Oxbridge 2009 applicants

Or maybe you can go on the motivational speaking circuit -- you can reduce the need for loans and use it for your Enterpreneurship Project at Said, all at once!

Interesting about the package -- I haven't received mine yet, but I guess northern Australia is a bit of a distance.

LBS' package was a nice surprise -- a resume-type folder with the acceptance letter, a USB stick with the admit (and payment) information, along with a strategy-related pamphlet and a mini-Lonely Planet guide for London (the founder of Lonely Planet is an LBS alum).

I would have expected Said's package to be just as nice, at least by going off the admissions process thus far. LBS and Said probably had the most advanced and easy-to-use websites for applications, IMO.

clarification: Said welcome package was average as per my subjective perception(vanderbilt`s was better)

Greenoak. i have applied to Judge(R2) but not that keen now. Infact Said is my top choice. Besides i am more interested in a one year MBA and a Job in europe. i am very keen to join, only rider is the financing part without any loan things will be difficult. Said has suddenly become very quiet on the laon front. i didnot receive a reply from darren on my mail as well. which to me is not only surprising but also rude.

Hi Devil,
I think we are not supposed to mail our admission managers at this point anymore. From the text of the offer letter, it seems that we should address our queries to the Students Aid Officer (Charlene New). Also, I don't think that they will say smth encouraging about the loans...
P.S. Still no package here...

UPDATE ABOUT THE PACKAGE:
Very interesting thing has happened. I've just got a call from, I think, the delivery service - it seems that in order to receive this Ox package, I'll have to pay some customs fee (yes, me, and not the sender). It seems to me rather strange. I'd be grateful if other admits will share their experience on this issue. Did you have to pay too?

Hi greenoak,

i'd call up Said at this stage and recoup the custom fee. Remember you are a customer that they want. So they should put up all the expenses that aren't outlined in the contract initially.

Also i think they probably didn't know that there will be customs issues.

-buff

Thanks, Buffdaddy!
I'll probably email them about this fee later, but now I agreed to pay it myself, because I'd like to get this package ASAP. And even when I confirmed this, I still will not receive it until next week! That's what I've been told. Some new 'user-friendly' laws we have here

Interesting news, greenoak. I haven't gotten my package yet either, so perhaps I'm in the same scenario (any Aussies lurking in the thread that might have received their package perhaps?). That's quite odd though, since usually customs fees are dictated on the value of the package, and I thought most senders usually mark documents as valued at $0 or $0.01.

Did the adcom provide any tracking number for the packages for anyone?

Greenoak and others correct me if i am wrong.
said wants us to pay the 4650 GBP pound confirmation amount till Feb 8. It also wants to give bank/otherwise guarentee for a total amount of 46000GBP , also by Feb 8. r they nuts, do we keep this much amount in our bank. one needs time to raise loans , liquidate assets etc.
can we defer the payment and the assurance for remaining amount?

I don't recall reading a specific due date for the letter of assurance, just that it was needed at some point. I think it is only the deposit that is due in February.

They did say a loan approval letter would be acceptable, but I agree that it would be unreasonable to expect this or anything else by February 8th.

had a talk with Darren about the loans needed and sponsored by ox school and he commented they are working on the same and will let us know. i am not sure if some loan scheme is being worked out.
why dont the ox admits interact more on the school intranet for a fruitful discussion .

Yes, I've been provided with the link and the number.

I'd like to, but for some reason Intranet is loading veeeeeery slowly for me: one page takes a couple of minutes to load. I was even afraid to click on the forums link
Also, I guess that many people are still choosing among various schools they were admitted to, and thus are reluctant to participate too actively.

Prashok, the letter says send the form along with the confirmation fee. since the confirmation fe has to be paid by feb 8, hence I think we have to given bank guarentee also by feb 8.

i think it is very unreasonable for said to xpect that, when it is silent on the loan program rom its own side.

greenoak: i agree the site is extremely slow. just ca`nt manouvere on it.

Hi Devil, I think that in previous years, the applicants were allowed to provide the guarantee documents later. But if you're in doubt, you may mail the adcom to confirm if this is possible.

And also, I have an update about package - I've received it at last! A bit rumpled - and a bit costly - but I'm still happy. Now I can to go and ask for some money for a poor prospective Oxford student...

Btw, our customs required this fee because there was a visit card holder inside. A fee appeared to be twice as much as the card holder value, though...

Ft 2009 rankings out Judge at 17 Said at 20.

the link https://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings

Thanks for the link, Devil, +1.

It seems both schools are in the same league, according to this ranking - and both made Top 20. Although, last year Judge was ranked considerably higher - at No 10 (Said's position was pretty much the same: No 19). I wonder what has caused such a drop.

The ranking itself is, however, rather questionable: e.g. Stanford at No 6, Kellogg outside Top 20 etc. But the same can be said for any other popular ranking as well.

Also, note how high all Spanish schools are ranked, and how the position of Asian schools improved. Very interesting.

Green oak that tells me few things:
firstly, Oxford said definitely belong to top 20 B schools world wide(this is a place it has been consistently occupying, withjout much fluctuation). though it has never broken the top 15 barrier.
Judge on the other hand shows high variation. High upswings and down swings within one year makes me sceptic.

I am really suprprised at ISB improving its rank from 20 last year. To me ISB breaking the top 20 barrier was in itself difficult to digest. I have first hand interacted with many ISBians.(quiet a few have been my engineering batchmates). To be honest I have`nt been too impressed with many of them. It is a b good school with excellent ROI, esp if one wants to stay in India. however the pool is overwhelmingly IT and 95% Indians.(80 % engineers). Not much electives (based on my research, i may be wrong).

average GMAT rivals that of stanford but that is bcoz so many indians apply. In India 700 GMAT is below average.

placements this year havenot been great. I have heard stories of people placed at 8/9 lakhs(no official report though). I am really surprised how can it improve its FT rank.

Lsat year this blog by a student at Insead explained the mystery behind ISB rankings. here is the link.
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