The Cambridge MBA got 16th (5th among one-year MBAs) in FT Global MBA Ranking 2014

Judge Business School ranked at 16th, as same as the last year's, in FT Global MBA ranking 2014.

If you pick up one-year MBA programmes, it ranked at 5th, following

1. INSEAD (5th in total ranking);
2. IMD (12th);
3. IE (13th); and
4. Kellogg (15th).

This means the first out of one-year programmes in UK, not to mention going beyond the other place. :-)

What is actually more interesting is trivial stuff: Judge ranked at:

• 7th in Value for Money;
• 8th in Aims Achieved;
• 10th in Career Progress; however,
• 47th in Alumni Recommendation.

This suggest something like "Judge was good biz school, because I got what I wanted for I paid; however, other guys were bit awkward with whom I would NOT like to work." Anyway, I am looking forward to answering those questionnaires. 

We've blown off by the Windy City :-(

The team of Cambridge MBA, including myself, lost in the Kellogg biotech case competition. To be precise, actually this year it was about childhood pneumonia in Uganda, an urgent issue in public-health.

Anyway, the chilly winds (minus 15-20 Celsius Degree at night!!) of the Windy City just blew us off, miserably.

Lake Michigan, with Google's funny snowing effect; Evanston, IL, US

Collaboration in Cambridge MBA

Quite often, the Cambridge MBA is referred to its "Collaborative" culture. But in reality, how much "collaboration" is counted in assessment?

First of all, I just split assessment of assignments in each course into "Group" or "Individual". Through calculating the average weighted by credit,  I have found that 40% of the Michaelmas assessment and more than half, or 53% depending on electives you take, of the Lent were related to "Group".

The implication: around half of your marks are dependent on your group, which is more or less uncontrollable as randomly assigned by the Programme Office. It is obvious that the Cambridge MBA with Distinction can be partially dependant on your luck.

The Lent term of Cambridge MBA has just begun.

Lent term has started this week. Overall, I have five core course and two electives (and one audit). As for electives, I chose very abstract one (Philosophy) and very practical one (Strategic Pricing), remaining four elective spots in the next Easter term, when actually more interesting courses will come.

Core

• Strategy
• Marketing
• Operations Management
• Cost Management and Control
• Negotiation skills (no assessment)
• Global Consulting Project, ideally in a public organisation in the healthcare industry as a part of Health Strategy Concentration

Electives

• Philosophy in Business
• Strategic Pricing
• (Audit: The International Film Business)

Outside MBA

• Join 30 talks/seminars/conferences
• 2014 Kellogg Biotech & Healthcare Case Competition
• (Continued) i-Teams Plus – a further investigation of a hydrogen generation technique for fuel cells and combustion
• (Continued) Macroeconomic researcher work for a Japanese policy think-tank

Finally but most importantly, I begin preparing applications for next year's MPhil (Master of Philosophy, which is a prerequisite if I pursue PhD course thereafter) course.

Now is the time to go for my future, which is yet enjoyably uncertain.

Three exams for the Michaelmas courses are done anyway

Three exams on Corporate Finance, Accounting II, and Organisational Behaviour are anyway done. My confidence is:

• Corporate Finance: probably better than average, despite the entire Q4 of 10 marks skipped
• Accounting II: better than average, especially for questions on pension benefit obligations (Q1) and accounting regulation changes (Q2)
• Organisational Behaviour: surely lower than average yet hopefully over 50 marks, as time spent too much on culture (Q2) and thus less on leadership (Q1), even both culture and leadership questions are expected beforehand

Whatever the results will be, it's over and thus no sense to reflect back now as it became sunk. After all, 2013 Michaelmas term ended officially for MBA students. Now I should focus on future: preparing an entrepreneurial project and MPhil applications.

New Year 2014 Targets

Last year's targets were to join an international MBA and to decide a course after it. I caught them luckily.

A cat catching, or presumably stealing, a fish, at Tetouan, Morocco.

With those targets very well achieved, now is the time for setting new year's ambitious ones, at lovely Chefchaouen in Morocco.

New year's Eve's sunset of Chefchaouen, Morroco

This year's targets are, in the less priority order:

1. Grow peppermint;
2. Practice golfing;
3. Complete the Cambridge MBA course;
4. Write its final dissertation among economics, corporate governance, and network theory;
5. Confirm a place on MPhil in behavioural science, social science, or economics; and last and actually least but essential,
6. Draft a story of Science Fiction in my native tongue.

Still much to do in my life, and thus to enjoy greatly. Even my will is just an illusion comprised of my body and brain, I would love to live with it.

An essential part of Magna Carta.