Hi Folks, Those of you planning (and hoping!) to see yourselves in the MBA class of 2009-2010 at either Judge (Cambridge) or Saiid (Oxford)…get in touch with other aspirants here. I am starting a thread as the first round deadline for both…
Hi Folks,
Those of you planning (and hoping!) to see yourselves in the MBA class of 2009-2010 at either Judge (Cambridge) or Saiid (Oxford)......get in touch with other aspirants here. I am starting a thread as the first round deadline for both schools is nearing.
My profile:
work experience: 5yrs
4yrs - Senior Research Fellow (Genetics), Singapore
1yr - Manager, Intellectual property management, Singapore
Education:
MS (IISc, B'lore, India), Ph.D (Cologne, Germany)
GMAT: 670 (AWA/5.5)
I have not made much progress with the applications though i am very keen on applying for the first round of both schools....Hope to share ideas and opinions on these two schools and admission related stuff...
Will i start seeing a lot of blokes contributing to this thread??
start shooting....
cheers,
GoGreen
Will i start seeing a lot of blokes contributing to this thread??
start shooting....
cheers,
GoGreen
Hey GoGreen, me too on the run for JBS and SBS (plus two reputed Canadian schools)
My profile
3 years FT exp. as environmental and veterinary public health project consultant (GEF, WB, RedLAC, FAO-UN - ongoing experience)
2 years FT as social-business entrepreneur (I run my own restaurant in a shanty town in Lima - to present)
2.5 years PT as university lecturer (to present)
2 years FT as academic researcher
1.5 years PT exp. as English and Spanish teacher
1 year government sponsored internship at the Embassy of Peru to New Zealand
Acads.
DVM - Vet. Med (Chile), Diploma in Finance (Mexico), Master of Development Studies (New Zealand, NZAID Scholarship - Govt. of NZ), Magister in Political Science (Peru) plus a certificate in Entrepreneurship Development (EDI, India, ITEC Scholarship - Govt. of India)
Strong extracurriculars, strong international exp. Speak Span. Eng. and French (fluent)
GMAT - Will sit on the second week of December. Expecting a score between 600-650.
Currently crunching math. Working on essays since August, will get LORs in Oct-Nov, will take IELTS in Nov.
Intended post-MBA path: Social innovation and/or entrepreneurship work at NFP or multilateral orgs. Another option is mgmt. consulting.
Applying for Round 2. Hope we make it! Best regards from South America.
Peruvian Guru
hello i wanted to know if its good enough to apply for second round. whats the difference
How are the placements there for Consulting, strategy, marketing & BD ?
Do one need to have personal contacts/ network or does it take 3-4 months for one to find jobs ?
I think there are several colleges under Oxford and Cambridge !! Are they all equal in terms of diversity, faculty, resources, placements ?? Any ranking within Oxford & Cambridge ??
deeia Sayshello i wanted to know if its good enough to apply for second round. whats the difference
Hi Deeia, I guess there isn't much difference between applying R1 and R2 other than having less seats available. JBS MBA population is somewhere between 120-150 students while SBS has 220-250. R3 and to a larger extent R4 applicants may find admission more difficult given that both schools will have filled around 75-85% of seats.
Based on pieces of info found in the web and personal estimates I think Cambridge will receive around 1000-1200 applications for the 2009 MBA program while Oxford will have a marginally larger number of applicants (1100-1400). I insist that these are personal estimates and should not be taken as factual info.
So, in short, applying in R1 or R2 doesn't make much difference as opposed to R's 3 and 4.
nittinj SaysHow are the placements there for Consulting, strategy, marketing & BD ?
No idea, sorry.
nittinj SaysDo one need to have personal contacts/ network or does it take 3-4 months for one to find jobs ?
Placement stats for SBS and JBS three months after graduation are very encouraging, both with 90%+ for the past 3-4 years. Personal contacts obviously do help when finding and/or securing jobs so you should deploy your people and networking skills before, during and after your MBA education (irrespective of a school's ranking!)
nittinj SaysI think there are several colleges under Oxford and Cambridge !! Are they all equal in terms of diversity, faculty, resources, placements ?? Any ranking within Oxford & Cambridge ??
Not at all! Cambridge has 31 colleges and Oxford has 39. Although both universities have colleges with the same name (e.g. Trinity@ Ox, Trinity @ Cam) these are totally different between and within these institutions. Colleges vary according to all the factors you mentioned and, in addition, some of them only accept postgrads or women.
Colleges make of Oxbridge a unique learning experience. You don't only sleep and eat at your college but you mingle with students from other faculties, depts., programs who stay there too. For instance, during lunch you will have the opportunity to interact with historians, lawyers, vets, economists et al (undergrad-postgrad students and professors) who will be part of your college community. This is one of the main reasons why Cambridge and Oxford are such great places to live and learn.
Templeton-Green College is the "b-school" college at Oxford while Cambridge does not have a specific one. However, for the latter, Queens and St. Catharine's tend to be a popular choice due to their proximity with the b-school building itself. Hope this helps! :)
Peruvian Guru
Thanks a lot great insight into Oxford and Cambridge.
Its because of their great 500-800 years old legacy and because of my low GPA (2.9/4) I feel slightly unconfortable applyting to Oxford & Cambridge. What accoridng to you are key criteria used by admissions committed at these colleges !!
What I learnt from various blogs that though there are several colleges under Oxford & Cambridge, but the finally the b school classes are conducted by same faculty. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Regarding placements, I wanted to know traditional forte of these schools, for example - MIT/ Stern are known for I banksing, Insead/ HBS/ Chicago for I bank & consulting, Kellog for mktg !! Are there any particular fields/ electives which are the stregth of Oxbridge.
How are Oxbridge as compared to say an Insead or HEC (Paris)? Please advise?
What I have learnt regarding IMD, Switz & ESADE & IESE are - expensive b schools, gives lot of strees on international exposure during job and academics? Am i correct or is this not a correct thread to discuss these b schools?
thanks again,
best regards,
Nitin
Good start folks. thanks to Peruvian Guru, Deeia and Nitin for contributing to the thread and having it alive with activity!
Hey Peru Bro, you have been planning your MBA for a while now right? Had seen some of you old posts/threads from i guess last yr or yr before.... good stuff. you seem to be well informed and surely many of us would benefit from your posts in one way or another...keep it going...
I had been to a MBA tour fair yesterday here in Singapore. Met the program manager from Queens. Dint really get a good idea of whether it will be a good fit for me...though i have heard from my Canadian friends that Kingston is a great place to live! The only school i'm (was?) targeting in Canada is Ivey. I'm sure you will have some valuable things to add comparing IVey and Queens, in terms of reputation, class profile, recruitment options post MBA,etc....
Deeia and Nitin, From what i know abt Judge.......their acceptance rate is about 12%...so PeruGURU was about there when he said the total applicns could be around 1200. As with any other top school, they are looking for people with well rounded profiles.....i'm sure you have read and heard enough abt what that means...so, i wont bore u abt that... But my take on at least Judge (which is my #1 choice) is that its location in Cambridge provides for a great opportunity for people with interest in innovation management (my main interest), entrepreneurship, VC,etc becoz of the great academic and start-up environment there...Also, another important factor Judge offers is the opportunity to do 3 consulting projects...that means a whole lot of "practical" experience chance before u graduate!
cheers,
GoGreen
I think low acceptance at JBS is may be due to no application fee.
Can anyone help me with stats of past year/s of placement at JBS & SBS. I couldnt locate it as of now. I think US schools are more friendly in providing placement/ summer intership related data.
As I understand Oxford is mainly considered good for finance and no so good for strategy/ marketing/ general management/ consulting ! Please correct me if I am wrong.
Though FT ranks SBS & JBS pretty high businessweek does not consider so !! Any reasons for such discrepancy !!
Its because of their great 500-800 years old legacy and because of my low GPA (2.9/4) I feel slightly unconfortable applyting to Oxford & Cambridge. What accoridng to you are key criteria used by admissions committed at these colleges !!
Hey Nittinj, dont be discouraged by a low GPA. The great thing about these schools is that they look beyond numbers. For instance, although not due to GPA, I know about a candidate who got a 460 GMAT score, was invited to interview (and to retake the exam), got a 510 in the second shot and was admitted. Of course his profile was strong enough to overcome this hurdle. JBS and SBS look for DIVERSITY, if you have something nobody else would provide make sure u highlight it.
nittinj SaysWhat I learnt from various blogs that though there are several colleges under Oxford & Cambridge, but the finally the b school classes are conducted by same faculty. Please correct me if I am wrong.
True
nittinj SaysRegarding placements, I wanted to know traditional forte of these schools, for example - MIT/ Stern are known for I banksing, Insead/ HBS/ Chicago for I bank & consulting, Kellog for mktg !! Are there any particular fields/ electives which are the stregth of Oxbridge.
First of all I recommend not fixing a school to a determined field. These generalizations lead to poor assumptions and uninformed decisions; SBS and JBS degrees will open doors everywhere/anywhere. With this in mind, both schools thrive in social entrepreneurship (esp. Ox with its Skoll Centre) and innovation management (Cambridge has a slight advantage here with its Silicon Fen Park). However rest assured that your finance, mktg., logistics and other skills will be on par with the best. On top of that sharing a year with students-specialists from other fields of knowledge will polish your social and networking skills.
nittinj SaysHow are Oxbridge as compared to say an Insead or HEC (Paris)? Please advise?
Again, I resort to my previous answer. Insead and HEC are awesome institutions with a distinguished heritage so it would be unwise to take my PERSONAL view on these schools. After visiting their website did you get the "feeling" of applying there? Were you compelled to search for additional info about them? Do you view yourself studying in France? how about the size of the program? do you feel comfortable with their curriculum and the way they have distributed it throughout the 10 or 16 month timeline? Again, follow your instincts. I did so and currently feel very comfortable with the four schools I will apply to.
nittinj SaysWhat I have learnt regarding IMD, Switz & ESADE & IESE are - expensive b schools, gives lot of strees on international exposure during job and academics? Am i correct or is this not a correct thread to discuss these b schools?
All b-schools are expensive! ...and all of them look for international exposure. Bottomline, be careful when choosing between 1Y and 2Y programs. Pagalguy is a must for any serious MBA aspirant. Being Peruvian I have found it extremely useful as a valuable and trustable information resource. You will find specific threads for the schools you have mentioned.
Hope this helps
Peruvian Guru
nittinj SaysI think low acceptance at JBS is may be due to no application fee.
With due respect I strongly disagree with your comment. From my point of view low acceptance rates at JBS do not relate at all with a zero application fee factor. Instead, just like any other world class institution, JBS will admit the very best candidates FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE. Assuming a standard (competitive-competent) background many highly qualified individuals will be dinged from their dream schools but be accepted at others. It has more to do with how their classes are being composed throughout their admissions cycles and with the "feeling factor" mentioned in my previous post. Yes, adcoms do have the feeling factor too!
nittinj SaysCan anyone help me with stats of past year/s of placement at JBS & SBS. I couldnt locate it as of now. I think US schools are more friendly in providing placement/ summer intership related data.
Check these out
Cambridge
http://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/mba/placement_report.pdf
Oxford
http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/NR/rdonlyres/11B09CBC-5EFC-435B-85CE-15836A60BF17/5372/2008placementreport.pdf
nittinj SaysAs I understand Oxford is mainly considered good for finance and no so good for strategy/ marketing/ general management/ consulting ! Please correct me if I am wrong.
Take my advise, forget about rigid and misleading labels! At SBS (or JBS) you will get top-notch education for all the fields mentioned above
nittinj SaysThough FT ranks SBS & JBS pretty high businessweek does not consider so !! Any reasons for such discrepancy !!
Businessweek is an American publication while FT is a British one. Check out their rankings and you will discover many interesting outcomes! In addition their ranking methodology is very different too so results will vary accordingly.
Best regards
Peruvian Guru
GoGreen Srini SaysGood start folks. thanks to Peruvian Guru, Deeia and Nitin for contributing to the thread and having it alive with activity!
My pleasure! we are here to help each other.
I will also apply to Ivey. However, unless knowing a little bit more about your personal goals, professional and academic preferences it would be irresponsible from my side to compare these schools "in cold". From my personal perspective I did not get the feeling factor from Queens but I would hardly argue that this emerging b-school sucks. Regarding Ivey I believe its case-method approach is very interesting, the program is also 12 months and has an excellent reputation in Canada. Furthermore, Ivey placements in mgmt. consulting (an alternative career path for me) are awesome as the school prepares you to think and act holistically. When comparing Ivey with JBS/SBS I would say candidates tend to be younger although this will soon change as 1YPs attract more experienced/mature candidates. If admitted to Ivey you will also get first-class business education.
GoGreen Srini SaysBut my take on at least Judge (which is my #1 choice) is that its location in Cambridge provides for a great opportunity for people with interest in innovation management (my main interest), entrepreneurship, VC,etc becoz of the great academic and start-up environment there...
Indeed.
GoGreen Srini SaysAlso, another important factor Judge offers is the opportunity to do 3 consulting projects...that means a whole lot of "practical" experience chance before u graduate!
I completely back you up here. Practice makes perfect and I have discovered that books alone wont take you too far.
Cheers
Peruvian Guru
going by what i can sense from your posts...u r targeting JBS, SBS, Ivey and Queen's i presume???
The first three are on my list (that order of priority) and Vlerick in Belgium as the 4th one.
Did think of Queen's....but dropped it becoz it starts in May. am targeting Sep or later dates (2009).
going by what i can sense from your posts...u r targeting JBS, SBS, Ivey and Queen's i presume???
The first three are on my list (that order of priority) and Vlerick in Belgium as the 4th one.
Did think of Queen's....but dropped it becoz it starts in May. am targeting Sep or later dates (2009).
JBS, SBS, Ivey and HEC Montreal
in no particular order at this point...
Thanks Peru Guru for your insights....
I also have JBS & SBS high on my list.
Guys,
I read on JBS website that you have to be in the top 25% of your class to be eligible for their program :sarcasm:
I was in that category in class 10 and 12, but not in B.Tech.:splat:
So does that mean that the end of the road for me ?
Guys,
I read on JBS website that you have to be in the top 25% of your class to be eligible for their program :sarcasm:
I was in that category in class 10 and 12, but not in B.Tech.:splat:
So does that mean that the end of the road for me ?
What attracts me the most about JBS and SBS - each one with their unique strengths - is that these schools go beyond admitting standard profiles. At JBS/SBS MBA cohorts you will sit alongside engineers, economists, lawyers, opera singers, dentists and even vets! In fact, I know about a PhD candidate at JBS who is a veterinarian. If you want to confirm how reliable is my info please join Linkedin and search profiles of past and current MBA students from these schools or others which you may be interested in. This will also help you to benchmark yourself and assess your chances of admission.
A less than desirable GPA can be interpreted within the context of the academic institution(s) you attended (overall educational quality, study abroad experience if any, challenging majors-minors, personal problems you may have had which can be discussed in your essays, etc.) Once more, if you feel you have something unique, some kind of personal/academic/professional background, skills and/or achievements which you can share with your potential classmates make sure you highlight them. Of course, you will have to compensate a low GPA with a strong GMAT, smooth LORs and compelling essays. Bottomline, build an irresistible - yet honest and humble - package for the adcoms.
Its ok if you discard my advise but then... why deny yourself the chance to apply (and being possibly admitted)? JBS does not charge an app. fee and SBS's 100 pounds are definitely worth a shot. At the end life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to this 10%.
Godspeed
Peruvian Guru
Thanks for the feedback.
Anyway I wasnt going to refrain from applying to these schools.
We had a percentage system instead of GPA. I was in the top 30 in a class of 80.
I am a Mech Engr from NIT Calicut (2004): One of the premier engg colleges in India.
GMAT: 680/5.5
Acads: Nothing to boast about (10th - 84, 12th - 73, B tech - 64%)
Work ex: Was in the steel industry for one year in India, then took up Marketing. Have worked in UAE, Oman and presently in Saudi Arabia.
Working as a Field Manager for Saudi Arabia in an American MNC.
4 engineers directly reporting to me (2 Indians, 2 Arabs).
Responsible for $8.5 million sales.
Extra-curr: Lots :gm
Presently, I have not made up my mind as to where I should be working post MBA. I have 3 options in mind. And I want to explore these options while doing my MBA. My belief is that if you have already decided where to work and what kind of job you want to do, you will be essentially closing yourselves to the multitudes of oppurtunities that an MBA ( Esp one so international in nature as JBS & SBS) offers.
I fear whether the adcom will take this in a negative manner - As a person who isnt sure of what he wants to do.
Also, is 680 on a lower side ?(To compensate for not coming in the top 25% of the class) I know that I can do better. But will 30-40 points make a big difference ?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks for the inputs fellas...
so per my analysis...giviing some weightage to - FT ranking, placement, analysis by Peruvia bro, opportunities in consulting/ strategy and definitely my understanding as of now....my persobal rankings are -
1. Insead
2. HEC - Paris
3. JBS
4. IMD
5. SBS
6. IESE/ESADE - not done enough research frankly....
Guys somehow I am not clear if ppl in threads above are talking abt HEC - Paris or HEC- Montreal...I always meant HEC- paris
FT ranks - HEC Paris while business week ranks HEC - Montreal higher !!??
Can someone clarify - are HEC - Paris & Montreal are like Insead Singapore and Fountainbleau....or they are completely isolated different entities with only one thing common - HEC