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Said (Oxford) Class of 2015 Calling all applicants!

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Chandarchur

Joined: 24 Nov 2013

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08 Feb 2014, 20:30

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Hi everyone, I am snooping around here for a little help.

I am a 22 year old, with 15 months of work ex in one of the biggest asset management firms. Meanwhile, I am a founder of a NGO (not really a NGO,more like a movement. Limited resources) that tackles commercial sex trade issues in India. Eventually I want to quit my job and focus on my movement. I have a decent undergrad and 780 on my gmat.

what are my chances with Oxford? should I wait for a while before applying?

Thanks for the help.

Chandarchur

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08 Feb 2014, 20:36

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Sorry. 770 on my gmat. Aaaahhhhh wishful typing.

ksh89

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Schools: Oxford (II) INSEAD Jan '15 (D) HBS '16 (D) HEC Sept'16 (A) Booth '16 (S) Kellogg '16 (S) Duke '16 (WL)

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09 Feb 2014, 21:43

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Invited!

newsOxford

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10 Feb 2014, 06:00

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FROM Oxford Admissions Blog: Exam time at Oxford

It is week 10 of Michaelmas term at Oxford, and this is usually synonymous with long sleepless nights, piles of pressure and an impending sense of doom. For MBAs, week 10 is exam week — the time of the year when you realise the unattended pile of notes from the previous 9 weeks are spiralling out of control. It is that time of year when suddenly writing an email to update your parents about your time at Oxford seems about the most pressing matter in your agenda. And the time of year when it is beautifully sunny outside, perfect for a stroll in Port Meadows and – oh – you realise you have Finance to revise for.

Most of us aren’t strangers to pre-exam butterflies – or the occasional late-night panic. But having dodged the ammunition rounds for a few years now, it felt like an anomalous experience having to park at the same spot in the upper reading room of the Sainsbury library, cramming in every Accounting formula our poor brains could possibly construe, and creating mnemonics for our favourite Strategy frameworks.

But exams at Oxford are somewhat of a grand ceremonial tradition – come exam day, the MBA class was decked in smart suits, and bow-ties, and draped in 19th century academic gowns. A more recent custom is to don a carnation on the lapel. On the first day of exams, the flower is white. During the second, third and forth day it is pink. And on the final day the carnation is red, as if it had been soaking in a red inkwell, slowly reaching saturation, not unlike most of us. The changing colour of the carnation is supposedly a metaphor of a scholar bleeding his/her heart out onto the exam paper – whether this holds true for us, well only time will tell.

All exams are sat at the Examination School in silent, cavernous rooms. I could feel the tension in the air as the notional voice of the invigilators echoed – imploring us to ‘divest our mobile phones’. It is one of the more interesting experiences I have had since I arrived, sitting in a vast room amongst a sea of cloaked individuals, while eyeing the proctors marching up and down the aisles. This whimsical feeling is misleading – but quickly you realise these are the things that make the Oxford experience unique and special. In a way these traditions breathe life into any hoary situation, even something as dire as an exam, and makes the grand scope of the entire process a little bit more bearable.

But the thing that struck me the most is how the exams brought the entire class together – not just physically in the dreary exam hall – but collaboratively as a team. The MBA is extremely demanding, and while everyone made a conscious effort not to underestimate the time we would spend committed to the coursework, things still got a bit stressful at times and that is when you genuinely get a sense of everybody in the class pulling together. I remember interrupting various classmates during their studies, to ask them a clarifying question on something I found confusing and all of them were more than willing to help me out. The last minute strategy discussions and anecdotes, the sharing of notes and ideas, and the occasional pep talk during late night coffee breaks proved in the end to be much more valuable.

The examinations process at Oxford is a daunting experience and even if it secretly terrifies you a little (or not so secretly as the case may be), it can be surprisingly easy to get your head around especially when you have the kind of people we do, in the MBA class of 2014.

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Strongholder80

Joined: 08 Nov 2012

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10 Feb 2014, 08:29

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Hi guys,
Has anyone arranged the date of the interview. I wrote a letter in responce to the invite and have not got the answer yet. Are you in the same situation?

jack19852

Joined: 07 Feb 2014

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10 Feb 2014, 11:27

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Strongholder80

Hi guys,
Has anyone arranged the date of the interview. I wrote a letter in responce to the invite and have not got the answer yet. Are you in the same situation?

I heard back 1pm London time, but I am going to fly over to meet with the school so they may arrange the in person sessions first since there is a lot of travel co-ordination required.

kyleweb

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11 Feb 2014, 04:30

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Received my invite yesterday (seems there had been some issue with my email) looking forward to meeting some of you in person.

Any insights on interview questions from earlier rounds definitely welcome!!

Posted from my mobile device

Strongholder80

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11 Feb 2014, 06:52

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Strongholder80

Hi guys,
Has anyone arranged the date of the interview. I wrote a letter in responce to the invite and have not got the answer yet. Are you in the same situation?

I have got the letter with the exact date today. I will have the interview on the 18th of February.

akshaychaturvedi007

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Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Strategy

Schools: HBS '16 (D) Kellogg 1YR '15 (S) Yale '16 (S) ISB '15 (M$) Oxford (A$) Wharton Exec '16 (D) NUS '16 (A)

GMAT 1: 710 Q48 V40 Verified score

WE:Consulting (Telecommunications)

Schools: HBS '16 (D) Kellogg 1YR '15 (S) Yale '16 (S) ISB '15 (M$) Oxford (A$) Wharton Exec '16 (D) NUS '16 (A)

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11 Feb 2014, 21:08

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CarlosTheJackass

akshaychaturvedi007

Invited and THRILLED!! :D

Are you planning to opt for Skype or an on campus interview?

On campus isn't prudent at this short notice, so will try and put my best foot forward via skype interview!

newsOxford

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12 Feb 2014, 04:00

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FROM Oxford Admissions Blog: Learning mode

The main objective of the DPhil programme at Saïd Business School is probably being trained to be an outstanding academic and the basic legs of this learning process are taking courses, carrying out your own research, and usually doing (or helping with) some teaching.

Today I wanted to say a few words about the first point. Although it varies depending on whether we are in the Management or the Finance route, as DPhil students we have to take several courses during the first year of the programme. We have some courses on research methods and some on different topics such as organization theory, corporate finance, or strategy. However, there is a whole array of offerings beyond these initial compulsory courses.

There is an incredible amount of courses (or workshops, seminars) from the IT department. They range from basic training on tools such as Word, Excel, or Access to many programming languages and specialized software, as well as courses addressed to research students on managing references, analysing data, or open-access platforms. For example, next week I will be participating in an 6-hour workshop on how to use NVIVO (a software for qualitative data analysis) in the Social Sciences – for free!

There is also a wide offering of language courses taught at the Oxford University Language Centre, with really good prices for students. There we can find courses on Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish, as well as specific courses to use these languages in research environments and others about academic writing for non-native English speakers. I am now taking a course on how to edit my academic texts using a specific software that assembles a corpus of research papers in my area and compares that to my own writing.

And if that is not enough, apart from these courses available from the University of Oxford, we also benefit from the teaching at Saïd Business School. The most common way is to audit one or two courses from the MBA programme that are relevant to our areas of research and expertise, which allows for engaging with the MBA community and connecting our research questions to the ‘real-world’ challenges of today’s (and tomorrow’s) managers. So, even if we all know that we should always be in ‘learning mode’, there is no better time for that than the doctoral training years.

akshaychaturvedi007

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GMAT 1: 710 Q48 V40 Verified score

WE:Consulting (Telecommunications)

Schools: HBS '16 (D) Kellogg 1YR '15 (S) Yale '16 (S) ISB '15 (M$) Oxford (A$) Wharton Exec '16 (D) NUS '16 (A)

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12 Feb 2014, 22:28

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Chandarchur

Hi, wrong forum mate

, but just to answer your query briefly, it would be good to probably spend another 12-18 months and give shape to what you are doing on both professional and personal fronts.

Wishing you the very best, you may PM for more help!

kunalpal

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15 Feb 2014, 01:25

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Interviewed yesterday, via Skype. Very conversational and mainly focused on my career goals and why I want to do an MBA. Lasted exactly 30 minutes.

Best of luck everyone!

CarlosTheJackass

Joined: 18 May 2012

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15 Feb 2014, 01:44

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kunalpal

Interviewed yesterday, via Skype. Very conversational and mainly focused on my career goals and why I want to do an MBA. Lasted exactly 30 minutes.

Best of luck everyone!

Who took your interview? Faculty or Admissions? Any tricky questions?

heemsmba

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15 Feb 2014, 10:04

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Hi all. I am interviewing Monday via Skype. Doing research about the school and can't seem to find the current placement report. When I click to "Career Advancement" I can get to the 2011-12 Employment Report. But I'm looking for more recent years. Anyone got a link or info? Much appreciated.

kyleweb

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16 Feb 2014, 08:05

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I'll be interviewing on friday (campus).

Be interested to hear of anyone else's experience so far. Especially if you did in person rather than Skype.

MBASWE

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17 Feb 2014, 03:27

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kyleweb

I'll be interviewing on friday (campus).

Be interested to hear of anyone else's experience so far. Especially if you did in person rather than Skype.

I had my interview in Oxford and the experience was very positive. The interviewer made me feel comfortable and relaxed, and seemed sincerely interested in getting to know me better. He asked questions related to my application (resume, essays, work experience). Specifically, he asked me to describe a conflict at work and how I dealt with it, he asked about my greatest challenges at work and my weaknesses (and how I dealt with them). We also discussed why I wanted to get an MBA and why I had chosen to apply to Oxford (1 year vs 2 year program) and why I was applying the the other schools I had listed.

My recommendation is to read through your application thoroughly - the interviewer had done this too and it is important to be prepared to answer questions related to all parts of the application. Also, make sure you read up well on the program itself and be comfortable to discuss why Oxford would be a good match for you.

Best of luck!

kyleweb

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17 Feb 2014, 05:25

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MBASWE

kyleweb

I'll be interviewing on friday (campus).

Be interested to hear of anyone else's experience so far. Especially if you did in person rather than Skype.

Thanks so much MBASWE. Looks like you got an admit as well so congratulations! Was there any other activities on the day such as campus tour or was it just the interview?

MBASWE

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17 Feb 2014, 06:08

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kyleweb

MBASWE

kyleweb

I'll be interviewing on friday (campus).

Be interested to hear of anyone else's experience so far. Especially if you did in person rather than Skype.

Thanks so much MBASWE. Looks like you got an admit as well so congratulations! Was there any other activities on the day such as campus tour or was it just the interview?

Thanks! Well this was part of the MBA open day, so there were a few activities with different speakers and a tour of the school. It was also a nice opportunity to meet some of the other candidates who were interviewing on the same day

newsOxford

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17 Feb 2014, 09:00

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FROM Oxford Admissions Blog: Already Hilary term

I travelled alone in Europe during Christmas and was thrilled by the amazing scenery. The new term started in January, with Corporate Finance on Monday, Asset Pricing on Tuesday, Economics on Wednesday and Financial Econometrics on Thursday and Friday. Last term I worked hard so the courses did not feel as difficult as they seemed in the beginning. We have a new teacher for Asset Pricing and we study deeper and broader topics. The support classes are beneficial too – the teaching assistants are smart and professional.

We also needed to select courses for Trinity term. We have 80 points for five electives or 65 points for four electives plus an individual project. The electives are amazing! It took me hours to make up my mind. Plus… I just realized we MFE students can take some electives with the MBA students. I look forward to studying and working with the smart and experienced MBA fellows too.

In January we talked about the Australian Open. This month we are watching the Winter Olympics. My favorites are curling, ski jumping and figure skating. In China, winter sports are not a very hot topic of conversation. Now I have friends from all over the world to talk about sports and athletes. The talks (or sometimes quarreling) have become really interesting. I am so proud to live in this diversified and international community.

It’s half a year since I arrived in Oxford. In six months, a lot has happened, many things unexpected. But still, I am proud that I made the decision to be here. This will be the most unforgettable experience in my life.

heemsmba

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17 Feb 2014, 10:04

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Had my interview on Skype today. Would have been nice to interview in person but I'm across the pond. That said I do plan to visit in person should I get an admit.

Interview went well. Touchwood. Conversational, starting with my education and first work experience, then a bit on why I did what I did next. Asked why Oxford and about my goals. Interviewer was faculty - won't say exactly who but he gave great information about the program and answered my questions thoughtfully. No curve balls but I felt pressure on each of the questions since there weren't many. 30 minutes.

They interview many people a day, so even though they have read all your application materials, they can probably use some reminders on good things you want to emphasize. That is one thing I could have done better.

Good luck to everyone, hope to see you on campus.