hey Salisaaa, i'm in a very similar dilemma. got into both INSEAD and Oxford...now time to decide. i thought it was an easy no brainer for INSEAD at first, but the more i've analyzed the situation, the more appealing Oxford has become for me.
first, i went to visit both campuses last month. i gotta say, while both schools are in small towns, INSEAD is really in the middle of nowhere. i really do not expect there to be much of a life there outside of the school. Oxford on the other hand offers a full collegiate type of feel/experience. the distinction i'll make is that, at INSEAD, i'll likely meet a lot of really excellent high achievers who are all very business saavy. however, i believe at Oxford, i can meet some truly exceptional individuals who are geniuses and may one day achieve great heights in this world...they might not all be in my mba class, but i'll have a chance to meet and socialize with ppl of this extraordinary caliber outside of the classroom due to the structure of the collegiate system at Oxford. this alone gives Oxford plenty of intangible bonus points that INSEAD does not have. for instance, since i'm interested in buy side funds, i might not meet many brilliant mba’s like i would at INSEAD, but i'm sure i'll get to meet lots of talented mathematicians, economists, and engineers who can all contribute to my learning experience in developing a proper trade model. so for me, the two schools are different and hard to compare directly…really depends on what you’re looking for after the mba.
also, given the impression i got from the 2 schools, i'd say that INSEAD is better if you want to establish a career in consulting, finance, or industry. you're almost guaranteed to get a top notch job upon graduation and you'll really never have to worry again about making a comfortable living in life. yet, i believe that Oxford offers something special with its brand name. this is particularly important for my personal goals, since i hope to work with major chinese investors who are not going to be well versed in the finance industry. hence, most of them will likely not have a clue what INSEAD is or the quality of its program, whereas they'll likely have heard of Oxford and its stellar undergraduate reputation. therefore, unlike probably 95% of all applicants, the INSEAD brand name will do little good for me in terms of dealing with future Chinese investors.
finally, for me and my goals of getting into buy side funds, and more specifically, neither INSEAD nor Oxford will be highly recruited programs. however, i’m fairly sure that both degrees will open a similar number of doors if i’m willing to put in the leg work and knock on those doors. in theory, INSEAD might be a hair better than Oxford, but both of them require a significant amount of networking on my part. given Oxford’s proximity to London and its diverse undergrad network, i believe i might actually have a better chance with my networking there vs. INSEAD.
so here are just a few points that have been on my mind over the past couple of weeks regarding the two programs, and i still can’t really decide which one is more suitable for me. at the moment i'm leaning towards Oxford, but it’s really a tough decision to consciously give up a top 5 global program for a top 20 global program…still though, in my case, it just might be the more suitable school for my purposes. the best advice i can give is to evaluate what your post mba goals are and how each school fits into your vision.
either way, congrats on getting into all 3 programs! maybe we’ll be classmates at either Oxford or INSEAD lol…good dilemma to have i suppose.