2012 Cambridge Judge MBA Essay Questions, Tips

The 2014 Cambridje Judge tips are now available. Click here to check them out!

The 2012 Cambridge Judge essay questions are unchanged from 2011 and we have made only minor changes to the tips.

Founded in 1990, the Judge Business School at University of Cambridge has powered its way up the international rankings, mainly because of its strength in entrepreneurship, particularly in technology and the sciences. A deeply collaborative school, it enjoys strong ties to the many companies in Cambridge’s high-tech cluster.

Essay 1: What are the key issues facing organizations in your sector over the next three years? What course of action would you recommend to such organizations? (300 words)

This is your chance to succinctly display your strategic prowess and management savvy. By analyzing the key issues faced by your sector, you can illustrate your knowledge of the industry as well as where you believe it may –or should– be heading. Your advice should reflect your strategic vision. Given Judge’s highly practical learning style, your approach should be the same.

Although the question limits your course of action to the upcoming three years, you can certainly frame it in terms of where you see the sector ultimately heading, thereby reflecting your own long-term vision.

Essay 2: What did you learn from your most spectacular failure? (200 words)

Note the word “spectacular;” a strong word meant to elicit a strong response. How you face and process failure is an important gauge of your management capacities and ability to learn. This essay is also a sterling opportunity to display your self-awareness: do not shy away from writing about a serious (i.e. spectacular) failure. Perhaps more important than the failure itself is the lessons learnt. And if you can show how you have implemented the lessons, then you should have a winning essay. This is a tall order for 200 words, so brevity is the key. Describe the situation. What lessons did you learn? Have they somehow been “validated?

Essay 3:
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)

The classic MBA goals question: Where are you going? How (and why) will you get there? How will an MBA, and Judge, enable you? This straightforward essay will put your career – past, present and future – into perspective and explain why you are applying to Judge. The task here is to clearly map out your career development within the context of your professional goals, while also linking the Judge MBA with your future. Illustrating a logical, credible link between your career to-date, your goals and Judge, is the key to this essay.

The latter part should align with Judge’s practical approach that encompasses workshops, seminars, lectures, discussion groups, team and individual projects, and their tradition of lively debate. For example, why is this approach important for you? Does the presence of nearly 50 nationalities from a wide range of sectors and small class size matter to you? And so on.

Check out additional MBA essay tips here.

2012 Deadlines

Round	Application deadline	Interview day	Outcome
Round 1	23 Sep 2011	11 Nov* and 14 Nov 2011	17 Nov 2011
Round 2	11 Nov 2011	13 Jan* and 16 Jan 2012	19 Jan 2012
Round 3	6 Jan 2012	10 Feb*, 20 Feb and 27 Feb 2012	2 Mar 2012
Round 4	2 Mar 2012	20 Apr* and 23 Apr 2012	26 Apr 2012
Round 5	20 Apr 2012	11 Jun 2012	14 Jun 2012

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Analysis of an issue :
“Corporation and other businesses should try to eliminate the many ranks and salary grades that classify employee according to their experience and expertise. A ‘flat” organisational structure is more likely to encourage collegiality and cooperation among employees”

Whether Corporation and other businesses should keep ranks and salary grades or eliminate the same is controversial issue. On the one hand it is argued to keep ranks and salary grades where as on the other hand it was opposed to keep ranks and salary grades. In my final analysis, i believe that Company or organisation should retain the ranks and salary grades in the organisation.
First reason for the same is that along with the ranks the right and duties of the post attached. In the absence of ranks, it is difficult to define role of the employee post. Many time it happens that nobody come forward to accept the responsibilities. For example, in Banks there are no. of clerical post but if something wrong happen then nobody come forward to accept the responsibilities.

Second reason for the same is that Organisation may not able to retain the intelligent people. As the intelligent person requires higher amount of salary along with post. In absence of the same, the person will join to other organisation. Even employees are not motivated. Organisation will not able to attract intelligent people. In recent world, there is shortage of intelligent people. For example, in information technology field, organisation needs to attract intelligent people. In absence of higher amount of salary, organisation will not able to attract employees from outsides.

Perhaps the best reason is that employee at higher grade post person will supervise the work of junior work. In the absence of same, who will monitor the junior person work. If employees is not made to supervision by senior post then who will give necessary instructions. Many times, it happens that technical language can be understood and interpreted by senior person and in absence of grade, junior person will interpret it in a wrong way. Certain times, crucial decisions will be taken by only senior persons. In absence of grade, discussion will happen among different persons and decision will be delayed and the cost for the same will be born by the organisation.

Due to above said reasons, I believe that Company or organisation should retain the ranks and salary grades in the organisation.
Yash Shah

Hi Linda,

Could you also provide your expert advice for the following questions which appear in the application form?

1. What is your most significant challenge? (150 word limit)*

2. What is your most significant accomplishment? (150 word limit)*

3. 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).

I would be glad if you could provide a few pointers esp. on Q1.