Calling all Said (Oxford) MBA Applicants: (2017 Intake) Class of 2018!

Good to see the new class's thread being starting.

Current Oxford Said admit here (2016-17 class), will be joining the city of dreaming spires in 2 months from now. Happy to help regarding Applications, Interview etc.

cheers

Welcome everyone to all Said (Oxford) full time MBA applicants! Use this platform to know each-other, build network, exchange ideas/information, discuss application strategies, share interview /school visit experiences, and boost one-another's morale to face the tough admission process. Good luck!

waldong Congrats on admit and wish you great time at Oxford! May I request you to tell us a bit about background, your application experience, and any tips for new applicants? Thank you!

If anyone is interested in becoming ThreadMaster for the Oxford MBA thread, please PM your request to me. Here you can learn more about duties and responsibilities of Threadmasters be-the-coolest-guy-in-the-mba-forum-be-a-threadmaster-152204.html

Reserved Post.

Sure, my profile is:

Indian, Engineering Undergraduate, Total 7 years work experience (2 years in Mfg, 5 years in various startups), GMAT: 760, Extra Curricular: NA (only some college ones)

Choose your school wisely. Some pros of Oxford:
1. World renowned Brand Name
2. Larger Class Size (~ 320) as compared to other EU schools (except LBS and INSEAD), hence better networking support
3. Higher Work Exp of class (around 6 years), hence useful for those like me with a higher work exp
4. One year MBA program, hence better ROI
5. Job Prospects all over EU (Brexit will have some effect in this)
6. Very Good for: a) Career Enhancers b) Social Impact and related opportunities c) Entrepreneurship

Cons
1. Not that good for career changers (2 Yr MBA programs may offer better help in this)
2. Being a new MBA school, alumni base is not large (though you can dig into Oxford university alumni base as well, which is said to be very large and supportive)
3. Post MBA Employment will be lil tough, so be prepared for self networking and seeking job opportunities on your own


Evaluating Your profile:
You should definitely use Oxford Said's Profile evaluation service
https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/programmes/degr ... eview-form
Also reach out to current and oxford said alums via linkedin etc. to know more about your fit
Visit school if you can.

Application:
It is a pretty standard MBA application, write your essays well, and answer all the in-application questions properly as well. (Why Oxford, career focus, your work exp. etc.)

If you get an interview invite, most of the questions will be based on essays and application questions.

Apply as early as possible, as scholarships and university accommodation gets filled pretty fast (I applied in R3, and got none )

Good Luck, happy to help further!

cheers

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Thank you, waldong! Does anyone know whether Oxford published essays topics for 2017?

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I think the profile evaluation form returns an automated response with some logic, not very sure, do try out. I wrote to a Said MBA recruitment manager and got a personal response, and we exchanged a couple of emails over my fit and application queries.

Hi Narenn

Can you post here a detailed analysis of admission trends and acceptance chances at Oxford, similar to one you created for LBS.

The statistics would help the applicants to understand the real probability of their chances.
It would be a very important information to have on the thread. Thanks for creating the same for LBS.

Hi, I have a couple of doubts
Please advise .

1) The resume sample in the application looks quite mundane . Is it ok if i want to modify it to make it look aesthetically richer? or do i have to stick to the layout ?

2) i am not clear about the 1+1 MBA. Can anybody apply for it? How is the curriculum for the 2 years different if one does a masters first ; say in marketing and then an MBA in marketing again ?

ad 1) I kept it as it is, simply because it is a template they provide. If they want it like that, they'll get it like that.

ad 2) Anyone can apply. Since I won't apply for it, I don't have details on the exact structure though. Having said that, I read something about it in a Q&A somewhere recently. Just google it and ask them directly, if it is of interest for you.

Thank you! I will work on it and try to post on this weekend. Just checked the data of Oxford applicants; The number of applicants is much lower than that of LBS, but we will see what insights we can get from this data.


On a separate note, I request all applicants to add Oxford Full time MBA program to your MBA timeline so that the applicant stats displayed on the first post reflect true picture of admissions. While adding the program, MAKE SURE you are setting it for graduation year i.e. 'Class of 2018'.

I am repeating this but if anyone is interested in becoming ThreadMaster for the Oxford MBA thread, please PM your request to me. Here you can learn more about duties and responsibilities of Threadmasters be-the-coolest-guy-in-the-mba-forum-be-a-threadmaster-152204.html

Hi Everyone, Here is our analysis of admission trends and acceptance chances at Oxford based on our accumulated forum data of applicants. We have analysed our forum data of Oxford applicants from 2012 to 2016 to determine acceptance chances by GMAT score, admission rounds, industry, age, country, etc.

The data used for this analysis is self-reported, so it's advised to use the findings with discretion. They are meant to give only a general idea of admission scenario at Oxford; Don't presume that these findings will hold true all the time.

We would welcome any comments, opinions, suggestions or anything else that you might have to say about the findings of this analysis.

YOY Acceptance Rate and Avg GMAT of Applicants

Sample Size: 581 Applicants

Acceptance Rate by GMAT Score

• As anticipated, admission rate of Oxford is much higher than that of LBS, UK's top business school. If you score 720 or above on the GMAT, your acceptance chances reach up to 60%.
  
• Narrow gap between lines showing interview invites and acceptance indicate that Oxford is selective in sending interview invites, and one can have better chance of acceptance after interview. This may seem obvious but we have seen certain schools who are very generous in inviting candidates for interview, but selective in making final decisions. (See Tuck, Columbia, Fuqua)
  
• Acceptance rate of Oxford applicants after interview is close to 76%.

Sample Size: 242 Applicants

Acceptance Rate by Admission Round

Sample Size: 428 Applicants

Acceptance Rates of Applicants in Different Age Groups

Sample Size: 171 Applicants

Acceptance rates of applicants from various industries

• The first chart - line chart - shows acceptance rates of applicants from various industries and the pie chart next to it shows industry-wise allocation of applicants.

Sample Size: 226 Applicants

Acceptance Rates of Applicants from Various Regions

Sample Size: 203 Applicants



As I said earlier, we welcome your views, counter-views, suggestions, etc on the analysis. Thank you!

Anybody out there going for Round 1? Getting nervous for Friday...

HI SBS Applicants

The next Deadline ( 28th October 2016 ) for the application is a month from now. I would suggest all the applicants to use the resources provided by the Said Business School. Mentioning below:

1. The best resource is Assess your Profile. You can provide a brief information about your portfolio and upload your resume.
:> My catch in the above : Please send at-least a near ready resume to the admission office. The communications are tracked as a part of admission process. It may happen that your application may land up in the table of the initial assessment provider. On the brighter side, you got another chance to impress before you actually apply and pay the fees. https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/programmes/degr ... eview-form

2. Read the Student Blogs. You will get most of the information and answers to your questions. This familiarization with the school will help you in the application collateral. https://sbsblogs.co.uk/

3. GMAT Simulator - Although you can get many such simulators in the web, but using the one provided by the school you are targeting to may come handy. https://gmat.sbs.ox.ac.uk/

4. Admission Requirement -

4.1. An undergraduate degree
4.2. Relevant professional experience detailed in a 1-page CV
4.3. GMAT or GRE score
4.4. English test (if required)
4.5.References

4.6. Mandatory essays:
4.6.1.How do you fit with Oxford Saïd's mission? (Maximum 500 words)
:> Connect your professional and personal experiences with your clear short and long term goals, with the mission statement of SBS.
"The mission of Saïd Business School is to create a World Class Business School Community, embedded within a World Class University, tackling world scale challenges."
4.6.2.Is there anything not covered in the application form which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you? (Maximum 250 words)
:> Cover low GMAT, Academics, Gaps, Exceptional Extra Curricular Activity, etc. Its kind of a second pitch for you.

That's for now. Please let me know if you have any questions from SBS MBA candidates or alumni, I might try to connect some of them or get the quoted answers.

Thanks. Please post all your questions..

I also applied in R1, so waiting for the invitation to an interview too)