Said (Oxford)

"Interview with a member of the admissions team, in San Francisco. General why MBA why now questions. Asked me more of why Oxford stands out and how it aligns with my goals. 1. When you meet someone for the first time, what could leave a bad impression with you? 2. What do you like about the culture at your current job? 3. What kinds of people do you think there are in the world? They had some more out there questions that made me think, and it was overall a super fun conversation. It did last about 50 minutes but time honestly flew by."

"Had my interview in person with the head of the Africa Initiative. Was very much a conversation in terms of the flow but she asked very deliberate questions that she was taking detailed notes for including: -you've indicated you're interested in healthcare in your experience and your goals. Can you tell me about what you think are some solutions to the system you currently see in your region? (basically testing my interest in the topic outside of just what I want to do as a job) -you've indicated your goals but what's the transition plan between your first job post MBA and your long term goals? -what is your plan B in terms of roles or geographic options? -how do you see your year at Oxford panning out (ie what will your academic curriculum and social interactions be given the Oxford overall opportunities available)? What will your involvement be? -which students have you interacted with? -how would you interact with students in your group if, for example, they aren't pulling their weight? She often gave her own inputs after my answers which made it feel like a good conversation but she was definitely checking certain elements against a framework of sorts. She never tested me directly but was looking for signs that I was specifically interested in Oxford and that I had put in effort to thinking about life on campus."

"1. Why MBA, since when have you planned to pursue? 2. Why Oxford over other B-schools? 3. How do you manage work-related stress? 4. Written response was very light-hearted - Cats vs Dogs - who do you prefer and why?"

"Very conversational interview. Mostly focused on my career and understanding my story. Intermixed with regular questions below - Why MBA - Why Oxford - Where else have you applied - Difference between Said and others you applied to - What role would you play in team setting - Example of conflict - What would people who work with you say is your biggest weakness - Leadership style - How would you help with recruitment of people of your profile - What have you learnt from your international exposure - My questions Lasted 45 mins including my questions. The main interview was 30 mins."

"I had a very conversational interview yesterday. The interviewer is a senior consultant of Adcom. I checked his Linkedin later: he had over 20 years of experience in marketing and now works full-time as an admission and recruitment officer at Oxford. The interview lasted about 45 minutes. The interviewer carefully reviewed my application material and Kira online assessment. He asked very standardized questions at the beginning, like "why MBA, why now, and why Oxford." Then he dug into some detailed questions relevant to my personal experience: Why did you leave legal practice to join a startup? Did you talk to some Oxford alumni? (He noticed that one of the referees writing my recommendation letter is an Oxford Said alumna) What is your motivation to enter the non-profit industry? (probably because I have a very unconventional career path) He said those questions helped him understand me better, and he then asked two competency-based questions: Tell me about an example where you demonstrated your leadership in an upheaval. If you are admitted to the Oxford MBA program, you will need to briefly introduce yourself in front of the cohort. What are you going to say? Before we wrapped up the interview, he gave me a chance to ask him some questions. Anyway, he was very nice and polite, but the overall atmosphere was not very chilled since his facial expression was a bit serious and he was taking notes all the time. Fingers crossed!"

"The interviewer is a seasoned career coach at both Oxford and LBS and member of the admissions committee. My interview was a stress interview, where the weaknesses in my profile were pressed on from the start. The interviewer did not seem to be interested in my current/past role or achievements. Why MBA? Why Oxford? Your immediate plans? Have you applied to any other school? Have you reached out to people in the companies you are targeting? Why would competitive firms hire you? Are you connected with any of the current students at Oxford or the Alumni? Are their alternative firms to your preferences? Do you have connections there? What would you do if you don’t get into the MBA at Oxford? Tell of examples from your recent experience which connects with values at Oxford MBA? Any questions you have with me?"

"Interviewer was really lovely and easy to talk to, put me at ease right away. The interview was very conversational. Questions included: 1. Why Oxford, Why MBA, Why Now. I was told I could answer them in any order or combine them. 2. Why 1+1 MBA (if applicable); Follow up q: if I don't get into MSc program, will I still attend the MBA 3. Leadership style 4. What three things in particular excited me about the program 5. Question about gap on my resume 6. Scenarios: difficult coworker, what accomplishment I'm most proud of, how I want to be involved in my college 7. Opportunity to ask questions. Interviewer was very happy to answer my questions about the program, life at Oxford, bringing a partner, etc and did so in detail. Best of luck to everyone!"

"Very conversational, interviewed by a member of the admissions committee - he had read my application thoroughly. 1) Why MBA, Why Now, Why Oxford? 2) What avenues within consulting? 3) Consulting is very competitive. Think of me as a McKinsey recruiter - how do you stand out? 4) Why did you leave a prior job? 5) Tell me about a time you resolved a conflict within your team (This was very rapid-fire, he kept cutting me off because I think he wanted a very concise specific answer. So within that - How did you approach the colleague? How did he take it? How do you think you could improve?) 6) Describe your leadership style, How has your leadership style evolved, and how do you think you improve? 7) Which other schools have you applied to and what is your top priority?"

"1. Why MBA, Why Oxford, Why Now 2. Describe what you do on a daily basis on your current role 3. Are there specific electives/courses at Oxford that you’re particularly interested in 4. Describe your short term goal. How can Oxford help you secure your goal? 5. What’s your leadership style? How would your colleagues describe you? (This seems like a recurring theme) 6. Describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult colleague. 7. Have you researched on the OBNs and clubs at the different colleges? What are your extra curricular activities? (Although she did give a caveat that it’s ok if I hadn’t researched on the clubs) I was interviewed by a member of the Recruitment and Admissions Committee. The interview was originally scheduled for 30 minutes but it took almost an hour (including my 2 questions at the end). The overall vibe was very conversational and friendly."

"I was interviewed by an Associate Fellow who had clearly read my application thoroughly and watched my (mortifying) Kira videos. She asked the usual questions, including: - why Oxford - why an MBA - talk me through your CV - why have you left a particular job - what is your leadership style (a follow up to something I'd said in the above question) She also asked for further details about my business plan and why now is the right time to launch such a business. This was more conversational. Questions which surprised me were: - from a list of traits (can't remember them all I'm afraid), which one do I embody the most and why? My background is in the non-profit sector so I chose "purpose". - which elective modules would be most helpful for your proposed business? After about 30 mins, I asked a few questions about how the pandemic had affected applications (answer: this year has been a bumper crop!), how teaching has changed, and what provision is there for students who don't come from a financial background. In summary, the interview was relatively relaxed, she was friendly and thoughtful, and I was more nervous than I needed to be."

"The interview questions were standard and matched the ones below including: "what is your leadership style" The interview was very comfortable with a senior adcom advisor and last a total of 52 minutes. The first 30 minutes were dedicated to questions about me, the last 22 minutes were my questions about oxford that naturally flowed into more questions about me where I was able to showcase more of my resume and goals that were underrepresented in my application."

"Interview was with a career consultant who had worked in the same industry as my post MBA goal as a recruiter. Interview lasted around 35 minutes and was mainly focused on why I wanted to do an MBA, my post MBA goal and what research I had done on it and some competency based questions. Following were some of the questions asked: 1) When did you decide on pursuing an MBA and what would you like to gain through an MBA program? 2) Which other schools have you applied to? 3) Why Oxford? 4) Have you aligned your current company on your MBA plan? Follow-up question – What would be your manager’s reaction to your MBA plan? 5) Why are you considering the management consulting firms that you listed in your application? 6) What networks do you have in those firms? 7) Talk more about what you plan to do between now and the time you join those firms to boost your chances? 8) Tell me about a time when you used your communication skills 9) Talk about a time when you failed in a team environment. What did you do to overcome it? 10) Which Oxford alumni have you interacted with during your research? Overall feedback: I felt that the interview was customized to my profile and background and felt different from any other interview as a lot of common questions such as “tell me about yourself” were not asked. The focus was on my career aspirations and how I plan to make that transition which is not surprising as the interview was taken by a career consultant."

"Was interviewed by a member of admissions committee. Most of the questions were very specific to what I had in my CV and what I wrote in my essays, so it won't be of much use putting those details here. She did ask me about which electives I'd like to take, what I like about the curriculum, and what I will likely find most challenging in the program. Didn't ask a lot of standard questions (not even why MBA why now why Oxford)."

"Friendly one.. mostly without much deviation 1) Tell me about yourself ? 2) Why Said ? 3) What would you add to said ? 4) Long term-short term goal? Which companies are you looking in particular sector ? 5) Recent achievements? 6) Challenges ? 7 ) Circumstance when you convince someone ? 8) Something negative which you manager would say about you ? 9) What skills do you expect to gain in next 1 yr. ? 10) How will your friends describe you ?"

"Motivation Why Oxford and what sets the institution apart from other Universities? Why an MBA? Why now? Why do you need the programme, what do you think the programme would help in? Explain your post-MBA career? What if your plan A doesn’t work, what would you do? What will you bring to the team/cohort? Have you met or spoken to any alumni from the programme? Competency What creative solution have you come up with to improve a situation? Major setback and how did you respond? Odd question If you were a superhero, what power would you have and why? Although I was not accepted, good luck. Be calm and be yourself in the interview."

"Why MBA, Why Now, Why SBS, A brief of career progression, What will I bring to the table as an Oxford MBA cohort that is unique, an example of where I faced difficulty in work and and when I faced disagreement. It was a chilled out experience. The start off by easing you in through a chit chat and then the interview starts."

"It was quite a relaxed interview. I cant remember exactly how she worded the questions but this is what they wanted to know. 1. Why do you want to do your MBA at Oxford? 2. Why do you want to do an MBA? 3. What skills do you think you will gain from the MBA? 4. What skills make you unique and will help you in what you want to do as a future career? 5. How would you deal with a difficult situation (re: work wise)? 6. What do negative attributes do you think your references put in their letter/ areas they recommended for improvement? Overall it went smoothly and she was very friendly."

"This is the questions I got. Typical MBA interview with one tricky q! 1. Why do you think its the right timing to pursue MBA? 2. Why Oxford? 2-5. What is your goal? 3. Working with people who are not happy with what they need to do 4. The challenge I faced when working with other companies 5. What information do you need to make a decision? 6. How do you deal with two opposite ideas from two different people in one team 7. Experience of person disliking or disagreeing with your idea, how did you deal with it? 8. The most memorable achievement in a professional career The last question was very unusual... The Ad Com asked me if I were to have one superpower, what would you want? I interviewed with Liz Starbuck Greer. Overall we had a joke, smiling, and was nice!"

""Why MBA Why Oxford How is Oxford MBA program unique A few questions re my career goal Strengths and Weakness Why made company switch previously A situation you influent others A situation you meet challenge during work Any questions for her" Mine went on 45mins, but very chilled conversation"

""Very conversational and a short interview that lasted around 20 minutes, where we even had a bit of informal talk about her visit to India and me travelling to attend the interview" So it was quite short. Questions asked: 1. Walk down through your resume 2. Why MBA? Also she asked me to talk about my business plan 3. Biggest challenge that I thing, I would encounter while pursuing my MBA? 4. Learnings from my professional career? 5. An instance where I differed from my seniors in professional life and how did I convince them? 6. Biggest failure in professional life? 7. MY strength and weaknesses? She kept writing on a notebook while i answered the questions, though it was kind of distracting, but can't help. Overall, it felt like an oxford experience, and was the best of all interviews I had with other b school. (Best not in terms of my answers but in terms of the interviewer's conduct) I wish Indian school could learn from these people."