regrets/significant mistakes of the past and showing the journey that you’ve come on so far in your life. Take care to be as positive as you can and use this question to show your self-development and how the MBA will be a continuing part of that development. The average age of the Cambridge MBA student is 30 – but regardless of your age, you will need to demonstrate maturity and the ability to self-reflect.”

My suggestion is to go personal but avoid common sense learnings. Root your advice in a story or anecdote from your life. This is a question that lends itself to storytelling, to pulling a vignette from your life and drawing us in by setting the scene (quickly – 200 words isn’t much real estate) instead of leading with the advice straight away. A lot of people are afraid to get creative and take the reader on a journey, but that’s the wiser way to approach it. If it feels like a struggle, that’s understandable – you just don’t write like this at work.

You can think about what ways you’ve changed and any misconceptions you had about life and work. These even might tie back to the vision you have for your career (first essay question).

As you think it through, consider this approach:

• A time in life when I failed someone else or failed myself, i.e., was not living in line with my core missions/values (the ones I hold today that I might have not held tightly as a youngster)
• Tell that mini-story in 100 words
• Advise yourself based on it, and avoid using cliches, in 100 words

Beyond a failure, Karen offers other possible examples such as:

• Having more confidence
• Taking a risk
• Appreciating/valuing family
• Prioritizing education (remembering the strong focus on academia at Cambridge)
• Going traveling
• Worrying less
• Networking more; etc.

Showing vulnerability and growth is good (such as learning how to be more compassionate with yourself– that would be good advice for most teens). But there’s a fine line between vulnerability and oversharing, and your discernment reflects your maturity and awareness of your audience (the MBA admissions committee). Do fess up to failures if true learning was had, even if that learning was a bit embarrassing. View this as a chance to highlight who you are today and the journey that shaped you into an ever-wiser human. Don’t use cliché advice (i.e. you win some you lose some, etc.) or highlight anything that may raise questions regarding your character (like academic dishonesty).

As Karen says, “The rest of the application is very much focused around your professional life, so try to use this question to give the admissions team a little insight into other dimensions of who you are, your character, your unique perspectives, and experiences.”

This essay can, and I think should point to some value that you have and that you will bring to the program. You’re helping admissions get to know you, and you’re showing them what you’re bringing to the table and the kind of person you are, and how you will add value during and after your time on campus.

Finally, like tackling the MIT Sloan application , the full slate of Cambridge MBA essays poses a puzzle that you need to put together without being repetitive. Every essay isn’t a stand-alone, and while you want to get reflective about each one, as you sit down to write you’ll be wise to keep the overall narrative in mind. For advice on responding to all four Cambridge Judge MBA essays, view Karen’s related article, Cambridge Judge MBA Essays: Tips & Strategy .

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.

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Seven tips for …

Seven tips for making your MBA application as smooth as possible

The article at a glance.

There are a lot of things to consider in your application. Essay questions, submitting your GMAT score, organising a reference – it can seem like a lot to do, so here are a few tips to making your application go smoothly before you begin. 

Category: Insight

There are a lot of things to consider in your application. Essay questions, submitting your GMAT score, organising a reference – it can seem like a lot to do, so here are a few tips to making your application go smoothly before you begin.  

1. Check you fulfil all the Cambridge MBA criteria 

Read the website thoroughly – it contains all you need to know about applying. It also means that you will come armed with information when you come to interview day, and that will help your confidence immensely. It will also help you to make the most of your time networking with other candidates and means you can ask the admissions team more interesting and vital questions. The MBA Apply pages are a great source of information. 

2. Approach your reference early  

Give your referee adequate time to think about and write a reference. When you apply for the Cambridge MBA, a request will automatically be sent to your referee once you have entered their contact details, so let them know in advance to expect a request.  

For the Cambridge MBA, referees should be a current supervisor – or if that’s not possible, a former line manager or supervisor. If you are self-employed or run your own company, you can nominate a customer or supplier with whom you have a professional relationship. Either way, make sure they have enough time to write a considered reference which reflects you well. 

3. Take your GMAT and make the scores available  

It can take months to prepare and take the GMAT and GRE, and you might need to take it more than once to get the score that you desire. Most people spend their weekends and spare time to practise questions.  

You will need to have passed the GMAT or GRE by the time you apply. You can self-report your score on the application form, but you will also need to authorise the centre to make your scores officially available to us. For the GMAT, many test centres will do this for free for up to five schools. Check what the process is with your test centre. We won’t be able to review your application until we are able to access your official score report, so leave enough time to make sure it’s available for us to check.   

4. Acquire your degree transcripts and have them translated into English 

You will need to submit a copy of your degree transcripts when you apply. It might take a while for you to get hold of these, so prepare these documents well in advance. Transcripts need to be written in English or must be certified translations. Copies of your transcript must be uploaded in the ‘Academic information’ section of our online application form. If you are successful at interview and made an offer, we will require you to verify your academics through Qualification Check, the ECCTIS approved education verification service. We are now a paperless office, in line with the sustainability policies of the Business School.  

5. Check you are available for the interview dates for the round you are applying for 

The dates for the interview periods, alongside the application round deadlines, are now available on the website, so you can check when you need to apply and when you will need to be free to take part in an online interview with a faculty member and to meet your future peers and possible classmates online, as part of the Cambridge MBA interview experience.   

6. Show your answers to the essay questions to a friend or someone who knows you 

It’s useful to have a second pair of eyes to look at your application, not just for spelling and grammatical errors, but also to see if you have presented yourself in the best light. It doesn’t have to be a work colleague, but someone who knows you well, and will give you some constructive feedback if you need it. 

Annwen Gray, Head of MBA Admissions and Recruitment, “I always suggest you approach these questions like an interview. What happened, what you did, what the outcome was and how you apply that to now and your future approach. What was the lesson? Have you reflected on what you have learnt? And so on.” 

7. Be aware of your finances and how you will fund yourself 

If you are offered a place on Cambridge MBA, you will be required to demonstrate you can financially support yourself while you are undertaking the MBA. You will need to take into account your tuition fees and your living expenses (an additional £10,000 – £20,000 is a guide, depending on your lifestyle or whether you have family or dependents travelling with you). 

Think about funding before you start your application. You will need to submit proof of your ability to pay in order to take up an offer. There are Cambridge MBA scholarships and bursaries available to candidates, but it is advisable to have a backup in case you do not receive financial aid from the University. 

There are many loans and bursaries available, including country-specific funding. Look at the rounds that bursaries and scholarships are awarded in. This may give you an indication as to what round you should be applying for if funding is important to you. Information about our scholarships and bursaries are available on our website. 

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