Established in 1996, Oxford University's Saïd
Business School is Europe's fastest-growing business school, with a
reputation for innovative business education. The School combines the
highest standards of academic rigor with a practical understanding of
business and wealth creation.
The Saïd Business School is fully integrated into one of the world's
greatest universities. This allows the school to draw on Oxford's strengths across a
range of subjects including: sociology, economics, law, psychology, politics
and international relations. Working at the interface of disciplines,
faculty and researchers are always seeking new insights in issues such as the
politics of global business, the rise of science entrepreneurship, the
management of innovation, and the social and commercial impact of
information systems and the Internet. By collaborating actively with faculty
from other disciplines, Oxford Saïd aims to transcend the traditional
functional divisions of a business school in order to reflect the complex
realities of business and society in today's global economy.
Here is our fall 2007 interview with Anna Farrus, Admissions Manager
for Oxford Saïd Business School.
What would you say are Saïd's most distinguishing characteristics when
compared to other MBA programs, particularly other one year MBA Programs in
Europe?
Well, one very distinguished characteristic is just being part of the
University of Oxford. Oxford has educated leaders for over 800 years.
Another would be the Oxford experience - living in a "student city," sharing
experiences not only with the business school students but with students
from all disciplines.
Other characteristics that define the Oxford MBA would be our diversity,
where 95 percent of our students are international. Our General Management
program has a strong focus on Finance and Entrepreneurship. And our students
and alumni are world-changers.
How can MBA students take advantage of the broader Oxford University
community?
The Saïd Business School is part of the University of Oxford, and this
gives an advantage to our students. They become a part not only of the
school’s community, but also of the entire University's. Students will not
only network with their business school classmates but also with exceptional
students from across all disciplines.
Our MBA students also have access to the Oxford global alumni network, which
has over 150,000 members.
With the program lasting only one year, are there any opportunities for
students to customize the program to their areas of interest?
We offer many electives during the 2nd and 3rd term, so that students can
customize the program. We also offer the option of doing the program in 15
months, and then the students can do an internship during the summer.
Saïd students obtain full membership to an Oxford college. Can you
explain how the college system works?
The University of Oxford
is formed by about 40 different colleges. All the MBA students have to be
members of one of the colleges. The colleges will take care of the welfare,
social, sport and other extracurricular activities of the students. Some
colleges also offer accommodation. In the colleges, students have the
opportunity to interact with students from the entire University.
Are there any specific characteristics that you seek in applications to
help identify the "best fit" candidates?
We look for:
- Intellectual ability – we want to make sure that the candidate will
be able to keep up with the program.
- Relevant work experience
- Internationality and diversity
- Candidates that understand what the MBA in Oxford can offer them.
Is there an ideal length of work experience? For example, how many
years would you consider the minimum and too much for your full-time program?
Our average suggested work experience is six years. However, I
believe that to be able to get the most out of the program, candidates
should have at least two years of work experience.
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