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Calling all Oxford SBS MBA Applicants: 2020 Intake (Class of 2021)!

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sunmoon

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28 Jul 2019, 22:30

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Welcome all Oxford SBS class of 2021 hopefuls. Let's use this platform to know each-other, exchange ideas, discuss app strategies, and some profile discussions may be? Give a shout out!

Oxford Application Deadlines, Essay Questions and Analysis

Oxford Decision Tracker & Historical Admit Data | Add Said (Oxford) to your profile

Find out where you can meet the SBS admissions team at a city near you
https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/events?f%5B0%5D=event_programmes_facet%3A596

Archived 'Calling All Said Applicants' Topic

Hi there,

You've reached an old 'Calling All Said Applicants' discussion which is now outdated and has been archived. No more replies are possible here.

Looking for the latest discussion? Check out this up-to-date Calling All Said Applicants Discussion for the most recent conversations on this topic.

Interested in more from this school? Visit our dedicated Said Forum to dive into all things related to Said's MBA program.

Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!

sunmoon

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[1]

Updated on: 29 Apr 2020, 15:20

Originally posted by sunmoon on 28 Jul 2019, 22:31.
Last edited by Nikhil on 29 Apr 2020, 15:20, edited 1 time in total.

Added Stage 5

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Oxford (Said) MBA Deadlines

Round	Application Due	Decisions Released
Stage	September 6, 2019	October 18, 2019
Stage 2	November 1, 2019	December 13, 2019
Stage 3	January 10, 2020	March 20, 2020
Stage 4	April 3, 2020	May 29, 2020
Stage 5	May 29, 2020	July 10, 2020

Oxford (Said) MBA Essays

Essay Question: Tell us something that is not covered in your application which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you. (Maximum 250 words)
Additional Essay for 1+1 Applicants: Explain why you see this as particularly beneficial for you and how it fits with your career and personal development aims. (Maximum 250 words)
Reapplicants Essay: What improvements have you made in your candidacy since you last applied to the Oxford MBA? (Maximum 250 words)

sunmoon

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28 Jul 2019, 22:31

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Post reserved for essay advice & tips.

MBAPrepCoach

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Farrell Nelson: MBA

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03 Aug 2019, 23:09

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SBS hopefuls…my 2 cents on the essay question.

What is the unique contribution you would make to SBS? What would make them want you - in order to make the class complete?

A value proposition consists of two items - desirability and exclusivity. Something is more valuable if it is desirable, and also, if it is rare. Uncommon. Unrepeatable. This is your competitive advantage, and it's worthwhile to take time to figure it out.

It would be something related to the unique perspective you offer, acquired through your experiences. What you have done in the community? What is an experience that developed a specific aspect of your leadership and teamwork skills?

So sit with the question for a while. What sets you apart from other people with your profile, in a way that would be useful to your peers at SBS?

What would be a reason to select you out of a highly competitive pool?

Nikhil

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04 Aug 2019, 02:02

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I am excited to announce that nvdmurty will be the Oxford Said moderator and lead the discussion.

He is applying to Oxford and a few other schools this year. We look forward to seeing new initiatives being taken by him for the prospective Oxford applicants.

Please join me in welcoming the new Oxford Said Class of 2021 moderator!

nvdmurty

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09 Aug 2019, 01:29

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Some short answer/essay questions included within the application this year. Just to give an indication of the effort involved in submitting an application.

If you choose post MBA plans as Employment

1. 'How does your preferred sector in your preferred location recruit MBA talent and what do they look for in a candidate? Describe the research you have done so far.'
2. 'Reflecting on your answer above, how do you meet these requirements?'
3. 'What do you plan to do between now and starting your MBA to prepare and maximise your chances of success?'
4. 'Should you not be successful in securing your first choice of role, what is your alternative?'

If you choose post MBA plans as Entrepreneurship

There is no word limit specified for the above questions.
1. Describe your business idea including details of your business plan and the steps you have taken so far to develop or launch your business idea
2. How will the MBA help you start, or further develop, your own business?
3. What do you plan to do between now and starting your MBA to prepare and maximise your chances of success?
4. Should you not be successful in developing or launching your own business, what is your alternative?

If you choose post MBA plans as Other (inc. family business)
1. Describe your plan after graduating from the MBA
2. How does the MBA fit in your plans and how will it enhance your short-term direction?
3. How will you develop your career goals before starting your MBA?
4. What research have you already conducted? What further research will you do?
5. How will the MBA help equip you for the future?

If you choose Return to your current employer
1. Describe the role you will be returning to and provide any other pertinent information

Cheers..

anukdas

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24 Aug 2019, 09:25

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Is there any word limit on post-MBA plans essay questions? If no, what would be the desirable word limit that a candidate can maintain?

RonaAydin

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24 Aug 2019, 20:09

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anukdas

Is there any word limit on post-MBA plans essay questions? If no, what would be the desirable word limit that a candidate can maintain?

No, there are no word limits to the post-MBA plans essays. I would say that 250-500 words is a good limit for these questions. This gives you enough space to answer the questions with detail without writing too much and overwhelming the reader.

anukdas

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25 Aug 2019, 11:34

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Thanks RonaAydin.
Also, Has anyone yet completed the online assessment section introduced this year in SBS application?
As per the SBS official site, there are to be 5 questions- 4 spoken and 1 written. The responses have to given via Kira Talent. I understand that there is growing trend among b-schools introducing video assessments in place of written essays.
I would like to know more about the Kira Talent video assessment tests, how they are framed, how much preparation is required and any other relevant details.

RonaAydin

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27 Aug 2019, 11:22

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anukdas

Since it is still well before the deadline, there might not be that many people who have completed this portion of the application. I wrote a blog post on how best to prepare that might be of interest to you and other prospective applicants:

https://www.orieladmissions.com/single- ... ent-Advice

washubschool

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29 Aug 2019, 00:55

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Data from previous years on Said admissions show that R2 and R3 has better odds than R1. Is it true?

nvdmurty

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29 Aug 2019, 01:08

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washubschool

Data from previous years on Said admissions show that R2 and R3 has better odds than R1. Is it true?

Not sure about this, but if you are completely relying on odds to secure an admit then maybe it makes sense to dig further. However, better to trust the quality of your application more than the odds.

Posted from my mobile device

Nari44

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31 Aug 2019, 05:20

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Any idea about the online assessment questions oxford introduced this year?

Nikhil

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31 Aug 2019, 22:41

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For reference, this is what I have found from their website

Quote:

You will need to complete five questions via our online assessment platform.
To virtually meet you, get a sense of your personality and see how you think on your feet, you will need to complete an online assessment as part of your application:

Two motivation-based questions - all candidates will answer the same questions
Two competency-based questions - these will be randomised
Written response - this will be randomised and light-hearted to show us how you can think on your feet!
The motivation-based questions give you the opportunity to demonstrate your motivations for undertaking an MBA and why the Oxford MBA is the right programme for you.

The competency-based questions let you demonstrate the skills and qualities we look for, such as decision-making, problem-solving, influence, leadership and strong communication skills.

After submitting an application for either the Oxford MBA or Oxford 1+1 MBA you will see a link in your application status portal. This will enable you to register with Kira Talent, our online assessment platform, and complete your assessment. You can complete this any time before the application stage deadline in which you wish to apply.

You will be provided with preparation time and practice sessions before going live with your real responses. The whole online assessment should only take up to 30 minutes for you to complete. All you need is a desktop or laptop computer with a functioning webcam, microphone and internet connection.

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31 Aug 2019, 22:58

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Nari44

Any idea about the online assessment questions oxford introduced this year?

Nari44

Also, see if the following topic is of any help

https://gmatclub.com/forum/compilation- ... 86246.html

nvdmurty

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01 Sep 2019, 09:14

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All right people. I just now completed my video assessment and pretty sure tanked it. There are 5 questions in total, as already informed by Oxford. The first 2 questions give you a time of 1 min and 30 seconds to record your responses and the next two are of a minute each. The written question asks you to write a response to a random question in about 250-500 words. The time limit for that is 5 minutes.

The questions are deep and thought provoking and you are given a time limit of 45 seconds to prepare a response for each of the video questions. For the written response there is no preparation time.

I have now submitted my application and hopefully the video responses do not have much weightage this time

.

Edit 1 - Forgot to add that for the written response I managed to write about 90 words in the 5 minute window. The topic was unusual and took me a while to think and write a response. Not sure if it's a very bad thing. If anyone does hit the 250-500 word limit in the 5 minute window, do let us know on this forum.

cordaxerim

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02 Sep 2019, 08:37

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Hello everyone,

I have discussed with the director of my company about my intentions to pursue an MBA. They are very supportive of it. I am not keen ask for sponsorship because of the bond. In the application I have stated that I will return to my current employer. Would this put me at a disadvantage?

The question that I have fill in is "Describe the role you will be returning to and provide any other pertinent information".

I have a rough description of my "new" responsibilities after my MBA that I got from my discussions with my company. Is that enough?

akshita957

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02 Sep 2019, 13:41

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Hello Everyone

What format are you referring to for the one page CV that needs to be submitted?

Narenn

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02 Sep 2019, 23:19

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cordaxerim

I could be wrong but as per my understanding, BSchools are generally cautious about the employability of their students after MBA because lower placement rates tend to affect school's ranking badly. So if anyone is returning to his/her employer - which also means his/her post MBA employment is certain - could be a good thing from bschools perspective.