Oxford / Saïd MBA News

Get the latest MBA news from Oxford / Saïd.

Published: November 28, 2013

Oxford’s Saïd Business School, Zamir Telecom Establish New Scholarship for Tech Sector Students in Emerging Economies

Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford earlier this month announced the creation of a new scholarship to help support MBA students from the technology sector, made possible thanks to a generous gift from a global telecommunications firm. Zamir Telecom will give Saïd £15,000 (approximately $24,500) per year for three years, which will fund one scholarship each year. The Zamir Telecom MBA Scholarship is open to applicants from an emerging economy (in Africa, Asia or the Middle East) or to those from other countries who have an interest in technological advancement in emerging economies. Read more

Published: October 24, 2013

Leading Business Schools Increase Focus on Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship is becoming a more prevalent facet within the graduate management curriculum at several leading business schools, driven in great part by growing student demand, according to a recent New York Times article. “We are putting down the tracks as the train is coming,” Pamela Hartigan, director of the Skoll Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, told the Times regarding that school’s social entrepreneurship offerings. Hartigan estimates that about half of the students at Saïd are interested in issues of long-term social and ethical sustainability, although experts say that students interested in social business still make up only a minority of MBA applicants, according to the Times report. Read more

Published: October 21, 2013

Career Services Director Q&A: Derek Walker of Oxford University’s Saïd Business School

Derek Walker has been leading the Oxford MBA Careers Services for the last four and a half years. He came on board a few weeks after the financial crisis, which he says can be viewed as either a terrible or a fantastic time to start. (He views it as the latter.) Before coming to Oxford, Walker worked in financial services campus recruiting. “It was really a buy-side to a sell-side move,” he explains. His favorite part of his job is working directly with students, particularly when they follow his advice, he shares. Read on to learn how he feels about open versus closed interview schedules, to hear the stories of recent Oxford MBA graduates who landed great jobs (and how they did it) and more. Read more

Published: October 14, 2013

Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Faculty / Off campus Hub

I have an international experience so I think my interview was an exception but not sure. It was more of a conversation rather than a Q&A. The interviewer started off talking about my company comparing it with its competitors asking me to comment on whether or not the comparison was right or wrong. Then, we moved to my education. He asked me to comment on education in Pakistan, India Pakistan relations, the current Indian Prime Minister. ( I am from India) In between there were a few standard questions – Why Oxford, Why MBA and why now, If I don’t Read more

Published: July 29, 2013

Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Open Enrollment / Sector Consultant / on-campus

The admissions officer met me in the lobby and brought me to a small conference room, where I was introduced to a sector consultant. Since I saw a number of the professors who teach in the program walking around, I’m not sure if it is a good or bad sign that a sector consultant interviews. Supposedly, Oxford invites around 40% of candidates to interview. The invitation email says the interview will last 30 min, the interviewer told me it would be 45 min, and it lasted about an hour with only a few minutes for me to ask questions. Two Read more

Published: July 2, 2013

Oxford University’s Saïd Business School Launches Innovative Online Module to Address Global Challenges

A new online module at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford is bringing together students in the school’s MBA and executive MBA programs with Oxford alumni and leading academic researchers to address some of the most challenging global business and policy issues. In its first year, the program has focused on global ageing. Called GOTO (Global Opportunities, Threats: Oxford), the interactive, multimedia web platform is designed to blend curated content with in-person learning through tutorial groups and events to create plans to address the world’s biggest problems. This year, an action-oriented community of Oxford students, academics and alumni took a hard look at the changing demographics, global pinch points, patterns of consumption, environmental impact and healthcare system strain created by the long-term trend toward global ageing. GOTO will focus on a different global issue each year. Read more

Published: March 11, 2013

Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions:Round 2 / Program Director / Off-campus (Singapore)

Interview time: 11 AM I was the first to be interviewed and it started 10 minutes earlier than schedule. The interview was close to 45 minutes. The interview was conducted by the Program Director. It was quite an interesting interview…Listing down the questions below. What is your role and daily work at ABC Company? If you were a client of ABC Company, what are the aspects you would consider before procuring the service of ABC? a) Would you procure from companies other than ABC b) Why would you not prefer X company at this time? c) Read more

Published: March 3, 2013

Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions:Round 2 / Careers Director / On Campus

I participated in an interview day at Oxford SBS, along with about 30 other applicants who had travelled from literally all four corners of the earth to be there – USA, Australia, Canada, Nigeria, the Middle East etc. Upon arrival, we were all given a welcome packet which contained a guide to the interview process and a short bio of our individual interviewers, before being shown to a conference room, where we chatted amongst ourselves and mingled with a faculty member and adcom staff while everyone got their individual interviews out of the way. We then had a group tour Read more

Published: December 18, 2012

Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1/AdCom/Off Campus

Oxford is a dream come true for me. The questions were simple except one which I’ve mentioned at the end: It was a non-blind interview. So I have read your profile, so would you like to give me 3 words to describe yourself ? You have varied leadership experiences- what would you say is your leadership style ? Why did you chose Oxford for an MBA? Tell me one experience where you had failed and what did you learn from it ? What are some of the weaknesses in your candidacy and how do you plan to mitigate them Read more

Published: December 9, 2012

Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1/Faculty/Off-Campus Hub

The interview took place in the offices of a law firm in San Francisco with links to the school. The interviewer had read my entire application in detail and asked very specific questions about things I had mentioned. He had a list of questions before him and went through them one by one. The setting was informal and the interviewer was reasonably friendly. The majority of the interview was a general discussion about the various problems that plague my industry. He wanted to know if a) I was aware of these problems and b) what I thought about them and Read more

Published: May 2, 2012

Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / Off Campus

I had an interview off-campus with an Admissions Officer of the program. The interviewer was friendly and easy to talk to. She assured me that she wanted this to be a casual, laid-back conversation and that I should not feel nervous. There were no surprises with this interview. It was standard and felt similar to other business school admissions interviews. I left with a good impression of Said. Tell me about your current job? Why MBA? Why Oxford? Tell me about a time when you were managing someone who was not performing well. What did you do? And if this Read more

Published: April 16, 2012

Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Outside Consultant / On Campus

The interview took place in a conference room inside the Said Business School. The dozen interviewees were encouraged to mingle with each other throughout the day. Only two current MBA students attended the luncheon, given that they were on break. Surprisingly, almost all of the applicants had flown long distances from Seattle, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Sydney, etc. Interview time: under 30 minutes The interviewer was a former headhunter who is now working as an outside consultant for the AdCom. She was knowledgeable, articulate, and friendly to converse with. We started with brief chit-chat about the program and the community, and Read more

Oxford / Saïd

CLASS SIZE: 348

Women: 48%

Median GMAT: 680

% International: 97%

Livewire Decisionwire Interview Reports Essay Topic Analysis MBA Admissions Deadlines View Full Profile

MBA Applywire

November 20, 2024 9:42pm ET

Applying: Babson / Olin, , Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Emory / Goizueta, Rice / Jones, Rochester / Simon, SMU Cox, UCI Merage, Washington U. / Olin

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Technology - Entrepreneurship

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Entrepreneurship

GRE: 333

GPA: 2.56

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Lagos

Notes:

I just got rejected for WashU Olin and I have an interview invitation with Questrom. GPA continues to bother me but I addressed it in my supporting essays.

November 19, 2024 12:51pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, INSEAD, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Tech in government

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Entrepreneurship Companies: Bain , McKinsey

GRE: 319

GPA: 2.9

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

I got cancer when I was undergrad that's why my undergrad GPA is low. After MBA I want to work in consulting then make a social impact in Africa through entrepreneurship

November 19, 2024 12:06pm ET

Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, U. Washington / Foster, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden

Pre-MBA Career: Wealth Management and Military

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Asset Management, inc. HF, Other Companies: Bain , BCG , Deloitte , McKinsey , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Asset Management , State Street , Vanguard

GPA: 3.80

Years of Work Experience: 7

Location: San Diego

Post MBA Location: Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis, Charlotte

Notes:

UG Degree: BBA Financial Markets at an Accredited Institution.

Civilian Work History: 3 years as Wealth Advisor under an RIA in Minneapolis and Denver. Total AUM of ~$350-400M, served as a salaried advisor in a primary and secondary capacity. Holistic services to include investment management, estate planning, retirement planning, insurance planning, tax planning, etc.

Military History: 4 years as a supply/logistics officer heading efforts for air/ground mobility, defense contracting, supply and procurement, and fiscal budget management while located at various bases within CONUS and multiple forward deployed locations.

Professional Certifications: Obtained Certified Financial Planner designation (2022) and Series 65 (2019).

November 18, 2024 12:50am ET

Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, NYU Stern, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Consulting

Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking Companies: Bank of America , Barclays , Citibank , Credit Suisse , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Chase

GRE: 323

GPA: 3.32

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

Education:
- Combined Major in Economics and Statistics
- CFA Charterholder (passed all three levels on the first attempt)

Professional Experience:
- Manager at a Big 4 firm Specializing in capital projects and infrastructure, with a role similar to investment banking
- Seven years of experience, mainly in financial services in Ghana

Extracurricular Activities:
- Pro bono capital-raising services for SMEs
- Aspiring to run a full advisory firm for SMEs in the future
- CFA exam coaching and tutorial classes for candidates
- Founder of a travel and tour club offering affordable trips to explore beautiful and historic scenes in Ghana

Will being 32 years old affect the attractiveness of my candidacy?

November 17, 2024 9:24am ET

Applying: Columbia, , Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, INSEAD, NYU Stern, Oxford / Saïd, Stanford GSB, UCLA Anderson, Yale SOM

Pre-MBA Career: Higher Education

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Media, Undecided Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey , JP Morgan , Morgan Stanley , JP Morgan Chase , Apple , Google , Microsoft , Andressen Horowitz , Charles River , Sequoia Capital , Blackstone , KKR , 21st Century Fox , Comcast , Walt Disney

GPA: 3.97

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Denver, Colorado

Post MBA Location: New York City

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MBA LiveWire

November 23, 2024 7:37am ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on November 21, 2024

GPA: 6.42

GMAT: 760

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Technology

Application Location: India

November 23, 2024 12:41am ET

Accepted to SMU Cox

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 22, 2024

GPA: 3.6

GRE: 331

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Marketing

Application Location: Delta, Nigeria

November 22, 2024 11:09pm ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via portal November 22, 2024

GPA: 3.65

Program Type: One Year Program

Target Career: Technology

Application Location: NY

Note:

Submitted on 9/1, interview invite on 10/8, interviewed on 10/30. No phone call but portal updated on 11/22 around 1pm est. No scholarship..

November 22, 2024 8:42pm ET

Accepted to SMU Cox

Round: Round 1

Received via phone November 22, 2024

GPA: 3.9

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: Mississippi

November 22, 2024 8:34pm ET

Rejected at SMU Cox

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on November 21, 2024

GPA: 3.89/4

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: Asia

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