Hi Everyone,
I've promised to give a debrief of my Admitted Student Welcome Day experience from this past weekend, so here it is.
The event started at 130PM with a casual buffet style luncheon (mostly sandwiches) with current students. The Program Director gave a nice opening speech that was very inspiring. The current students were friendly and quite candid with their experiences at the school. It was interesting to see what a diverse group it was (in terms of nationality and industries). About 10 (?) admitted students attended the event, with most of them from the US, and a few Brits and Euros.
After the luncheon, one of the coordinators took us on a walking tour of the school facilities. The building is very modern and well equipped (and this is comparing from experience when I used to attend Columbia University and used the Columbia business school's facilities often -- CBS also has great facilities, and Oxford is no less).
After, we had one-hour presentation sessions each with Admissions (went over logistics, post-offer questions, etc), Career (went over employment statistics, support structure, etc), and Alumi Relations. Each of the presentation sessions was very informative. Admissions went over practical matters such as student visa, payments, college selection process (this seems to be the most anxiety-inducing issue for everyone) -- this is especially great because a lot of questions are easier to answer in person rather than over email.
The Career session was very useful. The career services director broke down the process and resources available to students. There was also a "sector consultant" present at the session. Sector Consultants are people with deep knowledge of specific industries and are currently working in those industries. They are available to meet with students (on appointment basis) to help mentor and give advice to students. This gave me a lot of confidence about the career support. The director was also very realistic and honest about the job search challenges for those who are looking to switch countries, functions, and roles.
After these sessions, the staff introduced an alum panel. About 10 alum in the London area came in to meet with us. Their achievements were really impressive -- most of them are in the fiance industry, two in consulting, one in nonprofit, and one who is a general manager (in charge of the strategy division) for a law firm. This was the meat of the welcome day. Staff excused themselves from the room so admitted students may ask whatever questions they wanted. The alum unanimously described their experiences at Oxford as unforgettable because you are part of such an incredible institution -- you gain much more than just business knowledge and network -- it's a life experience that you'll not get anywhere else. They also gave practical advice and candid answers to some of the questions that were asked. One of the attendees asked about whether the ranking of SBS affected their abilities to compete with other b school graduates (the unspoken question probably was whether LBS or INSEAD graduates had an edge over them). I think the alum's achievements speak for themselves. There was someone who was in the risk analysis division of bank of america. Another who is doing investment banking. The takeaway I got from one of the alum's answer is that at the end of the day, the school name can only get your foot in the door with the interview, you are the only person who can actually get the job. And SBS has certainly gotten each of them through the door.
Later, the day concluded with cocktail event and dinner service at Trinity College. The dean, additional staff, alum and more current students joined this event to meet with admitted students. This intimate setting enabled me to get to know more people and assess their experiences at Oxford.
Oxford itself is such a vibrant town. You can feel the energy as you walk through the streets and see all the students milling about. The history and grandeur of the buildings transports you to another dimension and you can't help but feel inspired to be a part of this university.
Overall, I was really impressed. Prior to the event, I was on the fence about waiting for a decision from INSEAD and LBS. After the event, I am now 100% committed to attend Oxford. I believe it gives me the best bang for the buck, and I cannot wait to spend the next year with an amazing group of people!