cambridge judge essays

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Advice, tips and insights from the admissions dream team., table of contents, cambridge judge essays for 2023-2024: tips & strategy.

• By Emma Bond

The application for the MBA program at University of Cambridge Judge is essay-intensive. Judge continues to evade the business school trend of fewer MBA essays, requiring your thoughtful response to no less than four required questions.

In addition to a 500-word career objective, the school asks applicants to respond to three essay prompts — and all are new for the 2023–24 application cycle. 

These three essays are limited to 200 words, providing slim real estate to work with. Judge also asks similar questions about different topics – in this case, seeking evidence of self-reflection and what you have learned in each case. 

The trick is to be substantive yet succinct, and ensure each essay is artfully executed to stand alone while advancing an overall narrative. The full slate of Cambridge Judge essays comprises a full picture you must put together without being repetitive.

Here, I have provided an overview of the new essay questions and some thoughts on how to respond. 

Decoding the Cambridge Judge MBA Essay Questions

Question 1: Tell us about a time when you made a professional mistake. How could it have ended differently? (up to 200 words)

First, what is a professional mistake? There are a wide number of things you might consider here: concrete deliverables like missing a deadline; bigger issues like not pushing a salary negotiation; or ethical mistakes like not speaking up and supporting a colleague. Whatever the choice, you must present your example clearly and own the mistake. Judge is asking you to show accountability. 

The second half of the prompt asks you to reflect on what you learned from making a difficult decision or one that did not work out well. The adcom is looking for signs that you have considered your actions and others’ responses, understand what you could have changed to get a better outcome, and internalized these lessons. 

The best essays will spend time considering not just the mistake itself, but what the behaviours were that led to the mistake. Was there a specific decision or choice you made that ended up producing a less than satisfactory outcome? Did you fail to do due diligence/research? Or did you play it safe when perhaps you could have taken a risk? 

Identifying the personal traits or tendencies which played into your mistake will add another layer of complexity and depth to your story, demonstrating to the adcom that you have the maturity, self-awareness, and insight to understand any shortcomings, and better navigate future problems. 

Question 2. Tell us about the best team you worked with. What made the team successful? (up to 200 words)

This is another essay asking what you learned from a specific situation (a thread that runs strongly through all the essays in the Cambridge Judge application). Understanding how you have worked in previous teams is a key indicator to an adcom of how you will perform at b-school, where you regularly need to collaborate with classmates on project work, case studies and presentations.

Calling out a specific example here requires some thought. It’s likely at this point that you will have worked on a number of teams in school and in your career. Given the previous essay is work-based, this could be a good opportunity to discuss other successful teams you’ve been a part of. If you have a passion for team sports or made a strong contribution to a team at university, this could be the place to bring those experiences to the forefront. 

Don’t forget that b-schools seek to bring in a widely diverse class representing many different nationalities, cultures, and professions, so keep this front of mind when thinking about the characteristics which made your team experience a success. Ideas to consider will depend on the type of team you are referencing, but consider how you might have:

• utilized the strengths and weaknesses of your team members to best effect; 
• created a safe space for less confident team members; 
• brainstormed to bring creative ideas to the table; 
• worked towards and achieved buy in to common goals; or
• enabled mutual respect or celebrated difference, etc. 

Remember that although this an essay about a team, you should be clear about your own individual contribution. What part did you play in making this team successful? In other words, what was your impact?

One final thing to consider – no team, even the best or most successful, is ever completely smooth sailing or without friction. Adding reference points of conflict or clashes between team members will give weight to your essay if you can highlight both how you worked together to overcome these issues, and what you learned in the process.

Question 3: Provide an example of when someone else positively impacted your life. What did you learn from this experience? (up to 200 words)

Your success with this essay will depend a lot on who you choose to write about. Most of us can think of countless people who have impacted our lives in many different ways — teachers, professional mentors, family members, community leaders, sports coaches … the list goes on. Sometimes, the most impactful people in our lives are those we meet only briefly. Be sure to choose someone whose influence has been both lasting and substantial. 

You also need to be careful to get the balance right; don’t be tempted to focus everything you write on the other individual, no matter how important they are to you. This is a short word count, and while the reader needs to know why that person matters to you, they are more interested in what the impact of your interaction with them was, and how it has influenced your actions and values, or even changed your behaviour, since.

In the second part of this prompt, the Judge adcom again returns to the same theme: what did you learn? Think about what this person taught you, and why their influence has affected you so deeply. Are they someone who displays admirable values you now seek to emulate as you move through life? Are they someone who shaped your early years — maybe a teacher who encouraged you to develop a strong work ethic or consider a completely different academic direction? Are they someone who inspired you to take up charity work, explore a spiritual path, or start a new venture? It pays to go deep with this question, spending some time on self-reflection, exploring the lasting impact the person has had on your life, and, in doing so, displaying your self-awareness and maturity.

The Career Objective Essay

This longer, 500-word essay remains unchanged, and it’s helpfully structured to guide the applicant.

• What are your short and long-term career objectives? How will the Cambridge MBA equip you to achieve these?
• Looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits MBA talent and what they are looking for in a candidate.
• How confident do you feel about meeting your short-term career goal? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them, and what preparation are you doing now?

This first bullet calls for an opening paragraph centered on your career objectives. Be focused, specific, and clear on your short-term goals and a little more general, ambitious, and open on the longer-term ones. You need to then clearly explain why the MBA is essential for you at this point in your career. Be sure to identify specifically how the Cambridge MBA is key to the success of your career aims. If your career plan is not yet certain, you can demonstrate how the breadth of skills that the MBA will equip you with will prepare you for a range of roles. 

The second bullet requires you to demonstrate that you’ve done your research on companies, roles, and opportunities. Highlight personal outreach and contacts that you’ve already begun to foster. Explain how you will continue with this. Be clear on the location you will target post-MBA and how you plan to source and secure the ideal role.

The final bullet point allows you to showcase the experience you have to date and how this has equipped you with important, transferable, and flexible skills to allow you to make the career move you aspire to. Don’t repeat details from your CV, but rather focus on the skillset you’ve built up over time. 

Think about team skills, leadership potential, a developing strategic perspective and skills that are more specific to the sector/role that you’re hoping to move on to. Use examples where possible (and it is helpful if your recommender can back these skills/examples up in their submission). Show that you’ve identified any gaps in your skills that will need to be addressed before the program and explain how you may be planning to address them (for example, by taking preparatory courses). Show that you’re aware of the networking opportunities available to you while you’re at Judge. Consider companies that have existing relationships with the school; networking with peers; and utilizing the career services team to assist you.

For more insider essay advice for the schools on your target list, view Fortuna’s   MBA Essay Tips .

• Posted on September 9, 2023

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2023-2024 Cambridge Judge MBA Essay Analysis

Admit expert.

• August 2, 2023

The Cambridge Judge MBA program is a one-year program with a small class size of roughly 200 students from 40 nationalities. The Judge MBA is a highly immersive curriculum, with three mandatory team projects and a fourth optional team project that engages students with external businesses or groups.

Judge seeks candidates with demonstrated academic aptitude, aspiration, the ability to prosper under pressure, multinational experience, and excellent interpersonal skills.

Utilize your essays to prove that you possess these abilities. Keep in mind that Judge is one of the only programs with extremely strict word restrictions: no extra words may be added to the text boxes after the word limits have been reached.

Application deadline

Cambridge judge mba essays 2023-2024, essay 1 analysis, essay 1 tips, essay 2 analysis, essay 2 tips, essay 3 analysis, essay 3 tips, essay 4 analysis, essay 4 tips, let us help you get into cambridge judge.

Even though some of the best business schools have been slowly cutting down on the number of essays they require, the University of Cambridge Judge Business School still asks applicants to send in four separate essays.

Here are the essay questions on the Cambridge MBA application for the 2024 admissions:

• What are your short and long term career objectives? How will the Cambridge MBA equip you to achieve these?
• Looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits MBA talent and what they are looking for in a candidate?
• How confident do you feel about meeting your short-term career goal? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them, and what preparation are you doing now?

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

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

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

Please provide details of your post-MBA career plans. The statement should not exceed 500 words and must address the following:

Applicants are asked to describe their short-term and long-term plans for their careers after getting their MBA. Then, as with most schools, it’s important to show that you understand what makes Cambridge Judge’s program special in order to give a good answer to this question. 

You’ll need to show how Cambridge’s MBA program will help you reach your goals in a clear and convincing way. 

Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs, and extracurricular activities will pay off. You can do this by attending an online admissions event or talking to alumni.

In response to the second part of the prompt, the best way to meet Judge’s request would be to talk about research, such as looking at employment reports, career services, or networking through LinkedIn. 

Keep in mind that 98 percent of the most recent class moved to a new country, job, or industry sector. This suggests that the adcom is looking for applicants who can deal with and plan for change.

In the meantime, you will need to think about your qualifications and be careful when answering this part of the prompt, which asks you to list how you are already ready for the short term and describe what you are doing right now. 

This makes sense if you give a short summary of your career since you can point to your past actions as proof of your current skills. This is the place to talk about how you’ve taken on more responsibilities at work or signed up for a course related to your field.

How to write this Cambridge MBA essay 1

To write the essay 1 for the Cambridge MBA admissions use the following framework and Tips

• Outline your short-term career goals and discuss how the MBA serves as a stepping stone, while outlining your long-term career goals.
• Discuss how the specific opportunities offered by the Cambridge MBA align with and support your long-term objectives.
• Detail the various methods you’ve utilized to acquire new skills across different mediums.
• Elaborate on your comprehensive industry research and articulate your strategic approach for gaining entry into your desired company.

The essay poses a series of straightforward questions. Start by providing a concise overview of your current role. Explain your decision to pursue the Cambridge MBA and emphasize specific aspects of the program that align with your goals and will enhance your professional portfolio.

Describe your post-MBA plans, including the industry, role, and company you’re targeting. To enrich this narrative, substantiate your choices by elucidating the underlying reasons driving your selections.

This could encompass factors such as alignment with your skill set, passion, long-term goals, and the distinctive value proposition that the chosen company holds for your intended career trajectory. Address your existing skill set, highlighting how you achieved proficiency.

For skills you’re currently acquiring or plan to learn, outline your approach and preparations to master them effectively.

Research thoroughly

Now, transition your focus to the research you’ve embarked upon. Are you actively engaging in networking? Are you scouring the web for insights via professional networking platforms? Are you absorbing firsthand accounts from current and former employees? Have you meticulously identified the technological prerequisites for your desired role? Are you proactively enrolling in succinct online courses to bridge any skill gaps?

Detail the spectrum of resources you’re tapping into and elucidate the deliberate steps you’re taking to gain a comprehensive understanding of the industry, your envisioned role, and the geographic context. This comprehensive approach provides a sturdy foundation, aligning your insights with how MBA recruits are integrated within this landscape. Armed with this knowledge, you’re poised to steer your immediate career aspirations towards triumph.

Do you want to impress the Cambridge Judge Adcom?

At Admit Expert, we have helped hundreds of students get into top MBA programs around the world. We would be happy to help you too. Schedule a free call with us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your goals.

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The admissions committee is interested in your ability to candidly address your vulnerabilities. They want to understand the circumstances that led to a misstep, your approach in managing it, and your subsequent reflection.

Did you explore alternative strategies or sources of guidance, like seeking advice from a mentor, conducting additional research, or reading up on the issue?

To illustrate, consider a scenario where you presented inaccurate data to a client, resulting in potential repercussions from your manager and potential client loss.

Reflect on the options you pursued then – perhaps persevering despite challenges – and then consider alternative paths that might have yielded different outcomes.

These could encompass preemptive measures such as collaborative review with your manager, seeking input from colleagues, or implementing double-check procedures.

Address your actions in the past situation, explore potential alternate approaches, and detail how you intend to approach similar challenges in the future.

How to write this Cambridge MBA essay 2

To write the essay 2 for the Cambridge MBA admissions use the following framework and Tips

• Begin by outlining the context and circumstances that led to the situation.
• Detail your initial response, highlighting the recognition of the mistake and the potential consequences it carried.
• Transition to your proactive approach in resolving the issue, including the steps you took and the reasoning behind your chosen solution.
• Shift focus to alternative solutions that you’ve identified through hindsight, showcasing your ability to learn and adapt.
• Conclude by summarizing the key insights and lessons you gained from the experience, emphasizing personal growth and future application.

The ‘right’ mistake

Various challenges arise in the workplace, from miscommunications to conflicts and skill gaps. The distinction between minor and major errors is less significant here; what matters is your ability to navigate such situations and effect positive change.

When recounting an incident, be candid about the situation without implying a recurring issue in your candidacy.

Avoid discussing legal or ethical breaches that indicate a character flaw. Focus on addressing the mistake succinctly. llustrate your growth opportunities with examples that genuinely showcase your ability to seize challenges and turn them into valuable experiences.

Avoid using examples that might seem cliché or simply frame a positive trait as a negative one, such as “I work too hard.” Instead, delve into situations where you had to stretch your skills, confront your limitations, or adapt to unfamiliar circumstances.

Highlight instances where you took the initiative to learn new skills, collaborate with diverse teams, or navigate through setbacks.

Focus on the solution

What unfolded in the aftermath? Did you proactively acknowledge the mistakes and implement measures to prevent their recurrence? Provide substantial evidence of your efforts to rectify the problem.

Detail what strategies proved effective and outline your plans to build on them. Consider preventive measures you could have taken to avert the mistake in the first place, should it arise again.

Offer honest takeaways and express your determination to prevent a recurrence of the error, showcasing your commitment to growth and improvement.

Examine potential solutions that could have been explored through comprehensive research on alternative approaches to address the situations.

For instance, in the context of miscommunication, consider proposing that the matter could have been resolved more effectively through a face-to-face discussion facilitated by a mediator, rather than relying solely on back-and-forth emails.

This showcases your willingness to analyze different strategies and adapt your problem-solving methods.

The admissions committee is keen to understand your perspective on the essential qualities that contribute to a harmonious and effective team dynamic.

While teamwork styles can vary significantly, they are interested in your vision of an ideal collaborative unit. Highlight the traits you possess that complement those of your teammates and how you contribute to fostering successful teamwork.

Ensure that you elucidate your role both as a team member and as a leader, underscoring how you facilitate team cohesion.

Acknowledge the diverse nature of team creation and functioning, emphasizing that effective teams are carefully constructed rather than randomly assembled, taking into account their unique dynamics.

In some cases, camaraderie among team members might be the key ingredient, fostering a sense of unity and trust.

Alternatively, effective teams could function based on a strategic allocation of tasks according to each member’s strengths, ensuring optimal performance.

Moreover, there are instances where team success hinges on the unwavering commitment of individuals towards a shared goal, even if camaraderie isn’t the central focus.

The multifaceted nature of what propels good teams underscores the importance of adaptability and tailoring the approach to suit the unique needs of each situation.

How to write this Cambridge MBA essay 3

To write the essay 3 for the Cambridge MBA admissions use the following framework and tips

• Begin by providing a concise overview of the team’s composition, clearly delineating roles and responsibilities.
• Detail the team’s approach to project management and workflow, explaining the seamless transition of tasks between different units.
• Explore the specific qualities that contribute to the team’s successful functioning, emphasizing what makes this team’s dynamics effective.
• Reflect on your key takeaways from observing group dynamics, understanding individual team member roles, and witnessing leadership in action.
• Outline your strategic plan for applying these valuable insights in future collaborative endeavors, illustrating how you aim to replicate this success.

Connect style & practice

Select an example that delves into intricate details, particularly focusing on the working style’s implementation and practical outcomes.

This approach ensures ample room for discussing the team’s composition, how different units synergized effectively, the workflow dynamics, and the allocation of responsibilities.

Address potential roadblocks and challenges inherent to this style, and elaborate on the strategies employed to overcome them. It’s crucial to move beyond a mere overview and delve into the specific factors that contributed to its success.

Be sure to elaborate on the reasons behind the success of this particular style within your example. Highlight the specific aspects of this style that resonated with you and contributed to its effectiveness.

Explain how you would apply these favorable elements in future situations to replicate similar success. Discuss why this style enhanced your qualities as a strong team player and how it facilitated leadership dynamics within the team.

Address the strategies or takeaways from this experience that you intend to employ to ensure efficient teamwork in the future.

The question of “positive impact” presents a broad canvas for your response. You have the flexibility to delve into something personal, as long as you can extract a valuable lesson applicable to the future.

Yet, always keep in mind the long-term scale of the individual’s influence – how transformative was their impact, what sparked this transformation, and why it held such significance. 

This involves addressing several sub-questions: How transformative was their influence? Why did it hold such transformative power? What were the factors contributing to its profound impact?

To convey this effectively, each sentence should be carefully constructed. Briefly describing the individual and the context is necessary to establish the setting.

The focal point, however, should be the ‘eureka’ moment when the depth of their contributions to your life became clear. Honesty, vulnerability, and a clear presentation of the context and the pivotal moment are key elements to capture in your response.

How to write this Cambridge MBA essay 4

To write the essay 4 for the Cambridge MBA admissions use the following framework and tips

• Describe the situation or context where you faced challenges and needed assistance.
• Highlight the person who played a pivotal role, detailing their advice or support.
• Explain how their intervention brought about significant positive change in your life.
• Discuss why this experience qualifies as a positive impact and its lasting effects.
• Share the lessons learned from this impact and how they have shaped your perspective.
• Describe how these insights will guide your future actions and decisions.

Define ‘positive impact’

A comprehensive understanding of the term ‘positive impact’ entails delving beyond the surface and exploring the intricate threads that weave together transformative experiences.

It encompasses not only the initial spark of influence but also the subsequent steps taken to materialize that influence within the fabric of your life.

Furthermore, this concept involves reflecting on the profound lessons harvested from these pivotal moments and how they reverberate across the tapestry of your journey.

Imagine a scenario where the guiding hand of a mentor or counselor extended to you a lifeline of educational resources that catapulted you towards higher academic pursuits.

Unpacking the layers of this impactful gesture reveals not only the intention behind it but also the strategic actions put in motion. Delve into the motivations driving your mentor’s decision to provide you with these resources.

Explore the meticulous planning and effort that went into facilitating your access to knowledge that transcended boundaries.

As a result, you found yourself empowered with insights and skills that exceeded your previous horizons. This encounter does not end with the acquisition of resources. It provided you with self-awareness and aspirations.

As you witnessed the tangible outcomes of this intervention — perhaps landing you in enhanced job opportunities and even propelling you toward the pursuit of an MBA — the scope of ‘positive impact’ extended far beyond the initial gesture.

We will help you write essays that portray your unique strengths and experiences in the most favorable light so that your application shines above the rest. We have helped hundreds of students get into top business schools. Let us help you too.

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Tuesday Tips: Cambridge MBA Essays and Tips for 2023-2024

Are you getting ready to prepare an application for Judge Business School at Cambridge? The Cambridge MBA essays are out, and we have the latest tips! As part of a world-class campus and a location that is a center for technology and business, Judge Business School offers an excellent MBA program.

(Our post Getting a European MBA: A Unique Experience explains the many benefits of studying across the pond.)

To learn more about the Cambridge MBA program, you can chat with current students, read student blogs, and, for now, at least, attend virtual admissions events. The Judge admissions team seeks ambitious, innovative, and confident students with strong interpersonal skills.

International experience is another essential attribute for Cambridge MBA applicants. Although none of the Cambridge MBA essays specifically ask about it, you can work your global outlook into one or more essay responses.

Are you curious about your chances of getting into Cambridge’s Judge Business School? Contact us to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session  with an SBC Principal Consultant. 

Cambridge MBA Essays

You must complete the careers objectives statement and 3, shorter essays:, please provide details of your post-mba career plans. the statement should not exceed 500 words and must address the following:.

• What are your short and long-term career objectives? How will the Cambridge MBA equip you to achieve these?
• Looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits MBA talent and what they are looking for in a candidate?
• How confident do you feel about meeting your short-term career goal? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them, and what preparation are you doing now?

As you write your Cambridge MBA essays, remember that Judge is seeking candidates who “are highly motivated and ambitious, thrive under pressure, and have already exhibited clear progression within their career.” The best essays will prove you are motivated and ambitious and have done your homework on your career goals.

This personal statement essay asks you to explain the details behind your career goals. This essay should address all of the questions posed in the question and demonstrate your research and thinking. Start by defining your short and long-term career goals. Why do you need an MBA to achieve these goals? And, what will you learn specifically through your Cambridge MBA to enhance your career?

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This essay ideally demonstrates your research on your short-term career path and how recruiting works in the real world. Speaking with current professionals in your target industry, especially those with MBAs, would be most helpful.

For the last part of the essay, you should demonstrate self-awareness and evaluate your own confidence level in your plans. Then, describe what you have done thus far to prepare for employment in your short-term career and any experience that is already relevant.

If you have gaps in education or experience, use your research into Cambridge to describe how your MBA will fill those gaps. For example, describe the classes you will take if you need specific industry coursework. Or, if you need an internship for real-world experience, describe how you will obtain that internship at Cambridge.

Required Essay 2

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

Mistakes are human, yet seem very stressful at the time. And they can also lead to growth and increased self-awareness. As you approach this question, reflect on what the professional mistake taught you. Make sure you consider what you would do differently next time.

This essay is mostly about what you learned and how you have changed and is an opportunity to demonstrate self-awareness. First, take a few sentences to explain the situation and the mistake. Then, dive into any results of the mistake. Consider describing how it was discovered, how you felt about it, and what you learned.

Though mistakes are unavoidable, how you handled the mistake matters. Did you take ownership and responsibility? How did you mitigate any negative results? More importantly, how did you ensure the mistake would not happen again? The best essays will show that you are resilient, learn from experience, and used the mistake as a learning opportunity.

Required Essay 3

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

Cambridge Judge seeks students who are collaborative and innovative with strong interpersonal skills. This essay can show the admissions committee that you know how to work within a team to accomplish a common goal. Most importantly, what do you value in a team?

As you did in essay 2, take a few sentences to explain the situation where you worked with the team. Also, you can describe your style when you work jointly and how you collaborate. Don’t forget to mention how you help others do their best work and manage challenges.

If there were external circumstances that made the team successful, describe them. For example, perhaps you were working for a strong leader or in a growing industry. If there were factors that you identified that specifically helped the team perform, that is useful insight for your leadership development.

While the question focuses on how the team was able to perform, you can add a little information about your own style as a team member. For instance, if you have a particular role or skill within a team. If so, whether building consensus or taking a devil’s advocate position, explain that approach here.

Required Essay 4

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

This essay could be an ideal place for a personal story if you have mostly described professional or extracurricular experiences in the other essays. Once again, this essay is asking you to be self-aware, to have the ability to appreciate others and to understand how other people have influenced you.

A positive impact on your life could be at any point in your development. Perhaps you had a teacher in school who encouraged your math skills, leading you indirectly to a career in finance. Or, you had a friend in college who showed you a difficult culture or lifestyle and opened your perspective. And, if you had a mentor in your career who encouraged you, that is another great example.

Finally, make sure you describe what you learned. Consider the impact of this person on your life. How have you changed since you met? What kind of ongoing influence has this person had on your life choices, career objectives or other goals? This is also an opportunity to think about how you may have been inspired to positively impact other people in your life.

For more information on applying to the Cambridge MBA, visit the school’s admissions page . To talk to Stacy Blackman Consulting about your Cambridge MBA essays, don’t hesitate to contact us!    We offer multiple services to meet your MBA application needs, from our  All-In Partnership  to hourly help reviewing your MBA resume.   Contact SBC today for a  free 15-minute advising session  to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant. Meanwhile, here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on  our SBC team . 

With deadlines around the corner, you may be interested in the world-famous SBC Flight Test . Once a full set of application materials for your initial school have been drafted, but not finalized, the application will be sent to a former admissions committee member for a one-time review, adcomm style. You’ll have the benefit of a true admissions committee review while still having the ability to tinker and change.  You will receive written feedback within two business days after submitting.

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Tips for Your Cambridge Judge Application Essays

July 21, 2023

Donna Bauman

Cambridge Judge MBA Application Essay Tips, 2023–2024

Cambridge has released its new essay prompts.

The school’s application includes a career objectives essay and three shorter essays:

Essay 1: Please provide details of your post-MBA career plans. The statement should not exceed 500 words and must address the following:

– what are your short and long-term career objectives how will the cambridge mba equip you to achieve these, – looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits mba talent and what they are looking for in a candidate, – how confident do you feel about meeting your short-term career goal what skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them, and what preparation are you doing now.

This is a classic MBA goals question, though there are a few nuances that require you to dig into the Cambridge Judge program to answer them fully. There are several parts to this question, and you should make sure to touch on all of them in your answer. In providing your short- and long-term career objectives, it could be helpful to give some brief context for what is driving your career goals. For example, many people could say they are interested in a consulting career. However, explaining why this path is appealing to you is where you can begin to differentiate yourself. An engineer who has become interested in business strategy will have a different story to tell than an investment manager who has become interested in consulting because he was involved in several mergers over his career and wants to learn the best practices for financial services firms. 

For the second part of this question, you need to understand what is required of someone seeking your stated career goal. It could also be helpful to understand how Cambridge prepares its students to reach this goal. Your career objective should be realistic given your skill set, but also aspirational in such a way that a Cambridge MBA would be a good bridge to help you reach it. Understanding the key skills required for your goal – and how Cambridge can prepare you for it – is an important part of your own due diligence to put yourself in the best position to fulfill your career aspirations. In demonstrating your awareness of the resources that Judge offers, you can go one level deeper to provide some sense of how you could add value to the Cambridge Judge community with your unique background.

Cambridge Judge likewise goes one level deeper in inviting you to look at its career reports to understand how likely you are to attain your intended career option through the Judge network. Reach out to members of the appropriate industry clubs to learn more about the recruiting process. Demonstrate your self-awareness by showing the Judge admissions committee that you have the background to be successful in your target post-MBA career and that even now, you are taking steps to prepare yourself for this transition.

The remaining three essay questions for Cambridge Judge are shorter but provide an opportunity to share more about your growth and development, as well as some of the experiences you will bring to the Cambridge Judge community.

Essay 2: Tell us about a time when you made a professional mistake. How could it have ended differently? (up to 200 words) 

This question allows you to show self-awareness and reflect on something that needs improvement. The most important part of this question is how the situation you describe could have ended differently. No one is perfect; however, what is important is that we grow from our mistakes. Perhaps in reflecting on how things could have turned out differently, think about how the skills you would gain in an MBA program would allow you to avoid a similar mistake in the future. 

Essay 3: Tell us about the best team you worked with. What made the team successful? (up to 200 words)

Cambridge Judge considers collaboration and teamwork important. This question gives you the opportunity to share that you understand what makes a team successful and that effective teams work together to bring out the best in everyone. There are different components to successful teamwork. Pick one or two aspects that made your team strong, and be sure to provide specific details to support your choice.

Essay 4: Provide an example of when someone else positively impacted your life. What did you learn from this experience? (up to 200 words)

Recognizing how someone else has had a positive influence on your journey is another form of self-awareness. Show some gratitude as you answer this question, and pick one or two areas where you have learned something, being sure to provide details to support your answer.

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Cambridge Judge MBA Essay Guide 2024: Strategies for Success

Are you aspiring to pursue an MBA at the prestigious Cambridge Judge Business School? If so, you’re embarking on an exciting journey that promises to transform your career and broaden your horizons. But before you can embark on this educational adventure, you’ll need to conquer the Cambridge Judge MBA application process, and at its heart lies a critical component: the essays.

The Cambridge Judge MBA essays play a pivotal role in showcasing your personality, goals, and why you’re an ideal candidate for their program. Crafting these essays requires careful thought, introspection, and a strategic approach. In this comprehensive analysis, we will dissect each essay prompt, providing you with valuable insights, tips, and examples to help you craft compelling responses that stand out in the highly competitive admissions landscape.

Whether you’re a seasoned essay writer or someone starting from scratch, this guide is designed to be your compass through the challenging terrain of MBA admissions. We’ll break down each essay prompt, decode what the admissions committee is looking for, and share strategies to make your application shine. So, let’s dive into the world of Cambridge Judge MBA essays and set you on the path to success.

In this blog series, we will unravel the essence of crafting a compelling career objective and navigating essay topics for the MBA intake in 2024. Your career objective is your beacon, illuminating your path in the professional realm. Your essays, on the other hand, are windows into your experiences and aspirations.

If you want to gain more insights on the MBA at Cambridge University check out the blog here .

We aim to simplify this process, providing insights into how you can define a powerful career objective and express your unique story through the essay prompts. Join us as we break down these elements, empowering you to present the best version of yourself in your Cambridge Judge MBA application for the year 2024. Let’s kickstart this enlightening journey towards shaping your MBA aspirations.

CAREER OBJECTIVE AND ESSAY TOPICS JUDGE BUSINESS SCHOOL MBA

You must complete the careers objectives statement and 3, shorter essays:

• What are your short and long-term career objectives? How will the Cambridge MBA equip you to achieve these?
• Looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits MBA talent and what they are looking for in a candidate?
• How confident do you feel about meeting your short-term career goal? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them, and what preparation are you doing now?
• Tell us about a time when you made a professional mistake. How could it have ended differently? (up to 200 words)
• Tell us about the best team you worked with. What made the team successful? (up to 200 words)
• Provide an example of when someone else positively impacted your life. What did you learn from this experience? (up to 200 words)

CAREER OBJECTIVE

As you stand on the threshold of pursuing an MBA at Cambridge Judge Business School, your career objective becomes the linchpin of your journey. It’s a compass that navigates your aspirations, aligning them with the ethos and offerings of this esteemed institution.

In this section, we’ll spotlight the crucial role of a well-articulated career objective within your application. Your career objective isn’t just a few lines on paper; it’s your strategic roadmap, your envisioned destination, and the embodiment of your professional dreams.

We’ll guide you through the process of crafting a clear and compelling career objective. It’s more than a statement—it’s a declaration of the impact you aim to make in the realm of business and society. Let’s delve into the art of defining a career objective that mirrors your passion and resonates with the values upheld at Cambridge Judge Business School. Join us in this journey of translating aspirations into a concrete career trajectory.

WHAT ARE YOUR SHORT AND LONG-TERM CAREER OBJECTIVES? HOW WILL THE CAMBRIDGE MBA EQUIP YOU TO ACHIEVE THESE?

In this concise, yet powerful narrative, prospective candidates are asked to sketch their post-MBA career plans. Emphasizing both short and long-term objectives is vital, with a word limit of 500 words. The objective is to showcase clarity of thought, foresight, and a realistic understanding of how the Cambridge MBA is pivotal in achieving these goals.

Short-term Career Objectives:

Describe the immediate goals you aim to achieve upon completing the MBA. These objectives should be specific, achievable within the first few years post-graduation, and directly aligned with your career trajectory. Discuss how the knowledge, skills, and networks gained during the Cambridge MBA will accelerate your progress towards these short-term milestones.

Long-term Career Objectives:

Present a broader perspective, outlining where you envision your career in the long run. Describe how you plan to evolve professionally, the leadership roles you aspire to, and the impact you intend to make in your chosen field. Illustrate the role the Cambridge MBA plays in preparing you for this long-term journey, focusing on how the program equips you with the tools and insights to navigate and excel in the evolving business landscape.

How Cambridge MBA Equips You:

Clearly articulate how the Cambridge MBA uniquely positions itself to propel you towards your career goals. Highlight specific aspects of the program, such as the curriculum, faculty expertise, experiential learning opportunities, and the extensive alumni network, detailing how each component will contribute to your career advancement. Showcase a deep understanding of how the program aligns with your goals and how you plan to leverage these resources.

LOOKING AT YOUR SHORT-TERM CAREER GOAL, DESCRIBE THE RESEARCH YOU HAVE DONE TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS INDUSTRY/ ROLE/LOCATION RECRUITS MBA TALENT AND WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR IN A CANDIDATE?

Understanding your short-term career goal:.

●      Clarity of Objective: Clearly articulate your short-term career goal, encompassing the industry, role, and location you aim for post-MBA.

●      Alignment with MBA: Showcase how this short-term goal aligns with your educational and professional background, presenting a logical progression.

●      Implications of Achievement: Discuss the potential impact achieving this short-term goal can have on your long-term career aspirations.

Understanding Your Industry:

• Research Approach: Describe the research methods employed to grasp the hiring practices within your target industry.
• Recruitment Insights: Highlight how the industry recruits MBA talent and what qualities they seek in candidates.

Exploring Your Desired Role:

• Research Strategy: Explain the approach you took to understand the specifics of the role you aspire to within the industry.
• Role Alignment: Showcase how your skills and experiences align with the role requirements.
• Accelerating Growth: Discuss how an MBA can expedite your career progression within this role.

Assessing Your Chosen Location:

• Research Methodology: Outline how you researched the dynamics of the chosen location’s job market.
• Local Opportunities: Detail any unique job market opportunities and challenges that influence your career path in this location.
• Integration Strategies: Highlight networking and integration strategies that align with your career goals in this location.

Conclusion:

• Synthesis of Research: Summarize key findings from your research and its impact on your short-term career goal.
• Program Alignment: Reiterate how the Cambridge MBA will facilitate the realization of your short-term career aspirations.

HOW CONFIDENT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MEETING YOUR SHORT-TERM CAREER GOAL? WHAT SKILLS/CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU ALREADY HAVE THAT WILL HELP YOU TO ACHIEVE THEM, AND WHAT PREPARATION ARE YOU DOING NOW?

Confidence in achieving your short-term career goal:.

• Self-Assessment: Reflect on your level of confidence in achieving your short-term career goal. Consider the factors that contribute to your confidence level, such as skills, experience, and knowledge gained.
• Challenges and Mitigation: Identify potential challenges and uncertainties. Discuss how you plan to mitigate these challenges and boost your confidence.

Current Skills and Characteristics:

• Identifying Relevant Skills: Enumerate the skills and characteristics you possess that directly contribute to achieving your short-term career goal.
• Skill Amplification: Explain how these skills and characteristics will help you navigate the challenges and requirements of your desired role and industry.
• Experiences that Strengthen Skills: Provide examples of experiences or situations where you applied these skills effectively.

Preparation Strategies:

• Ongoing Learning and Development: Describe the steps you are currently taking to enhance your skill set and knowledge relevant to your short-term career goal.
• Networking and Industry Engagement: Discuss your involvement in industry-related activities, events, or networks that contribute to your preparation.
• Mentorship and Guidance: Detail any mentorship or guidance you seek to bolster your preparation.
• Self-Reflection: Summarize your self-reflection on your preparedness to achieve your short-term career goal, considering your confidence, existing skills, and ongoing preparation.
• Commitment to Growth: Reiterate your dedication to continuous growth and preparation, emphasizing your eagerness to adapt and succeed in your targeted industry and role.

The essays you craft for your MBA application serve as more than just a series of written words; they act as windows into your life, providing the admissions committee with a glimpse into your personal journey, your motivations, and your dreams. These essays are the embodiment of your voice, your experiences, and your aspirations, artfully expressed on paper.

In this section, we will delve into each essay topic, offering valuable insights and expert tips to assist you in creating essays that authentically represent your true self. These essays are your canvas, an opportunity to paint a vivid picture of your life, to eloquently narrate the defining moments that have shaped you, and to passionately envision the future that ignites your enthusiasm.

Consider this process as the art of storytelling—your story. So, let’s embark on this journey through the essay prompts, encouraging you to be unapologetically genuine, to share your authentic self, and to let your unique narrative radiate. Ultimately, it’s your distinct story that will set you apart as you embark on this transformative path towards an MBA. Let’s take the first step together!

• TELL US ABOUT A TIME WHEN YOU MADE A PROFESSIONAL MISTAKE. HOW COULD IT HAVE ENDED DIFFERENTLY? (200 WORDS)
• Introduction to the Essay: Present a brief introduction to the essay topic, explaining its significance in assessing personal and professional growth.
• Importance of Reflecting on Mistakes: Highlight the value of learning from errors and how it contributes to becoming a better professional.

Narrating the Mistake:

• Specifics of the Situation: Provide a detailed account of the professional mistake you made. Include context, timeline, and the setting in which it occurred.
• Your Role and Decision-making: Clearly describe your role, responsibilities, and the choices you made leading up to the mistake.

Analyzing the Mistake:

• Recognizing the Error: Acknowledge and accept the mistake, demonstrating humility and accountability.
• Impact and Consequences: Elaborate on the consequences of the mistake, both immediate and potential long-term effects on projects, relationships, or the organization.
• Insightful Reflection: Reflect on what went wrong, and why. Explore the factors that contributed to the error, such as assumptions, communication, or lack of experience.

Alternative Outcomes and Learning:

• What Could Have Been Done Differently: Present alternative actions or decisions that could have resulted in a better outcome.
• Learnings and Lessons: Share the key lessons you gained from the mistake, emphasizing personal growth, resilience, adaptability, or improved decision-making.

Conclusion :

• Summarizing the Experience: Summarize the story, highlighting the significance of the experience in your professional journey.
• Expressing Growth and Resilience: Emphasize how this mistake has shaped you into a more competent and insightful professional, ready to navigate future challenges more effectively.

2. TELL US ABOUT THE BEST TEAM YOU WORKED WITH. WHAT MADE THE TEAM SUCCESSFUL? (UP TO 200 WORDS)

Topic Overview:

In this essay, you’ll narrate a memorable experience of working in a team, focusing on the best team you’ve been a part of. Discuss the team’s success factors, attributing its achievements to specific elements that propelled collaboration and productivity.

Key Components to Include:

• Introduction:  Briefly introduce the team you’re discussing, providing context on when and where this collaboration took place.
• Team Dynamics : Describe the composition of the team—its size, roles, and responsibilities of each member. Explain how this blend of roles contributed to the team’s overall effectiveness.
• Shared Vision and Goals :Discuss the team’s common objectives and how having a shared vision played a crucial role in aligning efforts towards a common goal.
• Effective Communication:  Highlight the importance of open and effective communication within the team. Discuss how transparent communication enhanced understanding and problem-solving.
• Collaborative Spirit:  Narrate instances of teamwork and cooperation, showcasing the collaborative spirit that prevailed within the team. Emphasize how team members supported and complemented each other.
• Conflict Resolution:  Address any conflicts that arose during the collaboration and how the team managed and resolved them constructively, ultimately strengthening the team bond.
• Adaptability and Innovation:  Share how the team displayed adaptability to changing circumstances and how innovation was encouraged, leading to improved strategies and outcomes.
• Leadership and Guidance:  Discuss the role of leadership and guidance within the team, acknowledging the leader’s influence in fostering a positive and productive team environment.
• Conclusion : Summarize the key elements that made this team successful. Reflect on the impact of this experience on your understanding of effective teamwork and collaboration.

This essay offers a glimpse into your ability to collaborate effectively and provides insights into your understanding of the dynamics that contribute to successful teamwork. Highlighting the best team experience and its success factors showcases your capacity to contribute positively to future team environments.

3.  PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE OF WHEN SOMEONE ELSE POSITIVELY IMPACTED YOUR LIFE. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE? (UP TO 200 WORDS)

• Introduction:  Start with a captivating introduction that sets the scene for the reader, providing a glimpse into a significant event or encounter.
• The Story:  Narrate the story of how this individual positively impacted your life. Delve into the specifics of the situation, the relationship you shared, and the impact they had on you.
• Explore the impact on a deeper level. Analyze how this event or encounter influenced your mindset, values, or actions.
• Discuss any change in perspective, behavior, or beliefs brought about by this experience.
• Elaborate on the key lessons you derived from this impactful encounter.
• Reflect on personal growth, newfound insights, or shifts in priorities that were a result of this experience.
• Summarize the essay, reiterating the lasting impact this person had on your life and the lessons you carry forward.

In crafting this essay, focus on presenting a genuine and sincere narrative. Share your vulnerability and growth while showcasing your ability to introspect and learn from others. Make the reader feel the impact and the transformation that occurred due to this meaningful encounter. The aim is to exhibit your ability to learn from life’s experiences and apply those learnings in your academic and professional pursuits.

As we draw the curtains on our exploration of career objectives and essay analysis for the Cambridge Judge Business School MBA 2024, we invite you to take a moment of reflection. Crafting your career objectives and sharing your life’s narrative through essays is not just a part of the application process—it’s a glimpse into the incredible journey you’re about to embark upon.

Your career objectives are not mere words; they’re your vision taking shape. They’re the dreams you are ready to chase and the impacts you are prepared to create. Likewise, your essays are not just stories; they are your essence, your experiences, and your determination etched in prose.

Remember, this is your opportunity to stand out, to showcase the unique blend of skills, aspirations, and motivations that define you. Through your words, you paint a canvas of ambition and resilience, one that aligns with the esteemed halls and teachings of Cambridge Judge Business School.

May your career objectives be ambitious, your essays authentic, and your journey ahead transformative. Here’s to the aspiring leaders, the future change-makers, and the relentless dreamers—may your path be illuminated, and your story inspiring.

The doors to Cambridge Judge Business School await, ready to welcome the pioneers of tomorrow. Best of luck in your MBA endeavors!

In the journey toward earning your MBA at Cambridge Judge Business School, the essays you write are more than just words on paper. They are your opportunity to make a lasting impression, to convey your uniqueness, and to demonstrate how you align with the values and aspirations of the program.

As we conclude our analysis of the Cambridge Judge MBA essays, remember that this process is not just about gaining admission; it’s about personal growth and self-discovery. It’s about clarifying your goals and articulating them with confidence. It’s about showcasing your achievements and potential impact on the world.

We hope that this guide has equipped you with the knowledge and inspiration to tackle these essays with vigor. As you sit down to write, remember to be authentic, be reflective, and be ambitious. Your journey begins with a single essay, but it leads to a world of opportunities and growth. Best of luck in your pursuit of a Cambridge Judge MBA!

• Your Cambridge Judge MBA essay should include clear goals, personal anecdotes, and a strong connection to the school’s values and culture. Check out our guide for more details.
• The Cambridge Judge MBA program is renowned for its emphasis on entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership development. It offers a unique learning experience that combines academic rigor with practical application, preparing graduates for leadership roles in diverse industries. The program’s strong ties to the Cambridge ecosystem also provide students with exceptional networking and career opportunities.
• Admission to the Cambridge Judge MBA program is competitive. Typically, applicants should have a strong academic background, professional work experience, and a competitive GMAT or GRE score. Additionally, the program values diversity and looks for candidates with unique perspectives and experiences. A well-crafted application essay and strong letters of recommendation are also essential components of a successful application.
• The Cambridge Judge MBA program distinguishes itself through its focus on practical learning, experiential projects, and the integration of entrepreneurship and innovation into the curriculum. Students benefit from being part of the vibrant Cambridge University community, gaining access to world-class faculty, cutting-edge research, and a global network of alumni. The program’s small class size ensures personalized attention and a collaborative learning environment, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a transformative MBA experience
• To stand out, showcase your unique experiences, passions, and contributions. Highlight how you’ll contribute to the MBA community and beyond.
• Avoid clichés, generic statements, and exaggerations. Instead, focus on authenticity, specificity, and clarity in your responses.
• The word limits are there for a reason. Try to stay within them to demonstrate your ability to follow instructions and communicate effectively.
• While visiting can provide valuable insights, it’s not mandatory. You can gather information through research and networking as well.
• The essays play a crucial role in the admissions process, offering the admissions committee a deeper understanding of your candidacy beyond your resume and transcripts.
• Yes, seeking feedback from trusted peers, mentors, or admissions consultants can enhance the quality of your essays.

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Cambridge Judge Essays: Tips & Strategy

Cambridge Judge, along with INSEAD, has evaded the business school trend of fewer MBA essays, requiring your thoughtful response to no less than four required questions.

Yet it’s word counts are deceptively slim – beyond the first question which allows up to 500 words, each subsequent question gives you a 200-word maximum – scant real estate to work with when you’re trying to be substantive as well as succinct.

The trick is to ensure each stand-alone essay is artfully executed while keeping the overall narrative in mind. The full slate of Cambridge Judge essays pose a puzzle that you must put together without being repetitive.

Before sitting down to write, step back and consider them as a set. Cambridge Judge wants to know how you think, how you make decisions, your capacity for self-reflection, and also situational awareness. Think of the key stories and insights you want to transmit across all four essays and ensure that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. With this in mind, let’s decode each essay question to clarify what Cambridge Judge is looking for and how you can extract a response that’s memorable, meaningful, and concise.

Decoding the Cambridge Judge MBA Essay Questions

Question 1: please provide a personal statement. it should not exceed 500 words and must address the following questions:.

• What are your short, and long term, career objectives and what skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you achieve them?
• What actions will you take before and during the MBA to contribute to your career outcome?
• If you are unsure of your post-MBA career path, how will the MBA equip you for the future?

This essay is clearly structured, and you should ensure that you address each of the areas given (leaving out the third bullet point if it doesn’t apply to you).

This first bullet actually has a number of key areas – and so you should ensure you are answering each of the elements. You could have an opening paragraph centred on your career objectives – being focused, specific, and clear on your short-term goals and a little more general/ambitious/open on the longer-term ones. The second paragraph of this essay should then showcase the experience you have to date and how this has equipped you with important, transferable and flexible skills to allow you to make the career move you aspire to.

Don’t repeat details from your CV (so no need to repeat full details of company names or job titles etc) but rather focus on the skill-set you’ve built up over time. Think about team skills, leadership potential, a developing strategic perspective and skills that are more specific to the sector/role that you’re hoping to move on to. Use examples where possible (and it is helpful if your recommender can back these skills/examples up in their submission). Demonstrate that you’ve done your research on companies, roles, and opportunities.  Highlight personal outreach and contacts that you’ve already begun to foster. Explain how you will continue with this.

For the second bullet, show that you’ve identified any gaps in your skills that will need to be addressed before the program – so are you thinking of any preparatory courses at all? What are they and how will they benefit you? Show that you’re aware of the networking opportunities available to you at the school – including companies that have existing relationships Judge, networking with peers, and the career services team.

The third bullet is a great chance to show your reasons for the MBA. Whilst your career plan might not be set, you can demonstrate how the breadth of skills that the MBA will equip you with will prepare you for a range of roles. Focus on general management skills, people leadership, strategic thinking, networking, etc. While it is okay to be unsure, you should show some sense of your future path – as this will reassure the admissions team about your post-grad employability (they will want to maintain/increase their current figure of 90% of graduates being employed 3 months after the program).

Question 2. Describe a difficult decision that you had to make. What did you learn from this and how have you changed as a result? (up to 200 words)

This doesn’t have to be a work-based example – and actually, a more personal example could work better here. The key here is the learning/impact of the decision, rather than the decision itself – so try to reflect this in the way you use the 200 words. Describe the situation succinctly but clearly, and then move on to what you gained from this or what it changed about your approach/perspective.

Essentially, this question is all about your ability to self-reflect and grow – so show that you have been able to do this by being very clear on the difference you’ve noticed since you made this decision.

Personal examples could include: choices in education; moving location (for work or personal reasons); leaving behind an important extra-curricular activity; prioritising family; etc. If you’re not comfortable with (or can’t think of) a personal example then you can go with a work-based situation – such as taking/declining/leaving a particular role; confronting a difficult person/situation at work, etc. That said, know that every essay is an opportunity to add a dimension to who you are and what makes you tick above and beyond your track record of academic and professional excellence.

Question 3. Describe a time where you worked with a team on a project. What did you learn from the experience and how might you approach it differently today? (up to 200 words)

This is quite a standard MBA application question – if it isn’t asked in the form, it’s is often asked in video or face-to-face interviews. The example can be either a positive or negative experience – but once again the balance of the response should be around the learning and impact it has had on you.  The Cambridge MBA has three experiential team projects and so the ability to work closely with other team members is essential. The School is looking for confident, resilient, innovative individuals with strong interpersonal and collaborative skills – so use this question to try to demonstrate these traits.

Try to make the example reasonably recent, explain the project briefly and move on to highlight your role and the relevant take-aways. Consider that the Cambridge MBA program is very diverse – with over 40 nationalities represented in the current class – so an example of working in a diverse team might be very useful here. Equally, remember that your peers on the program will be as driven and motivated as you – meaning you’ll be in a group of very strong-minded, capable individuals. Show that you can work with others, listen, have the confidence to share your ideas but also the flexibility and adaptability to adjust and learn.  You could angle the last part of your answer specifically towards the program, and the fact that the collaborative learning environment that Cambridge fosters is a key reason for your application.

Question 4: If you could give one piece of advice to your 18-year-old self, what would it be? (up to 200 words)

This is a totally new question for the 2021-2022 cycle and lends itself to a more personal approach. The average age of the Cambridge MBA student is 30 – but regardless of your age, you will need to demonstrate maturity and the ability to self-reflect. There is a balance to be struck here between highlighting regrets/significant mistakes of the past and showing the journey that you’ve come on so far in your life. Take care to be as positive as you can and use this question to show your self-development and how the MBA will be a continuing part of that development.

Possible examples here could be around: having more confidence; taking a risk; appreciating/valuing family; prioritizing education (remembering the strong focus on academia at Cambridge); going traveling; worrying less; networking more; etc.

Caution: Don’t use cliché advice (i.e. you win some you lose some, etc.) or highlight anything that may raise questions regarding your character (like academic dishonesty).

The rest of the application is very much focused around your professional life, so try to use this question to give the admissions team a little insight into other dimensions of who you are, your character, your unique perspectives and experiences.

As Brittany Maschal advises, “My suggestion is to go personal but avoid common sense learnings. Root your advice in a story or anecdote from your life. This is a question that lends itself to storytelling, to pulling a vignette from your life and drawing us in by setting the scene (quickly – 200 words isn’t much real estate) instead of leading with the advice straight away. A lot of people are afraid to get creative and take the reader on a journey, but that’s the wiser way to approach it.”

For more insider essay advice for the schools on your target list, view Fortuna’s MBA Essay Tips .

The post Cambridge Judge Essays: Tips & Strategy first appeared on Fortuna .

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The Cambridge Judge Interview – What to Expect + Sample Questions

Oct 8, 2023

How the Cambridge Interview Works 

Who is cambridge looking for, how can you prepare for your interview, what to do if you get a question you haven’t prepared an answer for, effectively tell your story during your cambridge interview .

UPDATE : This article was originally posted on January 20, 2020. It has been updated with 2023/2024 information and tips below. 

With its location in the Silicon Fen, Cambridge Judge is at the top of the list for an increasing number of applicants who seek to pursue (or continue pursuing) a high-impact, global career. 

However, with a practical yet innovative curriculum that gives students ample opportunity to incorporate hands-on learning into their MBA experience, competition to join Cambridge’s elite MBA is more difficult than ever. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Cambridge admissions interview to stand out. We’ve rounded up not only our best tips but have also included sample interview questions to ensure you give your Cambridge application your best shot. 

As one of the oldest and most elite business schools in the world, landing an interview with Cambridge is no easy task. 

Thus, if you have passed to the interview phase of the Cambridge application process, congratulations! This is already an exceptional achievement. 

Cambridge interviews tend to be friendly yet still highly rigorous . In the interview, the alumnus or alumna is still trying to gauge how solid your motivations for wanting to pursue an MBA are, how deeply you have thought about why the Cambridge Judge MBA is right for you, and if you fit well with the program’s focus on self-reflection. 

Interviewers often ask many standard MBA interview questions, as well as numerous follow-up questions intended to probe your motivations for making certain decisions. 

Our clients who have interviewed with Cambridge in the past say that the interviewer was very friendly and demonstrated a genuine interest in their answers. Cambridge advises candidates to view the interview as a two-way conversation, and this style is very consistent. 

For some clients, questions were far more personal in nature, covering topics like their childhood and family upbringing. Other clients reported their interview was more focused on educational and professional achievements, so make sure you’re ready for anything when you interview with Cambridge.

Who will interview you?

Cambridge has a rich tradition of alumni conducting admissions interviews. This year, your interview may take place virtually or in person. If you end up interviewing online, this will not damage your application in any way.  

Will the interviewer have read my application?

Yes. The interviewer will have received an info packet on you that includes your essays and CV but not your GMAT/GRE scores. 

How long will the Cambridge interview last?

30 minutes. It is not likely to exceed this. 

(Photo courtesy of Cambridge Judge)

“The MBA is a broad management degree designed to develop deep understanding, practical application and vital interpersonal and leadership skills. Inspired by the University of Cambridge tradition of tutorial discussion and debate, the MBA delivers a lively and engaging learning experience in an intensive one-year programme.” Cambridge Judge Admissions

Every year, Cambridge literally searches the globe (more than 40 countries are represented) for outstanding professionals given the honor of joining its annual class of just over 200 students for its 1-year MBA program. With a strong emphasis on diversity, there is no “typical” Cambridge student, yet the average admitted student does tend to have a mean GMAT score of 690 .

Beyond the impressive statistics, though, Cambridge is looking for candidates who want to make a positive impact on the world through their careers. That’s why, in addition to strong academic performance (demonstrated through the GMAT and university grades), Cambridge seeks candidates who possess the following qualities:

We want people who have:

• excelled in previous academic achievements (top 25 percent of the class in their undergraduate degree)
• are highly motivated and ambitious, thrive under pressure, and have already exhibited clear progression within their career
• have had some international experiences through their work and have a global outlook
• are confident, creative, innovative, with strong interpersonal and collaborative skills
• an interesting and varied life outside their work

Though no interview is 100% predictable, Cambridge interviews do tend to center around a fairly standard list of MBA interview questions. As such, we have prepared some model questions below that previous candidates have received in their past Cambridge interviews. 

SAMPLE CAMBRIDGE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

The questions below are drawn from our clients’ interview reports, as well as from sites like clearadmit.com . Though these are not all the potential questions you could possibly receive during your Cambridge interview, preparing for these (and any follow-up questions you think you might be asked) should give you a very solid foundation for your interview. 

STARTING UP QUESTIONS

• Tell me about yourself. (Expect follow-up questions)
• What do you do in your current job?
• Can you briefly speak about your childhood and your upbringing? 
• Can you tell me about one memorable event from your childhood?
• What do your parents do and where do they live?
• Why did you choose your university?
• What was your undergraduate experience like?
• What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
• Name three firms you would like to work at after your MBA.
• Why did you quit your previous job?
• Why do you want an MBA?
• Why Cambridge?
• What will you bring to Cambridge?
• What excites you the most about Cambridge?
• What other schools have you applied to? If you get into all of them, how will you choose where to go?
• Have you spoken with any alumni or current students about our program before arriving on campus?

LEADERSHIP & TEAMWORK

• Tell me about a time when you didn’t get along with your team. What did you do?
• Tell me about one instance when you disagreed with your boss and how you handled the situation
• How do you explain leadership?
• What does leadership mean to you?
• What is your leadership style?
• Tell me a leader you admire. 

MISCELLANEOUS BEHAVIORAL

• Tell me an example of when things didn’t work out as you planned. 
• Tell me about a time when you were pushed to your limits at work.
• Tell me about a time when learning something from someone else made you change your mind about a certain topic. 
• How would your friends describe you?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Describe a situation where you used your network to achieve something.
• Tell me about a time you questioned the status quo. 
• Is there anything else you would like us to know about you? / Is there anything you wish I had asked you?
• Questions for me?

We have found that answering real interview questions on the spot is a much better means of preparation than reading lists of interview questions for most candidates.

We highly suggest you take a look at mock interview questions and sample interview responses before your interview . 

Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of real interview mocks from Cambridge, as well as detailed guides to help you prepare for questions ranging from “Why our MBA program?” to “Tell us about a time you failed.”

The Ellin Lolis Consulting MBA Resource Center is your one-stop shop to interview success. Click to join !

Finally, just because your interview will happen online doesn’t mean you can relax and assume your non-verbal cues don’t matter. Though body language is not as apparent on camera as in person, it’s still an important aspect of the interview you want to make sure to take charge of.

If you’re still not quite confident with your interview skills, our interview experts can help you craft your answers or prepare you for the Cambridge Judge interview through mock interviews tailored to your profile.

Despite your most diligent preparation, you will almost always receive a question you had not prepared. 

First, stay calm and take a deep breath. You have already made it this far in the process, and one question will not trip you up!

Second, make sure you directly answer the question the interviewer asked you. For example, if the interviewer asks you about a time you had to deal with a difficult manager, make sure to tell a story about a difficult manager and how you handled the situation. 

If you’re having trouble thinking of an answer or an example to support your answer , however, take a drink of water to give yourself a few more minutes to think. If you really can’t think of an example from your personal or professional experience, you can use a hypothetical answer about how you would act in a certain situation. 

Finally, assume that the interviewer is testing how you think on your feet and respond to questions you didn’t prepare in advance . Though your answer might not be as polished as if you’d had weeks to rehearse it, smile and confidently give your answer to show you can respond to any question they throw at you.

One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA interviews is that candidates fail to tell compelling, well-constructed stories about their profiles while also nailing the basics. 

Striking this balance between sharing STAR-format examples that show off your background while also presenting strong answers to questions like “Why do you want an MBA?” is a challenging task that requires significant thought and preparation. 

Because of this, it’s no surprise that, on average, 50% of interviewed applicants walk away without an offer . 

This is why our interview preparation process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting is known as the best in the industry. We offer customized 1:1 support that ensures you’re able to turn your application’s strengths into compelling answers that show fit and sell your profile in any type of interview. That’s why 98.9% of our complete consulting clients get into at least one of their target schools. 

Not only can you take advantage of our development process through multiple sessions – you can also benefit from a single session! If your budget is tight, our interview experts can focus your session on a single aspect of the preparation process, from workshopping your answers to providing mock interviews.

Forget simulation platforms or long lists of tips – our 1:1 preparation focuses on playing to your strengths and overcoming your weaknesses to turn you into an interview expert . Hire our interview services here. VIP packages that allow you to work directly with Ellin sell out quickly, so make sure you sign up today !

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Cambridge / Judge MBA Recommendation Questions

The application to the Cambridge MBA program at Judge Business School requires a single recommendation, preferably from a manager or supervisor. They do not accept academic references or those from peers or colleagues . If you are an entrepreneur, own your own business, or work for a family business, you can select a supplier or client. The Cambridge MBA recommendation questions for 2023-2024 intake are below.

2023-2024 Cambridge MBA Recommendation Questions

Contact information for recommender

Length of time you have known the applicant?

In what capacity have you known the applicant?

Rate the applicant

Please use the table below to appraise the applicant in the context of her or his peer group.

• What is the peer group that you are using?
• Number in peer group
• Applicant’s ranking within peer group

The form then asks recommenders to rate the applicant on a series of character and leadership traits on the following scale: Below average, Average (top 50%), Good (top 25%), Outstanding (top 10%), Exceptional (top 2%), Insufficient information.

• Ability to work with others
• Self-confidence
• Analytical skills
• Written communication skills
• Oral communication skills
• Leadership potential
• Responsibility for own action
• Quantitative numerical skill

Reference letter

Please also provide us with a one-two page letter of reference for the candidate. Please tell us anything that you think will help the Admissions Committee evaluate the candidate’s application, but in particular we would like you to address the following issues:

Reference criteria

The applicant has identified you as the following reference type: Supervisor 

Please complete the following if you are a  Supervisor

• Elaborate and/or provide us with concrete examples if you have rated the applicant as below average, outstanding or exceptional on any of the qualities in the ‘Rate the Applicant’ Section.
• Describe what you like most and least about working with the applicant.
• Tell us about any particular weakness the candidate has compared to other peers/team members that you regularly work with.
• Describe the applicant’s attitude and behaviour when working with: (a) managers/supervisors (b) peers (c) subordinates.
• Suggest what you think the applicant will be doing in ten years.

Please upload your reference letter here

MBA Applywire

Indian, Undergrad in a Tier 1 university in India, GPA: 8.4 out of 10. 3 Internships in MNCs adding up to 1 year, all Software/AI based. Member of multiple technical clubs and organized some minor events, but no leadership roles. Teaching Assistant for 6 months. Worked on some major projects with a team.

Working for 2 years in an AI startup, 3.5 years when joining MBA. Few promotions, no official leadership roles. Some volunteering work as part of work-events.

Self-published a book when in college, maintaining a blog since 2020, with over 23K views, participated and won awards in inter-college and worldwide online events/competitions.

Want to pursue MBA to shift into higher levels in the same industry (IT/Software). Prefer 2-year MBA. Tag-value matters as much as possible.

UG- Non-CS engineering 2x study abroad in college 1x work abroad in college AI strategy, data science, project management (managing 20 developers) experience at work

Interested in PM in NYC -- am I choosing the right schools? Kellogg will be for 1 year program, NYU will be 1-year tech program, Columbia maybe the J-term -- think tech consulting --> PM not too far apart that I'd need the internship, but $$+ from a 2-year program I'd do it

Prioritizing NYC and $$$$

Indian, Tier 1 undergraduate university in India, Some college club member, organized some small college events, working in a software/AI startup.

Applying 2024 for 2025 intake. I think my stats are pretty average across the board, I think the real differentiator is going to be work experience. Mining feels like a typically underrepresented industry in MBA programs, and I am hoping that helps. Long term goal is to move into a corporate development role within a mining company, but to get there do a couple years in management consulting. Work has one promotion and a clear increase in responsibility and impact as I have progressed. Undergrad university is a pretty average state school (T50 range) but I had a double major in engineering and finance. EC I work as a volunteer ski patroller in the winter (Tuck is pretty high on my list for having a ski patrol club / access to the mountains)

In addition to my undergrad, I also have a Master's degree in Information Technology, where I earned a 3.5 GPA.

I didn't really prepare for my GMAT the first time I took it and am confident I can get an additional 20-30 points with proper preparation.

My short-term goal is to work in product management at one of the major Big Tech firms, and my long-term goal is to progress into executive-level technology leadership roles. Particularly interested in e-commerce.

I don't think my extracurricular life is particularly interesting, but I'm heavily involved in volunteering within my local Sikh religious community, and I'm also into boxing recreationally.

For financial reasons, I'm primarily interested in the part-time programs at Kellogg, Booth, and Stern, but I'm open to full-time programs depending on scholarship/aid.

MBA LiveWire

Speechless....

Waitlisted R2 & R3. Flew to Chicago for a visit after R2 WL, kept in contact with AdCom, sent bi-weekly updates. Good things happen!

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The Unique Burial of a Child of Early Scythian Time at the Cemetery of Saryg-Bulun (Tuva)

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Pages:  379-406

In 1988, the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition (led by M. E. Kilunovskaya and V. A. Semenov) discovered a unique burial of the early Iron Age at Saryg-Bulun in Central Tuva. There are two burial mounds of the Aldy-Bel culture dated by 7th century BC. Within the barrows, which adjoined one another, forming a figure-of-eight, there were discovered 7 burials, from which a representative collection of artifacts was recovered. Burial 5 was the most unique, it was found in a coffin made of a larch trunk, with a tightly closed lid. Due to the preservative properties of larch and lack of air access, the coffin contained a well-preserved mummy of a child with an accompanying set of grave goods. The interred individual retained the skin on his face and had a leather headdress painted with red pigment and a coat, sewn from jerboa fur. The coat was belted with a leather belt with bronze ornaments and buckles. Besides that, a leather quiver with arrows with the shafts decorated with painted ornaments, fully preserved battle pick and a bow were buried in the coffin. Unexpectedly, the full-genomic analysis, showed that the individual was female. This fact opens a new aspect in the study of the social history of the Scythian society and perhaps brings us back to the myth of the Amazons, discussed by Herodotus. Of course, this discovery is unique in its preservation for the Scythian culture of Tuva and requires careful study and conservation.

Keywords: Tuva, Early Iron Age, early Scythian period, Aldy-Bel culture, barrow, burial in the coffin, mummy, full genome sequencing, aDNA

Information about authors: Marina Kilunovskaya (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Vladimir Semenov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Varvara Busova  (Moscow, Russian Federation).  (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Kharis Mustafin  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Technical Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Irina Alborova  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Biological Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Alina Matzvai  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected]

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Who is Karen Read? Everything you need to know about Boston's Karen Read murder trial

For the past two years, the death of Boston police Officer John O'Keefe , the subsequent discovery of his body outside of a Canton home on Jan. 29, 2022, and the investigation and trial that followed have captured public attention.

And at the center of that has been Karen Read, the woman who was dating O'Keefe at the time of his death and who was arrested days afterward on charges of manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of a deadly crash.

Two narratives have emerged since the arrest. The state alleges that Read killed O'Keefe by backing into him with a car and leaving him to die. Read's defense team argues that the police and other parties have colluded to frame Read for O'Keefe's murder.

Here's what to know and Karen Read.

Who is Karen Read?

Read is from Mansfield, Massachusetts. The 44-year-old was an adjunct professor at Bentley College, teaching finance, but was fired from her job after she was arrested.

Read and O'Keefe were dating for two years, according to Court TV . In the trial, the relationship has been painted as tumultuous, with arguments about "what Read fed O’Keefe’s two adopted children, and that he witnessed a 2021 fight the couple had in Cape Cod over how O’Keefe treated her," according to the Associated Press . A witness also testified that Read became angry after she thought O'Keefe had kissed another woman during a vacation to Aruba.

Prosecutors say Read and O’Keefe had been drinking at a Canton bar with friends and acquaintances before they got into an argument. They say she hit him with her SUV outside the home of Brian Albert, who was hosting an after-party, shortly before 12:30 a.m.

Karen Read trial: Funeral for police officer found dead in Canton draws hundreds of mourners to Braintree

But Read's lawyers say Read dropped O'Keefe off at Albert's home, and that O'Keefe was fatally beaten inside before his body was planted on the front lawn. They say she was then framed for his death.

On Feb. 1, 2022, Read was arrested; she was freed on bail the next day.

Why did the Karen Read trial go viral?

The intrigue and scandal the case has generated gets the attention of the online world, as true crime YouTubers, TikTokers and internet sleuths begin following the Read case.

Aidan Kearney, the Holden blogger known as Turtleboy, covered the case extensively, and was part of drawing attention to the trial. Kearney is facing multiple counts of witness intimidation tied to allegations he harassed witnesses in Read’s case. He has accused some of the witnesses who testified – including Brian Albert, the Boston officer who owned the home – of being true culprits in the case. Kearney has publicly posted his attempts to contact some of the witnesses, spoke of many of them using crude language and brought followers to “protests” outside their homes.

More: Judge bars Turtleboy from being present for some witnesses in Karen Read murder trial

In May, Kearney was barred from covering some of the testimony in person, with the judge ruling his presence co uld have a "chilling" effect .

The trial began on April 21, with witness testimony beginning on April 29.

Who is Michael Proctor?

Another person to know in the case is Michael Proctor.

The defense team has focused scrutiny on Proctor , a state police trooper who led the investigation of O'Keefe's death, accusing him of planting evidence at the crime scene.

Karen Read trial: How to watch Karen Read trial closing arguments live

During the trial, Proctor was asked to read text communications he had with others regarding Read. These communications revealed what the defense said is a bias against Read in the midst of the investigation. Proctor was also revealed to have made crude jokes, including about searching for nude pictures of the defendant when going through her phone.

It has even reached up to the governor's office, with Maura Healey denouncing the disparaging texts made by Proctor after they were revealed during court proceedings.

What has public reaction been to the trial?

Some Massachusetts residents have taken to the streets and protest the tria l , calling for Read to be freed and advocating for her innocence.

Previous reports by The Patriot Ledger and The Worcester Telegram & Gazette were used in this report.

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What it’s like to judge an amateur bread-making competition

Elmendorf baking supplies in east cambridge held a contest to rate rustic, homemade, whole-grain, french sourdough ‘miche’.

EAST CAMBRIDGE — The steady rain and humidity on a Sunday morning in early June seemed like the worst possible weather for 50 amateur bakers to deliver their prized loaves to a competition. In spite of the wet day, however, contestants dropped off entries at the assigned spot and the staff of Elmendorf Baking Supplies , who hosted the event, could not have been more cheerful.

As tents in front of the little shop set up for the judging started to sag under the weight of rainwater, Elmendorf staff asked brave onlookers standing outside the tents to step away. Water cascaded off the tent tops as someone poked them gently with long broomstick-like poles.

Le Grand Prix Elmendorf du Pain, a riff on the famous Paris baguette event , is now in its second year. It’s a two-part competition. One is for bakeries, which submit baguettes (there were 13), judged by five professional bakers, along with French Consulate General Mustafa Soykurt. In the other, amateur bakers deliver a miche, a large, rustic round made with a sourdough starter and whole-grain flour. Five food industry professionals, not all bakers (including me), tasted about four dozen miche loaves.

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Everything about the contest was demanding, especially strict rules governing the loaves.

Each had to be made in a home kitchen, either in a freeform shape or baked in a Dutch oven, but not in a loaf pan. Weight had to fall between 1,000 and 1,600 grams (2.2 to 3.5 pounds). That’s a very large loaf; much larger than most home bakers are used to. At least 50 percent of the flour had to be unsifted whole-grain from a local mill. Elmendorf mills 23 New England and New York grains on site, which accounts for the deep interest in bread and willingness to host. Each entry had to arrive with an ingredient list and contestants had to live in Massachusetts or within 60 miles of Boston. The entry fee for contestants was $35, which covered the entire day’s festivities, including a lively Parisian street fair along Cambridge Street, which was bustling once the rain stopped and the sun appeared.

Judges rated aspect (appearance), crumb, flavor and aroma, and bake quality (whether the loaf was properly cooked). On scoring sheets, we graded each category from 1 to 5; staff tallied the results.

We five judges included organizing judge Andrew Janjigian , baking teacher and author of the Substack newsletter Wordloaf; chef Jason Bond , now breadmaker at Eastern Standard restaurant, who is looking in Cambridge or Somerville for a spot of his own; Maria Speck , author of “Ancient Grains for Modern Meals”; and Cynthia Graber , journalist and co-host of the food and science podcast Gastropod.

The affable Teddy Applebaum, who owns the 6-year-old Elmendorf with his wife, Alyssa, seemed to be everywhere at once, greeting two sets of judges and shifting tables under tents to keep the breads dry. All the while, the Elmendorf cafe served a parade of customers lined up down the block.

This was a community day, Elmendorf partnering with the East Cambridge Business Association to host the contests and street events. Sponsors included Rock & Roll Daycare , East Cambridge Savings Bank , and the East Cambridge Co .

The public was excluded from the judging tent but could watch as Janjigian halved each loaf by standing it on its side and cutting through it with an impressively large, serrated bread knife. He passed them around for us to smell (you can tell a lot from a bread’s aroma) and feel the crumb. Then he cut off a few slices for tasting. He set a timer so we didn’t spend more than 3 minutes per loaf.

The array was impressive, so it was surprising how little flavor most had, even though many were mixed with several grains. Some had beautiful decorative cuts on top and stood high, others were flat as puddles. Some were almost burnt, others had undercooked bottoms. After baking, a miche must rest overnight; it’s too wet inside to eat the same day. Some in the tasting exhibited a moist, sticky, unappealing crumb. While most home bakers use a Dutch oven, the size required for the contest was too large for a standard Dutch oven.

“Miche is a challenging bread to pull off,” says Janjigian, who is working on a book for Ten Speed Press called “Breaducation,” about the fundamentals of the craft. “Miche doesn’t really work like other sourdough breads,” he says. It requires a different set of techniques and skills, and it’s a difficult loaf to master.

“What we saw largely had a lot of the same errors,” he says. Breads were made with a variety of whole grains and the dough was rarely sufficiently developed to build flavor.

Chef Bond agrees. “Whole grains cook different,” he says. “A lot of the loaves looked like they didn’t get good grain development — not kneaded enough, too much water.” Of the 45 breads we tasted (some were disqualified because they didn’t conform to the rules), Bond thinks only half a dozen were well-shaped. But some without a good shape tasted fine.

Both bakers say that every grain introduced to a dough has its own quirks. Janjigian wonders if the amateurs thought their bread would stand out if they had a variety of ingredients. Classic miche, he says, consists of one kind of flour, salt, and sourdough culture. “Every flour you add to the mix you’re creating something else to understand.”

Janjigian was at the forefront of the pandemic sourdough boom when he was working at America’s Test Kitchen. “I was the in-house bread guy,” he says. When the staff realized that there was a flour shortage during lockdown, he posted an Instagram photo of a little jar of starter and explained that anyone could make the starter with tiny amounts of flour. It went viral and he started guiding thousands of amateurs through the process of sourdough baking.

Elmendorf had its own unusual lockdown experience. The Applebaums were wondering how long they could stay in business. They had an inventory of grains ready to mill and no customers. Then something unexpected happened. Everyone working from home and making bread called the shop looking for flour. “Our phones started ringing off the hook because of the flour shortage,” says Teddy. “It pushed everyone back to local grains.” They would fill 100 orders a day for pick-up or delivery (the couple drove the delivery route). The boom cooled off a year later, he says, and now serious bread bakers are moving into less well-known grains.

The first-place miche winner received a lamp in the shape of a baguette, a bread peel “trophy,” and an Elmendorf gift card.

That honor went to Anze Godicelj , a Slovenian-born Harvard Medical School PhD student in immunology. He’s been baking bread only since December 2022. He took what he knows about lab experiments into his kitchen. He calls it “an exercise in growing bacteria and yeast.”

For breadmaking, he adapted a lab technique: “Splitting the task into more manageable pieces,” he says. He identified the key variables in play and went about solving them one by one. He made six or seven trial loaves.

His dough was mixed with whole-grain Danko rye, whole-grain einkorn, Red Fife heirloom whole-wheat flour, Redeemer wheat flour, and strong white flour. He posts his breads on Instagram as @theyeastofmyproblems.

“The recipe evolved and the baking evolved,” he says. Typically, he makes two or four smaller loaves a week. He’s a runner and weightlifter and though he eats a lot of carbohydrates, bread isn’t one of them.

“I usually give every single one away,” he says. “I do think the best part of making bread is me giving it away.”

Sheryl Julian can be reached at [email protected] .

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How Jay-Z learn…

How Jay-Z learned from failure inspires winning essay

The article at a glance.

An essay on how musician Jay-Z learned from failure wins inaugural King’s Entrepreneurship Lab Essay Competition for Sixth Form students, which has several connections to Cambridge Judge Business School.

Category: Faculty news News

Khaleel Miah, a student at Sir John Lawes School in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, won the inaugural King’s Entrepreneurship Lab (E-Lab) Essay Competition for secondary school students with an essay on how to learn from failures that drew on how musician Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter produced his own music after being rejected by other producers.

Runners-up in the competition were Leona Liu of Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge, for an essay about ethical businesses and the trade-off between being profitable and having low prices to enable purchases by all income groups, and Harry Ridge of Coleg Cambria in Deeside, Flintshire, Wales, for an essay on how generative artificial intelligence has improved the efficiency of entrepreneurs.

Cambridge Judge connections to the competition

The 2023 competition has several connections to Cambridge Judge Business School: it was organised by Rhys Williams, a PhD student at Cambridge Judge; the King’s E-Lab is directed by 2 Cambridge Judge faculty members, Associate Professor in Economics & Policy Kamiar Mohaddes and Professor of Organisational Sociology & Leadership Thomas Roulet; and the awards were presented at a 9 December ceremony at King’s College by Gishan Dissanaike, Interim Dean of Cambridge Judge.

Judges of the competition were:

• Mervyn King, former Governor of the Bank of England
• Deborah Meaden, an entrepreneur known from the popular Dragon’s Den television series
• Gillian Tett, Provost of King’s College and columnist at the Financial Times

The winner and his school shared a £1,000 cash prize, and the two runners-up and their schools each share a £500 prize. The school portion of the prize is issued in the form of book tokens.

Students could write about ethics, learning from failure or AI

Students in Year 12 and 13 (and the equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland) were asked to choose one of 3 questions in writing a 1,000-word essay:

• Many businesses advertise themselves as ethical and sell environmentally friendly or ethically sourced goods. However, they often do this at a premium price. To some extent this is due to the higher price of their inputs but often they also enjoy a higher profit. To what extent is it ethical for a business to have excess profits from selling ethical goods?
• Why is learning from failure sometimes more effective than learning from success? Build upon examples of entrepreneurs (in the broad sense of the term) who were able to learn from failure.
• Generative AI technology, built upon Large Language Models, such as ChatGPT has allowed entrepreneurs to operate more efficiently. Discuss the impact of this technology for entrepreneurs and provide examples of how it is being used.

We are keen to foster this entrepreneurial spirit among students who might not traditionally consider entering the world of business.

“The purpose of the competition is to encourage UK Sixth Form students to pursue entrepreneurial aspirations and understand better how to launch an enterprise. We are particularly keen to foster this entrepreneurial spirit among students who might not traditionally consider entering the world of business and further hope this competition encourages more young people, who might not think about it, to apply to Oxbridge and Higher Education,” says the competition website .

Featured academics

Gishan dissanaike.

Interim Dean of Cambridge Judge Business School

Kamiar Mohaddes

Associate Professor in Economics & Policy

Thomas Roulet

Professor of Organisational Sociology & Leadership

Featured PhD student

Rhys williams.

PhD Candidate at Cambridge Judge Business School

competitions entrepreneurship Gishan Dissanaike Kamiar Mohaddes Rhys Williams Thomas Roulet

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July 18, 2024

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Reading Against the Novel

July 18, 2024 issue

James Fitzjames Stephen; woodburytype by Samuel Lock and George Whitfield, 1882

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Selected Writings of James Fitzjames Stephen: On the Novel and Journalism

One is so used to hearing of the virtues of storytelling and the transformative power of fiction that it comes as a surprise to open a collection of essays entitled On the Novel and Journalism and read: “For art of any kind I have never cared…For literature, as such, I care hardly at all.” Why, one wonders, is the eminent critic Christopher Ricks offering us such a lavishly annotated edition of this man’s work?

James Fitzjames Stephen was born in 1829 into a family of distinguished English lawyers, historians, and reformers. His grandfather was a leading figure in the antislavery movement, and his father drafted the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which outlawed slavery in most of the British Empire. His younger brother, Leslie Stephen, was an eminent humanist and critic and the father of Virginia Woolf. James Fitzjames’s career, however, was primarily in law. Called to the bar in 1854, he published A General View of the Criminal Law of England in 1863; during his two and a half years in India he was responsible for the Indian Evidence Act (1872), which, among other reforms, eliminated inequalities of caste and religion when it came to standards of evidence. After returning to England he sought to have the principles of his Indian legislation included in English law and was made a high court judge in 1879. Oxford University Press is currently preparing an eleven-volume selection of his writings, of which this is the sixth.

So the essays in On the Novel and Journalism are not written from the perspective of someone whose main focus was literature or journalism. Rather, Stephen was deeply involved in the contemporary life of England as it emerged in courts of law, precisely the life that novels and newspapers were describing. Between the ages of twenty-six and thirty-eight, while he was working as a lawyer, Stephen wrote hundreds of book reviews and essays, mostly but not exclusively for the newly established Saturday Review . Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first in this volume is entitled “The Relation of Novels to Life” (1855).

At once it’s clear that the young Stephen read widely. Scott, Stowe, Defoe, Fielding, Smollett, Carlyle, Dickens, Thackeray, Austen, Bulwer-Lytton, and Gaskell are all cited, but also Eugène Sue and George Sand. Stephen read French and in other essays discusses Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, Hugo, Prévost, Dumas, and Rousseau. It’s equally clear that he enjoys his reading, appreciating and swiftly characterizing each author’s stylistic achievements. “Mr Dickens…constantly gives expression, almost personality, to inanimate objects. He invests the most ordinary affairs of life with a certain charm and poetry.” The novels of “Miss Austen…convey an impression of reality altogether extraordinary”; she “culls out and pieces together a succession of small incidents, so contrived as to develop, step by step, the characters of the persons represented.”

Nevertheless Stephen is always reading, as it were, against the text, like a prosecuting attorney scrutinizing a defendant’s testimony. “Each incident,” he continues of Austen, “taken by itself, is so exquisitely natural, and so carefully introduced, that it requires considerable attention to detect the improbability of the story,” something he then proceeds forensically to do, but as if admiring the challenge Austen had set him. Likewise the prominence Dickens gives to detail is at once admired for its creativity but declared “entirely factitious,” one of the many ways in which novels distort reality. Other distortions are the suppression of vast areas of experience (particularly work life), the undue prominence given to romantic love (“of course, every one is in love in a novel”), the alteration of historical facts, the overdefinition of character, the romanticization of crime and vice, and the evidently contrived plots.

Do such distortions matter? Stephen’s approach always has the reader, indeed society, as much in mind as the text. By the mid-1850s the novel had become the dominant form of entertainment. Prices had fallen, sales were up. “The majority of those who read for amusement, read novels…. In one shape or another they enter into the education of us all.” Young adults in particular looked to novels for “commentaries upon the life which is just opening up before [them].” Stephen grants that the novel “enlarges our experience” by providing materials that prompt “self-examination.” People cannot read Thackeray, he elaborates, “without acquiring a consciousness of a multitude of small vanities and hypocrisies which would otherwise have escaped their attention.”

However, “novels operate most strongly,” Stephen goes on, “by producing emotion.” Indeed they do this more effectively, at least as far as the general reading public is concerned, than works of history or documentary accounts. He mentions Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Dickens’s “luscious death-bed scenes.” “Habitual emotion,” he agrees, “whatever may be the exciting cause, produces some moral effects.” But this does not mean we can draw a straight analogy between the transformative consequences of, say, seeing a man “flogged to death” or attending a young person wasting away with illness and reading about such events in a novel. Aside from the different intensity of impressions arising from reading and firsthand experience, one would want to distinguish, Stephen reflects, between “a person who went to see a man die because he liked it” and “one who saw such a sight because he could not help it.” Novel readers, he implies, are regularly choosing, indeed paying for their pathos. And authors are all too willing to supply it. Dickens “gloats over [Little Nell’s] death as if it delighted him…touches, tastes, smells, and handles [it] as if it was some savoury dainty which could not be too fully appreciated.” Readers are complicit. Reality is more solemn. Stephen would have been aware that his grandfather’s life had been profoundly changed when, in Barbados, he witnessed the trial of two slaves unjustly sentenced to death by burning.

Granted that the importance of novels “must be considered very great,” and that this largely depends on their supposed representation of reality, the issue of responsibility looms. But the novelist, Stephen observes, is hard to pin down. If held to task “he can always plead that he is writing a novel, and not a political treatise.” In short, it is never clear what kind of seriousness the reader is to expect. This state of affairs is exacerbated by what Stephen identifies as a recent trend: authors “using novels to ventilate opinions.” Not that “opinions and states of mind” are not legitimate subjects of representation, but there are “dangers of partiality, of dishonesty, of false morality on the part of authors.” In particular, many novels push “social or political argumenta ad misericordiam ”; that is, they arouse pity to sway debates that should be decided on evidence and logic. Gaskell’s Mary Barton is cited: the well-known miseries of Manchester’s poor, Stephen agrees, are certainly a “fact worth representing,” but “that fact has little or nothing to do with either the cause or the remedy of their wretchedness.” The novel is “excellent,” but its “utter uselessness, politically speaking,” must be acknowledged.

Ricks presents the essays selected in chronological order of their publication, which has the advantage of showing the development and deepening of Stephen’s criticisms. A few lines of background are provided for most pieces, along with precious notes and glosses. It is astonishing, for example, to realize how often this man who cared hardly at all for literature (“as such”) uses turns of phrase that echo a wide range of literary texts from the past. In making us aware of this, Ricks inevitably alters our response to Stephen’s arguments: he cannot simply be dismissed as a philistine; indeed, the last articles in the book offer fierce criticism of Matthew Arnold for his claim that Britain was a nation of philistines.

The second essay, “Woods v . Russell” (1856), turns to journalism. During the Crimean War, Nicholas Woods was the correspondent for The Morning Herald and William Russell the correspondent for The Times . Both had contributed to the view that the British campaign in the Crimea resembled an “army of lions commanded by asses.” This had won them notoriety and popularity. Stephen takes advantage of the publication of collections of the two men’s war dispatches to analyze the evidence they offered for their criticisms. Meticulously cross-referencing their accounts, he shows how frequently they contradict each other over the most elementary facts, while on other occasions one man has clearly plagiarized the other. As with the novel, Stephen complains, newspapers enjoy great political influence, without demonstrating the sort of responsibility and impartiality that might legitimize it: “Statements of the most vehement kind are made upon any or no authority” and presented in a “showy, noisy, clever, and picturesque” style that in one case has a dead dog being described as a “decayed specimen of canine mortality.”

“A newspaper,” Stephen reminds us in a later essay, “is essentially and pre-eminently a mercantile speculation.” The power it boasts to intervene in cases of injustice is limited by its need to sustain the interest of its readers. Journalists, like novelists, labor under an obligation to be entertaining. They play to “the impatience which every one feels of being governed in a prosaic way,” thus reinforcing opinions readers already have. In a more general piece, “The History of British Journalism,” he suggests that it is “of the utmost importance that the comments of journalists should be checked,” not merely to avoid “the circulation of erroneous opinions” but to provide those in authority with the information required to govern properly (always Stephen’s central concern). Unfortunately, seriousness doesn’t pay. He quotes a report showing that none of the more reliable dailies are among the nation’s most profitable papers.

The article “Newspaper English” describes how journalists of “slight education, a fluent pen, and…natural shrewdness, [are] sent off…to describe a [naval] review at Spithead on Monday…a fête at the Crystal Palace on Wednesday, an agricultural meeting on Thursday…and an execution on Saturday,” in the “profoundest ignorance” of the things they are reporting on. To hide their inadequacy they deploy a spurious, pseudotechnical vocabulary:

One of the indispensable requisites of this style of writing is a lax phraseology—something which commits the person who uses it to as few facts, and therefore lays him open to as few contradictions, as possible.

Though apparently harmless and even, looked at one way, “a great art,” such an approach, Stephen laments, eventually “induces vagueness and inaccuracy of thought,” which then turns up in public life. He quotes a jury verdict that he suspects was contaminated by such newspaperspeak. On the other hand, when setting himself the task of examining the supposedly scabrous Sunday papers (targeted, Ricks reminds us, by the Lord’s Day Observance Society), Stephen finds them the victim of “unjust prejudice.” He is impressed by their concision and decorum. Those who publish criticisms of them on Monday, he observes, clearly wrote their articles on Sunday.

Stephen is not without his lighter side. A discussion of the technical jargon flaunted in the many popular nautical novels of the time is hilarious: “When, for example, we read that ‘[a ship] was topping the heavy seas as they rose with a long floating cleave, that carried her counter fairly free of the after-run’…&c.&c., we feel as if we were listening to a magical incantation,” a state of mind that then excuses our “easy acquiescence in improbabilities.” An article entitled “Groans of the Britons” reviews the kinds of complaints that letter writers address to the “sympathizing bosom” of their newspapers, usually The Times , declaring them

the most curious illustrations of the intense and disinterested affection which an Englishman feels for himself. That he, the heir of all the ages [a quotation from Tennyson]…should be uncomfortable, strikes him not so much in the light of a personal wrong as in that of a blot on the face of creation.

A fascinating article examining book sales at railway stations marvels at the three hundred passengers who bought the huge volumes of Thomas Macaulay’s History of England , sometimes from boys crying them “up and down the platform,” and wonders why religious books are mostly bought in Wales, often in surprising numbers: 20,000 copies of The Life of Captain Hedley Vicars , an evangelical killed in the Crimean War, “went off in a single day.”

Nevertheless, as the articles accumulate and Stephen’s anthropological eye dissects a wide range of reading experiences, one overriding theme emerges. “If we consider the infinitely elaborate apparatus which we have constructed to satisfy our appetite for amusement,” he concludes the essay on railway newsstands, “we shall be filled with a kind of awe.” Yet the more entertainment is provided, the more it becomes confused with politics. A fiction writer, Stephen reflects, “is almost always a person of more than average sensibility, and these qualities are almost certain to put their possessor more or less in opposition to the established state of things.” Hence novelists collude with newspapers to exaggerate “the failure, the prejudices, and the stupidity of the executive,” in part because this is a popular stance to assume. (“The course which [journalists] take,” Stephen insists, “is, and always will be, determined by the public.”)

But just as one wouldn’t want to instill in readers a “blind admiration” of “the institutions under which they live,” to encourage them to be “discontented with and disaffected to” those institutions “cannot but be a serious evil.” “The rule of truth is the only safe rule.” But can novels be trusted to observe it, given the allowances always made for “the necessities of the story”? (Stephen recalls how Charlotte Brontë regretted having exaggerated the cruelty of the school described in Jane Eyre , thus causing considerable distress to its charitable founders.) “The question at issue,” he finally makes explicit in an article of 1858, is: “Are novels proper vehicles for direct political and social discussions, or is amusement their legitimate object?” The test case for exploring this question could only be the novelist who more than any other enjoyed “unbounded and enthusiastic popularity”: Dickens.

Again and again Stephen seeks to refine his objections to Dickens and, through Dickens, “the cultus of the middle classes” who buy his books. The writer’s “exquisite skill” in sustaining a “flow of spirit and drollery” is never denied, but there is a difference, Stephen insists, between “the skill in the production of literary effects, and skill in the verification and employment of alleged evidence.” If the government is to be so repeatedly brought to the dock, then evidence, or at least a fair representation, is required. Dickens, though, is one of those novelists who “caricature instead of representing the world.” Nor does his popularity altogether depend on his genius, but rather on “the exquisite adaptation of his own turn of mind to the peculiar state of feeling which still prevails in some classes.” Both share a “spirit of revolt against all established rules,” this largely in reaction, Stephen concedes, to the quantities of “cant [that] had been in fashion about the wisdom of our ancestors, the glorious constitution…and other such topics.” (Ricks provides, as an example, Sydney Smith’s deliriously patriotic “Noodle’s Oration” of 1824.)

Essentially, Dickens is accused of milking this irreverent spirit for all it’s worth, each new novel highlighting this or that abuse of power, of which, Stephen claims, the writer has only “his first notions…from the discussions which accompany its removal.” Dickens’s method is to “take a melancholy subject, and rub the reader’s nose in it,” proceeding with a combination of “banter and sentiment”; shallow feelings are deployed in the absence of proper argument to the point that feeling becomes an end in itself, together with a general complacency about “doing good.”

Ricks includes Dickens’s lengthy response to one of these attacks. The novelist picks up on two mistaken assumptions Stephen has made in his criticism and mocks him mercilessly, reiterating his own contempt for government but without seriously addressing the issues Stephen raises. Stephen remains undeterred. With a training in adversarial legal process, he seems to appreciate such spats, regretting, in a later essay on Matthew Arnold, that Arnold’s response to criticisms was “too goodnatured”: “There is no pleasure in hitting a man who will not hit you back again; who says meekly that it is not his nature to ‘dispute on behalf of any opinion…very obstinately.’” Writing about Macaulay, he remarks that “the systematic vigour of his expressions must force his opponents, if they have any power of mind at all, into an attempt to invest their objections to them with something like equal clearness.” He appears, that is, to have a genuine confidence that polemic will lead, if not to truth, then at least in the right direction.

In any event, however heated the battle with Dickens became, there was no question of an attack ad personam . In 1858 Dickens separated from his wife of many years, the mother of their ten children, banishing her from the family home and publishing an ill-advised and defensive letter about their split in The Times . Stephen does not take advantage, even in an essay of 1863 on “common forms” in novels, in which the convenient death of David Copperfield’s foolish first wife, followed by a wiser second marriage, is offered as an example of a now-hackneyed plot formula: “You get an affecting deathbed, two courtships…wounded affection…all by the help of a process which enables the hero to have his cake and eat his cake.” “It is, indeed, a pity,” he ironizes, perhaps looking forward to modern academe, “that technical names should not be invented” for such tropes, “so that their peculiarities might be announced in the advertisements.”

Even when not writing about Dickens, Stephen’s aversion to the Dickensian ethos is implicit. Thackeray’s Barry Lyndon is admired for the convincing complexity of its characters and the absence of caricature, sentimentality, or moralizing: “The book has a moral, if the reader knows how to look for it; but it is kept in its proper place, and is suggested by the facts, instead of suggesting them.” Likewise Balzac’s characters are enjoyed for “the extraordinary good faith with which they are drawn,” without “melodramatic starts and fantastic tricks of expression,” while the author is commended for having apparently “studied with considerable depth and acuteness, and with a genuine wish to understand their working, many of the institutions amongst which he found himself placed.” If, when writing about vice and immorality, Balzac does so in the same spirit, he is entitled to the defense “J’écris pour les hommes, non pour les jeunes filles.” An English novel, on the other hand, Stephen regrets, being “in some respect like a sermon,” was addressed to such a wide public that “a large proportion of the most important social and moral subjects must of necessity be tabooed.”

This was one issue on which Dickens very much agreed. In a letter written during his long marital crisis he complained that public “morality” in England prevented a writer from tackling “any of the experiences, trials, perplexities, and confusions inseparable from the making or unmaking of all men!” But taboo subjects were not just a problem for novelists. Stephen remarks:

Most writers are so nervous about the tendencies of their books, and the social penalties of unorthodox opinion are so severe…that philosophy, criticism and science itself too often speak amongst us in ambiguous whispers what ought to be proclaimed from the house tops.

How familiar this last observation sounds. “There are few more instructive branches of literary inquiry,” Stephen begins an article on the essays of Addison and Steele, published 150 years before his time, “than the comparison of the different amusements of different generations.” The wit and elegance of these essayists, he notes, that “feeling of repose and security with regard to all the most important subjects,” are unimaginable in the 1850s, since “the substratum of belief which enabled them [to write as they did] no longer exists.” A modern writer no longer asks of “any line of conduct…whether it is right or wrong, true or false, wise or foolish, but whether it can be so represented as to enlist the reader’s sympathies.”

Reading this collection we are inevitably drawn to compare Stephen’s time with our own, another 150 years on. Indeed, comparison and contrast are the very nature of our riveted engagement with the book: we feel wonderment for a time when the novel dominated public discourse, fascination for the way Stephen can make assumptions that would be taboo today, and for the fact that novelists could not write about things then that are now described ad nauseam. On the one hand, one wishes to rush to defend Dickens (Ricks provides us with Ruskin’s remark that “Dickens’s caricature, though often gross, is never mistaken”); on the other hand, one has to acknowledge that the politicization of the novel (not to mention movies and TV series) that Stephen deplores is now so widely accepted and applauded that it would seem folly even to try to argue against it, unless perhaps by republishing the persuasive essays of a critic from the past.

It would not be difficult to build all kinds of defenses for the novel that Stephen ignores: for example, that each author’s particular perspective on life introduces us to a different world of feeling, which itself is part of reality; that the novels of the past offer us a taste of the ethos of the time, against which we can understand our own time better; or, as Ricks concludes, that the novel, “like all the arts,” exists to pose the questions “ What is truth? and What truth is there in this? ” But by responding in this way we simply acknowledge what Ricks calls “the valuable invitation that can be extended by a principled calling-in-question.”

Yet the interest of this collection goes far beyond any specific polemic, and if anything the invitation it extends is to think afresh not so much about the novel and journalism but about the entire phenomenon of heated cultural debate. The issues Stephen discusses remain sufficiently pertinent to stimulate our attention, but perhaps because the specific controversies are so distant, we find we can enjoy both sides of the argument and see how much its antagonists had in common, in the way they lay out their cases and in the principles they appeal to. The very eagerness to contest what the other thinks is a manifestation of lively community. Shrewdly framed by Ricks’s introduction and notes, On the Novel and Journalism proves unexpectedly heartening: the much-maligned Victorians offer good company; we need not feel we are alone in our present “culture wars.” Setting Stephen down, I even imagined that 150 years hence someone might read a collection of the writings of some protagonist of our own ill-tempered debates and conclude that we had a great deal more in common than we supposed.

Agreeing to Our Harm

“Ami Police”: A Story

More Than Just Acknowledgments

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David French

Clarence Thomas and John Roberts Are at a Fork in the Road

By David French

Opinion Columnist

Two years ago, when the Supreme Court decided New York State Rifle and Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen , it created a jurisprudential mess that scrambled American gun laws. On Friday not only did the cleanup begin, but the Supreme Court also cleared the way for one of the most promising legal innovations for preventing gun violence: red flag laws.

The Bruen ruling did two things. First, it rendered a sensible and, in my view, correct decision that the “right of the people to keep and bear arms,” as articulated in the Second Amendment, includes a right to bear arms outside the home for self-defense. But the right isn’t unlimited. As Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his concurrence in Bruen, the court did not “prohibit states from imposing licensing requirements for carrying a handgun for self-defense” and that “properly interpreted, the Second Amendment allows a ‘variety’ of gun regulations.”

At the same time, the court articulated a “text, history and tradition” test for evaluating gun restrictions in future federal cases. Under this test, gun control measures were constitutional only if the government could demonstrate those restrictions were “consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.” That was the most significant element of the Bruen case. Before Bruen, lower courts had struggled to establish a uniform legal test for evaluating gun restrictions, and the Supreme Court hadn’t provided any clarity.

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion in a 6-to-3 decision split along ideological lines. He applied the text, history and tradition test by walking through the very complex, often contradictory, history of American gun laws to determine whether New York’s restrictions had analogies with the colonial period or the periods after ratification of the Second Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment, which applied the Second Amendment to the states. Under a fair reading of Thomas’s opinion, lower courts would be hard pressed to uphold any gun restriction unless they could point to an obvious historical match.

Not only was the history messy, but judicial reliance on founding-era legislation suffers from an additional conceptual flaw: State legislatures are hardly stuffed with constitutional scholars. Then and now, our state legislatures are prone to enact wildly unconstitutional legislation.

Our courts exist in part to check legislatures when they go astray. The courts do not rely on legislatures to establish constitutional doctrine. In our divided system of government, legislators are not tasked with interpreting constitutional law. Yes, they should take the Constitution into account when they draft laws, but the laws they draft aren’t precedent. They do not and should not bind the courts.

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