Judge MBA Essays

For those considering an application to Cambridge Judge Business School, understanding the “Judge MBA Essays” is key to crafting a successful application. These essays are a vital part of the admissions process, offering a platform to showcase your unique experiences, career goals, and how well you align with the values of Cambridge Judge. The admissions team uses these essays to gain a deeper insight into who you are beyond your academic and professional achievements.

The Cambridge MBA program has a staged admissions process with multiple rounds throughout the year. It’s crucial to be aware of these deadlines to ensure that you submit your application in the round that best fits your preparation timeline. Early applications are encouraged, especially for candidates who are seeking scholarships or bursaries.

Cambridge Judge MBA Application Deadlines

Cambridge MBA Deadlines & Interview Rounds (Entry September 2026)

Round	Application Deadline	Virtual Interview Day	In-Person / Full Interview Dates
Round 1	26 August 2025	26 September 2025	29 September – 10 October 2025
Round 2	6 October 2025	7 November 2025	10-21 November 2025
Round 3	5 January 2026	13 February 2026	16 February – 6 March 2026
Round 4	30 March 2026	24 April 2026	27 April – 8 May 2026
Round 5	5 May 2026	29 May 2026	1-12 June 2026

Tips for Writing Effective Essays

• Be Authentic: Let your true personality shine through in your writing.
• Show, Don’t Tell: Use vivid examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points.
• Proofread Carefully: Ensure your essays are free of grammatical errors and typos.
• Seek Feedback: Ask friends, family, or mentors to review your essays and provide constructive criticism.

Example Essays

Tell us about a time when you made a professional mistake. How could it have ended differently? (up to 200 words)

While at XYZ, I was heading a project called “B-camp”, an online learning course for children. This project was first introduced in 20XX, when it was a massive success.

With a higher target of 20XX, I planned for extensive sales campaigns. However, the campaigns were not generating nearly enough leads. Without doing much research, I kept pushing for the campaigns. As a result, the program received only 20% enrolment, as compared to the previous year’s 80%. I, then, decided to do a root-cause analysis.

After speaking with the parents, I understood that after the pandemic slowed down, parents were keen on their children spending time outdoors, instead of in front of a screen. Since our program was online, it did not fit the need.

If I had done my due diligence in time, through customer survey or user analysis, I would have redesigned the offering. A successful implementation would have led to a 20% increase in enrollments than the previous year, which would have brought in $10,000 in revenue to the company.

This experience taught me the importance of making a thorough diagnosis from different perspectives and listening to the stakeholders. I have implemented it in every project thereafter.

Tell us about the best team you worked with. What made the team successful? (up to 200 words).

The best team I had the privilege of working with was during a challenging recruitment project at XYZ. I led a team of 5 to scout through and hire XXX young talent for an MNC

The project was entirely new to us, requiring extensive research and continuous adjustments to our approach. The team exhibited remarkable flexibility, readily accepting changes in plans and embracing the learning process. I set up regular brainstorming sessions, wherein each member contributed ideas and pointed out drawbacks, constantly improving and innovating. 

After extensive planning, we rolled out a marketing campaign, but we immediately faced performance issues. Recognizing this drawback, the team quickly adapted to the situation and focused on finding solutions. Despite the time constraints, they efficiently prioritized tasks, streamlined processes, and made the necessary changes within a 3-day window. This generated a revenue of $XXX K in 2 months.

What made this team exceptional was its adaptability and commitment to learning. They were open to learning and willing to meet challenges. I have worked with great teammates, but in this specific instance, the shared commitment toward a common goal and the attitude of putting the team first made it the best team I have worked with.

Since the project was entirely new, we had to do a lot of research to understand how to place it in the market. There were several situations where I brought in a plan, and the team started to work on it, but later on I would make changes and the team was so cooperative and understanding, as everyone knew we were learning they were very flexible.Regular brainstorming sessions were conducted to polish the plan to understand, and at each session, someone would highlight a drawback and the team would work on it. Later on, I divided the team into 2, a team of 2 who were gonna look into social media marketing, and 3 who were more involved in offline marketing activities like conducting marketing events to promote or visit colleges for a shout-out. I used to reach out to help both teams, and I didn’t have to ask for the reports on each campaign as the team was very involved and we took it as a challenge to make this project work. Fast forward after conducting several events, even though we had to exceed the budget by 20%, we were able to bring 85% success to the project, bringing about $65000 of revenue to the company.

This team was different from the other teams I have worked till now, in that everyone knew they were learning and were open to making mistakes, a rare quality I have seen in the other teams I have worked on until now.

This would have been not possible if the team had been that dedicated and showed no inhibition towards something new. In the end the team’s craving for learning something new, brought in success. Also, this team made me understand that we don’t need experts from different departments to make a project work, we just need people who are ready to work in a team and learn.

Provide an example of when someone else positively impacted your life. What did you learn from this experience? (up to 200 words).

The person who has been a constant inspiration to me is my dad. He left X for Y at the age of 18 and started working in manual labour. From there, he charted his way to a sales career, becoming the General Manager of an MNC, and then, at the age of 41, bootstrapping his company. 

While his business grew multifolds in the following years, the 20XX financial crisis forced my dad to shut down the company and return to India. At the age of XX, with his dependent wife and two children, he started his life from the start. During these years, I have seen him do blue-collar jobs simply to ensure quality education for us. 

He has always told us that the one thing he would not do is give up. At the age of 59, today, my dad is working to start his business again. His persistence and positivity inspire me whenever I find myself in a dark corner, and motivates me to seek out my dreams.

His journey taught me that setbacks are not failures, but opportunities for growth. It has instilled in me the belief that with determination, resilience, and optimism, I can overcome anything.

Challenge 

What has been your most significant professional challenge? (200 word limit).

When I initially joined XYZ, I faced a substantial professional challenge due to my lack of prior experience in the IT SaaS industry and a complete unfamiliarity with the products being offered by the company. Adding to the complexity, formal training was not available at the time, and there was a pressing need for our team to swiftly go live and initiate revenue generation.

This situation posed a unique and demanding hurdle for me, knowing that I needed sufficient time to thoroughly comprehend and effectively present the products to potential customers.

Within a span of two months, I dedicated myself entirely to mastering the entire product lineup. I proactively sought guidance from relevant experts and colleagues, absorbing their insights and leveraging their experiences to accelerate my learning process. I immersed myself in understanding the market dynamics and strategically positioning our products. Engaging with experienced professionals and understanding their approaches to handling challenging cases proved to be exceptionally enlightening.

In the very first month, despite being on a trial period without any sales targets, I secured my inaugural sale. This early success highlighted my rapid progression, showcasing my dedication and adaptability to the role at hand.

Accomplishment
What has been your most significant professional achievement? (200 word limit).

Upon joining XYZ as the second member of the central sales team, I embarked on the unfamiliar territory of the IT Saas Industry. The primary objective of this team was to determine if the company could generate enterprise sales using a virtual approach, ultimately reducing customer acquisition costs. Thus, within one month, I had to gain knowledge of a new industry as well as formulate a new virtual structure of sales, rather than the field sales one.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the company and the current sales process, I proactively engaged with the technology team as well as the field sales team. Armed with the knowledge of experts in both technology and field sales, I set about developing effective strategies for the virtual sales approach.

As a result of thorough research and meticulous strategy formulation, I secured 12 new enterprise clients, including multinational corporations and government entities. Additionally, I signed international deals from the X and Y, generating revenue of $XXX within just six months, with a much lower acquisition cost than traditional field sales. My team and I, thus, effectively demonstrated the benefits of virtual sales, potentially revolutionizing sales for the company.

Conclusion

Crafting compelling Judge MBA essays requires careful thought, planning, and self-reflection. By understanding Judge’s focus, addressing the key essay components, and following the tips provided, you can increase your chances of gaining admission to this prestigious program. Remember, the goal is to present a well-rounded picture of yourself that showcases your potential as a future global leader.