Cambridge Judge Business School – What Sets It Apart Among Top MBA Programs

Looking to get your MBA in 2023 or beyond? Then you don’t want to miss this conversation with Emily Brierley, Head of MBA Recruitment & Admissions at Cambridge Judge Business School! Cambridge Judge is consistently ranked as one of the top global MBA programs for consulting.

We discuss all things MBA, including:

• How to think about if an MBA is right for you
• Experiential learning opportunities at Cambridge Judge
• The nuts and bolts of the Cambridge Judge application process (including deadlines)
• How Judge helps students attain the career transitions they are aiming for
• Application tips for Judge

Judge’s round 3 application deadline is January 9, 2023. Learn more and apply today!

Additional Links:

• Learn more about the Cambridge Judge experience
• Connect with Emily on LinkedIn
• Work with MC to prepare your MBA application documents (i.e., personal essays)

Transcription: Cambridge Judge Business School – What Sets It Apart Among Top MBA Programs

MC: Namaan Mian 

Welcome to this episode of Strategy Simplified. Today I talk with Emily Brierley, the head of MBA recruitment and admissions at Cambridge Judge Business School. We talk about the value of an MBA, how you know when the right time is for you to pursue an MBA, what sets Cambridge Judge apart in the sea of top MBA programs, the value of a glocal network, and top application tips for how to break into Cambridge Judge and other top programs. Let’s dive in. Emily, I’m so excited to have you on Strategy Simplified today. Before we really dive into the conversation, where does this podcast find you today?

Emily Brierley 

I am sitting in my office in Cambridge, UK, at Cambridge Judge Business School. And surprisingly, it’s a sunny day, unseasonably warm autumn, which I think a lot of our international students are enjoying. So yeah, that’s where I’m speaking to you from.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Emily, that’s probably the biggest sales pitch you can make for Cambridge is it’s an unseasonably warm autumn, and it’s sunny outside. We could just end the conversation right there. Well, before we learn more about Judge and the admissions process, and what the experience is like at this really unique MBA program, I’m curious if you can introduce us to yourself, and just share a little bit about your background with me and with our audience.

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, absolutely. So first of all, thank you for inviting me to join the podcast. I’m delighted to be here. My name is Emily Brierley. I am the head of MBA admissions and recruitment at CJBS. I’ve worked in higher education in the UK for about 10 years now. Wow. Can’t believe it’s been that long. And it’s mostly been in admissions and student recruitment, with a specific focus on international student recruitment. Other than a very brief stint as a librarian about seven years ago, which is actually what brought me to Cambridge. The University of Cambridge has over 100 libraries. So if you’re going to be a librarian anywhere, it’s a pretty good place to be.

I moved back into admissions and recruitment about five years ago, where I worked in the university central Cambridge admissions office and for undergrads. I was part of a very small team and helped set up the university’s first international student recruitment team. So that was a really, really great experience to be a part of. And then finally, I moved to Cambridge Judge Business School into the MBA admissions and recruitment team about four years ago. And I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to head the team for the past year.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Wonderful. Well, before we dive into all of our questions about CJBS, let’s talk about the MBA more broadly, if you don’t mind. So, from your perspective, which I would say is an expert perspective, what should candidates think about when determining if an MBA is right for them? Because it’s that time of year. Everyone’s starting to think about applications and should I leave my job to go back to school. What should folks be thinking about? Do you have a framework that you recommend they use as they go through that decision making process? Can you just share some wisdom with us?

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, sure. That’s a really great question. And actually, everyone’s circumstances will be unique, because everyone has different priorities. If you have a family or a partner, they’re also part of the decision making process. So what I would say is, research is really key here. So it’s essential that candidates are looking at the different offerings of schools to determine which is the right fit for them. And not only during the program, so the curriculum, the student experience, but also afterwards and their future career. So which program is going to help them have the biggest impact in their career.

Another key thing candidates might want to think about, which i think is quite important, is location. So this is likely to be a key motivator, particularly when you’re thinking about your career and your network. So the top business schools around the world, they offer global MBA programs. You’ll be able to be a part of a global and diverse cohort whichever school you go to. They all provide the opportunity for global mobility. However, I would say that if you know that you want to work in a certain country after you finish the MBA, like the UK, it makes a lot more sense to target schools in that country. At Cambridge, the projects you’ll be doing, they’ll be with Cambridge based staff, companies in the UK. Whilst we do work with multi-national global companies, that’s where you’re going to be building your network, so it makes sense to kind of narrow it down if you have a specific post-MBA location in mind.

Another consideration is thinking about one year vs two years. So you do find the US model tends to be the more traditional two year MBA program, whereas the European framework is generally one year or 15 months. And there are pros and cons to both, and it’s really just about what is the right fit for you. There seems to be a general trend that the one year program, it attracts students with a higher number of years work experience, and you notice that the average age in each cohort is perhaps higher than the US two year model. And I think the reason being is we get a lot of students wanting to make a big change in their career, a big transition.

And with a higher number of years work experience, you don’t want to take more than one year out and have to fund a program for two years before you can start your new career. You want to start as soon as possible And so thinking about the type of cohort you wat to be a part of, what the network will be like that’s also really important thing to consider when you’re looking at MBA programs. And finally, I strongly encourage applicants to think about the values and ethos of all the schools you might want to apply to. Do these align to yours, is there a place where you can see yourself. An MBA is a lot of money, it’s a huge investment in both your time and your money so you need to ensure that you are picking the right school and program and location to get the biggest return on investment.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Absolutely, I think that’s a really comprehensive and wise answer. And I want to dig into a couple of things that you said there Emily. So the first thing that you mentioned is the importance of research. And when I run across a lot of prospective candidates, I think that their definition of research is well, I’m going to do a lot of Googling. I’m sure that you mean something different. Can you give us some best practices for research as you’re examining prospective MBA programs?

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, absolutely. So I mean, you have the kind of obvious things like attending MBA events, whether these are recruitment events with third providers, such as MBA tours, and meeting schools who are out on tour, visiting your country. Or online events, obviously the push to COVID has meant that schools have a more comprehensive online offering, which you can attend at any time, wherever you are in the world. Speaking to admissions teams is really, really vital, particularly in terms of finding out about your eligibility.

A lot of schools have application fees, they’re not cheap. And if you’re applying to multiple schools, you want to make sure that your application will be considered before you make the application. Alumni and current students, definitely try and speak to them when possible. They are best placed to tell you about the experience, they’ve lived it, particularly in terms of the careers impact. Each school does have different ways they facilitate meetings with alumni and current students. So at Cambridge, we would facilitate that a bit later on in the admissions process. So if you’re not sure, best to check with the schools you’re interested in.

And then there’s things like rankings. Some people put more emphasis on rankings. The FT is obviously a huge one. But actually what we find in speaking to some of the students that have come to Cambridge, they find like the MBA forums, podcasts like this have actually been the most beneficial to talk to other people who are going through the same process to share best practice. And things like Poets and Quants, they post a lot about all the big MBA programs and students that have come through the program. So they’re also really great resources as well.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Wonderful. One of the other things that you mentioned was the importance of a regional network or identifying which country or region you’d like your career to be based in, and choosing an MBA program based off of that. I would imagine that one of the benefits of a program like CJBS, is that it gives you what I would call a glocal network. You get the regional strength, you also get the benefit of a global network. Would you say that that’s accurate?

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, absolutely. And when I’m saying about location, I don’t want to limit people. You might be wanting to study in the UK, and then go off and work in Asia. We had this amazing student a few years ago, I met him in Peru. He was an engineer, he came and studied at Cambridge, and he’s now a product manager for shop in Singapore. You’ll be able to do the triple jump, if that’s what you want to. CJBS has a global reputation. The University of Cambridge has a global reputation. We have alumni all around the world.

The cohorts themselves are very diverse. In the current class, it’s 46 nationalities for a class of 210. So yes, you will leave with a global network. I just think if you know you want to be in a particular place afterwards, particularly in terms if you’re thinking about visas, if you require a visa, then you’re kind of putting yourself in a bit better position if you’re already in that country. And it might just help narrow down where you apply if you really aren’t sure, but please don’t let that be a hindrance to applying to schools elsewhere, because it really shouldn’t be. It’s just a suggestion If you have a specific place in mind, that’s just a tip.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Absolutely. One factor among many.

Emily Brierley 

Yes.

MC: Namaan Mian 

So you’ve already started to mention some of the differentiating factors of the Judge MBA experience: the alumni network, the fact that there’s 46 nationalities represented. Can you talk to us a little bit more about what in your eyes differentiates the program from other top programs?

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, absolutely. So we place a lot of emphasis on practical learning. And I would say that we are one of the most experiential MBA programs. So this idea of having real world impact is incredibly important to us. And this is demonstrated through the projects we offer throughout the year, the CVP, the GCP. And this allows students to apply what they have learned in each term in the classroom to real life situations. I’d say another key differentiator is the network you will build. I know I’ve already kind of touched on this.

So we have around 200 students in each cohort. And we do think that this is the optimum class size to build meaningful relationships, really get to know your classmates and develop a strong international network. But also beyond the MBA network, you are going to be a member of the University of Cambridge and a member of one of the 31 colleges. So the great thing about the colleges is they’re not organized by subject, they are multidisciplinary. So that’s a really, really great, and I guess unique, can I say unique? The other places also does it, but quite unique way to broaden your network and meet students studying a range of different subjects. And it will just add a completely different dimension to your time in the program. So you won’t just be with other business school students.

And we’ve even had some MBAs go on and start businesses with students, such as engineers, that they meet in their college after the program. And then finally, I do just want to say one other thing, which I was thinking about earlier, and I don’t think it’s something that we highlight enough. But I think something that sets us apart is the type of leaders we develop on the program. So during the first and second term on the MBA, as students take a core course called management practices. So the first term looks at team dynamics, team building, and the second term is very much on team leading.

But the course isn’t just designed to develop leaders, it teaches students how to be a good leader, an ethical leader. This is always reflected in the feedback we get from companies. When our alumni go out and they work in companies, we receive fantastic feedback on the type of leaders that we’ve nurtured on the program. And I always think that’s a really, really wonderful thing to hear.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Absolutely. Do you mind unpacking that a little bit more for us? What in your mind or in the eyes of the program separates a good leader from a great leader, or an ethical leader from perhaps the the generic leader that every other program is developing?

Emily Brierley 

I think it really comes down to, and I’m very on brand with this, and this will crop up a lot is the collaboration. Yes, a team needs a leader, but a leader is also part of that team, and how, as a leader, you manage that team, you navigate that team to whatever the company’s objectives are, or just the team’s objectives are. I think that’s a really key component.

We actually have a question about collaboration on our on our application form. And it’s like, tell us about a time when you’re part of a team. And I’m always amazed at how many responses focus on the person as a leader. And yes, there is collaborative leadership, and that’s very important. But it’s quite amazing how many people immediately jump to their role in a team as a leader, rather than kind of their role in the team as just one of many. So I’d say that that for me is kind of what what sets it apart.

MC: Namaan Mian 

That’s an important distinction.   Emily, you mentioned programs like the CVP, the GCP. For those who aren’t familiar with the acronyms, can you talk to us about what those experiential learning programs are. And my assumption is that they’re almost like mini consulting projects that students are staffed on. And you can correct me if I’m wrong, but can you just talk to us about what the experiential learning looks like, inside the program?

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, I mentioned these earlier, as kind of one of our key differentiators as it is an integral part of the Cambridge MBA. And we know from student feedback that these are really the highlight of the program for the students. So the students undertake four projects throughout the year. And this really allows them to solidify what they’ve learned in each term apply it to a real-world situation. Back to the collaboration thing, three of them are group projects, and two of which you’re working for real companies or nonprofits. So I guess in some sense, yeah, they are almost staffed, at least for the global consulting project anyway.

In the summertime, the fourth term is an individual project. And students can do a work placement, which is kind of like an internship, an individual project or a research paper. So the Cambridge venture project is the first project in the first term. And it’s usually with a local startup, or SME, and students will be working on an innovative project. There’s some really, really fantastic and interesting projects for students to get involved in. Just a couple that always really stand out to me over the past few years. So we had one group looking at developing a charitable infrastructure to support families affected by rare neuro transmitter diseases. It’s quite a mouthful. And another group, were looking at spatial AI, and they were identifying product market fit in the robotics and drones industry.

The CVP really complements management practice, which I’ve already mentioned in the first term, when your focus is on team dynamics, team building. So you’re already assigned to a study group when you arrive to start the program, which you will work on with your CVP with. And these are engineered to be as diverse as possible. So you’ll be working with peers from a range of different backgrounds and industries. And that project is a really great introduction to Silicon Fen, and many of our students keep in contact with their client throughout the year. In the second term, the students will work on the global consulting project for about a month at the end of the second term. And they’ll work as a group to deliver for the client. So you’ll be working on a real life project for a company. So you know, if a company is looking at going into a new market, is it financially viable. Do they want to do that. A group of our MBAs would look into that, and then report that to the company, and give their recommendations and their findings. And companies make real decisions based on what our students tell them. So it’s a really, really fantastic project. And obviously, this is something you can put on your CV, and speak about later on with potential employers. This can be based in the UK or potentially overseas.

We’ve had students work with global companies, such as Lego, Patagonia, with NGOs, such as the WHO and the UN. And some summer individual projects and work placements have come out as a result of the GCP. So it’s kind of a spin off from that. So it’s a really great way to showcase yourself to an employer that you might want to work with, post MBA. We have a projects team that sources a portfolio of these, but students can source their own. And something that I always think is really, really lovely and just like really testimony to the like strong network we have at Cambridge is that you’ll get a student who perhaps works for a company and they know that a peer wants to perhaps work with them afterwards. So they’ll speak to their former company and try and source a project for them. So I just think that just really encapsulates kind of the community we have at Cambridge.

And then in the third term, you do the board impact project. And this ties in with your concentration choice. And you’ll present your findings as a group to a simulated executive board. But really, the projects are there to allow students to gain real world experience. You know, a lot of our students want to make a big transition. And it’s really difficult if you don’t have any experience in that area, so it does provide them with these real world examples that they can later draw on in interviews.

MC: Namaan Mian 

To me, that’s one of the biggest differentiators in the program. It’s one of my favorite parts of the program is the focus on experiential learning. I place a lot of value in classroom learning, but not nothing beats real-world experience.

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And you’re basically like having a job interview on the spot. In a GCP, you perform well, sure. If you want to do some work placement with us, we know what your abilities are, we know that you’ll do a good job. So absolutely, I agree.

MC: Namaan Mian 

So, Emily, you’re on Strategy Simplified. It’s the world’s largest consulting podcast. So you had to know that I was going to ask you specifically about breaking into management consulting after the judge MBA experience. So can you just talk to us about what percentage of the typical class goes into management consulting, who are the top firms that recruit MBAs from Cambridge, and is this a good transition point for prospective candidates if the goal is I want to do consulting post MBA?

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, no, of course. So moving into consulting, strategy management, consulting is still a very common motivation for undertaking an MBA. I do just want to say something at this point, because there is something I always encourage students to do is to go into an MBA with an open mind. You get a lot of students who join the program with a very fixed career objective. But actually, once they’re on the program, they’re exposed to a range of different industries and functions that perhaps they haven’t come across before. And it’s not uncommon for students to go in a completely different direction at the end of the MBA. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from going into consulting in any way whatsoever. But definitely, always just keep an open mind and then be open to new ventures when you start your program, because you’ll be amazed at what you come across.

But yeah, so we survey our class, each class three months after finishing the program, about their jobs. And the latest employment report, 25% of the cohort went into consulting. And this is pretty typical year on year, at least for the last few years. Of those, 70% came from a non-consulting background. So really testimony to if you’re looking at making that big transition, if you don’t have that experience, it is possible to do that and make that move. 56% of those who went into consulting, of the 25% overall, went into strategy or management consulting. And again, this is pretty typical for our cohort each year.

So just over half of those going into consulting, go into strategy or management. And the top recruiters were McKinsey, BCG and OC&C. What I would say is we are a relatively small MBA program compared to some of our peers. And we never have huge numbers of students just at one particular company. The Careers team objective is to help students achieve their post MBA goals, regardless of what they are, not simply just see how many people can get into MBB.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Absolutely. Well, can we talk a little bit more about that career support? How does the program help students attain the career transitions they’re aiming for?

Emily Brierley 

Yes, so there is a full careers provision here at Cambridge during your MBA, and it is a core part of the experience. So the careers team will begin to work with our students before they’ve even arrived, to prepare them for return to study. For many people, it’s the first time they’ve been in school for a long time, but particularly to get you started with the career development work. And this is really, really important, actually, and anyone that makes an application will see on the careers objectives essay, we actually ask students to tell us what they’re doing now. I think a lot of people have this idea of an MBA as the golden ticket, you do it, and then all your career dreams come true. And actually, it’s a lot of hard work. And those students who do the best on the program, and achieve their post-MBA career goals, really graft, work really, really hard. But you’ll have the support of the careers team and the MBA program team.

So the careers team’s focus is to provide a program of professional development, sector and functional insights, career management skills, and recruitment opportunities. So the team works with a range of expert consultants from the different sectors to work with students individually. So the team is continually talking to recruiters to understand their requirements, which are, of course, obviously changing. And delivering over 1000 workshops, advisory sessions and recruitment events throughout the year. And again, I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I think this is also one of our key differentiators.

And it’s not just for careers, actually. I speak into alumni and current students, I hear this a lot, just how open the business school is. Faculty walk around, you can stop and have a conversation with them. It’s kind of a very personalized service, so the fact that we have kind of 200 students it does allow these close interactions between careers and individual students, so we can give students the extra support they need to make that career jump or transition or impact, or whatever it is they want to do.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Absolutely. I think it’s one of the benefits of a, “smaller” program is the support that you’re able to leverage and the relationships that you’re able to build. Now, along with that smaller program, Emily, I would assume that placements are competitive. And you started to talk about the application process and essays. You’re the head of MBA recruitment and admissions. Can you talk to us about what sets top candidates apart from everyone else? And what some of your top tips are for those who are listening that may be considering applying for the MBA program at Cambridge Judge.

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, really great question. I obviously get asked this a lot. And actually, often people often ask me what the ideal candidate is. And I find that quite a difficult question. Because if you are really intent on building a diverse cohort, then you can’t expect there to be one cookie cutter MBA that everyone needs to fit into. So of course, there are a few things we expect all our candidates to have. These very much form the kind of basic entry requirements such as academics and work experience. We do want to see candidates who have progressed in their career. You don’t necessarily have to have leadership experience. It’s not a prerequisite for the Cambridge MBA. But we are looking for candidates who have leadership potential.

We’ll come back to the favorite word at Cambridge: collaboration. We are looking for candidates who have something to contribute, who want to be a part of a global MBA network. And while I’m on the topic of collaboration, I will tell you probably my top application tip on this, and what stands out for a strong application and sets it apart from others. And I don’t see it as often as I would like. So when completing an application, and I guess this applies to any school, but thinking about what you’re going to bring to the cohort, you obviously want to talk about the takeaways. You’re doing an MBA for a reason, what do you want to do afterwards.

But something that always stands out for me is someone who’s kind of stopped and thought about what actually am I going to bring? What is my contribution to the cohort, and what peers are going to learn from me. Peer-to-peer learning is so crucial at Cambridge. And if you’ve done your research into our program, or listen to this podcast, you now know that collaboration is paramount. You’re going to do so much work in groups in the program. So we do need to know that people are going to be team players, they’re going to bring energy to collaborative learning.

So when I see an applicant talk about what they’ll bring to the program, CJBS, the wider university just demonstrates that they’ve done the research and they understand the ethos and the values here at Cambridge. And that, to me always stands out as a really, really exceptionally strong application. And also, this applies to any of the schools you’re thinking about applying to. You want to try and work in the schools values into your application and any of your essay responses.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Emily, let’s say I tick those boxes. Let’s say I’ve really thought hard about what I can contribute to the cohort. I’ve progressed in my career, this is the right time for me to make a career transition. I really feel strongly that folks will be able to learn from my experience, and I’ll be able to learn from their experience as well as we go through the program together. And now let’s say I’ve heard you talk on today’s podcast, and I am sold on Cambridge, and I’m sold on the Judge experience. Can you just talk us through the application process? What are some of the deadlines? What does the timeline look like? Are you able to share with us what the essay topics are? Can you just prepare us for what’s ahead if we’re planning to apply?

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, of course. So we have five application rounds in each cycle. So we have just closed for round two. And the next round that you can apply in is round three, which will be on Monday, the ninth of January, 2023. Goodness me, we’re almost there. Our full list of application deadlines and dates is on the website. But I believe the last date is April, round five. So when you’re applying, you will need to complete the online application form. Just be aware, especially if you’re applying to multiple schools, they’re not short things. And obviously you want to be able to tailor each one to each school. So make sure you allow enough time to kind of give it give it everything.

You’ll need to provide all your supporting documents, so just transcripts, GMAT or GR,E we’d have a preference, and one professional reference. Just one little tip I would say is really trying to ensure that you submit a complete application. It’s not a great look if the admissions committee has to chase you up for missing documents, or you haven’t provided a GMAT or GRE. So just ensure that when you submit, you have everything ready to go. So for Cambridge, we have four essays on our application. I briefly mentioned the careers objectives one earlier. So this is essentially your personal statement, your supporting statement. And it will focus on your motivations for doing an MBA, your motivations for Cambridge specifically, your short and long term career goals post-MBA.

And again, like I mentioned, evidence of what you’re doing now to make those career goals a reality. What steps have you already taken? Who are you speaking to? There are then three shorter essays that we have, which are really designed to allow the admissions committee and insight into who you are beyond the CV and beyond the academics. My colleague always refers to it as is the opportunity for you to allow the real person to jump out on the page. And we just recommend that you approach the essays like you would any interview. What happened, what did you learn, and what was the outcome.

In regard to the timeline after you’ve made an application, so I always just say to candidates, remember the number three, just like any great fairy tale, you can expect to hear from us within three weeks of the application deadline as to whether we’re inviting you to interview or you haven’t been successful, or potentially may put you on a short waiting list to be considered in the next round. If you are invited to interview, then that will take place around three weeks after that. And then finally, the final outcome will be sent around three weeks after the interviews take place.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Emily, can you quickly give us some tips for the interview itself? What are you looking for as you’re speaking with candidates face-to-face or face-to-face over zoom, whatever it looks like. What can I do to set myself apart as I’m having the conversation with you and the broad team?

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, this is a really great question. So actually, I think we’re quite unique in this. In fact, I think we may be the only school that do this. And this is why the University of Cambridge historical rule. It’s been 800 years, they can’t remember to change them all. So faculty interview for us. So everyone that studies at Cambridge has to be interviewed by a faculty member. And actually, applicants are a little bit nervous when they hear that, but actually, it’s very much a conversation. And candidates come out of the interviews and have just actually really enjoyed the experience and had a really great time, and had really interesting conversations. I would say prepare, again, prepare like you would any other interview.

Read through your application, it might have been a while since you last looked at it. Just remind yourself what you said, and think of some questions you’d have for the faculty. I think the faculty is very much just going to be gauging you’re fit for the program, will you be able to manage the academic rigor of the program. And one pitfall I would say in something to avoid, a lot of students think that they have to impress the faculty member by knowing all about their research. You might not be interested in their research, and that’s absolutely fine. In fact, I think faculty would absolutely love it, if you disagreed with them, and had a healthy debate with them.

They’re really looking to see what you do with new information. How do you manage when you’re given a new piece of information? What do you do with it, how do you process that, and what are your thoughts and opinions. So very much just bring your authentic self. You don’t need to impress anyone. If you are intent on Cambridge, and  you’ve kind of prepared properly, then that will come through in the interview.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Amazing. That’s a really, really unique model, having faculty conduct the interviews. You’re right. I don’t think I’ve heard of any other program doing that.

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, I do think we might be the only one.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Well, Emily, thanks so much for joining us today. Before I let you go, I want to ask you just a lightning round of more fun personal questions. We’d like to get to know you a little bit better as a person here on Strategy Simplified. So I’m going to ask you a couple of personal questions. I think there’s going to be some nuggets of wisdom that we’re able to extract from you in these questions as well. But first one, you mentioned earlier, your biggest rival in the UK, not by name, you said the other place. And I have to ask you, is that a rule at Cambridge? Are you not allowed to name the other place, or what is that like when are you talking about that rival?

Emily Brierley 

It’s so funny, actually, because that’s what they call it here. And it is a joke. And it’s not that we can’t say it, but it’s just become known as “the other place” that they say that. So I think actually, people are quite surprised to just Cambridge and Oxford collaborate so much on everything. And actually, we have some MBA-specific events for Oxford and Cambridge MBAs. So I think there’s actually a consulting MBA recruitment event that takes place in London that they both attend. So not quite the rivalry people think on the MBA program, maybe.

But when it comes to sport, absolutely. We’ve had many MBAs that have taken place in the annual boat race against Oxford. We had a couple of MBAs a couple of years ago who did the varsity match at Twickenham, the rugby varsity match, which was amazing, because all the cohort went along to support them, which was just like a really, really great experience for everyone. So yes, I think when it comes to the important things, like rugby and boat racing, then yes, the rivalry is very much there.

MC: Namaan Mian 

I believe that. Emily, is there one piece of career or life advice you would go back and share with your 18 or 21 year old self? You haven’t really started your career yet. Is there one piece of advice you’d give yourself that maybe a young listener of ours can benefit from?

Emily Brierley 

You know, I absolutely love this. This is one of our essay questions on the MBA application. And I’ve often thought about how I would answer this if I was making an application. So thank you for turning the tables and putting me in the hot seat. For me, I think if I was speaking to my 18 year old self, and she would listen, I would probably a bit obvious, but I’ll explain it a bit more. I’d probably tell her it’s okay to fail, again, and again, and again. And this is something I did learn way too late in life. And it was actually something in my personal life that helped me to learn that I’ve since been able to then apply to my career and professional development, and everything else I kind of apply myself to.

So I like to climb. I started about six years ago. And I remember when I first started, I was so conscious of falling off the wall and getting embarrassed. Like, what if other people saw me, and oh, my gosh, what if they laugh. And it took me a while to realize that actually, who cares, and no one’s paying you any attention at all, everyone’s you know, focused on their own development. So once I got over this, I realized it’s okay to fall and to keep falling. Because that’s the space where you grow, right? When you make mistakes, because you’re the only person that was responsible for your own journey and with development, whether personal or professional, is very rarely linear. So every time you fall, you learn a little something that you can apply to the next stage. And eventually, you’ll get it right and reach the top if you want to keep the climbing metaphor going. But I actually also feel that when you’ve worked at something to achieve, it actually feels better than something coming naturally, and getting it right the first time. So that would be my advice.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Do you have a favorite place that you’ve climbed?

Emily Brierley 

Favorite place that I’ve climbed, Cape Town. I love Cape Town.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Oh, that’s on my bucket list for sure.

Emily Brierley 

It’s probably my favorite place in the world. I’ve been there a couple of times, and I just absolutely love it. The people, the food, the scenery, mountains, sea, everything right there. It’s lovely. Definitely go.

MC: Namaan Mian  

So what’s the next step on your travel bucket list?

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, great question. So I’m really lucky, I’ve been able to travel a lot. But I guess one region I haven’t explored as much out of like, is Asia. And I guess on top of that list would have to be Japan. For many reasons, not just the obvious stuff, the food, seeing the cherry blossoms. But probably for more nerdy stuff. So I love Studio Ghibli. I’ve also really recently got into reading contemporary Japanese literature translated, I do not speak Japanese. And climbing. So climbing is a huge sport in Japan. I’m not sure if you saw the Olympics or anyone watches any of the IFSC, but there are some incredibly inspiring female Japanese climbers, such as Akiyo Noguchi. So yeah, it sounds really silly to say, but if I went to Tokyo, the second thing I’d do after the Studio Ghibli museum would probably be to go to a climbing gym.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Yeah, that’s how you know it’s a passion. Emily, is there one piece of content that you’re reading, watching, listening to right now that’s inspiring you or that you’d just like to share with the world?

Emily Brierley 

Yeah, good question. So I’m an avid reader, mostly fiction. But occasionally I do dabble in nonfiction. And when I do, it tends to be biographies of sport climbers, you probably guessed it, particularly climbers. But things that are very much focused on mindset, resilience and zeal in the face of adversity. You can physically be the strongest climber in the world. But if you do not have the right mindset, then you will not be able to climb at your best.

A couple of books I’ve read recently that maybe really stood out to me. So Tommy Caldwell’s Push, very much his memoir about and the story behind when he ascended the Dawn Wall with Kevin Jorgensen in 2015. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but he sawed off his finger when he was younger. And he talks about the recovery process and how he had to relearn to climb after the injury, and something that everyone told him he wouldn’t ever be able to do again.

And another book, which is fantastic and definitely read, it’s called No Picnic on Mount Kenya. So this is a true story about three Italian prisoners of war in a British camp in East Africa in the second world war, who escaped from the camp to climb Mount Kenya, only to then break back into it in the camp afterwards. So sorry for any spoilers on that one. I mean, that would have been a great feat in any circumstances, but all the more epic that in 1940s they had limited climbing gear, and they were massively malnourished, being prisoners of war. So yeah, that’s a really great story about resilience, teamwork, and yeah, just like the human spirit.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Emily, I’ve got two new books to add to list. Emily Brierley is the head of MBA recruitment and admissions at Cambridge Judge Business School. She joins us from her office in sunny Cambridge. Emily, thanks so much for being with us today.

Emily Brierley 

Thanks, Namaan. Thank you for having me on the podcast. It’s been really great to chat with you.

MC: Namaan Mian 

Thanks for listening to this episode of Strategy Simplified. If you liked what you heard, leave us a rating or review on Apple podcast and Spotify. We’ll see you next time.