Said Business School is the business school of the University of Oxford. Situated in England, the school provides a one-year full-time MBA degree program. Ranked #2 in the United Kingdom and #13 in the world by the Financial Times in 2019, the Said Business School MBA Program is one of the most sought out business programs across the globe. The school has given several prominent alumni. Some of the renowned alumni include Javed Afridi (CEO, Haier, Pakistan), Stephen Robert Morse (Film director & producer), Papa CJ (Indian comedian), Shawn Baldwin (American investor), Ananya Birla (Indian singer & entrepreneur), & Ruthe Farmer (American policymaker & activist). A total of 315 students enrolled in the batch of 2019. 93% of the class was international students from more than 60 countries worldwide. The average age of the students was 28 years, and 39% consisted of female students. In this article, we shall cover more information about the Said Business School MBA Program.
The curriculum for a one-year Said School MBA Program is very intense & rigorous. The program has been carefully designed into three terms for the students to develop an understanding of the business world. The program commences in September with the ‘Launch Period’ where students meet their classmates, get used to the college & university life, & are introduced to talent & development through soft skill training and coaching. The core courses are taught in the first and second term to help the students gain fundamental business principles. The core courses include Accounting, Analytics, Marketing, Strategy, Organizational Behavior, & Business Finance, among others.
The electives are offered in the second and third term. Students can choose from a wide range of subjects. Some of the elective topics include Business in China, Negotiations, Impact Investing, Project Management, & Corporate Valuation. The program is built around three cross-cutting themes (also known as integrative modules) and includes Entrepreneurship, Global rules of the game, & Responsible business. All these three integrated modules are taught in each of the three terms.
The curriculum also consists of an Entrepreneurship project, where students develop a business plan and present it to a panel of the invited venture capitalists. And Global Opportunity & Threats: Oxford (GOTO), where students address some of the most complex issues the world faces. In the summer term (from July to August), students have three options: A six-week Strategic Consulting Project, Internship for 6-weeks, or to opt for summer electives.
Eligibility
Academic Requirement:
Applicants are required to have a recognized undergraduate degree with a minimum of 3.5 GPA to apply for the Said School MBA Program. The requirement for a 3.5 GPA can be waived in exceptional cases if the applicant possesses a strong career progression & a competitive GMAT/GRE score.
Work Experience:
The interested candidates are required to have at least 2-years of full-time work experience. The admissions committee also looks for evidence of career progression, international exposure, & leadership potential.
Standardized MBA Test:
A valid GMAT or GRE score is a must requirement to apply for the Said Business School MBA Program. Although there is no minimum score requirement, the school recommends a competitive score of 650 or above for GMAT and 160 for GRE for both Quants & Verbal. Please note that the admissions committee focuses highly on your quantitative & analytical skills.
English Language Test:
For the applicants coming from non-native English speaking countries, they are required to submit the English Proficiency Tests like TOEFL or IELTS. The minimum score requirement for TOEFL is 110 (for the Internet-based test), & for IELTS, the minimum score band required to apply for the program is 7.5. The school also accepts Cambridge Certification (C1 & C2). The minimum overall score requirement for the same is 191.
Course Fee
The one-year Said School MBA Program costs £63,000. It includes your tuition fees & educational materials. In addition to the program fee, the estimated living expenses for one year come at around £19,800. It includes food (£4,620), accommodation (£9,120), personal items (£2,940), study costs (£1,140), social activities (£1,320), & other miscellaneous expenses (£660). There are other expenses like your travel to & from Oxford, airfare, and accommodation for international projects, etc. which has not been mentioned above.
The school provides several scholarship options to the admitted students. Over two-third of the Oxford Scholarships do not require separate applications or supporting documents. All the applicants are automatically considered for the scholarship awards if they meet the eligibility criteria. Some of the well-known scholarship options include,
Said Business School Foundation Scholarship:
It is a merit-based award that is offered to around 40 scholars every year. The scholarship amount range from partial to full tuition fees and is provided to academically strong candidates.
Alumni Annual Fund Scholarships:
Awarded to around ten scholars who have an exceptional academic record & shown demonstrated leadership skills. An amount of up to £20,000 is offered to each student.
Forté Fellowship for Women:
A scholarship amount of £20,000 is awarded to 3 exceptional female candidates with a strong academic & professional experience.
The Skoll Scholarships:
A separate application & a mandatory essay is required to apply for this award. The award is offered to a total of 4 students who pursue entrepreneurial solutions for urgent social & environmental challenges. The amount covers full-tuition course fees and partial living expenses. Along with these awards, there are several loan options available for the students. One of the most sought out loan options is Prodigy Finance. It doesn’t require a co-signer, collateral, or guarantee. The candidate can borrow up to 80% of the tuition fees and living expenses.
In the placement session 2017-18, the average salary received by the class was £72,618. The students placed in the consulting received the highest mean salary of £77,030, followed by the students in Finance with £74,154. A total of 54% of the class accepted a job offer in Europe, followed by North America & Asia with 17% and 16%, respectively. The students placed in North America received the highest annual mean salary of £83,643.
The top 3 industries who recruited the majority of the students include:
Financial Services 27%
Technology 24%
Consulting 23%
The top recruiters for the placement session 2017-18 were:
American Express
Accenture
The Boston Consulting Group
McKinsey & Company
Fosun International
Adobe
Amazon
Online Application
To apply for the Said Business School MBA Program, you will need:
-Academic Transcripts
-One-page CV
-GMAT/GRE score
-English Language Test
-2 Letter of Recommendations (Professional/Academic)
-Supporting Statement
-Online Assessment
-Application Fee of £150
Interview:
After you apply, the admissions committee reviews the received applications. If shortlisted, you will be notified about the interview. The interview is conducted by the faculty member, senior members of the recruitment team, or an industry advisor. The interview is held at the Said Business School campus. For the applicants who are unable to interview on-campus, the admissions officer travels to key locations in other countries. If both the above options are unsuitable for you, the last option is an interview via video conference. The interview lasts for 30-45 minutes and consists of general questions related to your background, aspirations, & MBA program.
After the interview, the admissions committee makes a final decision and notifies you about your selection or rejection. If you get acceptance for the Said Business School MBA Program, you will have to pay a commitment deposit of £8,600 to secure your place.
Tips & Details regarding the Supporting Statement & Online Assessment
All the applicants are required to submit a supporting statement along with the online application. The question is as follows:
Tell us something that is not covered in your application which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you. (Maximum 250 words)
Please note that this statement is mandatory & not optional. The supporting statement allows you to share something unique about your application or yourself with the admissions committee that is not covered in your application. Along with this, students are required to take an online assessment test to help the admissions committee know them virtually.
The online assessment comprises:
Two motivation-based questions (All candidates will answer the same questions.)
Two competency-based questions (these will be randomized.)
A written response (This will be randomized and light-hearted.)
Before you click on the real assessment, the school encourages you to practice as much as you want. And once you feel prepared, start the test. For each motivation-based question, you will have 60 seconds of preparation time and then 90 seconds for your response. For each competency-based question, you will have 45 seconds of preparation time and then 60 seconds for your response. For the written question you will not have preparation time, however, you will have 5 minutes for typing your response.
The admission committee would like to hear your honest, authentic, genuine, & meaningful response to the questions. Please remember that there are no right or wrong answers. Just try to be yourself throughout the assessment. The Said Business School MBA Program attracts business students around the globe. The Oxford tag can brand a person for a lifetime. The admissions process may be competitive & intense, but if you make it into the Said Business School MBA Program, everything will be worth it.
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