UPDATE: This article was originally posted on September 4, 2020. It has been updated with new information and tips below.
With its focus on ethical leadership and social impact, Oxford is at the top of the list for an increasing number of applicants who seek to pursue (or continue pursuing) a high-impact, global career.
However, with impressive recruiting statistics and its unique 1+1 MBA + Master’s program, the competition to join Oxford’s elite MBA is more difficult than ever.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Oxford admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips and links to Oxford Saïd MBA sample essays to ensure you give your Saïd application your best shot.
1. Who is Oxford Saïd looking for?
Source: @oxfordsbs on Instagram
“Oxford University has a rich tradition of developing leaders. Our MBA programme builds on this legacy, providing you with a solid foundation in core business principles while developing a broadened mindset and understanding of the role of business in society.” Oxford Saïd Admissions
Every year, Oxford searches the globe (64 countries are represented in the Class of 2023) for outstanding professionals to join its annual class of 313 students. With a strong emphasis on diversity, there is no “typical” Oxford student, yet the average admitted student for the Class of 2023 had a 690 median GMAT score and five years of work experience.
Beyond the impressive statistics, though, Oxford is looking for candidates who want to make a positive impact on the world through their careers. That’s why, in addition to strong academic performance (demonstrated through the test scores and university grades), Oxford seeks candidates who possess the following qualities:
If this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll first have to prove you’ve got what it takes by successfully answering Oxford’s short admissions essay questions.
2. How should I answer the Oxford Saïd MBA essay questions?
Additionally, Oxford has numerous “hidden” responses about your goals when filling out your online application form. Our tips for answering these are also detailed below!
2.1. Essay 1 Tips
Tell us something that is not covered in your application which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you. (Maximum 250 words)
For this short question, we recommend including at least one story to show off an aspect of your values, your profile, or your personality that the admissions committee has not seen in other parts of your application. This prompt is broad, so you’re free to choose elements from your personal and professional life.
We suggest you choose your most high-impact story or personal characteristic and meaningfully explain both what happened and what it taught you/how it shaped you. To help you structure your response, we suggest you use the STAR format when shaping your story.
To help you identify which stories would be best for this response, you must have a clear understanding of Oxford’s culture so you can demonstrate your “fit” with the school. Ask yourself, Which parts of Oxford’s culture do you identify with, and how do you see yourself putting those into practice during your MBA? How can you contribute to the Oxford community in a way no one else can? Check out this video that focuses on what Oxford students value most about the school community.
You can also consider other aspects of your profile and personal brand that you’ve already touched upon in other parts of your Oxford application – considering you will have a set of mini goals essays to answer within the online application form (more on these below).
Additionally, if you have space to add a bit about how you will connect it to your Oxford MBA experience, this can be a great conclusion.
For example, last year, our client Marcelo talked about how he was recruited to help his company solve a financial challenge at a branch in Angola and developed a solution, together with that country’s government, that not only solved the company’s financial issue but also provided a reliable food source for thousands of Angolans. He then wrote about his plan to share the challenges of performing business on an international scale and bringing discussions about global issues to the Oxford community.
TOP TIP: If you’re having trouble fitting all of this information into just 250 words, our team of editing experts can be your ace up the sleeve by helping you incorporate as much content as possible to show off your profile in this super short essay.
Need more guidance?
Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of Oxford MBA essays that worked to get our clients admitted to help you plan out a winning Oxford Saïd essay.
Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join!
2.2. 1+1 Essay Tips
If you are applying under the Oxford 1+1 scheme you also need to submit the following 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)
For this question, we suggest a straightforward statement that includes why the additional degree is necessary to reach your goals and specific elements of the program that will support your growth both as a professional and as a person.
As such, you might want to start by creating a list of ways you want to grow personally and professionally at Oxford, then work to connect elements of the 1+1 program to demonstrate that the program clearly supports your development goals.
Since you have a short space here, you may want to limit yourself to 3-5 reasons. This will give you enough space to talk both about how and why you want to develop in a particular area and then state specific aspects of the 1+1 program that will help you grow in a way the MBA alone would not.
Writing a 250-word essay can be challenging, but we’ve prepared an in-depth post to help you maximize every word.
2.3. Optional Reapplicant Essay Tips
Re-applicants will need to submit an additional essay: What improvements have you made in your candidacy since you last applied to the Oxford MBA? (Maximum 250 words)
Here, make sure you clearly demonstrate how you have improved since your previous application. We have written extensively on the topic of reapplying to business school here.
2.4. Short Goal Essays Tips
Inside the application form, Oxford has also “hidden” many small essays about your goals. Though there is no stated word count for these, you want to be sure to be complete yet concise. Something in the range of 100-250 words should be adequate, in our opinion!
The topics and guidelines are below.
-Describe below your immediate plan after graduating from the MBA.
With this short answer question, Oxford essentially has asked you to write a very short version of a traditional MBA goals essay. Furthermore, they have deliberately been very clear about what they want here: short-term goals only.
TOP TIP: If you’re not sure what your goals are, check out this post designed to help you think through this critical component of your application!
When discussing your goals, clarity is king, so make sure you include a job title and industry in your description of your post-MBA aspiration.
After clearly stating your goal, you should dedicate a bit of space to discussing what motivates you to pursue these goals. Here, you may choose to include a bit of background information that is relevant to your career choice, but be careful not to include information that overlaps with the “How do you meet these requirements” question below.
Ending your essay with a killer conclusion sentence to leave your reader with a strong image of your profile is the perfect wrap-up.
-How does your preferred sector in your preferred location recruit MBA talent and what do they look for in a candidate? Describe the research you have done so far.
Here, research is the key to success.
As such, we recommend that you start by interviewing as many people as you can who are related in some way to your post-MBA industry. Since Oxford asks how recruitment works in your preferred location make sure to narrow your focus to include only your target geography.
You may want to consider speaking to the HR departments of companies you’d like to work for, speak to headhunters specialized in this area, and even talk to friends or colleagues who successfully recruited for your post-MBA role in the past.
Then, when writing your essay, give a description of how recruitment works in your sector in your preferred location and what they look for in a successful candidate. For the latter, make sure to cite things like specific required skills (such as an ability to use advanced analytics tools or fluent Spanish), personal characteristics, and degree/certifications.
Then, cite each of the steps you took to discover this information, mentioning the specific people and companies you spoke with and the insights they provided you.
To wrap up, you may want to close with a sentence on why, learning what you have learned, you are confident you will be successful in your own recruitment process. You’ll go into more detail below, so make sure to keep this brief.
-Reflecting on your answer above, how do you meet these requirements?
A little bit about your work history is essential for this essay, which gives context to your goals and proof that you have relevant experience related to your goals.
When discussing your career progress to date, keep in mind the information the admissions counselors already have. The goal here is not to list every achievement you’ve made (they probably see that on your resume), but to give brief, strong examples of an accomplished career, especially focusing on achievements that relate to your future goals.
For example, though you may have had a highly successful marketing internship, but have since forged a career in M&A, you may want to leave your marketing achievements out of your goals essay to focus on more relevant information.
Nonetheless, not everyone has a perfectly linear path where each step logically leads to the next. Your work history might look disjointed on paper, but the key is to emphasize growth and highlight your capabilities. All of this needs to add up to show that you have what it takes to achieve your post-MBA goals.
-What do you plan to do between now and starting your MBA to prepare and maximise your chances of success?
To answer this question, you must clearly demonstrate what you are doing or plan to do before your MBA to prepare yourself to reach the goals you stated above.
For example, last year, our client Bruno, who was planning to leave his MBB consulting job to open his own startup, spoke about how he was spending his secondment period at a startup to learn best practices, had signed up for numerous entrepreneurship conferences, and had joined several professional groups on fintech innovation. He then cited how each of these would help him be more successful as an entrepreneur after his MBA.
If you’re planning to switch industries, here make sure you also give a detailed description of the steps you’re taking before joining Saïd to enhance your skills and also cite your networking efforts. Showing you’ve connected with people in your target industry and area already building the network you’ll need to be successful will go a long way to reinforce you’re going to achieve your post-MBA goals.
Finally, if you plan to return to your current company (whether sponsored or not), show how you plan to continue evolving in your responsibilities and preparing yourself to take the next step up the career ladder.
-Should you not be successful in securing your first choice of role, what is your alternative?
It’s always good to have a backup plan, especially considering the tough economic realities present in many places in the world these days. For your Plan B, make sure it relates in some way to your “official” goal so as not to undermine your goals statements.
For example, if your goal is to work in private equity, but your plan B is to start an eco-travel company, the admissions committee is going to wonder just how committed you were to those original goals in the first place.
However, a job that allows you to achieve the same impact, just in a different format, would be ideal.
For example, if you want to work in a biotechnology startup to learn best practices and shape health care, a good backup might be working in a more established biotechnology firm and later making the jump to an earlier-stage venture.
2.5. Video Essay Tips
Online assessment: You will need to complete five questions via our online assessment platform.
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:
– Two motivation-based questions – all candidates will answer the same questions
– Two competency-based questions – these will be randomised
– Written response – this will be randomised and light-hearted to show us how you can think on your feet!
The motivation-based questions give you the opportunity to demonstrate your motivations for undertaking an MBA and why the Oxford MBA is the right programme for you. The competency-based questions let you demonstrate the skills and qualities we look for, such as decision-making, problem-solving, influence, leadership, and strong communication skills.
Once you have submitted your application for either the Oxford MBA or Oxford 1+1 MBA you will see a link in your application status portal. This will enable you to register with Kira Talent, our online assessment platform, and complete your assessment. This link will appear up to 24 hours after submitting your application, therefore we strongly encourage you to leave yourself enough time to practice and complete the online assessment by the deadline in which you are applying.
You will be provided with preparation time and practice sessions before going live with your real responses. The whole online assessment should only take up to 30 minutes for you to complete. All you need is a desktop or laptop computer with a functioning webcam, microphone and internet connection.
In addition to the written essays, you will be required to complete a set of video essays for your application to be considered complete.
We have prepared an extensive guide on this component of the application, which you can access here!
Looking for Oxford Saïd MBA essay examples?
Check out our real sample essays that got our clients admitted here.
3. Make Your Oxford Essays Shine
One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA essays is that candidates fail to tell compelling stories. This is important because if your stories are not compelling, they will not be persuasive. At the same time, they must be backed by strong examples that establish a track record of success and prove to the admissions committees why you belong at their school.
Striking this balance between content and creativity can be tough, however, as succeeding means not only choosing the right stories but ensuring they are told in an optimal manner.
This is why our iterative developmental feedback process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting helps you mold your message through the application of our storytelling expertise until it reflects exactly what makes your profile stand out and show fit with your target program.
Not only can you take advantage of our iterative feedback process through multiple edits – you can also benefit from it after a single review! If your budget is tight, our editors will be happy to help polish your text as much as possible and leave “bonus comments” so you can keep working on it on your own!
No matter how long we work with you, we will always ensure your essays shine. Sign up to work with our team of storytelling experts and get accepted.
4. Oxford Saïd Deadlines
Here are the deadlines for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. You can access the online application here.
Oxford has not yet released their deadlines for this year. You can keep track of updates here.
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
