Our London trip and the dean's list irony!

Yesterday Claudia and I spent the day in London with Ava, the main reason being that I had an interview with Philips. Additionally, we wanted to obtain a passport for Ava so that we could start travelling with her outside of the UK.

My interview went well, so much so that they indicated there and then that they would like me to come to Amsterdam on the 1st and 2nd of March for the next round. I'm unsure whether it's really the best move for me but at this stage I'm not willing to close any doors. As I knew we'd be in London for the day, I also made sure that I took advantage of the opportunity to meet with two management consultancies - Bain and Booz Allen & Hamilton. These informal meetings, both with Australians that were working at each firm, were interesting as they allowed me to get more of an honest, real insight into life inside these firms. That said, I am still very much interested in management consultancy.

After quite a hectic day, Claud and I met up with Jimmy and then he suggested we head to the Dorchester for a drink. Two bottles of red later and some snacks, James' generosity surely left a large hole in his wallet but we were grateful as it was a pleasant way to while away a Friday evening.




On the bus trip back to Oxford, Claud was checking the internet and then I decided to check my emails. To my great surprise, there was an email from the MBA program manager informing me that I was one of 22 students whose academic performance in Michaelmas term warranted inclusion on the Dean's list. I was gobsmacked but at the same time quite chuffed as it is quite an honour and means that we will be invited to several dinners and events that I would otherwise not be afforded the chance to attend. All in all, we had quite a rewarding day!!

Hilary term - 1st 3 weeks

3 weeks in and I am very happy with the way that Hilary term is progressing. Like last term, I have again been impressed by the quality of the teaching faculty. Unlike last term, where each course was core and therefore mandatory, this term we have 4 core courses (Marketing, Operations, Financial Mgt. and International Business & Global Governance) + 2 electives. I have chosen Technology & Innovation Strategy and Marketing Culture & Society. I am also attempting to audit (ie take the class but don't submit coursework) Finance II.

Each course has been enjoyable but I have particularly enjoyed MCS as it is intellectually stimulating and the subject matter is extremely varied. I will be doing a group project on Product (Red), which should also prove extremely interesting.

On the careers front, I have started to prepare more thoroughly so that I can mount a serious assault on jobs this term. The school offers the opportunity to engage in mock interviews, which I found very rewarding as it pointed out areas that I need to work on. In addition to the interview, I have had a one-on-one with the former head of recruiting at McKinsey to review my CV and cover letter. My CV was favourably received but my letter needs some work, which I thought it might. The final element of my game plan was to meet with an external consultant who helped explore my career motivations in order to try and identify the most suitable avenues for when I graduate. All in all, I found it extremely helpful.

One of the highlights of the term thus far was the opportunity to attend a speech given at the business school by Sir Martin Sorrell and then attend an intimate gathering with him and some classmates in the rector's lodging's at Exeter College. He spoke about the challenges facing the advertising industry in the coming 5 to 7 years as well as how he sees WPP needing to transform to prepare themselves for the same. A thoroughly interesting and extremely knowledgeable, intelligent guy whose presence here reminded me how fortunate I am to be at a University such as Oxford.

We had snow for the 1st time this winter on the 24th of Jan - so Finn and I made sure we got out and about. Unfortunately it didn't hang around long enough for my birthday but I nonetheless was able to enjoy a few (too many) beers with some friends to celebrate my 31st birthday on the 31st of January.

Back yard after the overnight snow fall

James, Claudia and Ava in Christ Church dining hall (aka Harry Potter Hall)

Iffley Road covered in snow

Finn on the meadow