Please provide a personal statement. It should not exceed 500 words and must address the following questions:
The spike in the number of applicants to Judge Cambridge in 2018 and 2019 is partly due to the anti-immigration rhetoric in the USA and the consequent difficulty for international applicants to secure a job visa. Judge, just like other top schools in EU such as Oxford, LBS and INSEAD, is getting thousands of applicants for its 200+ class. Moreover, the quality of the applicants is also better than it was prior to 2016, i.e., before Donald Trump tightened the visa policy in the USA.
Given this background, the overall political climate is not conducive to securing a seat at Judge if you aren't a rock star applicant (740 GMAT, consulting or top tier finance institution experience, stellar academics records). For Tom, Dick and Harry, it isn’t the easiest of tasks to get into any top notch B- school in EU. Hence, the goal essay, which is the heart and soul of the application, has become an incredibly important ‘sales pitch’ for all applicants.
First and foremost, if you are a career switcher, evaluate Judge’s career placement records and network with admissions officers/alumni to understand how likely you are to secure employment in your target industry post MBA. This criterion is important for admission. How do you plan to position yourself for your target industry? How do you intend to convince target companies to consider you for a job? These kinds of questions need deep thinking. If you know their answers, go ahead and write the essay. Otherwise, put in some additional homework. Writing your career goals isn't difficult, but what is truly difficult is to find appropriate answers of these practical questions that you will face as an international applicant. Brainstorm with us if you need any assistance.
The 3rd pointer (if you are unsure of your post-MBA career path…..) is a unique question. No other school has asked this question in the 2019 admissions. Many applicants are unsure of their career path. So how will the MBA help you to explore your future? If you are unsure of your future path, the very first question that arises is “Why are you unsure?” After all, you are a working professional with some years of work experience under your belt. You have witnessed the corporate world and are aware of global trends. What is it that is making you anxious about your possible choices? What are the probable career paths you are considering, and why? How will Judge help you decide? It’s only after you have pondered deeply on these questions that you should proceed with your essay.
What did you learn from your most spectacular failure? (200 words)
Narrating your spectacular failure requires a lot of tact. First and foremost, you need to select a story that other applicants in your pool will MOST PROBABLY not write. Think about the various professional failure stories that others are likely to come up with (of course, when it comes to personal failure, the possibilities are endless). Thereafter, think of a story which will differentiate you from others. That is quite a tough job. It is easier said than done; but, if you can burn midnight’s oil to get such a story, half of the battle is over. The other half is explaining your story in detail. With proper execution, this essay can help you to stand out from hundreds of other applicants.
Describe a situation where you had to work jointly with others to achieve a common goal. What did you learn from the experience? (up to 200 words)
All of us work with others to achieve targets. Whether you are a consultant, investment banker, tax analyst, IT engineer or marketing executive or whatever, you are always working with others -- clients, colleagues, vendors, government regulators etc. Therefore, narrating an experience of working jointly with others to achieve a common goal should not pose any problems. Naturally, you should pick one of your best experiences to write about. The million dollar question, however, is this: how do you go about it in a way that will make you stand out among a host of other applicants? It is difficult to differentiate yourself from other applicants. If you appear same as fifty other applicants in your pool, then you haven’t done a great job in this essay.
Application essays are really marketing material, your sales pitch, as it were, to the schools. Therefore, you need to analyze your profile carefully and devise a way of presenting yourself that will mark you out as superior to the rest. This line of thinking will give you ideas on what stories to write. Put on your thinking cap and think, think, think. Your Eureka moment will surely come. After you finalize your story, ask yourself if numerous candidates in your applicant pool can talk about such similar experience. If yes, then start again from scratch. If no, then go ahead and narrate your experience and focus on what you have learnt in the process.
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