Last visit was: 11 May 2024, 10:16 It is currently 11 May 2024, 10:16

Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
avatar
Current Student
Joined: 10 Dec 2013
Posts: 39
Own Kudos [?]: 17 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 19 Feb 2015
Posts: 113
Own Kudos [?]: 5 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Concentration: Marketing, Technology
GRE 1: Q159 V161
GPA: 3.49
WE:Sales (Advertising and PR)
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Yudanashi: The Perspective of Privilege
The Oxford MBA is a World Class Business School, embedded within a World Class University, tackling World Scale challenges. In order to get in, students need to have a high GMAT score, several years of experience, be leaders in their own right already, and bring with them something special to help tackle global issues. Everyone here in the program has an amazing story to to tell and a background of success.

Students will leave the Oxford MBA with the brand of the school behind them providing even more to their pedigree. This privilege comes with a responsibility and its that responsibility I want to talk about today.

Wh
at I don’t mean to do is preach or to imply that this responsibility is all we need to focus on to the exclusion of all else. These nuns prove that to be the case.

For me the responsibility we have is to our community. That can be our local community around us or the global community that we are all a part of.

So far our class has participated in a ball to donate to four charities, has a team growing mustaches for prostate cancer awareness, as well as helping to aid the local homeless. We also have a Launchpad for global social enterprises, companies that focus on Social Impact, & Sustainability along-side the profit bottom-line.

These are all small ways that we are giving back to the community that we are privileged to be a part of. I hope that over the course of our year here and our career entirely, we will continue to give generously of our time, money, and efforts. Because with great privilege comes great responsibility.


This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 24 Nov 2013
Posts: 95
Own Kudos [?]: 31 [0]
Given Kudos: 9
Concentration: Healthcare
Schools: Duke '15 (M)
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM From Bench to Board (Fuqua): How the Duke MBA Makes Leaders - Strategic Mindset
There was a post in Forbes that asserted the MBA is a waste of time (OK, I can't find it anymore since this post was written a few weeks agod). Sure, I can agree with some of its points. However, there was one that I strongly disagreed with. It said that MBAs were trained to think big picture and this hampered their executional skills. This is bogus.

A company will never pay big bucks to hire MBA talent because they can execute at the entry or middle management level. A company pays for MBA talent to fill future leadership roles – and for that, big picture, strategic thinking is a must. In fact, it’s important to always have this big picture in mind even early on, as without it, you wouldn’t understand how your work is impactful.

Continue reading »
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 03 Jul 2014
Posts: 93
Own Kudos [?]: 21 [0]
Given Kudos: 3
Location: India
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM mybjourney: Matriculation and Week 1.
Time is running at a lightening speed here. I now realize that when seniors said the year will go by really fast, they meant it quite literally. Each day is packed with a bagful of activities, all of which need to be fitted around the seven hours of classroom lectures. And the classes have only just begun!

340 of us from 2015-16 batch, with 31% female representation, come from 54 different nationalities. This diversity makes up for a very enriching experience in the class and I am enjoying getting to know others from up close. Last week we were divided into 4 sections, and I’m in section B which I must mention is an extremely dynamic and energectic bunch. Each section is further broken down into study groups of 5 students each. My study group has (apart from ofcourse me, a Techie from India), a Financial Analyst from Michigan US, a Copywriter from Canada, a Finance major from Kenya and an entrepreneur from Australia. That’s quite an impressive mix, and I think I am youngest in the group.

Apart from Technology and Operations which is for 1.5 hours, other lectures (Analytics, Strategy, Business Finance, Leadership) are 3.5 hours long with a 30 min break in between. This Week (MT W1*), we also has GOTO Design Thinking workshop where we outlined and discussed the water scarcity problem, which is the GOTO topic for us this year (read more about it here). I gather that Dean Tufano is quite passionate about GOTO and the aim for including this as a subject in the term is to get us thinking about adressing large scale problems concerning us globally.  I’ll confess that getting back to the classroom rigor after years is not an easy feat, I am absolutely relying on the coffee to make it through (bless them for giving 10 free drinks per week!).

The high point for the week for me was ofcourse the Matriculation ceremony yesterday. Matriculation refers to the ceremony which marks the formal induction to the University records. This is in contrast to India where the term loosely refers to completion of High School! It also got a bit funny after all the pictures from the ceremony put up on Facebook, where my friends back home confused it with graduation (“but you just went there, how come you’re wearing the graduation cap already?“).

Going by the ancient Oxford tradition, we are required to wear the academic dress for all our exams and other academic ceremonies. The attire is called the ‘sub-fusc’ – dark suit, white blouse, black skirt/ trousers, mortar board/ cap, black ribbon / bow tie, black socks and shoes – alongwith the graduate gown which is longer than the undergrad (commoner gown). By rule we are not supposed to wear our mortar boards on our heads until we have ‘earned the rights’ to do so upon graduation.

The matriculation ceremony in itself was no more than a 15 minute affair at the Sheldonian Theatre, where we were led to by Dr Gerald Myatt (the Dean of Degrees) from our college campus (Matriculation takes place with your college, not the entire MBA batch) after group and individual photographs. Till now we were affiliated to our colleges, by matriculating we became part of the University of Oxford. This goes back to the medieval tradition where Matriculation was an examination conducted for students to prove their worthiness for admission to the University. Those formally inducted had their details recorded in a register, which also tracked their progress over their courses. Over the years, once the colleges and departments began to conduct their own admission process and with external assessments, the examination was done away with but the Matriculation remained the formal University ceremony. It is mighty impressive to see a University so soaked in history and equally humbling to be a part of the same.


My view of the Sheldonian

I found a video from 2012’s matriculation ceremony, which will give you an idea of what the ceremony is like.



What made this cermeony the most memorable and special for me is that my parents were around too, although they weren’t permitted to see the ceremony from the inside. And that my big brother also matriculated from Kellogg the same day (he studies masters in Computer Science)!. I couldn’t have been happier :)

ps: *MT W1 – Michaelmas Term Week 1.

Michaelmas, Hillary and Trinity terms here are more commonly reffered to as MT, HT and TT in Oxford lexicon.


This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: Dublin, Ireland: 10 years on
Flashback to summer 2004. I’d just completed my Freshman year of college and I was ready to take on the world… kind of.
Read more
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: A physician’s journey through the MBA
The flexibility of an online course persuaded medic Eduardo Alvarado Vásquez that he was ready to study for an MBA.

Read more
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: An invaluable resource
Thunderbird's Career Management Center provides Brenden Sheehan the opportunity for teamwork

Read more
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: Intersection: Ideas in Practice


After a very short break, everyone around me looks surprisingly refreshed, energetic and ready to tackle term two. To kick start the term, I revisited our class values that we defined during the very first week – Team, Participation, Fun, Open Mind and Integrity – and my 90-day mission is to make sure that I am on track.
Read more
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: Intersection: ideas in Practice
After a short break, everyone at Copenhagen Business School is ready to tackle term two, says MBA blogger Sunny Sheng

Read more
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: My love affair with coffee has ended.
Giving up caffeine brings its own highs and lows, says Oxford's Stephen Morse

Read more
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 24 Nov 2013
Posts: 95
Own Kudos [?]: 31 [0]
Given Kudos: 9
Concentration: Healthcare
Schools: Duke '15 (M)
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM From Bench to Board (Fuqua): Tips for MBA Admission (Guest Post)
There's a lot of debate about the value and nature of an MBA program. Skepticism about initial investments and ROI is certainly warranted on a broad scale, but I'm still in the camp that firmly agrees with the assertion that the benefits of an MBA often outweigh the risks or negatives.

Unfortunately, for potential students who are asking themselves questions about this topic, making the decision of whether an MBA is worth the investment is only the first hurdle.

Continue reading »
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 19 Feb 2015
Posts: 113
Own Kudos [?]: 5 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Concentration: Marketing, Technology
GRE 1: Q159 V161
GPA: 3.49
WE:Sales (Advertising and PR)
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Yudanashi: Careers and Networking
When you first start dating someone you only see their positive features and put aside their blemishes.  When you break up with them you only see their flaws. This scene from 500 days of summer captures this better than anything I could try to write this week so take 102 seconds and watch this clip.

My blog has had a pretty positive tone when it comes to those blemishes of the Oxford MBA. Partly, its because we just started dating, partly its because I try to have an optimistic attitude, and partly its because I have had faith that some of the issues were common to either the UK or B-schools in general. This weekend I had that faith rewarded.

I spent the weekend at London Business School at an LGBT MBA conference called EurOUT. There were ~100 LGBT MBA students from every European B-school and one of the questions I asked these other students was what they loved and didn’t love about their program. They had the same concerns I have heard in my role as Section Rep at Oxford with the largest concern being the Careers departments.

It was clear that for many schools getting employers onto campus was a matter of obtaining critical mass. Some schools compensate for this by concentrating students interested in a particular field, thus sacrificing diversity of background in classroom discussions. Other school (like Oxford) grow the student population to attract more employers. The downsides to both of these approaches is the same and it is universal at these school. The ratio of students to recruiters is too high to build the personal connections needed to really secure an interview.

I say this making a key assumption. I admit it is biased given my time in the networking capital of the world – Washington DC. I assume that any job you are going to get is going to happen because someone whom you know gave you the opportunity to show them what you know. This is a subtle difference between the cynical adage that only “Who you know” matters. Specifically “Who you know” can help you get an interview, but you only get past that stage because of “What you know.”

If we accept that assumption then a high student to recruiter ratio means that the events a careers department puts on *can* be helpful but the numbers don’t play to your favor. Instead I’d highly recommend attending a key conference for an interest/region/affiliation where recruiters will actively be looking for top LGBT talent.

Going to a conference and networking with recruiters puts you as an MBA in the driver’s seat. You have the control to talk to whom you want during the conference and during the career fair. For type-a MBAs this is critical. When you go to a conference you get the chance to have smaller discussions with recruiters who all of a sudden are competing for you. To use lessons from strategy you are flipping the dynamic between buyers & suppliers.

To get the most out of MBA conference recruiting I’d recommend a couple of tips:

  • Be clear & concise. – This one is rather obvious but approach recruiters with a key focused question in mind, a short elevator pitch about yourself, or a relevant insight. They are busy and if you waste their time they will know.
  • Be cognizant. – Be aware of how much time you are spending talking to a recruiter. Odds are there are others who want to talk to the recruiter you have backed up against their table or sign. If you have made your concise points, thank the recruiter and let them talk with others. If you hold them captive they will remember you, but not for the right reasons.
  • Exit gracefully – If you don’t know how to best exit a conversation my favorite is to say “Thank you so much for your time, I know you are busy so I’ll let you go so you can talk with others.” It gives them an opening to tell you they’d prefer talking with you or for them to exit the conversation. Alternatively you can always ask where the toilets are.
  • Be the Best – While the odds are more in your favor, do what you can to be the best amongst your fellow conference peers. Ask insightful questions that demonstrate you understand their business. Recognize challenges they face and ask about them. Recruiters see the dirty ins & outs of their company. They are the last ones who want to hear “I love everything your company does”
  • Be anything but bland – Yes you have to do the basics especially the “Thank you/follow-up” note. But the worst thing you can do is be generic and unrecognizable. If they gave you a good answer to your insightful question, then recognize that fact in the thank-you note.


This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: Big in Japan: doing business in the Land of the Rising Sun
As part of the Nanyang Business School's MBA curriculum, the batch of 2016 conducted a 5-day Business Study Mission to Japan. Twelve Japan-based multinationals welcomed the students from NBS to their office and offered truly inspiring insights into their corporate strategies. Melina Loeven presents a report of insightful discourses with Japan's top leaders and summaries the key take-aways from her trip.

Read more
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: How my MBA class reacted to the Paris terrorist attacks
The Paris terrorist attacks have far-reaching consequences, says Oxford's Stephen Morse

Read more
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 19 Feb 2015
Posts: 113
Own Kudos [?]: 5 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Concentration: Marketing, Technology
GRE 1: Q159 V161
GPA: 3.49
WE:Sales (Advertising and PR)
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Yudanashi: Adapting to New Cultures
In the week leading up to my move to England I read the book “Watching the English.” It is an anthropologists look at English culture filled with lessons on everything from drinking, eating, tea, gardens, trains, drinking, friends, work, and drinking.

It was a great read to help get me into the mindset of the English before I embedded myself within their culture. It is a phenomenal read that I recommend to any ExPats here in the UK. What has struck me is how true it is, and sadly how much I have ignored its advice at times (only to my detriment).

The biggest advice I’ve ignored is the level of effort the English will go to avoid being impolite or confrontational in-person. For quick context if you are having a conversation with an Englishman and at the end he says “Oh by the way” as an American I’d assume that what comes next is trivial. To the English, this is the most important thing they wanted to say. In emails their politeness can come across as passive-aggressive and as a brash American it can be an interesting clash, but I am learning.

As an American attending the Oxford MBA I am a cultural minority. Sure, we make up 20% of the class but we work within the realities, biases, and cultural traits of 56 countries. Sometimes its hard because political beliefs, ways of communicating, and respect to hierarchy differ drastically. However I couldn’t be happier that I am surrounded by this diverse group of students. It is first-hand, intensive, immersion learning on how to work on a global scale. Its a unique feature that you can’t get at almost any other top MBA program, especially any in the states.

In almost every interview or recruiter conversation with firms in the states I have been asked some variation of “Why not an American program?” Honestly I am grateful for this conversation because it allows me to talk about my classmates and the diversity they bring to the classroom.

While I am still not perfect at adapting to other culture’s methods of communication I am learning and grateful for each chance I get.


This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: Mastering boardroom impact through simulation
Be crisp. Do not waste words. You won’t have the floor for an unlimited period of time, so when you do, make it count.

Read more
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 09 Jun 2015
Status:Accepted
Posts: 65
Own Kudos [?]: 43 [0]
Given Kudos: 1
Location: United States (IN)
Concentration: General Management, Healthcare
Schools: Harvard Business School - Class of 2017
GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V40
GPA: 3.7
WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Ambitiousbusinessguy: Business models in B-School career services
Most top business schools breed their students for a career in consulting or financial services (which is slowly being displaced by high tech and entrepreneurial opportunities). Entry into both these industries requires rigorous preparation in terms of professional networking skills, resume reviews and interview preparation (not to mention certain passports). Business School rankings are determined by […]

https://priyankabharadwaj.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/business-models-in-b-school-career-services/


This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
SVP
SVP
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 1739
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: The Oxford Quality of Life Index: High
To hop from speaker to speaker, to debate, to drink, to dinner, to a show in one night would not be possible in most places, according to MBA blogger Stephen Morse. In Oxford, he says, it is.

Read more
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
GMAT Club Bot
Re: Current Student Blogs [#permalink]
   1  ...  23   24   25   26   27   28   29  ...  44   
Moderators:
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
6927 posts
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
238 posts

Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group | Emoji artwork provided by EmojiOne