Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford

About This Guide

The Clear Admit team has prepared this reference guide to the Saïd Business School at Oxford University (“SBS,” “Saïd” or “Oxford”) to assist you in your research of this program. Our comments are designed to be of use to individuals in all stages of the admissions process, providing information relevant to those who are determining whether to apply to this program, looking for in-depth information for a planned application to Saïd, preparing for an interview or deciding whether to attend.

The guide is unique in that it not only addresses many aspects of life as a Saïd MBA student and alumnus, covering school- specific programs in depth, but also compares Saïd to other leading business schools across a range of criteria based on data from the schools, the scholarly and popular presses, and Clear Admit’s conversations with current MBA students, alumni, faculty and school administrators. We have normalized the data offered by each business school to allow for easy side- by-side comparisons of multiple programs.

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...and come find us on social media Table of Contents | v Applying to business school? Learn more from Clear Admit! Contents

1 Introduction to SBS 1 Program Highlights ...... 1 Brief History of the MBA . 1 SBS History . 3 Student Demographics . 4

2 Academics 6 Academic Calendar ...... 6 Orientation ...... 7 Student Body ...... 8 Teaching Methods . 8 Visit our website: www.clearadmit.com Core Curriculum ...... 9 Electives . 9 Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the world’s best business schools Curriculum Comparison . 10 and sharpen your approach to your applications with insider advice on MBA admissions Grading System ...... 10 Want this information--and more exclusive content--delivered straight to your inbox? Faculty . 11

Sign up for our Newsletter 3 Special Programs 13 Experiential Learning Projects . 13 Entrepreneurship Project ...... 13 Strategic Consulting Project ...... 13 Student Treks ...... 14

4 Life at SBS 16 Campus Spaces . 16 Life in Oxford ...... 16 Housing ...... 19 Clubs ...... 20 Conferences . 21

5 Life After SBS 23 Careers Service . 23 Recruiting/Interview Procedures . 24 Career Statistics ...... 24

Industry ...... 25 Geography ...... 25 The U.K. Work Visa ...... 28 Alumni Network ...... 28

6 Admissions 30 Visiting SBS . 30 Outreach Events ...... 30 Application Requirements ...... 30 Interviewing at SBS . 31 Deadlines . 32 Other MBA Programs . 32

7 Financing the SBS MBA 34 Tuition & Expenses . 34 Financial Aid . 34

8 Appendix 36 Essay Topic Analysis ...... 36 Admissions Director Q&A ...... 38

9 Further Resources 42 Publications...... 42 SBS Research Centers & Institutes . 42 Contact Information . 43 Social Media...... 43

Introduction to SBS

1 Program Highlights Oxford University Connection – The Saïd Business School is affiliated with one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world. In addition to enjoying the international recognition of the Oxford brand after graduating, MBA students can take advantage of the distinguished university’s world- class academic culture.

Academic and Practical Approach – The rigorous academic tradition for which Oxford University is known exists at SBS with a number of experiential learning opportunities. About 20 percent of each course can consist of practical assignments, thereby tempering the university’s traditionally theoretical approach to education with exposure to real-world business problems. Additionally, SBS students can complete two experiential projects during the one-year program, the required Entrepreneurship Project and the optional Strategic Consulting Project, as well as participating in the Oxford Venture Fund and other activities that give them practice in real-world business situations.

Accelerated Program – The Oxford MBA is designed to be completed in about 12 months, which allows students to return to the workforce nearly a whole year earlier than most top MBA programs in Europe and the United States. The shorter length of the Oxford MBA also makes it a less expensive option than longer programs, since students pay for just one year of business education, not two.

Brief History of the MBA Originally conceived as an extra year of undergraduate training in finance, economics and accounting, business schools shifted around the start of the 20th century to begin offering managerial training for the U.S.’s new industrialized companies (see Figure 1.1). Their prestige grew throughout the Great Depression of the 1930s, when the research and training generated by business schools was seen as a key to the country’s economic recovery. The unprecedented managerial needs of World War II further increased the demand for formal business education, and after the war, U.S. veterans used their G.I. Bill funding to finance their business studies and move into management jobs.

By the 1950s, the MBA was a two-year, post-graduate program that turned business into a professional discipline on par

Figure 1.1 Notable Developments in MBA History

MBA Degree Said Business School

• Business schools are established in the U.S. to 1880s train managers for the new industrialized world, especially the railroad industry. • Academic focus is on accounting and book-keeping and most professors are professionals in these fields. 1900s

• Association of Collegiate Schools of Business is 1910s founded in 1916 to provide resources for the growing number of U.S. business schools, which by 1919 enroll over 36,000 students.

• On-campus recruiting by industry rises. 1920s • Curricula begin to include policy issues.

• The research and training conducted by business 1930s schools during the Great Depression is popularly seen as a key to the U.S.’s economic revival, significantly raising public opinion of business schools.

• WWII sharply increases demand for trained man- 1940s agers and WWII veterans return to U.S. business schools in droves.

• Most professors now hold Ph.D.s in business and 1950s • Oxford Centre for Management Studies (OCMS) is academic research begins to form the basis of established in 1965. business school curricula. • Strategic decision making and quantitative and statistical analyses become the focus of many curricula. • INSEAD is founded. 1960s • London Business School opens.

• MBA starting salaries rise 5-10% per year at some 1970s schools, even during stagflation. • Entrepreneurship enters most curricula. • INSEAD establishes Asian Business Program.

1980s

• Business schools focus on leadership, ethics and 1990s • OCMS is renamed Templeton College in 1983. interpersonal skills, altering course content and in- • Oxford University School of Management Studies creasing classroom emphasis on working in teams. takes over business education at the university. • School of Management Studies is renamed Saïd Business School in 1996. • Professor Colin Mayer is appointed dean. • High profile corporate scandals prompt call for 2000s • SBS moves into its current building on Park End St. greater ethics education in business schools. in 2001. • INSEAD’s Singapore campus opens. • By 2004, 447,000 students are enrolled in U.S. business programs. 2010s • Professor Peter Tufano assumes the deanship in July 2011. • New building and conferencing facilities opened in 2013.

www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. Introduction | 3 with medicine and law, and the degree was seen as a ticket to a better, more secure career. The MBA continued increasing in popularity, from 21,000 business management master’s degrees awarded in the 1969-1970 academic year to 139,000 in 2003-2004. This rise came in conjunction with a growing demand for MBA graduates in the workplace and with rising starting salaries for those graduating from top schools.

Since the early days of the MBA, there have been conflicts over the purpose of a business education. Initially, tension between a classical education in economics and more “practical” training in business dominated the debate, and in some ways this remains the central conflict. Today, the tension between theory and practice has increasingly taken center stage, as business school professors have become more academic and employers demand broader skill sets from MBA graduates. Most business schools, however, have designed programs that offer students exposure to both theory and practice – internships, fieldwork and school-based consulting programs are widespread. The increase in average full-time work experience among entering MBA students, as well as the growth in Executive MBA programs, ensures that classroom theories are continually tested against real world experiences. Regardless of these tensions, the MBA remains one of the most popular graduate degrees in the United States and around the world.

SBS History Business education at Oxford University began in 1965 with the establishment of the Oxford Center for Management Studies (OCMS), which offered graduate and adult education classes in business and later began offering undergraduate instruction as well. At its inception, OCMS was technically an “associate institute” of Oxford University, not an independent department, due to the fact that management was not considered a sufficiently academic discipline to warrant full incorpo- ration into the university. The high demand for management education, however, did not abate, and Oxford University created a B.Phil. program in Management Studies in 1967. The first OCMS campus, a complex of buildings and extensive parkland located two miles from Oxford’s city center at Egrove Park in Kennington, was completed in 1969 and still houses Saïd Business School’s executive education programs.

In 1983, a gift from the billionaire investor Sir John Templeton led OCMS to be renamed Templeton College and to be recate- gorized as a “society of entitlement,” which permitted it to enroll its own graduate students. The college attained full status by decree of a Royal Charter in 1995, and in 2008 it merged with another graduate college, the former Green College, to become Green Templeton College. Green Templeton College is now located in central Oxford on the existing Green College campus and is populated entirely by graduate students, most of whom are enrolled in professional degree programs.

In 1991, the university assumed responsibility for Templeton College’s degree programs with the creation of the Oxford Uni- www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. 4 | Clear Admit School Guide: Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford

versity School of Management Studies. In the same year, a £2 million gift from Sir Peter Moores, the art collector, philan- thropist and former Everton Football Club chairman, led to the creation of Oxford University’s first faculty positions in management. The Saïd Business School name followed five years later thanks to Syrian–Saudi Arabian financier and investor Wafic Rida Saïd, who donated £23 million for the purpose of establishing a formal business school in his name at Oxford University.

Upon the Saïd Business School’s renaming, its primary graduate degree program, the B.Phil., was changed to the MBA in order to make the Oxford management curriculum comparable to those of MBA programs at other leading schools. Profes- Figure 1.2 Size of Incoming Class sor Colin Mayer, who had taught corporate finance, taxation and governance at the Oxford School of Management Stud- 1XPEHURI6WXGHQWV ies since 1994, was appointed dean of the school, a post he held until 2011. During his tenure, SBS moved into its new home on Park End Street – across from the Oxford railway ,0' station – assumed responsibility for Oxford’s executive education programs and launched a number of innovative research &DPEULGJH centers, such as the Skoll Center for Social Entrepreneurship (6$'( and the BT Centre for Major Program Management. Professor 2[IRUG Peter Tufano, a longtime faculty member and administrator at Harvard Business School, took up the deanship in July 2011. ,(6( In 2013, Saïd opened a new building next to the original busi- /%6 ness school, a buidling that is designed to service the needs of ,16($' its Executive Education program and provide additional meeting and conferencing facilities.

Student Demographics Saïd Business School at Oxford accepts a small class of di- Figure 1.3 Citizenship verse and talented applicants each year from across a wide range of professional and educational backgrounds. Students Africa matriculating into the SBS program in fall 2014, hereafter North America referred to as the Class of 2015, numbered 230 students (see Other Int’l Figure 1.2), an increase of more than 40 students compared to the previous year. Oxford’s class size puts it on the lower end in its peer group, but SBS students outnumber their peers at Cambridge by more than a quarter. However, classes at Oxford are still only about 20 percent of INSEAD’s annual in- take of more than 1,000 students. Eastern & South Eastern European schools generally tend towards a more international Asia student composition than do schools in the U.S., and members of the Class of 2015 arrived at Oxford from 45 countries. North America sent the largest portion of students with a representation rate of 27% (see Figure 1.3). As in the Class of 2013, students from Central Asia formed the second largest Europe Central Asia group, making up 23% of the student population, and Europe contributed the next largest batch of students at 17%. Only a tiny 3% of students in the Class of 2015 are native to the UK, while 97% are international, a figure roughly on par with the London Business School, where 88% of entering students in 2014 were international students.

Figure 1.4 Undergraduate Majors SBS students in the Class of 2015 had an average of five years in the workplace before enrollment. At 28 years, the Other average age at SBS is only slightly older than that of students Social Math & at U.S. business schools, and the age range for this class was Sciences Engineering 20 to 36 years old. In addition to these statistics, Oxford reports that 11% of its students in the Class of 2015 hold dual Medicine & citizenships and 19% of students are married. Sciences The mean GMAT of an entrant into SBS in the Class of 2015 was 692, an increase of six points from the previous year but an average that nonetheless still gives Oxford a respectable Economics place among European schools; the members of the Class of 2016 at LBS averaged 8 points higher on the GMAT. This places the mean GMAT at Oxford approximately 30 points below those of leading U.S. business schools, which are generally Humanities higher than GMAT results typical of international programs.

A full 35% of the Class of 2015 majored in mathematics and engineering (see Figure 1.4), and 27% focused on business Business & Management and management as undergraduates. Other students report- ed similarly quantitative backgrounds: 11% studied economics and 5% completed degrees in medicine and science. The rest of the Class of 2015 studied the humanities and social Figure 1.5 Gender Distribution sciences –contributing 8% and 9% of the class, respectively. The percentage of students with social science backgrounds increased from 4% in the Class of 2013, although the Class of 2015 experienced a drop in newly enrolled students with backgrounds in the humanities from 16%.

Despite the rising enrollment of women into other professional studies graduate programs, such as medicine and law, business schools still see a relatively low number of female applicants. While leading U.S. MBA programs often graduate higher percentages of women than do international schools, Oxford’s female population is particularly low. The Class of 2015 increased the percentage of female students as the previous year, and overall SBS has one of the highest percentages of women among its peers at 33% (see Figure 1.5). :RPHQ 0HQ

Academics

The Oxford MBA at Saïd Business School is a one-year pro- 2 gram delivered in four terms. The school’s affiliation with Oxford University and its location in Oxfordshire, one of Great Britain’s technology hubs, have helped SBS to build its reputation in entrepreneurship and high technology, as well as providing a strong foundation in general management and global business.

Academic Calendar The academic year at Oxford is divided into three terms, each 10 weeks long, with a more freeform Summer term that lasts through August (see Figure 2.1). The academic year con- cludes with the two-week Capstone, which includes lectures and workshops, in September. The SBS schedule departs Figure 2.1 SBS Academic Calendar slightly from the standard Oxford University calendar, with 2015-2016 each term’s courses beginning about one week earlier than Michaelmas those offered by other university departments. Term begins September 21 Term ends December 18 The fall term, which is known at Oxford as Michaelmas, begins Hilary for SBS students in the last week of September and ends in Term begins January 11 mid-December. Following a month-long holiday break, SBS Term ends April 8 students return to Oxford for the winter term, called Hilary Trinity term, which runs until early April. Trinity term begins after Term begins April 25 another four-week break and wraps up in late June. Term ends July 1 Summer Though the end of Trinity marks the end of the academic year Term begins July 4 for most of Oxford University, SBS students continue their Term ends September 2 studies through August and into September. SBS students September Session therefore complete the MBA 12 months after matriculating Term begins September 5 into Oxford. Term ends September 10 The first three terms are each divided into three portions. During the first eight weeks of each term, students attend lectures and complete group work for their courses. The ninth week is devoted to reviewing course material in preparation for the exams administered during Week 10, although students in Hilary term spend this ninth week completing the Entrepreneurship Project instead of a review week.

The fourth term, known as Summer term, is the least structured part of the program and follows a different schedule than the previous three terms. SBS students are invited to choose from among a number of Summer term activities which vary in duration from five to eight weeks. Some students opt to spend their time taking courses on campus or working on a thesis, while others participate in a Strategic Consulting Project off campus. Strategic Consulting Projects

www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. Academic Programs | 7 are generally four- to six-week commitments involving team travel to a client’s location to research and provide recommendations concerning a business problem.

Another Summer option for SBS students is to intern with a company in their target post-MBA industry. Since these internships do not qualify for academic credit, students who choose this path typically need to complete a few additional credits during the following September in order to satisfy the academic requirements of the degree, after which they are eligible to graduate.

Orientation Many schools offer pre-term and orientation programs for first-year students prior to the start of the academic year. While orientations are usually required three- or four-day programs focused on meeting classmates and becoming accli- mated to the campus, pre-term programs include an academic component, which may be anything from placement exams to leadership seminars. Orientations are always mandatory, though pre-term programs may be optional, depending on the nature of the activities taking place.

Oxford requires incoming SBS students to participate in a three-week orientation, known as MBA Launch, which is held prior to the start of Michaelmas classes. Once MBA Launch is underway, SBS students are introduced to the school’s academic expectations, examination policies and support services through sessions organized by SBS faculty and members of the career services and alumni relations offices. The formal SBS orientation begins with Oxford Pursuit, a scavenger hunt that sends SBS students around Oxford in small groups to familiarize them with the city.

Additionally, to ensure that all students are prepared to excel in the MBA program, SBS students are required to complete short orientation workshops covering key MBA disciplines such as finance and consulting. Each of these workshops includes sessions hosted by guest practitioners who give students an overview of the available career opportunities in each sector. One of the workshops is dedicated to the year’s Global Oppor- tunities and Threats: Oxford (GOTO) topic. Finally, new MBA candidates are assigned a busy schedule of MBA Launch social events, such as a family luncheon, get-togethers at Oxford pubs and a concluding reception, which keep them busy as they settle into their new surroundings.

Beyond the orientation activities organized by SBS, new students are also inducted into their respective residential colleges, scholarly communities that provide meals, housing and social activities for their member students. These college orientations include introductions to the college’s dining, finance and student life administrators. All students are also taken on a tour of the University of Oxford’s main library, the Bodle- ian, during which they are made aware of the library’s policies and learn to use its resources; all students must also sign the www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. 8 | Clear Admit School Guide: Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford

centuries-old Bodleian Oath in which they solemnly swear to obey all library regulations. Several of these activities are undertaken together with the college’s new undergraduates, though most colleges also organize social bonding events ex- clusively for graduate students.

Students complete their induction into Oxford by participating in Matriculation Day, a mandatory ceremony for all new students enrolled in the university. Matriculation Day marks the symbolic beginning of a student’s life in Oxford and as such is steeped in tradition, from the ceremony itself right down to the clothes that students are required to wear. All students are required to wear sub fusc, the traditional academic regalia of Oxford and Cambridge that includes standard-issue black cape-like gowns and mortarboard caps. Following the pho- tograph, the black hatted-and-gowned new students march toward the Sheldonian Theatre, where the Matriculation Day ceremony is traditionally held. The day typically ends with a champagne reception or dinner celebrating the students’ formal induction into the university.

Student Body

Figure 2.2 Structure of the Student Like most top business schools, SBS divides its entering class Body into smaller sections for the purpose of encouraging more manageable discussions in core courses. Sections represent a range of cultural, professional and social backgrounds, thus 230 fostering a sense of diversity that reflects the profile of the larger class (see Figure 2.2). Students per class In recent years, SBS has split its roughly 200-student class 3 into three sections, and students take all core classes with their sections. Each section is further subdivided into three- to Sections per class five-person study groups, similarly chosen to maximize diversity. For example, an engineer from India might be assigned ~70 to a study group together with a Chinese banker, a Brazilian manufacturer, and Canadian and Irish consultants. Students Students per section work in these study groups to complete group assignments over the course of Michaelmas term. Beyond Michaelmas, 3-5 students begin choosing their own study groups for their elective courses. Students per study group Teaching Methods Saïd employs a mix of varied teaching methods in order to convey coursework to its MBA students. One quarter of all teaching is conducted through case studies in which, much like at Harvard Business School, students read a short de- scription of an actual business problem and then discuss or analyze the actions of the players in that case. Another quarter of the Oxford MBA program is taught through team projects, while lectures constitute 40 percent of instruction. Finally, faculty members employ business simulations for approximately one-tenth of the program.

Figure 2.3 SBS Core Curriculum Core Curriculum • Business Finance The Oxford MBA centers on an eight-course core curriculum • Analytics intended to give students a strong foundation in essential • Accounting business disciplines (see Figure 2.3). Of the eight courses, six • Strategy are taken during Michaelmas term and the final two are com- • Firms and Markets pleted over Hilary term alongside the Entrepreneurship Proj- • Leadership Fundamentals ect. Since the Oxford MBA is primarily a generalist’s degree • Technology and Operations Management designed to give future business leaders a broad foundation • Marketing in advanced business disciplines, all students are required to • Entrepreneurship Project complete the same eight-course sequence and cannot opt out of any part of the core.

Michaelmas is the most strictly programmed term of the Ox- ford MBA, as students’ schedules consist entirely of six of the eight required courses. During Hilary term, however, students have greater flexibility in choosing the topics that they study. In addition to completing the two remaining core courses, Ox- ford MBA students round out their Hilary term courseload with the Entrepreneurship Project and two core electives. The final two terms of the program are even more flexible, as students take five elective courses in Trinity term and, during Summer term, may complete either two additional electives, an academic thesis, an internship or a Strategic Consulting Project as their final graduation requirement.

Opportunities to formally apply academic concepts to the real world are a key part of the Oxford MBA, constituting up to 20 percent of assignments in each course. For instance, the Entrepreneurship Project, a team assignment completed during Hilary term, gives Oxford MBA students the opportunity to apply the skills they learned during Michaelmas by creating a business plan and pitching it to professional venture capitalists. Outside the classroom, students have further opportunities for experiential learning through the Summer term’s Strategic Consulting Project, the Saïd Business School Venture Capital Fund and individual summer internships, all of which draw upon Oxfordshire’s status as one of Great Britain’s technology hubs.

Students receive one credit per core course and must earn at least seven core credits in order to graduate. This effectively means that students may fail one core course and still remain eligible for the Oxford MBA. Students report that these expectations are more than attainable, especially since SBS provides considerable academic support through study groups and mentorship from an Academic Supervisor.

Electives Beyond the eight required courses and the Entrepreneurship Project, students may tailor their academic program through elective courses as well as consulting and independent projects. Students have their first opportunity to enroll in two electives during Hilary term (see Figure 2.4) after apprehend- ing foundational academic concepts through the required core

Figure 2.4 Selected SBS 2015 curriculum programming. Electives Significantly more elective courses are on offer during Trin- • Culture and global markets ity term, but class sizes are generally capped at just a few • Entrepreneurial finance dozen students. This means that demand for certain courses • Finance II invariably exceeds available space–a phenomenon present at • Global Strategy nearly every MBA program. To manage this demand, elective • Macroeconomics selection at SBS has traditionally been governed by a bidding • Social finance system similar to those in use at many other leading MBA • Strategy Implementation programs. • Valuing performance The Oxford MBA does not offer any formal concentrations or majors, though students are free to choose electives that would help them acquire deep knowledge of a single field. The lack of concentrations at SBS is likely due to the fact that the Oxford MBA is designed as a generalist’s degree and because the accelerated pace of a one-year program does not leave time for extensive specialization.

Curriculum Comparison All business schools require students to complete a set of core courses, but the length and flexibility of these cores vary significantly from program to program. Applicants may find it helpful to compare the curriculum requirements of the leading programs to understand how much of the academic program is structured by the school, how much is at the discretion of the student, and how much flexibility students have to waive these requirements. As such, when reviewing the curricula of the leading programs, it can be helpful to compare the courses that each school deems mandatory, requires but allows for conditional waivers or substitutions, and offers on an elective basis, which leaves the course choice to the student (see Figure 2.5).

To graduate from the Oxford MBA program, students must complete 18 credits. Seven of these credits must come from passing seven of the eight required core courses, two are achieved through completing the Entrepreneurship Project, eight credits are awarded on the basis of passing eight of the nine elective courses, or six elective courses plus a thesis project or Strategic Consulting project, and the final credit is awarded by passing the Global Opportunities and Threats: Oxford (GOTO). Given this breakdown, roughly half of credits are from required courses and the other half are from elective work. Compared to other one-year programs like INSEAD and Judge, Oxford offers students more opportunity to tailor their studies.

Grading System Although there is some variation by course and professor, Ox- ford course assignments consist primarily of papers, projects and exams, which are completed both in small groups and on an individual basis. Students are evaluated on their academic

Figure 2.5 Course Type as Percent of Credits Required to Graduate

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Note: Mandatory classes are required for graduation and cannot be waived under any circumstances. Conditionally required courses are part of the core curriculum but may be waived by exam or credential or substituted with other coursework. performance using the university’s 0 to 100 numerical scale, but these marks are not printed on students’ transcripts; instead, final grades of 70 to 100 are designated “Distinction,” those from 50 to 70 are designated “Pass” and those below a 50 are designated “Fail.”

A minimum grade of 50 is needed for a completed course to count toward the SBS graduation requirements. It is rare for anyone to fail an Oxford MBA course, since the school permits students to re-sit exams if they did not do well the first time. The type, or “class,” of degree that students receive at the end of the MBA program depends on their cumulative marks. For example, students who earned at least a 70, or Distinc- tion, in six or more courses with average marks of 65 are awarded a first-class degree.

Faculty There are close to 100 professors, lecturers and fellows at Saïd Business School, and the school reports that the faculty has a high degree of interaction with practitioners in other fields of study, affording the faculty an interdisciplinary perspective and connections across the university. Oxford MBA students are overwhelmingly pleased with the quality of teaching at SBS; many praise instructors for their real-world business experience and enthusiasm for exploring new ideas, as well as for their eloquence and wit. A few of the most illus-

trious and beloved members of the faculty are profiled below.

Mari Sako Mari Sako is a Professor of Management and Co-Director of the Novak Druce Centre for Professional Service Firms. Her research interests include comparisons of business systems and global value chains in business and professional service firms, with her most recent field of focus being that of the global cost pressures driving outsourcing. Sako’s work on outsourcing has been featured in such publications as The Economist, the Financial Times, The Times, and The Economic Times of India. She holds memberships with the Research Strategy Group of the UK Legal Services Board and the Fi- nance Committee of the University of Oxford Press. At SBS, Sako currently teaches the Global Strategy course in the MBA program.

Tim Jenkinson An expert on private equity, IPOs and regulation and cost of capital, Tim Jenkinson is the Director of the Oxford Private Equity Institute and Professor of Finance at Saïd Business School. His bountiful research on finance and economics, including close to 40 journal articles and book chapters, has been published in a number of top peer-reviewed journals, including the European Economic Review, the Journal of Finance and the Review of Financial Studies. Additionally, he has written or coauthored four books on economics and financial topics, including Competition in Regulated Industries with former SBS Dean Colin Mayer and Going Public: The Theory and Evi- dence on How Companies Raise Equity Finance with Alexander Ljungqvist of New York University’s Stern School of Business. Outside his scholarship and teaching, Jenkinson serves as a director with the consulting firm Oxford Economic Research and the investment fund PSource Structured Debt, in addition to being an academic advisor to the Global Valuation Institute at KPMG. Jenkinson is a longtime member of Oxford Univer- sity, having joined the Economics Department in 1987, and has been with SBS since 2000, where he teaches the popular Private Equity MBA course as well as Entrepreneurial Finance.

Linda Scott A professor at SBS since 2006, Linda Scott teaches a variety of courses on topics related to marketing and branding. Her expertise is in consumer culture, with a recent focus on im- ages in advertising, marketing and the arts, and religion and commerce, especially with regard to education, sanitation and women’s issues. Scott is the author of Fresh Lipstick: Redressing Fashion and Feminism and Persuasive Imagery: A Consumer Response Perspective, as well as dozens of journal articles and book chapters. In addition to her research, Scott edits the Advertising & Society Review, serves on the board of the Advertising Educational Foundation and advises the Or- ganization for Women in International Trade. In recognition of Scott’s groundbreaking work in the field of advertising and consumer culture, SBS’s Oxford Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation appointed her the DP World Chair for Entre- preneurship and Innovation, which continues to support her research and teaching efforts in those areas.

Special Programs

3 Experiential Learning Projects During their yearlong program, Oxford MBA students are required to complete an entrepreneurship-focused assignment designed to give them firsthand experience with creating a new company. SBS also gives students the option of under- taking a second experiential learning project that involves solving a complex business problem for a real company or organization in a team setting. In both projects, students work with a diverse group of peers to obtain expertise in a range of business issues and have the opportunity to apply the critical thinking skills learned in the classroom to real business envi- ronments.

Entrepreneurship Project SBS students embark on their first experiential learning assignment, the Entrepreneurship Project, during Hilary term. Working in teams of approximately four to five, students develop a business plan for a new venture or service, which they will pitch to a panel of investors at the end of the term.

Student teams receive support in the form of a designated Entrepreneurship Project Advisor. At the end of Hilary term, each team presents its business plan for evaluation by a panel of venture capitalists; the most successful may be selected to continue into the development stage, backed by the professional investors and venture capitalists on the panel.

As they develop the business plans, students draw upon the foundational business skills, such as finance and operations, that they learned in their core courses, complementing them with additional entrepreneurship-specific tools drawn from related SBS evening workshops. Among the ideas that student teams have recently developed for the Entrepreneur- ship Project is an alternative fuel project, designed to process waste and other raw materials to cut down on Indian cement factories’ use of conventional fuel. The project made it to the semi-final round of SBS’ Venture fund competition.

Strategic Consulting Project The Strategic Consulting Project (SCP), one of the three Sum- mer term activity options available to Oxford MBA students, takes place over July and August and gives students the opportunity to apply their previous three terms of coursework to solve a complex business problem for a real-world corporation or social organization. Though students are not required to www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. 14 | Clear Admit School Guide: Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford

Figure 3.1 Recent SCP Sponsors participate in SCP to graduate with the Oxford MBA, it is typically one of the most popular Summer term activities on offer • APOPO each year. • Cisco • Etrade Securities To complete the project, students serve as business consul- • International Cricket Council tants for a sponsor corporation or organization, working in • London Stock Exchange small teams both in Oxford and at the client’s location. To • Macquarie Bank help students track down consulting placements, the school • The Prince’s Trust maintains relationships with corporations and social organiza- • STIC Investments tions located around the world. Students are also encouraged • The Walt Disney Company to draw upon their own professional contacts to secure spon- • World Bank sorships for “student-sourced projects.” More entrepreneur- ially minded students often choose to use the SCP to further develop the business plan they pitched during the Entrepre- neurship Project (see Figure 3.1).

Generally, students form their teams of around four first, and then choose a consulting project based on the interests and talents of the team members. The projects can come from any area of business; in recent years, students have completed SCPs as diverse as providing recommendations on the sustainability of various growth plans for Port-au-Prince and exploring new ways to improve relationships between social entrepreneurs and their investors at the World Bank. Once they return from the client site, the student teams have roughly a month to complete a paper discussing their recommendations, which will be submitted to the client and to SBS faculty supervisors.

Students frequently cite SCP as the highlight of the SBS MBA program, specifically praising the opportunity it gives them to solve a business case in a real-world context. Additionally, the program allows many students to spend much of Sum- mer term outside the UK at their client site, giving them the chance to explore other regions of the world while gaining practical business experience.

Student Treks Each year, Oxford sponsors a number of student treks that travel to particular cities and countries. These treks are designed to help interested students learn about the local industries in their target region and begin building their networks in order to secure post-MBA employment (see Figure 3.2). The treks are each one to two weeks long, take place during the vacation between Hilary and Trinity terms and consist of meetings with recruiters, SBS alumni and representatives from businesses in the area. During Oxford’s 2012 treks, students visited companies including Google, China Renaissance Capital, Nomura, SBI Ven Capital, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Shell, Toyota, UBS Wealth Management and more.

Each trek is organized and led by one or two SBS students who have previously lived or worked in the area to which the trek is traveling. These student organizers arrange the itiner- ary with the help of Careers Service staff members, who connect the trek leaders with recruiters and alumni in that area. www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. Special Programs | 15

Students report that the treks are informative and fun excur- sions that allow them to bond with their classmates and learn about the industries and companies they hope to join after graduation.

Life at SBS

4 Campus Spaces The Saïd Business School campus is located on the south- eastern edge of Oxford University, with most of its offices and classrooms contained in a relatively new building completed in 2001 by Dixon Jones, the same architectural firm that built London’s Royal Opera House in the 1980s. The facility lies just across the street from the city of Oxford’s railway station, while Gloucester Green, the location of the city’s bus station and a bustling commercial district, lies to the east on Hythe Bridge Street, just over the Oxford Canal. This area of Oxford is of relatively low density compared to other parts of the city, though several restaurants, shops and residential colleges are within five minutes’ walk of SBS.

The Saïd Business School building itself is a sleekly modern structure, featuring technologically equipped lecture halls and seminar rooms, a spacious common room used for networking and social events, an interior courtyard, an open amphithe- ater and a concert hall that can seat up to 300 people. Also located in the SBS building are a dining hall and the two-story Sainsbury Library, which contains reading rooms and meeting spaces and serves as the official business library for Oxford University. The SBS grounds feature the Fellows Garden, where faculty and students can lounge outdoors, as well as a croquet lawn.

SBS has been undergoing a £15 million expansion, and its new building opened in February of 2013. This new facility, which is contiguous to the existing building, houses part of the school’s executive education program as well as areas for conferences and exhibitions.

Life in Oxford The University of Oxford, the oldest English-speaking university in the world, is the focal point of the city of Oxford, which is located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) northwest of London in south-central England. The city center is situated just above the intersection of the rivers Cherwell and Thames, the latter of which is known as the Isis as it approaches the city. As a school without a formal campus, Oxford University maintains facilities that are scattered throughout the city of Oxford, but students generally inhabit the city center, where most colleges and academic buildings are located. The city has a population of about 158,000, about 22,000 of whom are Oxford Univer- sity students.

The city of Oxford was founded in the eighth century A.D. by Anglo-Saxons, who initially named the new settlement Ox- enaforda (“Ford of the Oxen”). Though the university’s origins are unclear, the school is posited to date back to the late 11th century–about one hundred years after the establishment of the first monastery at Oxenaforda–when foreign scholars began traveling to Oxford to teach Latin and religious topics to would-be priests and monks.

The university flourished over the next several centuries, increasing the number of academic programs and establishing scholarly communities, which are now known in Oxford as colleges, to accommodate the growing population of students. In the 17th and 18th centuries, many scientific and technological discoveries came out of Oxford, including Robert Hooke’s wave theory of light and Edmund Halley’s eponymous comet. The city of Oxford grew substantially in prosperity and population throughout the 20th century due to the printing and motorcar manufacturing industries moving into the area during the 1920s.

Landmark buildings in Oxford include the Radcliffe Camera, which is the undergraduate library associated with the university’s centuries-old Bodleian Library, and the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, an imposing Renaissance-era building situated on High Street in the center of the city. To understand why Oxford is frequently called “the city of dreaming spires,” visitors are encouraged to view the city from a high vantage point to see its expanse of dozens of towers, most of which belong to the university’s residential colleges. The most famous of these is Christ Church College’s Tom Tower, which was built by the famous English architect Christopher Wren in the 1680s and is the focal point for the college’s Great Quad- rangle, the largest of any at Oxford. Another famous tower is Magdalen College’s Great Tower, which was completed in the early 16th century and has for many centuries been the site of the May Morning caroling, which takes place every May 1.

Beyond its architecturally diverse collection of buildings spanning much of the city’s thousand-year history, Oxford is also known for its waterways. The Isis, which is the local name for the stretch of the river Thames that passes through Ox- ford, is the site of many of the city’s most popular entertainment events, particularly competitive rowing, a sport in which many Oxford students engage. The smaller Cherwell River is generally reserved for punting and canoeing, both relaxing ways to while away a summer afternoon in Oxford. Oxford is also home to several gardens and parks, the largest of which is University Park on the northeast side of the city, which contains sporting fields and several stands of rare trees. A smaller, but no less charming, park is the university’s Botanic Garden on the High Street, which boasts greenhouses full of flowers from around the world.

For indoor entertainment, locals and visitors alike flock to Ox- ford’s museums, including the Ashmolean, which is one of the first such institutions in the English-speaking world. Founded in 1683, the Ashmolean is home to permanent exhibits cov-

ering a diverse variety of topics, such as Egyptian relics and early European musical instruments, as well as the largest collection of Chinese art outside of Asia. Also in Oxford is the Pitt-Rivers Museum, which contains over 500,000 anthropo- logical and ethnographical artifacts from all over the world.

Theater is also popular among residents, with frequent big- ticket plays, musicals and dance shows drawing crowds at the Oxford Playhouse and the New Theatre. The Burton Taylor Studio, named for its benefactors Elizabeth Taylor and Oxford alumnus Richard Burton, is a much smaller theatre that is mostly used for Oxford University student productions. For musical entertainment, locals attend venues such as the O2 Academy Oxford to hear major rock acts, the Cellar for local artists and the Wheatsheaf for jazz. Numerous classical music performances are held at halls throughout the city, including the Sheldonian Theatre and the Holywell Music Room, the oldest dedicated chamber music performance space in Europe.

As a long-established university town, Oxford maintains a lively pub and bar culture. Among its most popular establish- ments are traditional English pubs such as the White Horse, the King’s Arms and the Turf Tavern, as well as the Eagle and Child on St. Giles Street, a favorite haunt of writers J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. In recent decades, Oxford has become home to a number of upscale cocktail bars and night- clubs, many of which are clustered on or around Park End Street on the southwest side of the city.

Oxford is also a restaurant town, with several new fine eat- eries opening in the past few years, such as Quod on High Street and Malmaison Brasserie on New Road, which is located in Oxford’s former Victorian-era prison. These hot spots com- plement more established places, such as the popular Japa- nese restaurant Edamame on Holywell Street and the cozy Old Parsonage on Banbury Road.

The city’s maritime temperate climate results in average temperatures of 7.4°C (45.3°F) in winter and 21°C (70°F) in summer, with occasional snowstorms and heat waves. Precip- itation is relatively normal for a central English city, averaging around 644 millimeters (25 inches) annually. Rainfall tends to be evenly spread throughout the year, with no single season getting more precipitation than the others.

Oxford is highly accessible by bike and on foot, though its cramped medieval layout and dearth of parking makes the city difficult to navigate by car. As a result, most students pur- chase a bicycle once they get settled in Oxford and find that it serves them well throughout the year. For travel outside the city, a railway station stands just across the street from the Saïd Business School facilities, and bus service provided by the Oxford Bus Company and the Oxford Tube runs to and from London around the clock. Additionally, the Oxford Bus Company offers 24-hour service to Heathrow and Gatwick airports, which are located roughly 80 and 145 kilometers (50 and 90 miles) away, respectively. Stansted airport, which is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Oxford, can be ac-

Housing A distinguishing feature of England’s oldest universities, including both Cambridge and Oxford, is the residential college system. Under this system, every undergraduate and graduate student at the university is a member of a smaller college within the university that provides its students with housing, meals and an extensive roster of social activities. Many students report that participating in college life, including attend- ing the college’s formal hall dinners and making use of the college grounds, is the highlight of their year at Oxford.

SBS students gain admission to a college after being accepted to the MBA Program and generally receive some guidance from the Admissions Office in selecting a few colleges to which they will direct their applications. While the colleges have the final say in which students they accept, all SBS students are guaranteed placement in a college by the time they are required to be on campus in September.

The college with the most MBA students is typically Green Templeton, at which about one-third of the entering SBS class matriculates each year. Though a relatively new college by Oxford standards, having been created in 2008 by the merg- ing of Green College and Templeton College, it has a history of affiliation with management studies at Oxford, as Templeton College was Oxford’s original business school before the Uni- versity took over business education in 1991. Other colleges that accept a large number of MBA students include Linacre and St. Hugh’s Colleges, due to a combination of their proxim- ity to the SBS campus, the strength of their graduate student community and the multitude of useful spaces they make available to MBA students.

Each college is a self-contained community with its own quirks and traditions, and students who are newly admitted to SBS are encouraged to research the colleges to determine their top choices. Those who would like to gain membership to a college with a distinguished history, for example, should consider colleges such as Christ Church, Magdalen, Merton and Bal- liol Colleges, which date back hundreds of years. By another token, students who seek a more mature community without a strong undergraduate presence might consider Linacre, Kel- logg, St. Cross, Wolfson and Green Templeton Colleges, which only admit graduate students, as well as Harris Manchester College, which is open to undergraduate and graduate students over the age of 21.

SBS students generally try to secure housing through their college, as it is less expensive than private rentals and allows them to take full advantage of college life. Some colleges, such as Worcester and Magdalen, rent one-and two-person bedroom apartments or houses located on college grounds. Others, such as Mansfield and Hertford, maintain off-campus dormitories and apartment buildings in which graduate students typically live. The cost of college-provided housing for www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. 20 | Clear Admit School Guide: Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford

a single student averages around £500 per month. Students who bring their families to live with them at school may have the option of securing family housing, though not all colleges offer this option.

Housing that is not college-owned is generally expensive, especially in the areas closest to the city center. East Oxford, a culturally diverse area of the city that contains a host of ethnic restaurants and quirky shops, is the most affordable, with one-bedroom flats renting for £650 to £850 per month and two-bedrooms for £800 to £1,400. On the other hand, in Jericho, a trendy neighborhood west of the city center that is popular among young professionals, a one-bedroom flat rents for £800 to £1,000 per month and a two-bedroom for £1,000 to £1,500. Both neighborhoods are within a half-hour walk of the SBS campus.

Clubs The Saïd Business School boasts over a dozen organizations centered on the common professional goals, interests and characteristics of its students (Figure 4.1). Though this might seem like a relatively small number of business-focused organizations in comparison to some of Oxford’s peers, SBS is very well integrated into Oxford University as a whole, and Figure 4.1 Oxford Business SBS students are encouraged to become involved in university Networks (OBNs) clubs as well as those organized through individual residential • Oxford Business Network for Africa colleges. Thus, there is a plethora of ways for MBA students • Oxford Business Network for Art and to participate in extracurricular activities while at business Business school. • Oxford Business Network for Asia Pacific Most organizations based at SBS are overseen by the Alumni • Oxford Business Network for Consumer Relations Office and are categorized as Oxford Business Net- and Marketing works (OBNs). These are primarily professional clubs that • Oxford Business Network for Energy, typically focus on a single industry or job function and are Environment and Resources composed of both current students and alumni. Other SBS • Oxford Business Network for organizations, referred to as “groups” or “clubs,” are generally Entrepreneurship student-run and have no affiliation with the Alumni Relations • Oxford Business Network for Finance Office. • Oxford Business Network for Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals The most popular organization at SBS is Oxford Entrepre- • Oxford Business Network for India neurs, which boasts over 10,000 members worldwide. Cur- • Oxford Business Network for Latin America rent Oxford students and alumni from all university programs • Oxford Business Network for Management are welcome to join this OBN to take advantage of its net- Consulting working events, practical workshops and opportunities to pitch • Oxford Business Network for Media, venture ideas and even incubate a new venture. Some of Design and Entertainment the group’s most popular events are the Ideas2Market pro- • Oxford Business Network for the Middle gram, which gives students the tools and funding they need East to launch companies during their time at Oxford, and the TATA • Oxford Business Network for Private Idea Idol business plan competition, which awards a £10,000 Equity cash prize to the competitor with the best pitch. Other events • Oxford Business Network for Real Estate include themed guest speaker series such as the Changemak- • Oxford Business Network for Social Impact er Speaker Series, which profiles entrepreneurs whose work • Oxford Business Network for Technology has reverberated throughout the UK and beyond, and the • Oxford Business Network for Women’s Emerging Markets Series, aimed at exploring the entrepre- Leadership neurial culture and practices found in emerging markets.

Of course, students’ professional interests extend well beyond entrepreneurship. With more than 11 active industry- and function-focused OBNs spanning common post-MBA fields such as Private Equity and Management Consulting, as well as less common areas like Social Impact, students are able to connect with like-minded peers and network with alumni no matter what they plan to do after their MBAs. OBNs organize speaker series, networking events and continuing education programs related to each industry.

Finally, SBS students are welcome to join any of the over 200 artistic, athletic, cultural and common-interest clubs organized by the University of Oxford, as well as dozens more facilitated by individual residential colleges. These student-run organizations allow students to explore common interests and cultural traditions together with a broader base of students than most SBS clubs provide.

Sports are particularly popular on campus, especially rowing on the Isis. The majority of students interested in rowing, save the exceptionally talented few who are scouted for the varsity, or Dark Blue, squads, can row competitively through their college boat club. Even novice rowers can join a college crew when they first arrive at Oxford, rowing in the Christ Church Regatta at the end of Michaelmas term after a few weeks of practice. Rowing is also a beloved spectator sport at Cambridge; one of the most important university events of the year is the Varsity Boat Race between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, held on the river Thames at Henley, London. Just as exciting is the Summer Eights tournament between college boat clubs, which takes place during Trinity term.

Conferences Student groups at SBS host a number of conferences each year, bringing industry leaders and researchers to campus to explore current trends in a variety of fields.

One event, the Annual Private Equity Forum hosted by the Private Equity OBN, was held in March 2015 at SBS. The day- long conference, which was in its eleventh year, included panel discussions, presentations on private equity management issues, and Q&A sessions on themes in the global private equity forum. The event ended with a cocktail networking reception in which SBS students mingled with faculty and guest speakers.

In March 2015, SBS hosted its first annual Oxford Real Es- tate Conference. The event covered the future decade of real estate investment, with a particular focus on technological influences as well as global investors’ targets. Among the 30 speakers were industry leaders including Sabina Kalyan, the Chief Economist of CBRE Global Investors, and Peter Freeman, the Founder of Argent.

Another event, LAUNCH: Social Impact Careers Conference,

supported graduates related career interests, and the impact can be seen in the high placement rate of SBS grads in the non-profit sector. The Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneur- ship and the Saïd Business School Careers Centre hosted this two-day event in March 2015. Attendees could engage business leaders, recruiters and consultants about the space. The event also attracted a wide range of speakers, covering such issues as consumer brands, policy making, NGOs and more.

Life After SBS

5 Careers Service The Careers Service at SBS organizes the school’s on- and off- campus recruitment efforts and guides students through the job search process. The office works to cultivate relationships with a broad base of firms in the U.K. and abroad, as well as organizing opportunities for SBS students to learn about these industries and companies from the senior executives who are active in them.

At orientation, students are introduced to the Careers Service staff, which maintains ties with recruiters, shares information about their assigned industries, conducts mock interviews and organizes workshops for students. These workshops typically cover job search–related subjects such as cover letters and résumés, as well as substantive topics relevant to popular industries. The staff also runs industry boot camps for finance and management consulting, which are designed to introduce students to the skills needed to successfully obtain a position in each sector. The two-day-long boot camps take place during orientation week and are taught by Careers Service staff members, industry experts and recruiters.

In addition to receiving general career guidance, students have many opportunities to meet with representatives from their target companies and learn about a range of fields. The Careers Service office schedules informative employer presentations and industry panel discussions throughout the year, as well as works with students to organize treks to corporate headquarters located around the world. Students report that the most valuable expert guidance that the Careers Service provides comes from its Sector Consultants program, which pairs senior executives with students interested in obtaining employment in the executive’s field. The Sector Consultants meet with their students one-on-one, conduct mock interviews and maintain open lines of communication throughout the year to answer questions about their fields.

Most Careers Service activities are geared toward helping students obtain full-time employment, though there are some opportunities for students who are less sure of their post-MBA plans to complete a short internship during Summer term. Employers interested in hiring students for internships generally participate in the same workshops and presentations as full-time employers, and Careers Service staff members are available to help students search for both internships and full- time positions.

Figure 5.1 Selected Top SBS Recruiters 2014 Recruiting/Interview • Amazon Procedures • Accenture Recruiting is conducted year-round at SBS, due to the pro- • Boston Consulting Group gram’s relatively short length compared to peer programs in • BP Europe and the U.S. As a result, Oxford MBA students can • Dalburg Global expect to begin recruiting and conducting job interviews soon • Google after arriving on campus in the fall. In 2014, a pool of em- • HJ Heinz ployers including leading finance, consulting and technology • Jaguar Land Rover firms from around the world came to campus to recruit SBS • McKinsey & Company students (see Figure 5.1). • Shell Foundation Most recruitment events, which typically consist of a presentation given by a company representative followed by a networking session, are open to all SBS students, though some recruiters sponsor targeted events in which only students fitting a specific profile are invited to attend.

Interview opportunities are also available through Oxford’s online career management system, Career@Saïd, in the form of open and closed job postings. In a closed posting, the re- cruiter only invites selected students to interview after reviewing résumés and meeting candidates at company events. This is the only type of posting offered at Oxford, as open postings, in which all students at the school may bid for interview slots with the company, are not an option for recruiters.

In addition to these methods, some companies also use Ox- ford’s experiential learning activities, such as the Strategic Consulting Project, as a proving ground to recruit students for full-time positions. Participating students may be given a formal job offer after completing a project for that company and may be able to forgo the formal interviewing process entirely.

Career Statistics All MBA career offices work to build recruiting relationships with companies in many industries and geographic locations. However, if a school boasts a high number of students with an interest in a particular industry or location, that often suggests that the school is more likely to attract recruiters from those fields or regions, and that those companies are more likely to have a successful recruiting season and be interested in building partnerships with the school. Likewise, when a large number of companies from a particular industry or region regularly visit a school, it tends to attract a larger network of students interested in that field or location.

Because of this cycle of interest in on-campus recruiting, MBA candidates should research the industry and regional employment statistics of their target schools to get a sense of the relative recruiting opportunities available. Of course, with up to half of students at some schools finding their full-time positions through independent searches, it is important to remember that there are many opportunities available beyond on-campus recruiting. www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. Life After SBS | 25

Industry Financial services and consulting are the most popular industry choices for members of the SBS Class of 2014, as they are at nearly all of the leading international programs (see Figure Figure 5.2 SBS Industry Placement 5.3). Oxford’s industry placement in financial services has been somewhat erratic, and may be attributed at least partial- Energy Other Consulting ly to the economic downturn. Graduates entering the finan- Media/ cial services industry went from a high of 34% for the Class Entertainment of 2010 to a low of 22% for the Class of 2012, but there has been a slight rebound with 25% in 2014 (see Figure 5.2). Non-profit Similar to financial services, there has been much fluctuation in consulting placement at SBS in the past several years. In 2010, 31% of students entered the industry, while for the Consumer Class of 2013, that number dropped to 27%. The most recent Goods/ class of 2014 continued this downward trend, with only 23% Retail of their graduates entering consulting.

Despite the dominance of consulting and financial services as Financial Technology industry choices, the remainder of the Class of 2014 spread Services out across media and entertainment, energy, and consumer goods in almost equal numbers (see Figure 5.2). As has been an emerging trend in post-MBA employment, many more graduates are choosing the technology industry; Oxford is no exception to this trend, with 19% of its Class of 2014 entering the sector. It is also of note that 10% of the class entered the non-profit sector—a leading statistic among its peers.

Geography The geographical distribution of a school’s graduates can also be an important factor to consider when evaluating MBA programs, since the percentage of students taking jobs in a particular area often reflects the strength of the alumni network in that region. Most business school graduates tend to accept jobs in the same region as their school, and SBS is an example of this phenomenon (see Figure 5.4). In 2014, 41% of graduates found jobs in Europe, a percentage that is significantly less than placement by other European schools including IMD, IESE and LBS (see Figure 5.5). Figure 5.4 SBS Regional Placement However, the second most popular destination for the Class MENA of 2014 was Asia, where 20% of students settled after gradu- Europe, ation, followed closely by North America at 18%. This data excluding UK UK point is an aberration from the rest of the peer group and could reflect the fact that nearly one third of the members of Africa recent SBS MBA classes are of North American origin compared to 15% North American makeup at LBS and 28% at Judge, for example. Oxford sends a lower percentage of Other graduates to Asia than does INSEAD or IMD; however, due to IMD’s 90-person class size, Oxford places double the number of MBAs in this region than does IMD’s smaller program. Rounding out the Class of 2014 are the 8% of graduates who find work in Sub Saharan Africa as well as the 13% that take Asia up positions in other areas of the world, including Oceania, North the Middle East, and Central America. America

Figure 5.3 Job Placement by Industry

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The U.K. Work Visa In 2011, the United Kingdom adopted a new visa regime for graduate students who are not U.K. nationals or citizens of a member nation of the European Union. Among the restrictions are a permanent cap on skilled immigration, with a limit of 20,700 visas per year, and an English-language requirement. The most significant changes are for students in one- year MBA programs, such as those at Cambridge and Oxford, who are required to find a job within four months of graduating with the MBA. This means that these MBA students have a total of 16 months in the U.K. to complete their one-year programs and secure employment; those who exceed the 16-month cap will not be permitted to remain. Since MBAs from some of the country’s top schools, such as London Busi- ness School, Judge Business School and Saïd Business School, are among the most in-demand skilled immigrants in the U.K., it is not expected that they will experience difficulty as a result of the immigration cap, provided they are employed before their student visa expires.

Dependents of international students in the U.K. also face new restrictions with regards to work. Right now, only the dependents of students who are enrolled in an academic program of over 12 months in length may seek employment in the U.K.

Alumni Network As a relatively young MBA program, SBS has fewer total alumni than most of its peer schools. However, its alumni base has been growing steadily since 1998, when the school’s alumni association, the Oxford Business Alumni Network (OBA), was formed. The organization now numbers over 13,000 members worldwide, a count that includes MBA graduates, executive education students and alumni, other post-graduate degree students at SBS and Oxford University alumni who work in traditional post-MBA fields.

SBS alumni are heavily involved in the admissions process, serving as resources and interviewers for prospective students, recruiting current students and planning ongoing social and networking events for alumni around the world. The OBA event calendar is packed with seminars, happy hours, sporting activities and other events. Alumni can stay up to date on the latest developments at SBS and learn about upcoming alumni events through the official OBA website. In addition, SBS hosts a yearly alumni reunion during which graduates from across the globe are welcomed back to Oxford for a weekend of dinners, social activities and lectures.

Beyond maintaining a vibrant community of SBS graduates, the OBA also facilitates alumni services such as the Oxford Business Networks (OBNs), organizations whose members encompass both current students and alumni. These organizations are a source of lifelong learning and networking opportunities for alumni in a diverse array of fields and regions.

Alumni also have access to a range of career-development and job-search services, including résumé reviews, interview preparation, one-on-one advisory meetings with a member of the Careers Service, access to job vacancies through Career- Connect and an official Oxford MBA alumni email address.

Admissions

6 Visiting SBS The Saïd Business School’s MBA Admissions Office is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekday throughout the year. Admissions officers are available to answer questions during those hours on an appointment-only basis. Applicants who wish to drop in without an appointment may visit the office on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The MBA Admissions Office provides a number of avenues through which applicants can get to know the school and its offerings. Each fall and winter, the school organizes four or five MBA Open Days during weeks when classes are in session, which give prospective students a chance to tour the campus and listen to a full day of presentations on the admissions process and the Oxford MBA program. Term-time MBA Open Days start at 10 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m., and include a class visit, Q&A sessions with students and admissions staff, a career presentation, a tour of the school, and a catered lunch attended by students and faculty who are available to answer questions about SBS.

Outreach Events In addition to its on-campus MBA Open Days, the MBA Ad- missions Office staff organizes several off-campus informational events held in the evenings throughout the year. These events generally include a presentation from an admissions representative, a Q&A session and a concluding reception. Admissions representatives travel throughout the world to host these overseas information sessions, stopping in Tel Aviv, and several cities in the United States and China. A London session is also held semi-annually. Representatives from SBS are also present at one or two global MBA fairs per year.

Finally, the SBS Admissions Office hosts virtual MBA Open Days, online information sessions where faculty and staff discuss the program’s strengths and advantages and answer questions posed by perspective applicants via an online form. Current students and alumni also discuss their time at Oxford.

Application Requirements All applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree or its equivalent in order to be qualified for admission to SBS. The school prefers applicants to have earned at least a 3.5 GPA under the U.S. grading system, a 2.1 under the U.K. sys- www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. Admissions | 31

Figure 6.1 SBS Essay Topics 2015- tem or an equivalent mark in another country. Those who did 2016 not perform as well at university but have excelled in a role with a great deal of responsibility may still be given consider- Essay 1 ation. How do you fit in with Oxford Saïd’s mission? (500 words maximum) While SBS does not require applicants to have any work experience, most SBS students enter the school with an average of Essay 2 six years of experience in the workforce. Despite the predom- Is there anything not covered in the applica- inance of slightly older and more established professionals in tion form which you would like the Admis- the student body, applicants with fewer years of work experi- sions Committee to know about you? (250 ence are encouraged to apply. All applicants are evaluated on words maximum) their experience to date as well as on their future leadership potential. Essay for 1+1 Scheme Explain why you see this as particularly All SBS applicants must submit their materials online through beneficial for you and how it fits with your Saïd Business School’s ApplyYourself online application sys- careers and personal development aims. tem. Two essays and two letters of recommendation are also (250 words maximum) required to complete the application (see Figure 6.1). Applications are only considered complete once the school Reapplicant Essay receives an official copy of the applicant’s GMAT score, along What improvements have you made in your with their score on the TOEFL, if applicable. Applicants who candidacy since you last applied to the hold a bachelor’s degree from a university in the United King- Oxford MBA? (250 words maximum) dom, United States, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia or other English-speaking countries, or who have studied or For Clear Admit’s strategic advice on worked for three consecutive years in any of those countries, how to approach the SBS essays, see do not need to take the TOEFL. The minimum scores Oxford the section “Essay Topic Analysis” in will accept are 110 on the internet-based TOEFL. Applicants Chapter 8. may submit the Academic IELTS in lieu of the TOEFL if they prefer.

As part of their online applications, candidates must include one unofficial transcript for every collegiate or post-undergraduate institution they have attended. Foreign transcripts should appear in the institution’s official language accompa- nied by an English translation. Applicants who receive an offer of admission and decide to enroll at SBS are then required to mail official transcripts from each institution.

Interviewing at SBS Saïd Business School conducts its admissions interviews by invitation only. Applicants may be contacted with their interview invitations by email on or before the interview decision date. Those who receive invitations will be asked to interview on campus with a member of the SBS faculty, admissions team or senior administration.

Applicants in a position to interview on campus can choose to schedule their interviews either on an MBA Open Day or on one of the school’s devoted Interview Days. Those who cannot travel to campus can arrange to interview during an overseas informational event, or by Skype or phone if no appropriate travel arrangements can be made.

Deadlines SBS accepts applications in six rounds, or stages, although the admissions committee may close the application season any time after the Stage 4 deadline should all the seats be filled (see Figure 6.2). After processing all incoming applications in a given stage, the MBA Admissions Office releases interview invitations to qualified candidates two to three weeks after each deadline. Two weeks after the last day these invitations can be released, all applicants receive their final admissions decisions.

While applications to the formal rounds are accepted until the beginning of March, applicants are advised to submit their completed materials as early as possible to ensure that there will be space available in the class. Filing applications early also prevents delays in applicants’ financial aid and scholarship requests, as well as maximizing the chance that admitted students will be able to join their college of choice.

Other MBA Programs Saïd Business School offers several other master’s programs in addition to its full-time MBA. The MSc in Financial Econom- ics, or MFE for short, is designed for individuals who wish to pursue careers in finance or seek to obtain a theoretical knowledge of finance and applied economics. The nine-month full-time program is offered jointly by the finance faculty at SBS and Oxford University’s Economics Department and provides rigorous training in the skills required for finance- focused roles. To receive the MFE, students complete a core curriculum in asset pricing, corporate finance, financial econo- metrics and economics, rounding out their year with five electives of their choosing.

For Oxford hopefuls who have advanced further in their careers than the typical full-time MBA candidate, SBS offers a part-time Oxford Executive MBA program (EMBA). The EMBA is organized into 16 modules, or week-long self-contained courses that require EMBA students to travel to campus – or, in one case, to a specified overseas location – which allows them to continue working full-time throughout the program. Modules generally occur every one or two months. To receive the MBA, students complete nine core modules, eight elective modules and an entrepreneurship project over a 21-month period. All EMBA applicants must have at least five years of Figure 6.2 SBS Deadlines 2015-2016

Application Deadline Interview Decision Notification Date Stage 1 September 11, 2015 September 25, 2015 October 16, 2015 Stage 2 October 30, 2015 November 20, 2015 December 11, 2015 Stage 3 January 8, 2016 January 29, 2016 March 4, 2016 Stage 4 March 18, 2016 April 8, 2016 April 29, 2016 Stage 5 May 6, 2016 May 20, 2016 June 10, 2016 Stage 6 June 10, 2016 June 24, 2016 July 8, 2016

Oxford also offers an MSc in Major Program Management, a part-time degree designed for managers who wish to develop their professional skills in order to take on greater responsibility in their careers. The program schedules courses on campus in four-day blocks, which add up to roughly a month of resi- dence at Oxford over the program’s full two-year duration.

Students in all three of these alternative degree programs are considered members of SBS and are invited to enroll in one of Oxford’s residential colleges or Permanent Private Halls (PPHs).

Financing the SBS MBA

7 Tuition & Expenses Oxford’s tuition and fees have been traditionally billed in one lump sum approximately one week after the start of Michael- Figure 7.1 Estimated Costs 2015- mas term. Tuition costs and academic fees for the 2015-2016 2016 academic year at SBS are £50,200 for the MBA degree pro- Expense Item Amount gram, but students should expect to budget another £11,408 Tuition £50,200 to £16,864 in total to cover living expenses and other fees Accommodation £5,517 - £7,849 (see Figure 7.1). Because Oxford releases all of its budget- Food £3,115 - £3,495 ary estimates in pounds sterling, Clear Admit has provided a Personal Items £1,401 - £2,858 conversion to U.S. dollars to enable direct comparisons be- Miscellaneous £1,374 - £2,654 tween the cost of an SBS education and those of leading MBA Total £61,608 – £67,054 programs in other parts of the world. Total US $95,458 – $103,897 Due to its accelerated pace, the one-year Oxford MBA is slightly more efficient and cost-effective than both the longer programs at London Business School and the two-year degrees offered in the U.S. and Europe. Cost estimates are based on a full 12 months in Oxford and take into account travel expenses, project work and the needs of a single student living in college housing. Therefore, students who bring their partner and family to school, or who do not wish to live in college housing, should expect to develop a more flexible budget.

Figure 7.2 Selected Available Financial Aid Scholarships SBS Scholarships Most finance their time at SBS using a combination of loans, • Saïd Business School Scholarship scholarships and personal savings. Students can apply for • Skoll Scholarship several scholarships that are offered through SBS and Oxford • Saïd Foundation Scholarship for Female University, a few of which are awarded on the basis of aca- Students demic performance or excellence in a specific field, such as • OBA Australia Boston Consulting Group finance (see Figure 7.2). Many of the university-wide avail- Scholarship able scholarships, though, are designed to support students • Pershing Square Foundation scholarship from certain countries of origin, and only nationals of the for exceptional leaders target countries are eligible. Still others are available only to Oxford University & College members of certain colleges and thus cannot be awarded until Scholarships students are accepted into one of these colleges, which could • Clarendon Fund Scholarships (all ap- be only a few months before the start of the MBA. plicants considered automatically) Generally, scholarships cover only a portion of the cost of at- • Felix Scholarships (for Indian Nationals) tending SBS, such as some Saïd Business School Scholarships, • Commonwealth Scholarships (for which pays anywhere ranging from £10,000 to full tuition. citizens of developing Commonwealth The Skoll Scholarship, awarded to five students each year who countries) express a deep commitment to social enterprise, is the most • China Oxford Scholarship Fund (for generous, covering the school’s full tuition and all associated Chinese nationals) fees as well as living expenses up to £8,000. Applicants who

www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. Financing the SBS MBA | 35 are interested in being considered for the Skoll Scholarship can check the relevant box on the SBS online application; if they are admitted to the MBA program, they will be sent an additional essay to complete that will be evaluated by the staff of the Skoll Center for Social Entrepreneurship.

Finally, students are encouraged to seek out scholarships offered by external organizations, including those in govern- ment and private industry, to help fund the cost of the program. Country-specific loan programs are also available to students coming to SBS from specific countries, including the U.S., Canada, India, Singapore and Brazil. U.S. citizens, for example, are eligible to apply for a Direct Unsubsidized loan or a Direct Grad PLUS Loan, as well as private loans. The most common type of Federal Direct loan can award students a total of $20,500.

Appendix

8 Essay Topic Analysis The Clear Admit team has combined its years of business school expertise to analyze Oxford’s essay topics and help applicants determine how to craft effective responses.

The Oxford MBA adcom has overhauled its essay set as compared to last year, reducing the number of required essays from three to just two of a total 750 words. This year’s prompts are both rather open ended, with the first inviting applicants to comment on the ways they fit the school’s larger mission, and inviting them to use the other to share anything not already covered in their data forms. This makes for a somewhat challenging essay set for 2015-2016, as applicants will need to think carefully about what to share in response to each item in order to best communicate their match with the Saïd program and the strength of their candidacies.

Let’s take a closer look at each of this year’s Oxford MBA essays:

Essay 1 How do you fit with Oxford Saïd’s mission? (500 words) In this new, fairly open-ended essay prompt, the Oxford MBA adcom asks applicants to do a bit of research into the school’s mission and to consider how they’re a fit with its goals and institutional values. In addition to perusing the linked “About Saïd” main page, candidates would do well to dive in here and listen to Dean Tufano’s comments on the school’s strategy and vision, read about the program’s “challenging yet colle- gial, thoughtful but ready for action, ambitious yet principled, rigorous yet fun, and very international” community, and learn about the program’s commitment to graduating students who will make a significant impact across regions and sectors.

In reviewing and synthesizing this information, applicants should look for ways these aspects of the Saïd mission are aligned with their career goals, as well as ways they’re posi- tioned to make a unique contribution to the school community through their background and experiences. As a starting point, it would make particularly good sense for applicants to introduce their long-term career goals in response to this question. While the data forms contain fairly detailed questions about the candidate’s immediate post-MBA objectives and plans to accomplish them, this prompt is well suited for some remarks about the applicant’s 10-year plan and they way this objective fits with Oxford’s emphasis on large-scale impact and radical innovation.

It would also make sense for candidates to speak to the ways they would enhance the diversity of the student body through their unique backgrounds and perspectives, and to comment on how exactly they would make a positive impact on the school community while enacting the program’s values. This might translate to contributions to class discussions and leadership roles in student organizations, or simply to some comments about how one would support one’s colleagues in their own professional and personal development. Finally, applicants might also wish to comment on past experiences and accomplishments that demonstrate an ability to engage in the high-impact intellectual inquiry that the program expects of its students. In sum, there are a wide range of subjects that applicants might introduce in this response. We encourage applicants to consider the elements of their prior experience and potential impact that resonate most closely with what they learn about the Oxford MBA mission, and to strike a balance between these two categories in this response — or between this response and the next.

Essay 2 Is there anything not covered in the application form which you would like the Admissions committee to know about you? (250 words) While this prompt sounds very similar to the optional essays posed by many MBA programs, this response is actually a required element of the Oxford MBA application. Candidates will therefore want to consider what sort of anecdote or information will add the greatest value to their applications beyond what’s already included in their CV and data form responses. This could truly be anything: a favorite hobby or community involvement, a challenging work project that was ultimately successful, an aspect of your upbringing that’s had a lasting influence, an international or cross-cultural experience that prompted learning or growth, one’s plans for involvement in the Oxford community — all would be appropriate here. Can- didates should consider the balance of content between this response and the first, and aim to highlight something new here that will show the adcom an additional side of their per- sonalities and potential to contribute to the Saïd community. Given the narrow word limit, our sense is that the most effective responses to this question will fully develop a single topic (or introduce 2 examples with a common theme) rather than attempting to cover several disparate items.

That said, because Oxford does not pose an optional essay question, applicants who do have a liability in their candidacy may want to reserve a portion of this response to provide an explanation or point to a mitigating factor. Such candidates should aim to accomplish this as briefly as possible — ide- ally in 50-100 words — in order to reserve some space in this response for purely positive additional information.

Additional essay for re-applicants What improvements have you made in your candidacy since you last applied to the Oxford MBA? (250 words) Given the narrow word limit for this response, reapplicants will want to offer a straightforward account of the specific

steps they’ve taken to strengthen their applications since last applying to Oxford. Candidates should aim to be as exhaus- tive as possible as they cover improved quantitative records, enhanced professional qualifications, efforts to become more familiar with the Oxford MBA program, and other ways they’ve worked to become a stronger applicant this season.

Admissions Director Q&A As part of our ongoing mission to inform MBA applicants about the admissions process, Clear Admit has interviewed various admissions directors at the leading business schools. Read on for our fall 2014 conversation with Dana Brown, the current MBA director at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. Brown recently assumed the role of MBA director at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. In this position, she has overseen the review of the MBA program and implemented new elements to help “ensure that Oxford MBAs–as future leaders–have the skills, knowledge and personal qualities needed to meet the world-scale challenges of the 21st century,” she says.

Brown is no stranger to Oxford. Having received her PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technolo- gy (MIT), she came to Oxford to study for an MPhil in Russian and East European Studies as a Rhodes Scholar. She went on to teach international business at Saïd until 2010, when she relocated to France as academic director of the Interna- tional Executive DBA at EMLYON Business School. Brown has recently returned to Oxford and continues her research on international business and corporate social responsibility while serving as MBA director.

In the interview that follows, Brown details the relaunch of Saïd’s MBA program this year. The revamped program includes three guiding themes that ripple through all core and elective courses as well as extracurricular programming. The school has also placed even greater emphasis on talent development, assigning each student to work with an individual executive coach and adding an array of soft skills development workshops.

Get the complete low down on these and other shifts at Saïd, as well as a detailed explanation of just how the admissions process unfolds. Our thanks to Brown for taking the time to participate in our series.

Clear Admit: What’s the single most exciting development, change or event happening at Saïd this coming year?

Dana Brown: This has been an exciting year at the school. We have undertaken a complete review of the MBA and have relaunched the program to the MBA Class of 2014-15, who started in September. The business landscape is in a constant state of change, and some of the issues executives are discussing in the boardroom are significantly different from those of, say, 10 years ago.

Our goal was to ensure that the program is as rigorous and relevant to a rapidly changing business environment as it can be. We particularly want to equip our students with the skills to address large scale business issues which might encompass social, environmental, political and economic challenges.

The program retains the core business disciplines and offers a wide range of electives, including a selection of interdisciplinary courses that bring in knowledge from the wider Oxford University. We have introduced three cross-cutting themes that shape today’s business environment: responsible leadership, the global rules of the game and entrepreneurship. These three themes permeate all aspects of the program, from core and elective courses to guest speaker sessions and student-run competitions.

We believe that, as future business leaders, our students will be confronted with complex global issues, so knowledge in these areas is key whatever the scale of enterprise or sector they ultimately work in. Through immersion in these areas, our MBAs will learn how to inspire and influence a range of stakeholders and demonstrate responsible leadership in the face of complex and often conflicting interests.

Another new feature that I’d underscore is the talent development program. All of our MBA students will have an opportunity to work with an executive coach and to participate in a selection of soft skill development workshops. From the very start of the program, they receive help to define their strengths and weaknesses and are given support in specific areas to ensure they have a rounded picture of who they are and how they want to develop their future career. It’s pretty unique for MBAs to have access to these opportunities.

CA: What is the one area of your program that you wish applicants knew more about?

DB: I’d like applicants to have an appreciation of the benefits of being part of the University of Oxford and what this means for them. Our position within the university gives us the opportunity to integrate a lot of what’s happening in terms of innovation and thinking in other academic areas into our curriculum. An example of this is in our electives – last year we brought in academics from the humanities, and our students were given the task of conducting a choir to learn the power and qualities of leadership. And this year, we are inviting scientists from around the university to participate with our students in their entrepreneurship projects.

All faculty and students are members of one of Oxford’s colleges. This means that they partake in the social life of the colleges and meet and interact with people from other disciplines. This gives them a chance to talk about what we are thinking about in the school as future business leaders and compare and debate this with what, for example, philoso- phers, scientists or lawyers are thinking.

This has a powerful impact on our MBAs, and it expands their thinking, as well as their networks, beyond the broad business

knowledge. I think this is an incredible learning experience and one that can’t really be matched by standalone schools. Our students also all belong to the Oxford Union, one of the most prestigious debating societies in the world, and they participate in a range of sporting and other social events at Oxford.

CA: Walk us through the life of an application in your office from an operational standpoint. What happens between the time an applicant clicks “submit” and the time the committee offers a final decision (e.g. how many “reads” does it get, how long is each “read,” who reads it, does the committee convene to discuss it as a group, etc.).

DB: The process of connecting with us starts even before an applicant submits an application. We now have a team of spe- cialists who can talk to candidates and answer any questions they have about applying. We travel around the world as well and meet candidates at fairs, information events and special lectures.

That gets us to the application. Once an application has been received it will be thoroughly reviewed by our admissions team. Based on this review, applicants may be invited to attend an interview. These are held either in Oxford or at other locations across the world where we have faculty or the admissions team traveling. Interviews are conducted by the MBA director, our faculty, our sector consultants or admissions professionals. A few interviews may be conducted by Skype, but we feel it is important to meet as many applicants face to face as we can.

The interviews are a key part of the admissions process to consider each candidate holistically and to understand their ambitions and potential. We are looking for people with an open mind, an ability to learn and who can think critically and creatively about issues.

After the interviews, the Admissions Committee reconvenes to discuss each candidate before a final decision is made whether to make an offer.

I’m always really happy to hear from applicants and can put candidates in touch with students and alumni to hear directly about the program from people who are in a similar field. We also more than welcome candidates to visit Saïd Business School and Oxford! There is a buzz in the air here that no words could ever capture.

CA: How does your team approach the essay portion of the application specifically? What are you looking for as you read the essays? Are there common mistakes that applicants should try to avoid? One key thing they should keep in mind as they sit down to write them?

DB: The essays are another important tool for us to understand the applicant and to understand who will benefit most from our program and vice versa. We expect the essays to be written clearly, to contain arguments that can be substanti-

www.clearadmit.com © 2006-2015 Clear Admit, LLC. All rights reserved. Appendix | 41 ated and to reflect the candidate on a personal level. That is to say, we want your essays to focus on areas of expertise in work or reflect strong views about issues so we can understand you as an individual. You will be tested more on those areas where you should feel most comfortable.

The most common mistake that applicants make in the essay is to try to portray an image that is not true to themselves. We want to know who our applicants are, what their real pas- sions are, what motivates and drives them. Applicants should talk about what they feel has been a real success or achieve- ment for them rather than try to second guess what we might be seeking.

Another common mistake is to have very ambitious career goals without evidence that the candidate has done any research or groundwork about what it takes to get from where they are to where they want to be. Applicants should talk about their path, why their career goals are realistic and how they are going to get there. It is always good to mention more than one career option.

Further Resources

9 Publications SBS also features prominently in Oxford Today, the University of Oxford’s alumni magazine, which is published three times per year. Though it is aimed at the entire Oxford population, Oxford Today frequently includes at least one article on a recent development at SBS, such as Saïd alumni exploring the intersection of fashion and business, or the school’s role in the creation of a Silicon Triangle in England, in each issue.

SBS Research Centers & Institutes • BT Centre for Major Program Management: Supports interdisciplinary research and teaching on best practices for managing large-scale enterprises, bringing together the public and private sectors to address the unique challenges that major programs pose.

• Complex Agent-Based Dynamic Networks (CABDyN): An interdisciplinary project spanning over 10 Oxford departments that examines network dynamics and complex systems, aiming to define research questions across business, computational science, biology, economics and social and political science.

• The Center for Professional Service Firms: Brings together leading practitioners to promote teaching about, and undertake research INTO, the effective management practices of companies that provide high-level customized services, such as consultancies, accounting firms and law firms.

• Oxford Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Uni- fies Oxford University’s scholarly research and teaching on entrepreneurship and innovation, and supports the entrepreneurial efforts of SBS students and alumni.

• Oxford Institute of Retail Management: Links retail theory with practice by partnering world-class researchers with educators and global leaders of the retail sector.

• Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance: Focuses on the study of alternative investments from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

• Oxford Private Equity Institute: Encourages collaboration

on private equity research between professionals and academics through conferences, classes and publications.

• Oxford University Center for Business Taxation: Seeks to analyze the impact of UK tax policies on the country’s businesses, public finances and competitiveness in the international economy.

• Oxford University Center for Corporate Reputation: Spon- sors interdisciplinary research into the factors that lead to the creation, sustenance and destruction of a company’s reputation.

• Skoll Center for Social Entrepreneurship: Supports scholarly research, teaching and outreach on market-oriented approaches to addressing poverty, environmental degen- eration and other social equity problems.

Contact Information MBA Admissions Office +44 (0)1865 278804

Alumni Relations Office +44 (0)1865 288878 [email protected]

Careers Service Director: Derek Walker +44 (0)1865 288870 [email protected]

Mailing Address Saïd Business School Park End Street Oxford OX1 1HP UK

Social Media Facebook: www.facebook.com/OxfordSBS

Twitter: twitter.com/oxfordsbs

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/said-business-school

YouTube: www.youtube.com/oxfordsbs

Google+: plus.google.com/+OxfordSBS

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