The beginning of classes was a rude awakening. Not that there weren't warnings. Alumni often had a look of envy mixed with concern, "How're you doing? Hanging in there? You'll be okay... remember to get out of the library."
In the first week there was so much to read, write, and do. It was a shock, like being dropped onto a treadmill running full-tilt. This all turned into a surreal calm in week two. The work hadn't decreased, in fact there was more. It's just that there was a sort of calm to being six feet under.
The priorities became crystal clear. The problem was where to start. Heading into 60 pages on supply and demand, at a frustratingly slow pace, the tension would rise -- maybe my time could be better spent on something else? On to 40 pages on Porter's 5 Forces... but what about that career search? How about everyone meeting down at the pub, or the rowing at dawn...?
Some are able to handle it all, get through the reading, attend classes, meet with their group, and still write deeply insightful analyses of why exactly Lego might be headed off a cliff. But only a few. For the rest of us, interested in a somewhat balanced experience, it was time for triage, separating what we absolutely needed to do, from what we should and then probably wouldn't do. As we each bounced priorities off each other, it began to sink in that no, maybe I'm not the only one struggling to keep all the balls off the ground.
One of the hardest things about being a student is becoming proactive again. Working in a high-pace company, I've been trained to be reactive, putting out the fires as they come up. The e-mail, cell phone, pager... they're all triggers for the task at hand. Here, there is so much to do over the next few days, you don't know where to start, how to apportion your time, and prioritize subjects against each other.
My fellow students are great. There's lots of humor and support. I was really surprised by that. I was expecting a super-competitive, cutthroat environment. A tank of A-types with chum thrown in to thresh over.
Luckily I was mistaken. Without graded class participation, and instead an emphasis on finals and group work, there's a more cooperative, sympathetic environment. People share notes, give tutorials, arrange reviews, and give tips. The sense is that we're all in this together. It's something to be proud of my class for. Hopefully it reflects the character of Oxford MBAs, high-performing but still able to care for each other.
A word about "the system." Oxford wouldn't have lasted this long, successfully, without having a good handle on how to get the best out of students, and it's amazing to see us all manhandled with such finesse. The emphasis is on the capability to use the tools learned. The program is entrepreneurial in a practical sense. It relies on students' self-motivation and independence. The opportunities are there, but it's up to us to put in the effort to open the doors.
Two of the themes are self-sufficiency and anonymity. You're given a case study along with a vague question. Then, after you've turned in your paper, the professor clearly shows the correct methodology to use on just this sort of problem. It's pretty damn frustrating when you're used to being hand-fed solutions. It felt like one of those psychiatry tests where they give the rat a jolt when it hits the wrong button. It works though!
Here, you need to learn to learn. It's a skill more useful than standard regurgitation. The same focus on independence is reflected throughout the university, in the career search, networking, social, sports. If you want something, no one is going to lead you down a path, but once you start the support is terrific.
Group-work is a major part of almost all the classes. We each get assigned to groups of five which stay together across all our classes. Tensions can run high pretty quickly. The teams are balanced for background (finance, consulting, etc.) and cultural diversity. It's all fun and games when you've got a weekly strategy case study to write, but come time to do that microeconomics analysis worth half your grade, and petty differences are a little harder to overcome.
I was pretty fortunate with my team as we were all focused on efficiency. However, some "discussions" from other groups could be heard a couple of rooms away. The intent is to create a diverse environment similar to the one we'll encounter later in our careers. Each of us will be dependent on others around us to succeed in the future, so it should be the same here.
The grading will be predominantly by exams at the end of the year. These count for about 50% of the grade so they could be a little stressful. You never get the exam papers back, only the score is posted. And you mustn't write your name on the paper, just a reference number.
There are so many traditions like these that go back hundreds of years. Nobody's going to change them now. The exam rules alone are about a thousand pages long, going back to the Middle Ages. I heard a story of one student, who carefully read the regulations, and on arrival at the exam hall demanded the mug of beer he was entitled to. The proctor, after a frantic confirmation of the rules agreed, "Indeed, you may have your beer, as soon as you lay down your sword!"
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