Posted by Clear Admit on April 14, 2012, at 3:00 am
Posted in:  Deadlines , School: Cambridge , School: London Business School , School: Oxford The final application deadline for admission to the London Business School MBA program during the 2011-2012 cycle is Wednesday, April 18. As we did last weekend, we’re giving our readers an edge by providing a sneak peek into one of our highly acclaimed School Guides. For more detail beyond the LBS MBA program highlights listed below, check out the Clear Admit School Guide to LBS.
London Location – London is a center of the global economy at large and the finance industry in particular. As Europe’s most populous metropolitan area, the city serves as an international travel hub; 75 percent of Fortune 500 corporations have headquarters or branches here.
Diversity – With no more than one-quarter of the Class of 2010 drawn from any one region of the world, London Business School offers extraordinary exposure to a diversity of cultures, values and perspectives.
Flexible Scheduling – London Business School is the only leading MBA program to allow students to complete their degrees in 15, 18 or 21 months. Second-year students may also arrange their schedules so as to pursue a second internship or take a lighter courseload so as to work alongside their studies. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on March 14, 2012, at 2:00 pm
Posted in: Financial Aid , MBA News , School: INSEAD , School: Oxford Prodigy Finance, a London-based company started in 2007 by INSEAD alumni, expects to enter the U.S. business school market later this year with new options for international students who need loans to fund their education, according to a report this week in Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
Last week, the United Kingdom’s Cranfield School of Management signed on to Prodigy’s online community-based loan program, becoming the second in that country and the sixth in Europe to adopt it.
Created by three INSEAD alumni who themselves had trouble securing funding when they were international MBAs, the Prodigy program allows alumni of a particular school to place money in community education bonds that provide loans for students who follow behind them at that school. The loans, which carry an average 8.2 percent interest rate, are competitive with other loan providers in the U.S. and Europe, and students are required to repay them within seven years. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on March 1, 2012, at 2:00 pm
Posted in: Financial Aid , MBA News , School: INSEAD , School: Oxford In an effort to help prospective MBA students finance their programs as traditional bank sources for loans have dried up, business schools in the United Kingdom are turning to a model developed by INSEAD alumni in which alumni of a business school invest in those who will follow after them.
The company, London-based Prodigy Finance, was set up by three INSEAD alumni. Graduates of the school invest in the future careers of classmates who follow behind with the expectation that they will receive a good rate of return on their investment. The University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School announced last December that it has created a program with Prodigy, and the Financial Times reported this week that the Cranfield School of Management has followed suit. Several other top U.K. business schools are expected to launch similar arrangements before the next MBA enrollment in September, the FT added.
» Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on February 13, 2012, at 2:00 pm
Posted in: MBA News , School: Oxford Summer internships between the first and second years of two-year MBA programs are de rigueur at most top business schools – an important component that provides students with valuable hands on experience and can even lead to a post-graduation job. New this year, the Saïd Business School at Oxford University has announced that it is getting in on the internship action. But since the U.K. school features a one-year MBA, its internship program will be one that students complete before they start their studies.
The pre-MBA internship program, announced last month, was launched by Saïd’s Careers Service to give students an opportunity to experience their chosen career sector before undertaking a full-time degree at Oxford. » Continue reading
HEC Paris maintained its number one position in the Financial Times’ ranking of best European business schools this year, released this week. INSEAD bumped London Business School from number two to number three, and Spain’s IESE Business School and Switzerland’s IMD came in at fourth and fifth respectively. Overall, there were no dramatic changes in the line-up of top European schools save the rapid ascent of Italy’s SDA Bocconi School of Management, which tied for seventh this year as compared to its three-year rank of 16th.
In a special report accompanying the rankings, the FT’s Della Bradshaw pointed out that European schools, which until now attracted non-European applicants with their diverse student bodies and globally focused curriculums, face several new threats that could undermine these advantages. Chief among them are the continuing euro crisis and the reluctance of European governments to award post-degree work visas to non-Europeans as well as the rapid rise of Chinese and Indian business schools. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on September 15, 2011, at 3:00 am
Posted in: School Guides , School: Cambridge , School: IESE , School: Oxford After requests from prospective applicants to expand our resource offerings to top international MBA programs, Clear Admit has added Judge Business School, Saïd Business School and IESE alongside titles to other leading international programs, including INSEAD, LBS and ISB in its applauded and widely-read line of School Guides!
Like the other 24 titles in the School Guide series, these new publications feature objective information that goes well beyond published rankings and will help you understand how these programs compare to peer schools. By reading the Clear Admit School Guides, you can gather the details you need to shine in the admissions process.
These three brand new guides include all of the hallmarks of the Clear Admit School Guide series, including our peer-to-peer comparisons, making them a valuable resource that can be used at each stage of the admissions process.
Whether you have just begun to think about business school or are putting the finishing touches on your essays, the Clear Admit School Guides will help you to:
- Become an expert on your target schools overnight
- Use your newfound expertise to craft essays that stand out
- Compare schools head-to-head using objective data that goes beyond published rankings and school-published marketing materials
- Prepare for your admissions interviews by knowing your target schools inside and out
- Make an informed decision about where to enroll
The Judge, SBS and IESE School Guides are available for immediate download in the Clear Admit Shop.
Posted by Clear Admit on September 2, 2011, at 9:45 am
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: Oxford 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.
Posted by Clear Admit on September 1, 2011, at 12:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: Oxford 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.
To read our analysis of all of Oxford’s essay questions, click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on August 31, 2011, at 12:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: Oxford 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 paston 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.
To read our analysis of all of Oxford’s essay questions, click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on August 11, 2011, at 8:49 am
Posted in: Essay Topics , School: Oxford The 2011-2012 Oxford / Saïd essay topics have been announced, following up on the program’s earlier release of its deadlines. This year’s prompts are as follows:
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? Maximum 750 words
Essay 2: Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why? Maximum 1,000 words.
For more information, visit the program’s admissions website.
Posted by Clear Admit on July 21, 2011, at 11:49 am
Posted in: Deadlines , School: Oxford The 2011-2012 Oxford / Saïd deadlines have been announced! The three stages are as follows:
Stage 1
Deadline: October 14, 2011
Notification: December 9, 2011
Stage 2
Deadline: January 20, 2012
Notification: March 23, 2012
Stage 3
Deadline: April 27, 2012
Notification: June 8, 2012
For more information, visit the program’s admissions website.
Posted by Clear Admit on March 27, 2011, at 1:00 am
Posted in: Interview Tips , Interview: Oxford , School: Oxford If you are preparing for an MBA admissions interview, be sure to check out the Clear Admit Wiki! It’s chock full of firsthand accounts of interviews, as reported by MBA applicants themselves. Here’s a closer look at a recent report shared by a Round 2 candidate for Oxford / Saïd:
“I had my interview with Saïd Business School over Skype. My interviewer was the Head of Career Services at the Saïd Business School. The interviewer had reviewed my essays and other application materials before the interview. The entire interview lasted about 30 minutes.
The interviewer asked the following questions:
- What are your career goals and why did you decide to pursue a MBA? (And related question) Why did you select Oxford?
- Which other schools did you apply to and why?
- Have you heard back from the other schools? What were the results?
- In your current job what are the areas where you think you have room for improvement?
- In which areas (skills) do you think your supervisor wants you to improve?
- In which areas (skills) do you think employees who you supervise want you to improve?
- What is the biggest weakness on your resume? What would you have done differently to address this weakness?
- Have you informed your company that you are applying to business schools?
- Since you supervise over 40 people at work what is your approach towards emotional intelligence?
- What questions do you have for me?
Overall, the interviewer was cordial and polite but kept things very professional. It was hard for me to gauge (from his reactions) during the interview whether he liked my answers or not.
Result: Admitted.”
To see more MBA admissions interview reports, check out the Clear Admit Wiki – a free resource with hundreds of real, documented interview experiences from b-school applicants. Also, if you’d like to help your fellow applicants by adding your experiences, please send us your interview field report and we’ll post it to the wiki. Finally, if you’d like even more helpful hints and detailed analysis on how to ace your interview, check out our line of Interview Guides, which demystify the most common questions asked by the leading programs and offer step-by-step guidance for a successful interview.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and best of luck to those undergoing admissions interviews!
Posted by Clear Admit on February 28, 2011, at 1:00 pm
Posted in: Events , School: Oxford The Economist will host a free online MBA forum on March 22nd and 23rd, providing prospective business school applicants with an opportunity to talk online with admissions officers, current MBA students and alumni from MBA programs around the world.
Admission to the Economist Global Online MBA Forum is free, but space is limited and advance registration is required. To register, click here. Once you have registered, you can log in anytime during the event on March 22nd and 23rd at www.thembaforum.com using your email address and a password you create.
The forum is sponsored by Educational Testing Service (ETS), which owns the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Participating schools so far include Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, Central European University Business School and Ashridge Business School, among others.
Posted by Clear Admit on December 9, 2010, at 1:00 pm
Posted in: MBA News , School: Harvard , School: Oxford The University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School this week appointed Harvard professor Peter Tufano as its next dean, the Financial Times reports. Tufano, a professor of financial management who specializes in consumer finance, will take the reins in July 2011 when Saïd’s current dean, Colin Mayer, reaches the end of his five-year term.
Tufano, who first came to Harvard as an undergraduate, estimates that he has spent 33 years at the Cambridge, MA, university. But he also has spent considerable time working with European business schools, particularly Oxford and London Business School, over the past 10 to 15 years, he told the FT. “I’ve been knocking around Europe for a bit, and a little bit around Oxford,” he said. » Continue reading
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