Oxford Saïd Application Essay Tips, 2024-2025
Oxford Saïd business school takes great pride in being part of a “world-class university, tackling world-class problems.” The school attracts a diverse student body made up of individuals from all areas of life who are motivated to drive change and turn ideas into action. The program’s main 250-word essay is a great way to showcase a personal aspect of your candidacy. In your written submissions, Oxford will be looking for evidence of good communication skills, leadership potential, analytical skills, and fit with its very international MBA community.
Essay 1: Tell us something that is not covered in your application which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you. (Maximum 250 words)
This essay prompt gives you the flexibility to cover any topic, but being specific and concise will be key to crafting an effective response. We suggest you pick a maximum of one or two. If you have any gaps or weaknesses in your profile that need to be clarified, you can address those, but add a positive spin by highlighting what actions you have taken to address the shortcomings. For example, if you had a low GPA in college due to extenuating circumstances, perhaps you took additional quantitative courses to demonstrate your ability to handle the MBA program’s intense coursework.
You can also consider sharing a story about a personal achievement, a leadership experience, a volunteer opportunity, an extracurricular activity at work, or a hobby. Provide details about your role, what result(s) you achieved or impact you had, and what you learned from the experience. Depending on the topic, and if space permits, you can try working in how you could continue the activity while contributing to the Oxford community.
Given the global nature of the program, this essay would be a great place to talk about any international experiences or cross-cultural exposure you have had, whether through a project at work or while growing up. Share details about what the experience taught you and how it contributed to your growth and development or to your understanding of different cultures.
1+1 Applicant Essay: Explain why you see this as particularly beneficial for you and how it fits with your career and personal development aims. (Maximum 250 words)
The Oxford 1+1 MBA program provides an excellent opportunity for specialized individuals to complete a one-year master’s degree from selected Oxford University departments, followed by a one-year MBA. In this essay, passionately share how you’ll practically apply a comprehensive understanding of business to your chosen discipline to have a wide-reaching impact.
Be sure to illustrate the synergies you anticipate from accessing Oxford’s resources throughout both years. You might wish to highlight the strong networking opportunities you’ll access, including MBA students, international alumni, prominent academics, and expert practitioners.
Overall, make the adcom confident that you are clear on your plans and will make them proud after you have graduated from the program. Don’t repeat any content from Essay 1. Ensure that you are maximizing the tight word count by sharing only complementary information.
Reapplicant Essay: What improvements have you made in your candidacy since you last applied to the Oxford MBA? (Maximum 250 words)
As a reapplicant, you should provide specific examples of how you have strengthened your profile from the last time you applied, whether you have taken on additional responsibilities at work, earned a promotion, improved your test score(s), learned a new skill, or picked up a new activity that has helped you grow. Be sure to express your continued interest in the Oxford MBA program by sharing any steps you have taken to learn more about the school and its community.
To virtually meet you, get a sense of your personality and see how you think on your feet, you will need to complete an online assessment as part of your application. You will be asked to answer three (or four) competency-based questions – this will be randomised. The competency-based question[s] lets [sic] you demonstrate certain leadership skills and qualities we look for, such as integrity, vision, self-awareness, decisiveness and collaboration.
For your final “essay,” Oxford wants to “get a sense of your personality and see how you think on your feet” through a series of video responses. Oxford’s website says it could be three or four questions, so be prepared for four. Though the randomness of the questions might make you nervous, try to go into the video portion of the application with a lighthearted approach so that your submissions feel as natural as possible. Showing personality is more important than delivering a perfectly rehearsed, robotic response, so don’t be afraid to smile and be yourself.
For each question, you will have 20 seconds to prepare and 90 seconds to respond, and you do not need to use the full time. Prior to the final recordings, you will have the opportunity to practice questions in Kira and get accustomed to speaking to a camera. We recommend that you take advantage of these practice rounds until you feel comfortable enough to record the actual submissions. If the video essays make you nervous, and you plan on reading your responses, please don’t. You won’t win yourself any champions on the adcom by doing that. Go into your interview having thought about stories and examples you can use for the typical behavioral questions you might expect, along with stories that display your integrity, vision, self-awareness, decisiveness, and collaboration style.
We love to support clients applying to European MBA programs, and Oxford is consistently one of the top business schools in the region. If you’re looking for support on your Saïd application, feel free to reach out to us for a free 30-minute consultation.