It has been almost two months since I arrived at Oxford! So far, the experience has been surreal. The first few weeks were characterized by homesickness (yes, it is quite real), but during launch week something changed, and I remembered why I decided to change everything: family, friends, and work for pursuing my MBA. Being surrounded by people from 60 nationalities and being part of one of the most-gender balanced business schools in the world (48% of women!) is something that makes me proud.
The year started with launch week, a two-week introduction of what the MBA will look like during the year. Alumni, speakers and Oxford Saïd representatives came to the school to talk about their own experiences, how the MBA helped them and how we can make the most of it. After those weeks, classes started, and a huge number of activities came along with it.
Doing an MBA is more than studying, it is taking advantage of what the school has to offer from career activities, networking events, extracurriculars, etc. Doing an MBA in Oxford is even more than that. What I have found during these weeks is an incredible number of experiences that never in my life I would have thought of doing. Think about having dinner in one of the oldest colleges in Oxford, experiencing debating from well-known academics in Oxford Union or doing polo with the Oxford University Polo Society. Not only are these activities part of the Oxford experience, but also the number of people that you will meet from PhDs looking for the cure of bone cancer to fellow researchers investigating about the Tudor era.
Having said that, Oxford has no typical days (from my own experience). Since I arrived my days have been characterized by networking events, socials, lectures, conferences and sports. Last Monday, I started classes at 9am and finished at 5pm, then I had an Oxford Union debate session for beginners at 7:30pm and the last event was a company presentation at 10pm. I don’t know how next Monday will be, but I’m excited to figure it out!
