Oxford MBA essays analysis and suggestions
The Oxford MBA application has a number of essays that you need to answer. The Oxford MBA is a top MBA program and the essays are a critical aspect of the application. It’s important to prepare yourself for the essay questions. It’s not enough to just write down an answer; you need to make sure that you can back it up with evidence. This means showing how your academic experience will help you succeed in business school, as well as demonstrating that you have the skills needed for this program. The Oxford MBA essays require introspection and research.
The best way to do this is by taking time to think about what the question is asking. Make sure that you understand exactly what they are looking for and then think about how your background in marketing, finance or accounting fits into this answer.
In this post, we’ll discuss how to answer the Oxford MBA essays.
Describe below your immediate post-MBA plans
You should have a clear answer to this question, and it should be a good one. This answer will set the agenda for the rest of your Oxford MBA essays as well, so you need to be on the money while answering it.
Here is how you can prepare for this essay.
First, think about what you want to do after Oxford. If you do not have a clear answer yet, start thinking about that now. Why are you interested in going to business school? What do you want to get out of it? How will this help you achieve your goals? Oxford MBA students are drawn from a wide range of industries, countries and cultures. They come with varying degrees of experience, skills and expertise. What unites them is their desire for personal professional development and growth, both individually and in their chosen field. You want to show how you are equally ambitious and capable.
Second, if you are applying for the MBA program because you want to transition into the corporate world and build your career there, this is an ideal opportunity for you to show how your professional experience has prepared you for the challenges of management work. You can also demonstrate how your career plans align with the school’s mission or focus area by explaining how your goals fit with theirs (for example: “I am applying to Oxford because I want to gain skills that will help me move up in my current company”).
Third, if your post-MBA plan involves a career change entirely — such as becoming an entrepreneur or starting a nonprofit organization — explain why this is what attracts you right now.
Towards the end, you might want to include a short paragraph on how the Oxford MBA will be the perfect fit for your goals.
How does your preferred sector in your preferred location recruit MBA talent? Describe the research you have done so far.
The Oxford MBA essays can be unique in requiring you to do research that is neither about you nor about the school, but about the career you wish to enter. This essay is an example of that. You want to be as specific as possible with this question. The more research you do, the better your answer will be. In addition, the more specific you are about what you want to do in your preferred location and sector, the better.
You should also make sure that you have at least a basic understanding of how business schools recruit MBA talent in general. What kind of students do they look for? Do they prefer candidates who have worked in their chosen field before?
Here’s what you need to do:
You want to be as specific as possible with this question. The more research you do, the better your answer will be. In addition, the more specific you are about what you want to do in your preferred location and sector, the better.
You should also make sure that you have at least a basic understanding of how business schools recruit MBA talent in general. What kind of students do they look for? Do they prefer candidates who have worked in their chosen field before?
How do you meet these requirements?
The first thing you need to do is think about what skills and experience you have that make you suitable for this job, then mention them in your essay. For example, if you have relevant work experience, mention that. If you have experience in the industry, mention that too. If you are good at working with people, explain why this makes you suitable for the job.
You also need to explain how your skills and experience relate to the role. For example, if you are applying for a job as a sales manager, then your ability to communicate well with people will be important for that role. You need to explain how well-developed this skill is and how it will help them achieve their goals.
Use specific examples from past experiences to illustrate why your skills would be useful in this job or industry and how they would help them achieve their goals. For example, if there was a time when you were working on a project where communication was an issue and it caused problems for other team members, explain what happened and what steps were taken to resolve it (this shows that you can communicate well with others.
What do you plan to do between now and starting your MBA to prepare and maximise your chances of success?
This question is designed to find out how you are going to spend your spare time. It’s also an opportunity for you to show that you have a plan, and that you can make good use of your time.
Here are the things you should keep in mind to answer this question.
- Think about what activities will help you achieve your goals
When answering this question, think about what activities would help you prepare and maximise your chances of success at Oxford Business School. For example, if you want to gain experience with finance, it might be useful to work as an analyst or portfolio manager at a bank or fund manager. If the school has offered any opportunities for additional preparation (e.g., workshops), consider attending these events as well.
- Be specific about your plans
If there is anything specific that you have planned, mention it here (e.g., “I will be taking a course on valuation techniques from Said Business School”). The more specific and detailed you can be about these plans, the better – so don’t just write something generic like “I plan on studying hard over the next few months”.
Should you not be successful in securing your first choice of role, what is your alternative?
The first thing to remember is that the answer to this question is not going to be the same for everyone. In fact, if you are applying for a specific role within a particular company, your answer will vary depending on what role you are applying for within that company.
That’s because the interviewer wants to know whether or not you have thought about your career beyond the MBA programme. They want to know if you have considered all of the options available to someone with an MBA and whether or not you have planned for them.
Here are some examples of answers that would be appropriate for this question:
I am looking at several companies at present and should I not be successful in securing my first choice of role, I would consider alternative options within these companies.
I have already considered alternative options in case my current application is unsuccessful. These include a number of roles within Company X as well as other opportunities in Company Y. I have also considered going into consulting after business school (this could include consulting in industry or consulting on policy issues) which would give me more experience.
Tell us something that is not covered in your application which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you. (Maximum 250 words)
While all the other questions in the Oxford MBA essays set are mandatory, this question is optional. Not really! Even though Oxford may call it an optional essay, you should, in our opinion, do your best to answer it still.
This question is asking for you to tell them something about yourself that hasn’t already been covered in your application, so think about it carefully.
CVs and cover letters are important documents for any job application but they don’t tell us much about who you are as a person – what makes you tick? What drives your ambitions? This is where the Oxford MBA essays come into the picture – they provide an opportunity to go beyond the information provided by other documents and give us a glimpse into your personality too!
Provide details about what you want them to know about you. This could be anything from a particular experience or achievement that has made an impact on your life, or some aspect of your personality that has not yet been brought out in any other part of the application process (e.g., why do you want an MBA?).
The admissions committee has access to your application materials, so try not to repeat yourself. If you have already mentioned that you were successful at two different jobs, do not waste time repeating this in your essay.
If you have been working for a while, it probably would be better not to mention that you are a “hard worker” or a “team player”, since the admissions committee knows that already. Instead, give an example of a time when you worked hard or demonstrated leadership skills.
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