What Students Say
Likes
- Academic facilities, dedicated libraries, research tools.
- Case study based lectures
- Mental health platform free for students
Dislikes
- Lack of individual focus on studies, everybody is on their own
- No placements system, self secure jobs by creating network
- Food and travel expensive
Course Curriculum
8
- Course was not difficult but very hectic as it was a 1 year MBA. It's fast paced and we had to pre-read a lot of cases before class everyday because the whole MBA lectures are case study based not theory based. There are various activities and assessments involved which make the overall course very practical.
- As the course is 1 year it's practically not possible to do a part time job but one could still try if they want.
- The class timings differ each day. There could be 2-3 hours lectures at any slot from 9 am - 6 pm.
Admission Experience
- Admitted to NTU and Kelly Business School but denied both.
- Rejected by Oxford Said Business School after an interview. Oxford was looking for candidates with more experience and high-profile brand names. My interview was a stressful interview, focusing on how I would compete with people with more extensive experience.
- The Cambridge University interview was warmer and more intellectual. Cambridge University has a very diverse cohort and warm people. People are approachable and very helpful. There is a wide range of things you could learn.
- The admission process is simply giving your GMAT/ GRE and then filling out your details in the application portal. You will need 1 recent professional recommendation. For the MBA program you need at least 2 years of experience and there is no minimum GMAT score but having a score 700 and above is always beneficial.
- I applied for the 2023-24 intake. I applied after gaining 4 years of experience at the time of course. I found the best time for foreign MBA because they seek experience and it is rather seen as an executive MBA not like Indian institutes which take graduate students directly without experience. The whole process took 4 months. I applied in January round and got my decision in April and I started school in September but given the uncertainties, someone should start a year ahead of anticipated school start.
Faculty
8
- I loved the operations management faculty, they had very interactive and innovative classes and practical exercises.
- The overall MBA cohort was 227 people but we were divided into 4 batches to attend lectures. We were also distributed in student groups of 5 diverse sets of individuals to do projects and study together. There were 45-50 Indian students including NRIs. Indians had the maximum strength.
- There was one faculty per class and there were 22 classes but we also had multiple teaching assistants for clearing doubts and personal attention. As I mentioned, the courses were case study based rather than theory based.
Campus Life
10
- There are no "Campus" of sorts, Cambridge is a university town, the departments and college accommodations spread through the main Cambridge city.
- Cambridge University has all the facilities for each and every sport, several libraries and nurses in each college. University students have access to all these facilities free of cost and major sports could have free trials.
- There are various career fares, tech festivals running throughout the year from different departments. There are more than 100 clubs and student led organizations to take part in.
Part Time Jobs
- I have no idea about secure positions of TA as I was a student not a PhD student either. I don’t have any knowledge about pay. Working hours are strictly followed in the UK, which is 40 hours per week. On a student Visa we are allowed to work 20 hours a week.
- Jobs could be found on campus and there is a preference for internal job filing. I have not done a part time job so have no clue about finding it.
- No idea, but there isn't any preference, everyone is welcomed to work where they want. I have no idea about the process although we have a platform called handshake where several jobs are posted. For internal college jobs we could also do an email. As I said there was no time to do a part time job in a one year MBA so I have no idea about this part. But there are several networking opportunities.
Placement
6
- 95% of the batch gets jobs within 6 months of completing their course. The average salary range is 80-90K GBP gross. Students find jobs through networking, LinkedIn, CV lib, recommendations, etc.
- There is no formal placements process which is unfortunate but there are abundant opportunities once you have a graduate visa. Major MBBs and tech and consulting companies prefer Cambridge MBA grads.
- Average Package: £80,000 to £90,000 per annum
Accommodation
Off Campus
8
- I was provided college accommodation. Cambridge has a unique collegiate system which is different from any other university.
- There are 30 colleges in Cambridge University which are responsible for accommodation and food and have no meaning in academics.
- The monthly rent was around 50000 rupees and it was 1 km from my department. The food was also provided near accommodation.
Exams
- GMAT or GRE is required. IELTS and TOEFL are not necessary if you can prove that your undergrad education was in English medium. LOR, CV and various essays to the prompts given are necessary.
- Interview invites are sent to a few selected ones and taken by faculty members. If you get selected for an interview then you just need to present your best, they have already liked your profile.
Fees
- The MBA fee is given in two terms, first when you have to confirm your acceptance. You need to pay around 10 lakhs, and the rest you need to pay anytime before the course starts.
- Monthly expenses in the UK are around 1 lakh rupees per month including rent, food and utilities. Food is provided in colleges but every meal is to be paid separately and is quite expensive but cheaper then other alternatives.
Scholarship
-
There are bursaries available and various diversity and merit based internal and external scholarships. I got a 7500 GBP bursary. There is a Forte fellowship which is given to 4 girls in each of the admission rounds. There is an external scholarship called Chevening scholarship for British schools. There are some sports based scholarships as well.
