Oxford / Said Essay Topic Analysis 2011-2012
The school’s essay topics remain unchanged this year with the word limits still hovering at 1,750 words in total. The SBS application presents a unique challenge to applicants, who need to be able to share important and relevant information about their candidacies while consistently staying on topic throughout. For this reason, careful reflection and outlining is even more important when approaching this sort of application than one with a long series of shorter answers.
Essay 1: Explain why you chose your current job. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next five years? How will an MBA assist you in the development of these ambitions? (750 word maximum)
This prompt requests a fairly standard career goals essay, and thus the general advice we’ve offered in the past on how to tackle this sort of question applies here. The Oxford adcom looks for applicants who offer fully defined long- and short-term career goals, sound reasons for pursuing an MBA at this time, a well-informed rationale for their interest in SBS and specific plans to contribute to the campus community if they are admitted. Note that Oxford specifically asks applicants to explain why they chose their current jobs and to discuss their five-year career plans; while it is certainly fine to look beyond this second part of the prompt to explore longer-term objectives as well, it is at minimum essential to explore one’s next five years in depth.
The key to successfully tackling each of these components is specificity. In presenting their goals and explaining their motivation for seeking an MBA, it is crucial for applicants to present well-defined and feasible short-term and long-term career objectives, specifying the job title they hope to hold in their target industry and commenting on what they hope to accomplish in their target positions. In most situations, a career goals essay is more compelling when it includes a brief but coherent career history that summarizes the applicant’s work to date, revealing the continuity between one’s previous professional experiences and goals for the future.
Essay 2: Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why? (1,000 word maximum)
This question, which covers the full range of global current events, literature and topics both factual and fictional, is about as broad as they come. The rather high word limit makes responding to the question all the more challenging, as many applicants find it difficult to sustain a coherent and relevant discussion over 1,000 words. In selecting a topic, think carefully about what your event or book selection will tell the reader about your concerns and priorities, ideally selecting a subject that meshes well with the positioning you established in Essay 1. In terms of structuring the discussion, it might be helpful to think about ways in which this book, development or event has influenced your subsequent actions as well as your thinking; this could provide a way to introduce a fair amount of information about your past experiences and your candidacy in general while still sticking to the topic.
For more guidance on how best to present yourself to Oxford, please reference our guide, the Clear Admit School Guide: Saïd Business School, or send us your resume or CV to info@clearadmit.com for a free initial assessment.
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This post is asterisked in the Essay Topic Analysis menu to indicate that it contains updated ’12/’13 commentary.
While Question 1 on the Oxford/Said required essays remains unchanged, according to the school’s website Question 2 is now: 2) What should Oxford expect from you? (750 words).
http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/degrees/mba/Pages/requirements.aspx
Thanks for your note! It looks like the link was incorrect. I believe the post you are looking for is this one:
http://blog.clearadmit.com/2012/09/oxford-said-essay-topic-analysis-2012-2013/
We’ll make the change to the link ASAP.
Thanks again!
No problem! This website is a great resource, with so many links that it must be hard to keep track, particularly if nobody lets you know if any of the links needs updating