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2004 FULL-TIME MBA PROFILE
University of Cambridge
Judge Institute of Management
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CLASS OF 2004 GRADUATE COMMENTS
I have recommended a few friends choose the Cambridge MBA over some top-five business schools in the United States. It all depends on their goals after graduation, but I found that the Cambridge name does open doors to many career opportunities. I have also found the intellectual challenges and guest speakers of the MBA program to be of the highest quality. There are many Cambridge alumni -- CEOs and chairmen of the world's renowned corporations -- who have come back to support Cambridge's business school. I have also met (and had dinner with) a few Nobel Prize winners at the University of Cambridge. The experience here has been unmatched.--Marketing
The Cambridge MBA is quite a particular course and is best suited to people with particular career aspirations. For example, it wouldn't be my first choice if I was going into investment banking but would be my first choice if I wanted to become a technology entrepreneur.--Information Technology
The Cambridge MBA has differentiating characteristics from other B-schools. The program would suit those friends or colleagues who want to attend a one-year program that is highly practical and provides the opportunity to apply theory into practice. I would definitely recommend it to people who want the brand recognition that Cambridge offers. The opportunity to specialize (through electives and projects) and Cambridge's collegiate system (which offers interaction with students studying other disciplines) are a plus.--Investment Banking
[Recommend program to friends/colleagues?] It would depend upon their career aspirations. If they wanted a one-year program with international exposure, and a post-MBA career that was close to what they had done before, then I would recommend it strongly. If they wanted a two-year program that would allow them time to make a career change and figure out what they want to do, then I would not recommend it.--Consulting
The decision to attend Cambridge would depend on personal circumstances, much more than it would at other American MBA programs. As an American, I chose it primarily because it's very international where no U.S. program really is. We have 31 nationalities represented among 100 students, so no culture dominates. (I turned down Duke and Kellogg because, despite claims of international diversity, most grads will work in the United States.) Next, I wanted the Cambridge experience -- it has been truly awesome being here for a year. Which brings me to my last point -- a one-year program is perfect for noncareer changers like myself. I would hesitite to recommend the program to Americans who want to return to the United States immediately following the MBA or to career changers because of the lack of a fully developed alumni network and rather poor career-services department. This is not to say my classmates aren't finding jobs -- nearly everyone wanting jobs in investment banking, for example, now has one. They got these through their own initiatitives though, not thanks to career services. I would definitely recommend the program but would qualify this by saying it really has to meet the candidate's career goals.--Investment Banking
The consulting projects were fantastic and are completely undersold by the MBA program. First term, we consulted to a biotech start up in Cambridge, and we assisted them with fundraising and assessing strategic alternatives. Entrepreneurship and Management Practice classes were integrated into the assignment, and it was an excellent experience. For the second project, we consulted for Standard Charted Bank, the largest bank focused on Asia and Africa. My team developed a small business lending strategy for a 12-country region in Africa. Our presentation was given to the board of directors and CEO. We had direct contact with CEOs of all 12 African counties.--Investment Banking
I took part in a consulting project in Germany for an international medical charity. The experience significantly reinforced the core learning in the course and was also an opprtunity to develop team work and interprsonal skills. It was a key part of the course experience.--Nonprofit
Two consulting projects, one at the end of Term 1 and one at the end of Term 2, strongly reinforced the learning from the course and allowed us to put the concepts we had learned into practice. These consulting projects were live, and the companies really cared about the results, so you knew it was for real.--Consulting
The Cambridge MBA is a comparitively young program. However, it has taken reasonable strides to compete wit schools in the top quartile. Some of the improvements it can make is promote its brand name, improve its quality of lecturers in the core subjects and increase the Finance content of the course. I believe that within five years the Cambridge Business School will be one of the top 20 schools.--Consulting
Attending a UK MBA program was an interesting experience. Having attended an American business school for my undergraduate degree, I felt that the stereotypical "training ground" of the MBA was not what Cambridge was all about. To me, it felt like much more of a personal learning experience -- an education, not training. To me, this will serve me well in the future to be more flexible in my approach to work and to become my own business person, applying tools and techniques that are adaptable to the situation.--Consulting
[Recommend program to friends/colleagues?] It is a real intertanational program. Other programs do not have the mix of people Cambridge has. For entrepreneurs and VCs, Cambridge is excellent because of the entrepreneurship environment in the city. The Cambridge brand name is also universally recognized.--Finance
[Recommend program to friends/colleagues?] 1.) From the economic sense, the return of investment is much higher than any other possible options. 2.) From the psychological point of view, Cambridge can satisfy the highest expectations in terms of reputation. 3.) The life here includes fun and that is important.--Not Available
We did our major consulting project for IBM Global Services Europe. It was a challenging but very insightful experience in what it would be like to work as a consultant.--Consulting
Between second and third terms we did a consulting project for the World Health Organization. We analyzed possible ways the WHO, the World Bank, and the European Commission could strengthen their partnerships. This was a very interesting experience as it really gave us an opportunity to understand the complexities of the three organizations from within. In addition, we conducted more than 30 interviews with people from all levels of these organizations in their headquarters in Geneva, Brussels, and Washington. It was A truly international experience.--Finance
I carried out two consulting projects -- one entrepreneurial and one for a business angel network. Both tackled real issues faced by these entities and the plans we devised were put into action. On the entrepreneurial project, it was invaluable to see firsthand how certain entrepreneurs tackle problems in a cash-strapped environment. It also gave me a lot of confidence to start my own business.--Operations
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