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MBA Insider: Admissions Q&A June 8, 2009, 11:06AM EST

Oxford's Saïd: Admissions Q&A

Anna Farrús explains what the Oxford MBA program has to offer, and what it's doing to help graduates find jobs

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Anna Farrus
Saïd Business School

The University of Oxford is the world's oldest English-speaking university with one of the newest business programs: Saïd Business School (Saïd Full-Time MBA Profile). Established in 1996, the full-time MBA program still ranks among the top 10 international business schools.

Anna Farrús, the MBA admissions manager at Saïd, came from the admissions department at Barcelona's IESE (IESE Full-Time MBA Profile), a program 32 years older than Saïd's. Being able to mold the admissions department and take part in something new is the reason she's been at Saïd for almost three years.

"I like to think of a business school as a startup," Farrús said, noting the school's ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. Its students have the same advantage. Graduates from Saïd say the program is great for self-starters, especially for those interested in entrepreneurial ventures. Says one grad responding to a BusinessWeek survey, "The school is very open to new things—I started a $40,000 conference on business and the environment, and the school was most receptive."

In an interview with BusinessWeek's Mandy Oaklander, Farrús explains the value of a one-year program, how the anemic economy is affecting business schools, and how Saïd is fighting back. An edited portion of the conversation follows.

How do the application numbers look this year compared with the last few years? What percentage of applicants do you accept?
We've seen an increase in the applications, both this year and last year, so things are looking good. Each year we receive about 1,000 applications. This year so far we have received about 1,000 applications and we still have one stage to go, so we are hoping to get around 1,200 applications. We admit 225 people, which is about 25% of applicants.

How has the bad economy affected application numbers?
We've seen a crisis before, in 2001. Normally when there's a crisis, the number of applications goes up. But because we've never seen something this drastic, we really didn't know what to expect. I didn't talk to any director of admissions who could tell me exactly what they were expecting because it's a very unique situation. But we have seen an [expected] increase in the number of applications. Interestingly enough, it's not so much from the finance sector. I was really expecting to see lots of [financial sector employees] that had been laid off. We've seen some of these people, but we've seen more of a general increase, not necessarily only in the finance sector.

Is there any new dominating sector?
Because our school is very strong in social entrepreneurship, we receive many applications of candidates from that background: nonprofit, NGOs, etc. But it's been pretty consistent throughout the different sectors.

What are some common mistakes made in applications?
Sending the application without all the required documents happens a lot. We have different deadlines for applicants to send their applications, and we have a set of required documents that we need in order to review the application. A high percentage of the candidates don't send their applications complete. Transcripts, TOEFL scores, GMAT scores, recommendation letters: candidates forget everything and anything. It delays everything in the process.

Are interviews required? Where are they conducted?
If a candidate has not been invited to interview, it means they have not been successful. We interview everyone who will be offered a place. We have many interviews conducted on campus here in Oxford.

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