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 2026-2027 intake are below.
2026-2027 Cambridge MBA Recommendation Questions
Personal Information
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.
- 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.
- Integrity
- Ability to work with others
- Creativity
- Motivation
- 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 to two page letter of reference for the candidate.
Please include the following in your reference letter:
- Date
- Your job title
- Your organisation
- Your name
- Your signature (can be electronic/typed/scanned)
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
1. Diversity: I am an Indian Male.
2. Acads: I have a BTech-Mtech dual degree from an IIT (got admit here with like 99.9 percentile in 1M+ students).
BTech GPA is 7.3/10, which is improved to 9/10 in MTech. I am using optional essays to explain the lower acads in BTech. My MTech GPA and then GMAT Focus 745(Q90, V88) shows an upward trajectory, which should be helpful.
3. Work: I have 5 years of software development experience in a big european tech company.
4. Leadership: I don't have a formal title for leadership in work. But a lot of leadership without authority and my letters of recommendations from current and previous supervisors can vouch for that.
5. Why MBA: Trying to build something on my own exposed gaps which MBA would help me fix. I have a strong thread going on with my childhood, college, extra curricular and with what I tried to built. Post-MBA goal of Product Management role in tech would build on top of my skills I gain at MBA to help me move in the direction of tech leadership which is my long term goal.
6. Inclination: Schools which have good tech recruitment for PM role, help build leadership skills for my long term goals, have good alumni network in tech and PM roles, and lastly a collaborative community that I would prefer. I would prefer to get scholarships because of tight finances.
7. Definitely applying in R1: Kellogg, Haas, Ross, Tuck, Fuqua, MIT Sloan
8. Not sure about: Harvard (Not sure about fit), Stanford (low selection chances + 0 scholarships hopes), London Business School (keeping because of visa situation), Cornell (Tech is good but will it help for my long term goal), McCombs (Not T15 ), UCLA (Not T15)
Please help me choose right schools and strategy for fit + scholarships based on my inclinations mentioned in point 6 above.
I want to apply for a Part Time MBA because work is giving Tuition Assistance next year. Already have a decent salary with a consulting position.
Since I'm not leaving the Philadelphia area, I'm generally only considering part time programs in the area.
How does my profile look for Full time and Part Time however?
CPA, masters degree (3.5 gpa), 1.5 years of local non profit board experience, 615 gmat focus. Promoted to senior associate after 2 years at big 4.
Looking for an honest assessment of whether M7 schools are realistic for me, or if I should focus more on T10/T15 given my GPA.
I'm a South Asian applicant who graduated from the top business school in my country with a 3.44 GPA. My GPA was dragged down by some weaker semesters early on, but I was above 3.6 throughout my last two years and showed a pretty strong upward trend academically. A lot of the early struggles were related to ADHD, which wasn't diagnosed until later during university.
I also have a 334 GRE (169Q, 165V).
Career wise, I spent 2 years at a research agency where I was fast-tracked to a leadership role, and the last 4 years at a Fortune 500 FMCG in consumer insights. My current company relocated me from my home country to their Tokyo office, where I've been working for the past 2 years, so I do have international experience and exposure to global stakeholders.
Outside of work, I volunteer as a freelance consultant for an NGO back home, helping them secure international grants and design vocational tech courses.
My post MBA goal is to pivot into strategy consulting in the US.
One thing I'm unsure about: I was diagnosed with ADHD during university and have been on medication since. Is this something worth mentioning in the optional essay to explain the GPA, or would it be better not to bring it up at all?
Would appreciate any thoughts on:
Whether M7 is a realistic target
How much my GPA hurts relative to the GRE
Whether the international transfer to Japan adds meaningful value
Whether mentioning ADHD is advisable
7 years of SWE at Big Tech
US undergrad with CS & Math major at Top 10 schools
330 (162 V, 168 Q)
Asian Female. Worked and lived in Asia, US, and London. I have various startup experiences (from internship and my side project).
Short-term: I want to pivot into PE or Infrastructure funds on tech/energy.
Long-term: I have family business on energy and power plants in Asia, which I want to expand into investment and operating platform on energy with technology.
Questions:
- I am thinking these 4 schools as round 1 (or maybe 1 more) and thinking part-time as round 2. Any change of programs/additional school recommendation?
- I know this is rather a hard career pivot and because I don't have previous experience on my family business nor finance, it is hard to weave in or show adcoms that I am serious. Thinking about previous startup experiences as the way to connect the dots. Any preference or advices on candidates for family business but without the family business background?