Cambridge Judge

This review was written by Nirvan Gandhi on 5th April, 2025

Cambridge Judge: One Building, a Billion Possibilities (But Let’s Keep It Real)

The Newsroom, Wikipedia, and MacKenzie McHale’s Alma Mater

There’s this brilliant scene from Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom that played into my head the moment I stepped into Cambridge.

Let me play it out for you:

MacKenzie McHale: I need you to change my Wikipedia page.
Neal Sampat: Sure.
MacKenzie McHale: I checked, and for some reason, it says I was president of the Oxford Union.
Neal Sampat: Weren’t you?
MacKenzie McHale: [Disapprovingly] No. I went to Cambridge.
Neal Sampat: Right. Aren't they the same?
MacKenzie McHale: What. Do you know who all went to Cambridge? John Milton, Charles Darwin, Jane Goodall, Alan Turing, E.M. Forster, Stephen Hawking, the King of Jordan, Prime Minister of India (Dr Manmohan Singh), and three signatories to the Declaration of Independence.
Will McAvoy: Mac, I wonder if you can switch me off. You’re screaming names of smart people in my ear.
MacKenzie McHale: Sorry.
Will McAvoy: They teach you that at Oxford?

Classic Sorkin. But also—solid truth.

Because that’s the real flex of Cambridge.

It’s not about a flashy business school building. It’s about centuries of brilliance, merged into a town that feels like it runs on thought.

Now… let's talk about Judge, the business school.

Ameer Asaan
Cambridge Judge (CO'26),

First Impressions: The Town is Magical. The B-school? Meh.

I visited Judge.

And look—I’m all about giving it to you straight.

If you’re expecting a lush, expansive, castle-style campus, Judge might disappoint you.
It’s basically one building. Not “a campus.” Just… a building. A pretty decent one, but not remotely what you’d expect from a brand like Cambridge.

No quadrangle walks. No hidden gardens. Just a professional, efficient space where business happens.

But when you walk out of that building?

You’re in Cambridge.
The actual town. The full academic buzz. Gothic chapels. Bicycles everywhere. College crests etched in stone. Cafés where Newton scribbled notes and Stephen Hawking might’ve had coffee.

It’s not a B-school bubble. It’s a universe of learning and thinking.

And that’s where Judge gets its soul—from everything around it.

The Brand Name: It’s Cambridge, Not Just Judge

Let’s be real.

You don’t apply to “Judge” the way people apply to “Wharton” or “Kellogg.”
You apply to Cambridge. That’s the name that matters.

And that’s okay.

Because that name—Cambridge—carries a weight that no brochure can fake.

Doors open. People take you seriously. It’s not about Google MBA rankings—it’s about legacy, credibility, and instant recall.

I tell my students this all the time:
If your goal is to have a universally respected tag on your resume—something that works in Mumbai, London, Dubai, or Lagos—Cambridge delivers.

MBA Structure: One Year, All-In

Cambridge Judge runs a classic one-year MBA. And it’s packed tight.

You’ll go through:

4 terms of intense coursework
A live consulting project (called the GCP)
Workshops, electives, and entrepreneurship events
All crammed into 12 months of go-go-go

It’s for people who know how to hit the ground running.
You won’t get weeks to “explore.” You’ll be doing, reflecting, adjusting, and executing in a tight loop.

And here’s something I personally didn’t like...

There’s no January intake.
Unlike INSEAD or HEC Paris, which give you that mid-year start and internship window, Judge only admits in September.

So if you’re someone who’s depending on a summer internship to pivot—you’ll need to rethink your game plan.

Cambridge = Startup Capital of the UK (Yes, More Than London)

Here’s something nobody tells you enough:

Cambridge has more startups per square foot than London.

It’s wild.

There’s the Cambridge Science Park, St John’s Innovation Centre, and dozens of early-stage VCs floating around the area.

If you’re into:

Deep tech
Bio + MedTech
AI/ML applications
EdTech or Social Impact startups

...this place is buzzing.

And Judge gives you access. Through:

Entrepreneurship Centre
Mentorship Programs
Accelerators like Accelerate Cambridge
Ties to the University’s research community

It’s not just a safe space for aspiring founders. It’s a real launchpad.

Class Vibe: Small, Smart, Global

With just around 200 students per intake, Judge keeps things intimate.

This means:

You’ll actually know your classmates
You’ll work in diverse teams constantly
Your voice will be heard

It also means the school chooses carefully.
They want people who can add to a team, not just look good on a spreadsheet.

Expect to meet:

People from 40+ countries
Ex-consultants, bankers, product managers
NGO folks, medics, lawyers, startup founders

And almost everyone has interesting edges to their story.

Careers: Solid If You’re Smart About It

Cambridge Judge isn’t an M7-style recruitment factory—but it plays smart.

Where grads go:

Consulting (yes, MBB hires here)
Tech/Product roles (Amazon, Google, Meta, fintechs)
Startups + Entrepreneurship (huge ecosystem around you)
Impact/Policy (for those leveraging the university ties)

If you’re trying to work in the UK or Europe, Judge holds up well.

If your dream is a US job straight after—this might not be the easiest path, unless you have the visa or passport already sorted.

The Alumni Network: Not Massive, But Super Valuable

Here’s the trick.

Judge is a small school. But Cambridge alumni is a different beast.

When you join Judge, you become part of the University of Cambridge alumni network.
That’s hundreds of thousands of people. Across sectors. Across geographies. Across centuries.

You won’t just be cold-messaging MBA grads.
You’ll be connecting with researchers, founders, diplomats, authors, scientists, and weirdly brilliant people who’ve shaped industries.

That’s a huge win. Especially long-term.

Final Verdict: Should You Apply to Cambridge Judge?

✅ Go for Judge if:

You want a global one-year MBA from a university brand everyone respects
You’re looking to work in the UK or Europe post-MBA
You’re into startups, deeptech, or innovation-driven work
You value tight cohorts and smart peers
You’d love to live in an old-school academic town (and not a big city)

❌ Maybe reconsider if:

You’re looking for a “real campus experience” (this ain’t that)
You want big MBA events, 20+ electives, and club overload
You’re targeting US jobs right after MBA
You want a school with massive recruiting power in finance

Final Thoughts (From a Guy Who Walked Through that Door)

Judge isn’t fancy. It doesn’t try to be.

It’s not here to sell you the American MBA dream.
It’s here to give you a Cambridge-backed, sharp, intense one-year reset—alongside a smart, global set of peers.

If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t need bells and whistles—just real outcomes and a legendary university name behind you—then Judge might be exactly the kind of underrated gem you need to consider.

And if you’re unsure whether this school fits your story—I’m here to help you figure that out.