I came across my MBA admission essay for Cambridge Judge Business School when I sorted through my laptop over the Christmas holidays. I would love to take this opportunity to describe my experience of the University of Cambridge Michaelmas Term and compare it with what I had expected.
1. Diverse and international group
In the essay, I wrote how the Cambridge MBA immerses me in a diverse and collaborative culture, enabling me to broaden my horizons and strengthen my effective interpersonal skills. The cohort of just over 200 students is a perfect size. It is large enough to find the most knowledgeable classmates when you want to know about manufacturing in Germany, or the financial industry in India, for example. At the same time, it is small enough that you can build relationships with your classmates in such a close and friendly way that you can send each other birthday wishes and Christmas messages. Doesn’t it make you feel like you can do anything with 200 strong supporters worldwide?
2. Practical and well-designed programmes
The lectures are by far more practical and organically linked to each other than expected. For instance, in the Entrepreneurship course, you can learn how to raise capital from the entrepreneur’s point of view, and then, in Corporate Finance, you can learn how venture capitalists evaluate enterprise values. You will also gain insights from guest speakers and classmates with real business experience in each lecture. During the Cambridge Venture Project, you and your team need to contribute to real client projects, using the knowledge from the lectures and the skills that you have all developed that term. These opportunities allow you to turn academic knowledge into real business impacts.
3. Opportunities outside the MBA programme
What I did not expect and what actually sets the Cambridge MBA apart from other business schools is the breadth and depth of our relationships outside of the MBA programme itself. For example, I am a Sponsorship Manager of the Cambridge University Technology and Enterprise Club (CUTEC) which allows me to discuss start-up ecosystems with undergraduates and PhD students from Engineering or Neuroscience. As the Co-chair of the Private Equity and Venture Capital Special Interest Group (SIG), I can also reach out to diverse experts by leveraging the broad University of Cambridge, as well as Cambridge Judge, alumni network. There are also plenty of fantastic events at the Cambridge colleges. I was lucky enough to be able to ask the UN Secretary-General about climate change at a Pembroke College event, recently.
I have really enjoyed the Michaelmas Term as it has gone far beyond my expectations. I hope that even more remarkable moments will unfold across the future terms at Cambridge Judge, and that I continue to make the most of this once-in-a-life opportunity.