I’m currently an MBA student at the University of Cambridge, which has a smallish but rapidly growing business school.
There are a huge number of things that impress me about the school, but I wanted to mention just a couple about the admissions process and office:
- The MBA Admissions office is blogging! So far it’s a mix of school-related posts and some posts on what it’s like living in Cambridge. I highly recommend reading it. I think it’s fantastic to have a bit more transparency in the admissions process, and congratulate James for starting it!
- It doesn’t cost anything to apply to the Cambridge MBA. This is different from virtually every other business school I’ve come across, but Cambridge is committed to access to the programme no matter your financial circumstances. It doesn’t make the admissions process any easier, but I believe does help add to the diversity of the class.
- Since the Cambridge MBA is ~150 students (I believe growing by about another 30 students next year) the admissions office and administration truly get to know you. I was astounded on my interview day and on the first day of pre-term just how well everyone knew me! It was clear they hadn’t done a cursory look at my CV and career goals, but had truly studied who I was through my application. This isn’t something you can get from larger schools.
For those of you applying to the Cambridge MBA, good luck! For those of you considering applying, I hope this gives you a little better sense about what Cambridge is all about.
As for me, I’ve got exams this week… hopefully those will turn out okay!
Jed Christiansen 