tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262048358352745342024-03-13T17:01:34.509-04:00CONFESSIONS OF AN OXFORD MBABY AGE 31, I'VE GONE FROM WORKING OVERNIGHT SECURITY TO SELLING SECURITIES ON WALL STREET TO STUDYING AT ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS COLLEGES IN THE WORLD...OXFORD UNIVERSITY. I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE MY UNLIKELY JOURNEY, AS A FULL-TIME MBA STUDENT FOR 2009-2010, WITH OTHER MBA HOPEFULS - FROM ADMISSIONS STRATEGIES TO SURVIVING THE CORE CURRICULUM TO SECURING MY DREAM JOB FOLLOWING THE "GREAT RECESSION".Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-31972390415076649102010-09-06T19:00:00.005-04:002010-09-06T19:33:41.323-04:00capstone [monday] - mentoring incoming mbas<em>This year, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Saïd</span></span> Business School is introducing a "mentoring" scheme to incoming <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span></span>. I registered my interest, and indicated that I was willing to help up to five <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span></span>. I thought that other (prospective) students might also find this advice useful, so I've posted it below:<br /></em><br />Welcome to Oxford! Congratulations on getting accepted into the MBA program. I'm your MBA mentor. I just arrived in Oxford this morning, as our concluding 'Capstone' course began today, and ends with graduation on Saturday.<br /><br />This past year was one of the best experiences of my life! As a member of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Exeter</span></span> College, I was 32 y/o when I started the program. It was actually my second time here, as I studied abroad at Oxford during my junior year at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">SUNY</span></span> Stony Brook. I'm also engaged to be married this October, but my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">fiancée</span></span> stayed in New York to work while I completed my MBA. I would say that half of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span></span> bring their spouses, and the other half do not.<br /><br />Before coming to Oxford I worked as a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">FINRA</span></span> Registered Principal (Series 7, 24) at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Citigroup</span></span> Smith Barney, where as a financial advisor, I constructed investment portfolios for retail clients. I had also owned my own coffee shop in New Jersey, and spent several years during college managing my brother's chain of cafes in the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hamptons</span></span>.<br /><br />I also serve on the Board for the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Microfinance</span></span> Club of New York, and teach financial literacy to high school students. We have a very diverse MBA class, but I think that in general, you will find that all the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span></span> accepted have the following characteristics: entrepreneurial background (or ambitions), leadership, and volunteer work.<br /><br /><em>Homework assignment:</em><br /><br />Yes, in addition to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tomo</span></span> Suzuki's Financial Accounting assignment, I'm giving you some additional homework. Many incoming <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span></span> have already found my blog on the web: http://justinbelkin.blogspot.com<http:>. I've also linked to Andrew <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bergbaum's</span></span> blog (06'-'07), which I think is terrific. For either blog, I suggest starting your reading in August, and work your way forward, so that you'll get the most applicable information to your current situation first. For example, you'll learn about getting a bank-account and cell phone in my '<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">pre</span></span>-MBA' and 'Michaelmas' term blog entries, whereas issues such as electives and the Strategic Consulting Project, only become relevant during later terms.<br /><br />In conclusion, welcome to Oxford. Enjoy your time here, because it will go fast. This email was 'heavy' on biography, because this way you'll know how I fit into your life, and how I might be of better help to you. I encourage you to email me questions at: justinbelkin@hotmail.com<?xml:namespace prefix = mailto /><mailto:justinbelkin@hotmail.com>.<br /><br /><em>I'll leave you with some good parting advice that I received when I started my MBA:</em> </mailto:justinbelkin@hotmail.com><mailto:justinbelkin@hotmail.com><br /><br />(1) Essentially, you'll never need to leave <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">SBS</span></span>. You'll probably live nearby, plus <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">SBS</span></span> serves three meals daily, and they have a library, and showers! Knowing this, trust me...make an effort EARLY ON to <strong>get involved with your College</strong> by: playing sports, attending bops, and dining "in-hall."<br /></mailto:justinbelkin@hotmail.com><mailto:justinbelkin@hotmail.com><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW1XLUzXrAukugMKtXisD8bmcv8ziPV9yHCzQWa9xUJkYioaYH1NYpqeQzRmGKH_2jA2UWDfQx5CUcVq30pkf4sxm6pw9VAcGMSo__KLjjrH22LjOh8wLuMDdtCwh2Phr8rUXxpCUQDk/s1600/452px-BobHawkeYardofale.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 242px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513943211175992130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW1XLUzXrAukugMKtXisD8bmcv8ziPV9yHCzQWa9xUJkYioaYH1NYpqeQzRmGKH_2jA2UWDfQx5CUcVq30pkf4sxm6pw9VAcGMSo__KLjjrH22LjOh8wLuMDdtCwh2Phr8rUXxpCUQDk/s320/452px-BobHawkeYardofale.jpg" /></a>(2) What's the purpose of an MBA? Yes, it's true that you're here to learn new skills, to learn how to work under pressure, etc. I think that more importantly, however, is that you're here to <strong>network with a group of bright and ambitious classmates</strong>. At the Turf tavern, there's a sign that commemorates how an Australian Prime Minister, Bob <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hawke</span></span> (and former Oxford student), drank 2 1/2 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Go out and have fun; you never know what position you and your classmates may one day rise to.<br /><br />PS: On that note, out of 238 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span></span> in 2009-10, I hold the record for having invited 120 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span></span> to dinner at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">Exeter</span></span> College at a cost of £5 per person. One of my friends was close behind me with 80 invitations. Dining 2<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">nd</span></span> Hall in College is the least expensive and most sumptuous 3-course meal served in the most idyllic setting. If dinner is too expensive, then invite your friends on the weekend to brunch in College for about £2 each. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">Mmmm</span></span>...delicious full English breakfast. Take advantage of this subsidy, and make some new friends, too.<br /><br />(3) Business school is a good lesson for life. No one will just give you what your heart desires, rather you have to go out and get what you want. Career Services will not offer you a job. No one will make sure that you squeeze every experience out of Oxford as possible. This is all up to you. So, <strong>come to Oxford with a plan</strong>.<br /><br />(4) You can only <strong>do two out of three things well</strong>: grades, social life, sports. No one has accomplished all three. For example, the students who made Dean's List were also voted as having spent the most time in the library. There is indeed a correlation. But if you're spending all the time in the library, then you're also not waking up at 5am to go rowing. And if you're rowing that early, then you're probably not partying until 1am at Fuzzy Ducks in Cowley either. You can begin to see the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">tradeoffs</span></span>, right? Make your choice, and be comfortable with it.<br /><br />(5) Let's face it, many people choose Oxford because of the great "sweatshirt equity" (name brand). Few schools, in fact, are more famous and well known than the elite top four universities in the world (in chronological order): Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale. Congratulations for having been accepted to at least one of these schools. <strong>It is now your responsibility to represent Oxford well</strong>. Start a blog, run for student politics/<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">OBN</span></span>/SIG, and dress/speak professionally when recruiters come visiting. PS: I'm involved with the New York <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">OBA</span></span> chapter, and I'll be helping running the table at the September NYC MBA World Tour. Do the same in your country.<br /><br />(6) Yes, £36,000 for tuition and college fees is a lot of money. There are two ways of looking at this. Some take the short-term perspective: they attend 17 classes a year that meet 3 hours per week for 8 weeks, which means that 408 hours are spent in class. When divided by total tuition, you are paying approximately £88 per an hour of instruction. So, why would anyone miss a class!? On the other hand, someone with a long-time horizon might say: they plan to live until age 90, and are currently 30 y/o, therefore they have 60 years to go. When multiplied by 365 days a year you discover that you have 21,900 left to live; pretty morbid. This calculation means that you pay about £1.64 per day for the rest of your day for the right to call yourself an Oxford graduate whether you attend class, or skip class to attend Wimbledon, or the Royal Ascot horse race. That's less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks each day; just think of the silly things we spend money on. Regardless of your approach and time-horizon, <strong>make the most of your time here</strong>.<br /></mailto:justinbelkin@hotmail.com>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-13718115378384017922010-07-02T08:43:00.012-04:002010-07-02T10:02:59.020-04:00trinity [week 10]: wimbledon<div><div><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 310px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489295981196389346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Nw43zhAnSzbSW5hkkol65hJvOJzThlD9NUEarbZbHQ2H8q-1kCbW03Sh382a4ANloRuOid1O4ebSK4CW2bQ7HghYFi7AUOlrCdkMQbjehPLlhBvGxBbZ0yPxsBHPOwySUpJP8BMWkCg/s320/Wimbledon_Scoreboard.JPG" />Every academic term at Oxford culminates with final exams during Week 10. During Michaelmas we sat for 6 exams over the course of just four days. Hilary lightened up, only in the sense that some courses required final papers rather than exams. But Trinity, as heavy as the work load was, consisted of very <em>few</em> final exams, depending on which electives you chose. Having only one final exam to take, Financial Risk Management, I was free to write my papers during Weeks 9 & 10, and also enjoy the rare bright sunshine in England!<br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYo2FTKyFg1cqEelRuVBE3xUJVnfPrO4tcv_X0s51PUEqO4LXpdyP3pIoLkw8MKjHFc0h-N8uETReFp7dicURl2MbC7h1OP5BI-9L_wEqadboHipyNMQLa0_Sc2EgK3mX3MggiWDXgDOM/s1600/Wimbledon_Queueing.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489298120731876322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYo2FTKyFg1cqEelRuVBE3xUJVnfPrO4tcv_X0s51PUEqO4LXpdyP3pIoLkw8MKjHFc0h-N8uETReFp7dicURl2MbC7h1OP5BI-9L_wEqadboHipyNMQLa0_Sc2EgK3mX3MggiWDXgDOM/s200/Wimbledon_Queueing.JPG" /></a>One of the best ways to enjoy British life is to go to <a href="http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.html">Wimbledon</a>, which this year lasted from June 21st to July 4<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span>. Tickets can potentially get <em>very</em> expensive. I remember reading advertisements in the Financial Times newspaper back in May that offered Centre Court tickets for the whole tournament for several thousand pounds. Individual tickets seemed to cost at least £300. The goods news is that Wimbledon sets aside over 1,000 tickets for each day of the tournament. All you need to do is to wait in line. Queueing for Wimbledon tickets for the same day has become a sort of sport in its own right. People camp over the night before, and cook BBQ, so that they can be the first in line to get Centre Court, or Court 1 tickets (second best). </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEBhxQ_dOz7OgWeyseqF-dMwiSrwygMu3j6GO79G8NUQ0oqS5ABFy486ncnKokxXUNCNN8oJCAZ7o1g-5ND-cHpL88Ei3jNYE39Stv5zDqs_DTQz7TCH6As1BIPPM4uKoNSzmzoPNEuk/s1600/Wimbledon_Williams.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489300207081166738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEBhxQ_dOz7OgWeyseqF-dMwiSrwygMu3j6GO79G8NUQ0oqS5ABFy486ncnKokxXUNCNN8oJCAZ7o1g-5ND-cHpL88Ei3jNYE39Stv5zDqs_DTQz7TCH6As1BIPPM4uKoNSzmzoPNEuk/s200/Wimbledon_Williams.JPG" /></a>To give you an example, I went on Wednesday for the quarter-finals men's matches. The top four men were all playing: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Federer</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Nadal</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Djokavic</span>, and Murray. We took the earliest possible Oxford Tube bus to London (Victoria Station), which left Gloucester Green at 4:10am. We arrived in London at about 5:30am, which was the exact time that the London Tube starts running. We took the green District Line toward Earl's Court, and got off at the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Southfields</span> stop, whose platform was made to look just like a tennis court! From there you can walk about a half-mile to the field where you queue, or just take a taxi for about £11. </div><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuuo-bYXk05gACEdq3cwMreZThJUCUAEa9oA79S9TdIX0fKtU3yAVoVT-qv4jdb35-sH35T8iqizku-KRwo8vpwYTbVyJ5YOI3juObicQJxBa9gqa7oeyPhurbN7eBpQpEj7Vf311u9Y/s1600/Wimbledon_Justin.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489307938897062754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuuo-bYXk05gACEdq3cwMreZThJUCUAEa9oA79S9TdIX0fKtU3yAVoVT-qv4jdb35-sH35T8iqizku-KRwo8vpwYTbVyJ5YOI3juObicQJxBa9gqa7oeyPhurbN7eBpQpEj7Vf311u9Y/s320/Wimbledon_Justin.JPG" /></a>We were on line at 6am, despite that the grounds don't open until 10:30am, and the first match wasn't played until 12pm. Nonetheless, we were #1,500 in the queue. You're only allowed to buy one ticket per person. We just barely managed to get tickets to Court 2, which means that all we got to watch were doubles matches. But the tickets were only £32, and we were just happy to be there. Plus, if you're a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">HSBC</span> customer, you get free strawberries & cream! If you were interested in waiting in line to get Centre Court or Court 1 tickets, then my advice would be either to go earlier in the tournament when more matches are being played, or stay in a hotel in London the night before, and then take a 2am taxi to Wimbledon.</div></div></div></div>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-63922111198561933602010-07-01T13:57:00.009-04:002010-07-01T14:32:46.891-04:00trinity [week 9]: scp bonding<div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgndetnht9e1jdm1XdPaqfgbd6n1nWcohviLPQ3HYO6OUYwkAP9rrRUeTDdoc8Z_Bk2oIGbPmUHpc_knwIbzZewThfbjUxpTBni4lvW73Wik0HxjMPtRgv_OiblNVrhFm4S4By2XNpfQ/s1600/SCP+Punting_Group.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489004483737378322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgndetnht9e1jdm1XdPaqfgbd6n1nWcohviLPQ3HYO6OUYwkAP9rrRUeTDdoc8Z_Bk2oIGbPmUHpc_knwIbzZewThfbjUxpTBni4lvW73Wik0HxjMPtRgv_OiblNVrhFm4S4By2XNpfQ/s320/SCP+Punting_Group.JPG" /></a>Every year, Oxford <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span> have three options during the summer to satisfy their academic requirements: Strategic Consulting Project (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">SCP</span>), elective courses, or Master's thesis (10,000 words). Next year, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">SBS</span> will start counting internships for credit for the first time, too. Traditionally, most students opt for the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">SCP</span>. The b-school has staff solely dedicated for sourcing, and administering <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">SCPs</span> for you. They're very helpful, and approachable. This year there were approximately 60 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">SCPs</span> to bid for, some with big names such as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Citigroup</span> or De Beers, and some with decent packages, such as a salary, or free travel and accommodation. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span> compete as teams of four for these more desirable <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">SCPs</span>. You can, of course, just circumvent the entire process by "sourcing" a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">SCP</span> all on your own, which is what I did.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSPjwuuETkilosMa-CFPyHBIoAvgpQY13C2u5PRB4Ftnlttuuz1yGgnfpv47LiDPwN_vc4rdt3RdXeeyAHURZuwXZRF3gXQuUwwDCd7oKxqgmA5n606siNoD1olzyXyGRJUYeZwKEeYQ/s1600/SCP+Punting_Justin.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489005197573964562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSPjwuuETkilosMa-CFPyHBIoAvgpQY13C2u5PRB4Ftnlttuuz1yGgnfpv47LiDPwN_vc4rdt3RdXeeyAHURZuwXZRF3gXQuUwwDCd7oKxqgmA5n606siNoD1olzyXyGRJUYeZwKEeYQ/s200/SCP+Punting_Justin.JPG" /></a>Back in April, I organized a student-led Trek to New York and Boston. During one of the company visits, with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">SecondMarket</span>, I could sense that they had a lot of projects that they wanted to follow-through on, but since they were still relatively new and short-staffed they just didn't have the man-power they needed. So, during the Q&A portion of the presentation, I asked our host if he was interested in having a small group of Oxford <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span> come back during the summer to help. And happily, he agreed. I remember Donald Trump once writing, "It never hurts to ask, because the worse that can happen is that they say no." </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDAoDd-L_WjfVQho7bK1PExtSGNn0xWisESXV8coV7a69ErCDNk7yjsDydFbw10Udh09HxIoQfw7hRxjYqKRnF8z7JZjE-t5Fuo8jddnWHlMmyPy8lX_8hmIqooA42cxxkq6dQkBQ6WE/s1600/SCP+Punting_Guhan.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489005701933711986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDAoDd-L_WjfVQho7bK1PExtSGNn0xWisESXV8coV7a69ErCDNk7yjsDydFbw10Udh09HxIoQfw7hRxjYqKRnF8z7JZjE-t5Fuo8jddnWHlMmyPy8lX_8hmIqooA42cxxkq6dQkBQ6WE/s320/SCP+Punting_Guhan.JPG" /></a>Since April, I've been in contact with the New York office to iron-out the details. I had to draft a proposal for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">SBS</span> to receive approval for academic credit, and I had to find a team of four <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span> in total. This was all difficult, considering that during this time I was still running the Finance Club, and taking 6 elective course, such as Corporate Valuation, Entrepreneurial Finance, and Financial Risk Management. Now that all the administrative work is out of the way, though, I thought that it would be a great time for the team to bond. And what better way to bond, then to spend a sunny weekend afternoon in Trinity term punting on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Cherwill</span> with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">Pimms</span>? Good friends, and good times. We learned a lot about each other, and spent time discussing the fast-approaching <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">SCP</span> with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">SecondMarket</span>. I'm very proud of our team, too. After I tell people who's on our team, they usually raise an eyebrow, and simply say "Wow. That's a good team." Both Platt and myself were nominated for the "John Nash: MBA who can crunch numbers like kit kat bars" award, so that's when you know you've got the cream of the crop, or at least a tasty candy bar.</div></div></div></div>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-52071733074984619562010-07-01T12:43:00.012-04:002010-07-01T13:53:04.446-04:00trinity [week 8]: royal ascot<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rs6gofW8tvhXLEZKnThIsajNxC1t_zH2ki1-cO3wwpO_NCwbG2cIf0cjTdTa2rP4F38s8xpFNNFSqLTD_hLA7A-3znS92ECp7JadyD9VOHQ12VHSwv9ECDMhc7Md15nvoG-eQe0zaTQ/s1600/Royal+Ascot_horses.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488984022355349666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rs6gofW8tvhXLEZKnThIsajNxC1t_zH2ki1-cO3wwpO_NCwbG2cIf0cjTdTa2rP4F38s8xpFNNFSqLTD_hLA7A-3znS92ECp7JadyD9VOHQ12VHSwv9ECDMhc7Md15nvoG-eQe0zaTQ/s200/Royal+Ascot_horses.jpg" /></a> This was my last week of classes. Some people measure their investment in an Oxford MBA by the price per class, which in this case would be approximately £242 per class [ £31,000 tuition / (16 courses x 8 classes each) ]. It's interesting how so much comes down to valuations, and how equally good rational can be used to support any number of valuations.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjes0mBBlthEG-LxMBjLffTaZBs9Jk5PFml2zgOSFTMcgAI-gLTIfCRuq3SsifQdSHTkhOH11CZvGD9soiBY_JQtGDvz7TuURq0Py29PO6w8Y_H3yAZUubZSVXCajakPCxXVYH1onjIDn0/s1600/Royal+Ascot_Justin+2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488983857459821010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjes0mBBlthEG-LxMBjLffTaZBs9Jk5PFml2zgOSFTMcgAI-gLTIfCRuq3SsifQdSHTkhOH11CZvGD9soiBY_JQtGDvz7TuURq0Py29PO6w8Y_H3yAZUubZSVXCajakPCxXVYH1onjIDn0/s320/Royal+Ascot_Justin+2.jpg" /></a>For example, on the first day of orientation our MBA Director told us something like "Welcome to Oxford...you have 30,000 days left to live...better make them count." Based on this definition of time-horizon, I calculate the MBA to cost me about £1 per day for the rest of my life. I like my definition best, because it allowed me to skip my last MBA class EVER on Thursday without moral reservation, so that I could dress in my "morning suit" replete with English gentry grey top hat, and attend the <a href="http://www.ascot.co.uk/royal/royal10.html">Royal Ascot</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7W5ZLgO0Yljb-SQp5WFgBZer9ZuzBb_jn4IbD0aZIwigmX4RNBU_GCsP0fForwQurxsNRZ4VTvdFsNTfKPrucpDe7q6B3O_GQBJdkMcUpCz_fBIbjQyD4wHMRJYwfKZgggCXctAADSjc/s1600/Royal+Ascot_Queens+arrival.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 137px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488984906357047442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7W5ZLgO0Yljb-SQp5WFgBZer9ZuzBb_jn4IbD0aZIwigmX4RNBU_GCsP0fForwQurxsNRZ4VTvdFsNTfKPrucpDe7q6B3O_GQBJdkMcUpCz_fBIbjQyD4wHMRJYwfKZgggCXctAADSjc/s200/Royal+Ascot_Queens+arrival.jpg" /></a>What makes it so Royal? Well, the Queen leaves her estate in Windsor, and makes the ride in a horse-drawn carriage to Ascot where she then parades around the race track. The British love their queen. On the way home from the Royal Ascot, someone was actually more concerned with the Queen than the horse race, they asked me, "Oh...so did you see the Queen, how was she, did she look, well?"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHdyTVgynjc-C-l2TNYgKfeptImjFSvTT27pVO9GK4qwyVuLMfNSjExDn1FLTVeLmArDKOeDyQnv7OyxtNTpCGvdEgpBWep3XNfM6yMi02jTLxmh8DLDncxpIT0C9CcjxeVEnzhFBGzs/s1600/Royal+Ascot_All+together.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488995450039557746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHdyTVgynjc-C-l2TNYgKfeptImjFSvTT27pVO9GK4qwyVuLMfNSjExDn1FLTVeLmArDKOeDyQnv7OyxtNTpCGvdEgpBWep3XNfM6yMi02jTLxmh8DLDncxpIT0C9CcjxeVEnzhFBGzs/s320/Royal+Ascot_All+together.JPG" /></a>If you come to Oxford, then you simply must attend the Royal Ascot. Women love it the most, because they can wear the most gaudy hats. This year the race was held from June 15 through June 19. We went on the Thursday, because that was when the Queen was coming. Tickets to the Grandstand cost £66, and I rented my morning suit at "<a href="http://www.walters-oxford.co.uk/">Walter's on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Turl</span> Street</a>" for just £55. The morning suit rental included the grey top hat, black jacket with tails, grey vest, and grey pants with black stripes. I supplied my own white dress shirt, black shoes, and tie. Beware that Moss' on the High Street tried charging me £89, so it's definitely worth shopping around, or at least go to Walter's - it's like stepping into the magic wand shop in Harry Potter.Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-21502565104726000822010-06-12T10:46:00.016-04:002010-06-12T12:39:11.559-04:00trinity [week 7]: mind-the-gap<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdi_TwfJpNIem6q60xNtQ5F6sDLjBZY0odjdFvuzMjO4GhWumXKJ0Q34E6uIIdzWLrfr9d4q-F9Zm5hg8Pkv9-SHWmvWSiG_s9B1H_1bZ3caK6P6D81CBVKLgEik7glXCKMiOP_WEJJZ8/s1600/Mind+the+Gap.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 167px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481923118498778658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdi_TwfJpNIem6q60xNtQ5F6sDLjBZY0odjdFvuzMjO4GhWumXKJ0Q34E6uIIdzWLrfr9d4q-F9Zm5hg8Pkv9-SHWmvWSiG_s9B1H_1bZ3caK6P6D81CBVKLgEik7glXCKMiOP_WEJJZ8/s200/Mind+the+Gap.jpg" /></a> I've attended 7 college dinners in the past 8 days. And this next week looks just as busy. It's natural, of course, that with our final term ending we all want to connect with classmates who we've lost touch with, and visit colleges that we haven't had time to yet see.<br /><p>Conversation at dinner varies, but for the most part we reflect on our year at Oxford. The majority of the conversations are positive. Some are negative, such as the amount of student loan debt we must now pay back, and the poor (but improving) job market. I'm most interested when the conversation turns toward the future. How will the Oxford MBA be viewed in 5-years? What can alumni do to help? What is our class legacy that we leave behind to future incoming classes? </p>The one-year MBA makes these issues even more pertinent. We even have an elected "Mind-the-Gap" representative whose express purpose is to help transfer knowledge from one class to the next. In my capacity as Finance-OBN Chairman, and Vice President of Finance for the Student Advisory Board, I also try my best to help others. Mostly, I do this through my blog. But sometimes, when I find an equally motivated group of incoming students, or MBA applicants, my job is made that much easier.<br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill5tYQwsEyg08UMcRVgdb97tx0_EHdR-5-xRnAnq4_xUozHLyEPgM3tJAuuldyPsgqLxMqI18IBRIjsEounKxjW-2cCJ7322Nhf7cWkZiOpkhaKwObdoN7QmOc9WGdYliLsuifQDIvnk/s1600/Exeter+Brunch+with+2010+class.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481912711114549394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEill5tYQwsEyg08UMcRVgdb97tx0_EHdR-5-xRnAnq4_xUozHLyEPgM3tJAuuldyPsgqLxMqI18IBRIjsEounKxjW-2cCJ7322Nhf7cWkZiOpkhaKwObdoN7QmOc9WGdYliLsuifQDIvnk/s320/Exeter+Brunch+with+2010+class.jpg" /></a>For example, Mayank from the 2010-11 MBA class has done a wonderful job organizing a Facebook page for incoming students. Similarly impressive, I've been in close contact with Shamik who kindly organized a visit to Oxford for roughly 10 incoming MBAs last week. Members from our class met with next year's MBA cohort outside SBS where we then embarked for Exeter College for a full English breakfast. Later we headed toward the Oxford Retreat for drinks to share experiences, and answer questions.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlq1GQiopg90AAKRkcj0xOvXD03CXqioDW-zGR0QPcU5qeJOAducKTgocdE08-iTN7h-yoC5G347OgQLrL1wha10V8SgwB0eA88JqNFdlnL2pSxS-ugnAYFLVNTh7QKsjYuMlImDlNX-4/s1600/Radcliffe+Camera+with+2010+class.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481914227652583698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlq1GQiopg90AAKRkcj0xOvXD03CXqioDW-zGR0QPcU5qeJOAducKTgocdE08-iTN7h-yoC5G347OgQLrL1wha10V8SgwB0eA88JqNFdlnL2pSxS-ugnAYFLVNTh7QKsjYuMlImDlNX-4/s200/Radcliffe+Camera+with+2010+class.jpg" /></a>Meeting the incoming MBA class made me feel very proud that Oxford continues to improve each year. I've even heard rumours that next year's average GMAT may be above 700 for the first time! The Oxford MBA clearly represents to me a huge growth story, and it's better to get in early, then wait until our acceptance rates dip below 15%. Look at all we've achieved so far:<br /><br /></p><ul><li>FT ranking improved to #16 (tied with Yale, and 5 spots ahead of Cambridge (Judge)</li><li>BusinessWeek ranked us #10 for "Best International B-School," supplanting Cambridge</li><li>FT ranking for Executive Education improved to #15</li><li>MFE program is more competitive to get into than LBS with an average GMAT of 720+</li><li>Our undergraduate Economics and Management program continues to be ranked #1 in the UK</li><li>Most importantly, we've attracted another £25 million investment from Wafic Saïd, which along with a £20 million matching contribution from Oxford University will help complete our "Phase 2" building by 2013. This will provide another stream of MBAs and MFEs<br /></li></ul><p>I hope that MBAs reading this will find time in their busy schedules (as I did) to help future years of MBA students and applicants. In addition to meeting with new MBAs, participating in this year's MBA Class Pledge, and having an occasional Skype call to go over interview preparation, I'm also looking to:<br /></p><ul><li>Raffle off my bike: I bought a nice Trek bike from Halfords for £90 in the beginning of the year. Rather than sell it, I'm going to raffle it off to an incoming MBA studying at Exeter college (my alma mater). I've encouraged other current MBAs to do the same. </li><li>Order books in college: I've also approached my Exeter College librarian to order enough sets of business books for each of the incoming Exeter MBAs, so they don't have to compete for the limited number of copies at SBS. And if Exeter won't order all those books, then I'll offer to match them through a charitable donation, by having each of us buy 4-sets of books for the 8 MBAs that typically study each year at Exeter College.</li><li>OBA involvement: When I return to New York I will become actively involved in helping the New York OBA chapter, including creating a Finance-OBN website that will offer interview training, alumni contacts, and job application for NY finance jobs.</li></ul><p>I share these things with you for one reason, and one reason only. I want to set an example, as others have done before me, that it is our moral obligation to help each other, and to help improve the young Oxford MBA brand. It's important to ingrain in the MBA culture a sense of giving; that we all have an equity stake in the future of SBS. I hope that as an incoming student, or an MBA applicant, you find ways to play forward to other classes whatever kindness you have received from previous classes.</p>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-6006359273176117032010-06-04T10:58:00.044-04:002010-06-04T20:39:51.428-04:00trinity [week 6]: oxford & cambridge club<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3whC52dkHbmWc8YyTNlaxbqB9Lbicb7hVjIF9741TelkCKKtC3Wx-EStXTfrb6ZFIcAlm4A2yhv68aoh9HjpQMoWQEMHDr1OjWkuI8Xge1jHAbFCpmTo3N6lnNhWYmVmD1TpupBawH4/s1600/Oxford+Club.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 168px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478972889692978658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3whC52dkHbmWc8YyTNlaxbqB9Lbicb7hVjIF9741TelkCKKtC3Wx-EStXTfrb6ZFIcAlm4A2yhv68aoh9HjpQMoWQEMHDr1OjWkuI8Xge1jHAbFCpmTo3N6lnNhWYmVmD1TpupBawH4/s200/Oxford+Club.jpg" /></a> A few MBA friends have recently asked me how my trip to the <a href="http://www.oxfordandcambridgeclub.co.uk/">Oxford and Cambridge Club</a> (founded in 1821) in London earlier this week went. They were curious to learn what the club had to offer, how much it cost, why join if you weren't working in London, and in general what my motivation was to join. What better way to answer those questions, then by blogging about it?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFknMzKKhPQZiF11NlEMzEBZIJCIq3VOPpx4rWtcBFbIjajTmMy_9HYGrlkcVfy5nGvxthtagyJZ26uDog4kkwN6Jiou5nz7Ojwc470P-hda3fVqKFOE7LTXXtOEI1tDchDO5qqNtw2VA/s1600/Yale+Club.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLQrCoFTQ0sI0I1Qc8BArlzMP02tbTjFLub96tTRXfCIABsnjjEM9olA2ozI2fJTysM7SPaq8Ok3WbAByDqmq3zT8Ezqf-MsLXFsiADPRfoyoeDKNSKjVsNvrpEsd1Imbtxxgfowod30/s1600/Harvard+Club.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 182px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478972771970317026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLQrCoFTQ0sI0I1Qc8BArlzMP02tbTjFLub96tTRXfCIABsnjjEM9olA2ozI2fJTysM7SPaq8Ok3WbAByDqmq3zT8Ezqf-MsLXFsiADPRfoyoeDKNSKjVsNvrpEsd1Imbtxxgfowod30/s200/Harvard+Club.jpg" /></a>I first heard about the Club from an Oxford <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">EMBA</span> alumnus (and now a friend), whom I originally met at an Oxford "Open House" event in New York back in February 2008. One day he invited me to the Harvard Club to go over my MBA application. I was surprised to learn that as a member of the Oxford and Cambridge Club, he was also entitled to visit the Harvard Club (founded in 1887). Then, before coming to Oxford, I read an MBA blog that mentioned an annual Club presentation in Oxford. At this point I was fairly convinced that I would join once the invitation came. But I almost missed the opportunity.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1lv4PRzMGf6YAAZLmMNISNs75U4c1QkCfC-4lxMYtfzILnUggnbHIEGY1pcni2amNe61sp6yaISAPVjWjFkFg0lejylxAsEH8a7W-41GP94lhXhcvsW-OInxF6kz1ZZoah731iv1HwY/s1600/Oxford+Club_Library.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478957569589040642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1lv4PRzMGf6YAAZLmMNISNs75U4c1QkCfC-4lxMYtfzILnUggnbHIEGY1pcni2amNe61sp6yaISAPVjWjFkFg0lejylxAsEH8a7W-41GP94lhXhcvsW-OInxF6kz1ZZoah731iv1HwY/s200/Oxford+Club_Library.jpg" /></a>There was a 6-day lag between the time my college received the email from the Oxford and Cambridge Club, and the time it was forwarded on to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Exeter</span> students (important to note that the invite comes from your college and <em>not</em> the business school). Even though I tried to RSVP the same day, the reception at Rhodes House on May 21st was already over-subscribed. Thankfully, the Club also hosted an event in London on June 2<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">nd</span>, which I attended. You must attend at least one of these events to find current Club members who will sign your application as your "proposer" and "seconder".<br /><br /><div>The Oxford and Cambridge Club has well over 100 reciprocal agreements with Clubs from over 35 countries (visit their "<a href="http://www.oxfordandcambridgeclub.co.uk/en/reciprocal-clubs/">reciprocal clubs</a>" page). When I return to New York this summer, I plan to visit not only the Harvard Club, but also the Yale (includes University of Virginia, Dartmouth), Princeton (includes Columbia, NYU, and Williams), Penn (includes University of Chicago), and Cornell (includes Brown, Stanford) Clubs. As a precautionary measure, I emailed each and every one of these Clubs mentioned, and they confirmed the reciprocal arrangement. In general, they will allow up to 30 visits each year. I don't believe this will be an issue, though, because with five clubs in New York, I certainly won't be visiting any one club more often than twice a month.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRdL0FletRUaplYmrOGxkSXzq672hQD0CJE0onkZ-LEMYE6oMs_xVPlCo0MCdlCgTprZAGAHqIm88CTDQFJsQa0m9q4V7ELLLuGhyphenhyphenFIqzPliD2sLsYKt_iAor7a8M0nBHPbK65NWLOT4/s1600/Oxford+Club_Subscription+rates.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 290px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478947737746275506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRdL0FletRUaplYmrOGxkSXzq672hQD0CJE0onkZ-LEMYE6oMs_xVPlCo0MCdlCgTprZAGAHqIm88CTDQFJsQa0m9q4V7ELLLuGhyphenhyphenFIqzPliD2sLsYKt_iAor7a8M0nBHPbK65NWLOT4/s320/Oxford+Club_Subscription+rates.JPG" /></a>To join the Oxford and Cambridge Club you must pay an annual fee, which is based on your age and geographical proximity to the Club. The cheapest rates tend to be for overseas. For example, I would have to pay £460 every year. Now this is definitely more expensive than the £198 "Life Membership" fee to join the <a href="http://www.oxford-union.org/home">Oxford Union</a>, but I think that if you can afford it, then it's definitely worth it. One way to look at is as an investment. All of the most exclusive "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">gentlemen's</span> clubs" are located next to the Oxford and Cambridge Club on Pall Mall - within earshot of Westminster and Trafalgar Square - yet unlike the other clubs, no amount of money will buy you entry into <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oxbridge</span>, which let's face it, makes it even more exclusive than the others.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2seskoOszZX2-reyZzVji8wPBrw7RE7PsShzZUb7BYuoDYJApqf2I-g9l7oK-3mjH-tNp71nC7J7xZ_4BvSAStznZyQGreeThCM0H6PCvY6URgh49Q1aiEaIQyBhk7WawVirYDxGbds/s1600/Oxford+Club_Reading+Room.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478946272802480946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2seskoOszZX2-reyZzVji8wPBrw7RE7PsShzZUb7BYuoDYJApqf2I-g9l7oK-3mjH-tNp71nC7J7xZ_4BvSAStznZyQGreeThCM0H6PCvY6URgh49Q1aiEaIQyBhk7WawVirYDxGbds/s200/Oxford+Club_Reading+Room.jpg" /></a>So, what can you do as a member? I think that the main benefits of joining the Oxford and Cambridge Club are the chance to dine there (breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served 7 days a week), the squash courts, the library and reading rooms where you can recline in an old burgundy red leather armchair with a nice glass of scotch, and the overnight accommodations, which can cost as little as £100 per/night for a single bedroom. To compare, I've paid that much to stay at a budge Premier Inn in the London hinterland (Tube Zone 4).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4Dgtl2eSMR_ODVGeJGWvmv1lXoLA5JJp603O4TO_wrsiV_nI7_XDYguiDW1Wy2qmvJVc-HQsFx5XQX6dh5h8imMpJ6nMu5E-hijrRoVMMH_HxJ3ax2-U7wQ_sMzzid0HPfK_dde78MQ/s1600/whengeniusfailed.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 126px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478964645335307922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4Dgtl2eSMR_ODVGeJGWvmv1lXoLA5JJp603O4TO_wrsiV_nI7_XDYguiDW1Wy2qmvJVc-HQsFx5XQX6dh5h8imMpJ6nMu5E-hijrRoVMMH_HxJ3ax2-U7wQ_sMzzid0HPfK_dde78MQ/s200/whengeniusfailed.jpg" /></a>It's still hard for me to understand why only 10 out of 238 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span> (4%) decided to attend either of the two receptions. To use my old stockbroker lingo, I would say that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span> tend to "underweight" the networking potential of joining an elite <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">gentlemen's</span> club, and "overweight" the price tag. I think, however, that just like Long Term Capital Management in 1998, that they might be on the wrong side of the trade. Of course, it's also necessary to address the persistent image of a stuffy old club of pretentious <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oxbridge</span> grads. To dispel this rumour, it's interesting to note that nearly 20% of the Clubs 4,000 members are under 40 y/o, and an increasing number of women are also joining. I think that the Club is undergoing a positive transition to more accurately reflect the greater diversity found in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oxbridge</span> today. Hopefully when you come to Oxford you'll choose to be part of that change, too.Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-33960997683450207472010-06-04T10:58:00.043-04:002010-06-04T20:39:14.687-04:00trinity [week 5]: running of the bulls<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiz4JYOuB35bFSVnzW68k2zidgXntUvMdzy9QN3QEOf9qSEjRGlI-OP_inuSU29qeggMluAnOw88JimUoXkej-o1DGDNbqOQx0OPIYA-zEzejzv84kEAghR6txIhFWKh8wGXOOexb2KXU/s1600/Running+of+the+Bulls.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479069213888899362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiz4JYOuB35bFSVnzW68k2zidgXntUvMdzy9QN3QEOf9qSEjRGlI-OP_inuSU29qeggMluAnOw88JimUoXkej-o1DGDNbqOQx0OPIYA-zEzejzv84kEAghR6txIhFWKh8wGXOOexb2KXU/s200/Running+of+the+Bulls.jpg" /></a> A lot of readers want to know what it's like being an Oxford MBA. What is it <em>really</em> like to condense two-years of coursework into just one-year? The trick, of course, is to not <em>only</em> complete your work and pass the course, but also to make the most of your short time here by making new friends, breathing in all Oxford has to offers, and taking the occasional trip to London (and elsewhere).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbmKI_x9T7Gd5RTwYykggOAGqkCV_6IF0HDUSsI8SvURKFoIuT1D-f9SxHIkRyolfr4fVgXQ8amkLI0dNJKtUimEq09eQcEmmhEKAHlsaaDb6s2_RtPYT8JrRrF5uWFvvwjYp3P9f0OI/s1600/Examination+Halls.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479069410935373122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbmKI_x9T7Gd5RTwYykggOAGqkCV_6IF0HDUSsI8SvURKFoIuT1D-f9SxHIkRyolfr4fVgXQ8amkLI0dNJKtUimEq09eQcEmmhEKAHlsaaDb6s2_RtPYT8JrRrF5uWFvvwjYp3P9f0OI/s200/Examination+Halls.jpg" /></a>It's a fine balancing act. What this invariably leads to for all MBAs, at one time or another anyway, is the ritualistic mad dash to hand in their assignment at the Examination Halls by 11:59AM and 59 seconds. Only in Pamplona, Spain with the "running of the bulls" will you witness a comparable event, and that only takes place in July! Any assignments handed in after noon will be summarily marked down 10% - and don't even bother being a half-hour late, because that will net you a zero.<br /><br />No flexibility whatsoever. This is not a Saïd Business School rule, but rather University regulations whereby any challenges must ultimately be heard and approved by the Proctors who have no sympathy for you whatsoever. This whole process has led me to the following questions: Do we MBAs have, in fact, too much work, why is this so, and is this the best of all possible worlds?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-VGeI8s4JrOVo6VYXFR7uc2KZP-TYumF9U0XYRDs9sAzrwj8Ky-rt_lx8eUKfGd_UtJUX_c50feRqVSiZzKqGztdIozOozMjFfMh7UW7dEdWvLQWIigyJow7brogMfqsxkaq48ubfhQ/s1600/Oxford+Punting.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479070464588112658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-VGeI8s4JrOVo6VYXFR7uc2KZP-TYumF9U0XYRDs9sAzrwj8Ky-rt_lx8eUKfGd_UtJUX_c50feRqVSiZzKqGztdIozOozMjFfMh7UW7dEdWvLQWIigyJow7brogMfqsxkaq48ubfhQ/s200/Oxford+Punting.jpg" /></a>First, some perspective: You arrive fresh to Oxford in late September, settle in, and start classes a few weeks later, often for the first time in many years. The workload is intense, but over time you learn how to leverage your work groups. The term flies by and next thing you know you have to sit for six exams over four-days wearing sub-fusc. Finally, you return home to celebrate the Christmas holiday, fully aware that you must relish this brief respite, because you know that they don't call the upcoming Hilary term - "Hell-ary" - for nothing.<br /><br />Hilary term is just as bad as everyone says it is. Although you only have five classes, you now have to spend more time sorting out the different personalities in a myriad of new work groups that you've formed, and on top of that you have this Entrepreneurial presentation and report that you'll work on throughout the Easter break. But it's all worth it, because you may have heard rumours that the weather during Trinity term is beautiful, and since you get to choose all electives, this will finally be the term where you can relax and enjoy yourself. Wrong! Trinity term is back-loaded, so this may seem true initially, but in actuality you'll have about twenty assignments due (1,500-3,000 words each) compared to only eleven in Hilary term. So, what does a typical week actually look like for an Oxford MBA?...well let's take a look:<br /><br /><strong>Sunday, May 23rd</strong><br /><strong></strong>Prepare for Real Estate and Corporate Valuation class tomorrow<br />Host friends at Exeter College for dinner and a tour<br /><br /><strong>Monday, May 24th:</strong><br /><strong></strong>Class all day from 8:45am until 4:45pm<br /><strong></strong>Pull all-nighter working on Real Estate assignment<br /><br /><strong>Tuesday, May 25th</strong><br /><strong></strong>Class from 8:45am until 12:15pm<br />Finish Real Estate, and pull all-nighter working on Corporate Valuation assignment<br /><br /><strong>Wednesday, May 26th:</strong><br />Class all day from 8:45am until 4:45pm<br />During lunch attend a student government meeting (SAB) on the 2010 MBA class pledge<br />Help an MSc student with his research by volunteering to participate<br />*Real Estate assignment due by 8:30am<br />*Corporate Valuation assignment due by 12:00pm<br /><br /><strong>Thursday, May 27th:</strong><br />Class from 8:45am until 12:15pm<br />Pull all-nighter finishing two assignments due tomorrow<br /><br /><strong>Friday, May 28th:</strong><br />Meet with sector consultant Steven Todd to review my SCP strategy for the summer<br />*Managing the Project Portfolio assignment due by 5pm<br />*Marketing Innovation assignment due by 5pm<br /><br /><strong>Saturday, May 29th:</strong><br />Mid-term "Garden Tea Party" at the Perch Inn in Binary<br />Dinner and tour of Mansfield College courtesy of CK<br /><br /><strong>Sunday, May 30th:</strong><br />Dinner and tour of St. John's College courtesy of Nick<br />Pull all-nighter working on Entrepreneurial Finance<br />*Entrepreneurial Finance assignment due by 12:00pm tomorrow<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKi-UF8uUQhMmBJH0_y0_U0NUWUF43sL_GSSXTCSTUJZqDmbNupphVGTY6e8X90QM1LNHqkTmhNeLhAWIYIeo1Tq8ndSzwh6xbBmP0iE1nhcmPqUjxdjA3g-SokT0OukbLfQkw9ZirECU/s1600/Runner_Bolt.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479072680499641138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKi-UF8uUQhMmBJH0_y0_U0NUWUF43sL_GSSXTCSTUJZqDmbNupphVGTY6e8X90QM1LNHqkTmhNeLhAWIYIeo1Tq8ndSzwh6xbBmP0iE1nhcmPqUjxdjA3g-SokT0OukbLfQkw9ZirECU/s320/Runner_Bolt.jpg" /></a>With the help of my iPhone, I think that I do a fairly good job of organizing my life, and squeezing every last drop of productivity out of it. Nonetheless, this up-tempo life-style has both a good and bad side. First, learning how to operate for prolonged periods of time in a heightened nervous state with an endless onslaught of tight deadlines is good training for the business world. We can honestly take anything that our future employer may throw at us.<br /><p>The downside to this, besides possible burnout and fatigue, is that it leaves little time to prepare for class, and read the case studies. This results uniformly in poor attendance. Part of the reason is that attendance and class participation aren't graded in Oxford, and I'm not sure that they could be even if the Saïd Business School wanted them to be. </p><p>In contrast, when I attended class at HBS during the finance Trek to New York and Boston, 50% of their grade was based on class participation, and every seat was filled, and everyone had (apparently) done the reading beforehand. But I'll bet you that they didn't have twenty other assignments due that term that existed outside the class' normal reading list. It will be up to the next administration to choose which assessment regime they want within the constraints set by the University. As for me, I'm well on way to finishing this race. </p>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-72190613137540142932010-06-04T10:58:00.001-04:002010-06-04T10:58:17.310-04:00trinity [week 4]:"coming soon."Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-64955700242392259902010-05-18T09:06:00.026-04:002010-06-13T08:38:35.785-04:00trinity [week 3]: mbat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJQQuxk5G2JYHh2Gj8vVgCAIfmgLLZib_gUZm5heWPgwLmiEzURYElub6e9yMFEIFSuu_T_jugbbaTfVxmfua27vGGqj3Ei-HeZM8Y-3-f9c7q87dch8_z0jUNEKM7vlZYn-3IMEyqnc/s1600/MBAT+2010_Eiffel+Tower.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481995830396780866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJQQuxk5G2JYHh2Gj8vVgCAIfmgLLZib_gUZm5heWPgwLmiEzURYElub6e9yMFEIFSuu_T_jugbbaTfVxmfua27vGGqj3Ei-HeZM8Y-3-f9c7q87dch8_z0jUNEKM7vlZYn-3IMEyqnc/s400/MBAT+2010_Eiffel+Tower.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IOwff6_UJhU_ivlXj1KSYzK0XJh2SFdI9mNx3eFFu9hyphenhypheniIAlfUmY8xlwyBnu2Ri8bXMpi2VDvgbsR3eLPIiY1StgJdzdmG0MwJCIkWF7UBT3pscpg3xylsvBkKGaeqJs4SnEPojf0DA/s1600/MBAT+Convoy.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481983778886784674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IOwff6_UJhU_ivlXj1KSYzK0XJh2SFdI9mNx3eFFu9hyphenhypheniIAlfUmY8xlwyBnu2Ri8bXMpi2VDvgbsR3eLPIiY1StgJdzdmG0MwJCIkWF7UBT3pscpg3xylsvBkKGaeqJs4SnEPojf0DA/s200/MBAT+Convoy.jpg" /></a>At 4am a bevy of buses rolled on to Park End Street. They were carrying Oxford MBAs, who despite their bruised and battered bodies, returned triumphantly from Paris, France. This year HEC celebrated its 20th annual <a href="http://www.mbat.org/">MBAT sports competition</a>. Over 13 MBA programs competed from across Europe, including many of our sworn enemies, such as LBS and Cambridge. Ever fond of traditions, Oxford has been competing in MBATs for several years now. The contest lasts from Thursday until Sunday during Trinity term, Week 3. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJt0330bT3MGmY8sJQ3hPB4o6Dir4krfIB2NwdCDLl-rgzGAuBpmg7eSQxPE1IuWZ91xyrYTqjFGeu2zY8eeej7ve_M4d3-b039jtE8sqoHkraJv1J_cyFRICUbliQQLKu1POxArvTQI/s1600/MBAT+2010_School+Spirit.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 139px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481997143720813954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJt0330bT3MGmY8sJQ3hPB4o6Dir4krfIB2NwdCDLl-rgzGAuBpmg7eSQxPE1IuWZ91xyrYTqjFGeu2zY8eeej7ve_M4d3-b039jtE8sqoHkraJv1J_cyFRICUbliQQLKu1POxArvTQI/s200/MBAT+2010_School+Spirit.jpg" /></a>Every year the responsibility for organizing our entry into MBATs is coordinated by the "Social, Sports, and Welfare" Vice President along with their cadre of able and willing helpers. A GoogleDoc spreadsheet was sent out to the class to indicate sports preference as early as the start of Hilary term in January! I do not exaggerate when I say that the MBAT is the largest organizational effort undertaken at SBS all year. </div><br /><div>I'd hate to admit this, but organizing the MBAT is more burdensome than any SAB, OBN, or SIG event or conference could ever be. Nonetheless, a total of 160 out of 238 Oxford MBAs (67%) participated, and they all paid the hefty £350 fee by the March 11th deadline. The fee would've undoubtedly been higher except that the SAB subsidized part of the cost. Thankfully, the fee covers just about everything: entrance fees, hotel accommodations, meals, parties, Oxford logo polo shirt, and a return bus ticket via Eurostar. MBATs have become so popular at Oxford that professors now reschedule classes and assignments to accommodate students. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4qtYi3ACHk6mBdyLBvL_tuQq5rcRQ98vUMAgjUR2kYm3bE0J2L2yfvjgPE7dh9OBqF8TJp9nSAa1a0tF0Ip4oosX54LafCR7agzFOmQd_yDQj-aquhPNQcMs5UIWC6JTkaWy2WTZJgM/s1600/MBAT+logo.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481983955195283810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4qtYi3ACHk6mBdyLBvL_tuQq5rcRQ98vUMAgjUR2kYm3bE0J2L2yfvjgPE7dh9OBqF8TJp9nSAa1a0tF0Ip4oosX54LafCR7agzFOmQd_yDQj-aquhPNQcMs5UIWC6JTkaWy2WTZJgM/s200/MBAT+logo.jpg" /></a>This pales in comparison, however, to how highly regarded the MBAT is at HEC where it is a compulsory requirement to graduate. HEC hired coaches, and started training up to 6-months before the actual MBAT competition. So, despite their small size, HEC sends the third most number of students to compete - at 125 strong. Oxford sends the second most at 160, while LBS takes advantage of its larger class size and 24-month program by sending 225 students.</div><br /><div>Oxford has finished in third place for the past three years (we did, however, more than halve the margin between second and third place this year from a 24 point difference to just 10 points). Typically, first and second place alternate between HEC and LBS although the latter had won five-years in-a-row until this year when HEC beat them.</div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 205px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481985423304655074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5l-3-MscYKIvt19rsF1onUdt99pZnAISCDe1LIE6t7Ax8n77CXnQBic45Ex_sZ4swCYzaKAvnynq4VUL5SEPjwDkImeWdwhvg8AyZp8dd7zBj2SyyYPp5ntPzSchX_S-uSSFfTGTDwA/s400/MBAT+2010+Results.JPG" /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFo5slGqW4eZQbPZtdWSgxAwnrXpPi9rfoTS6WYMqHu_gTGgKKXnjkyPdIqIr2txncjnrHDlWnn_BD2bWX_t8QWJ_ft5O6rlr8ldZ_6gsBRCW_zRzSIpmrcwT3qgIIwDIjEC79iGIjrCg/s1600/MBAT+2010_Tug+of+War.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481994148750114034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFo5slGqW4eZQbPZtdWSgxAwnrXpPi9rfoTS6WYMqHu_gTGgKKXnjkyPdIqIr2txncjnrHDlWnn_BD2bWX_t8QWJ_ft5O6rlr8ldZ_6gsBRCW_zRzSIpmrcwT3qgIIwDIjEC79iGIjrCg/s320/MBAT+2010_Tug+of+War.jpg" /></a>As you can see from the chart there is a large gap between the top three competitors and the rest of the field. Oxford had double the number of points of the next closest opponent. Cambridge wasn't even close with their paltry 23 points. We did beat Cambridge for the gold medal in tug-of-war in less than <em>9-seconds</em>, for which I am proud to have participated in. It was one of the four gold medals that Oxford won in total.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxYv7o06U43yoH_2dtZhk0HqBFrd4CnKx6XqTXkTMTLTwsaAyccwCpcDHF-QuKAPHGJpc5zejTC7ePn8B2gN41AaDzl-L1Lc_8kzoN7xLDJafGR62Del2Wr_8rxT79_x5sGsfz5C9C90/s1600/MBAT+Handball.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482021701827203250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxYv7o06U43yoH_2dtZhk0HqBFrd4CnKx6XqTXkTMTLTwsaAyccwCpcDHF-QuKAPHGJpc5zejTC7ePn8B2gN41AaDzl-L1Lc_8kzoN7xLDJafGR62Del2Wr_8rxT79_x5sGsfz5C9C90/s320/MBAT+Handball.jpg" /></a>I also helped win a bronze medal in the final game against LBS for handball. Other sports that we should have finished better in include basketball and volleyball. Due to key players entering multiple events, we lost some games that we shouldn't have where there was a conflict in schedule. Unfortunately, this year's results fail to provide much predictive power for future years. Since most of the schools, including ours, send a unique group of MBAs to compete each year, you can never be sure which sports you will likely dominate in.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlGANzzPxk7YAAlkAyG4Ll4uO5o71pUCo60PbAQbTqxKq_CNKZ-d3ersdVKrvTRt6HHrUTkUIPRD9c6sQ5Ppi0S3l7qz3QdPW_NLfBbGlKKyAMwez34DZTf9svngeNh32zrKzqJmo8bU/s1600/MBAT+2010_Mechanical+Bull.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482025178101857954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlGANzzPxk7YAAlkAyG4Ll4uO5o71pUCo60PbAQbTqxKq_CNKZ-d3ersdVKrvTRt6HHrUTkUIPRD9c6sQ5Ppi0S3l7qz3QdPW_NLfBbGlKKyAMwez34DZTf9svngeNh32zrKzqJmo8bU/s200/MBAT+2010_Mechanical+Bull.jpg" /></a> Although mechanical bull riding is not one of the qualifying MBAT sports...yet anyway...there are some rather obscure sports that we might consider focusing on to rack-up some quick points: babyfoot, chess, petanque, and tug-of-war. A little bit of practice in these sports can take you far. It's also worth noting that golf is unique since two teams are fielded. As a consequence, although LBS won gold in golf, our combined silver and bronze medals equaled their 5-point gain. </div><br /><div>In conclusion, we've progressed Oxford further toward our goal of winning MBATs. It will be the responsibility of next year's class to achieve <em>at least</em> a second place finish (no pressure). But we should be used to winning. After all, we've been educating leaders (and winners) for over 800 years. In fact, they need to update the MBA brochures to reflect the fact that with the election of David Cameron (Brasenose), that now makes 26 total Prime Ministers to have come from Oxford!</div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482025683776443858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdy55BSDH76OivZGZygT4xB2iPDsDNzqxChKl6Xf1G8DCcfNi0pTNMjyR81SD93uKCERCfvAbNIhPM65cLUUP6WcUmZTjwphW768U4liM23P7pHL9H7JHcXWi0vINKkgEf9KsBwCjnsEc/s320/MBAT+2010_Tennis.jpg" /></div>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-80353583785569312322010-05-08T08:18:00.018-04:002010-05-08T09:33:35.829-04:00trinity [week 2]: dr. ramin khadem<img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 197px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468877732313563634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoM8ASU1X5_Pf80IbEGZrKuuiItjA42Rid7qSlJeE5mwzOpVIxFxTB8arQh6sohyHet6ToFwPfdbhZwwDkOa91_0TZsQFc-lEbJTBfdjwLt-Lk4AtmbPjGesNWErNP37o-2IufLJnPg8/s200/Oxford_Speaker_Dr+Ramin+Khadem_Justin+Belkin+introducing.JPG" />As Chairman of the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=337599430005">Finance Oxford Business Club</a> (Finance-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">OBN</span>) - a rather esoteric way of simply saying "President of the Oxford Finance Club" - I schedule one guest speaker each term (in addition to all the other programs we run: Treks, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">CFA</span> Review, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oxbridge</span> exchange, Finance Faculty dinner, Stock Trading competition, etc). I cannot say this enough...that the strength of our club depends on the quality of its membership, and in each and every instance, our guest speakers have come from referrals from fellow <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span>. During Michaelmas term we hosted <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Usman</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hayat</span>, director of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">CFA</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Institute's</span> division on Islamic Finance. For Hilary term, we brought in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zeeshan</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tayeb</span> of <a href="http://www.e6.com/en/">Element Six</a> (De Beers), who generously helped us organize a "Strategic Consulting Project" (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">SCP</span>) for Trinity term.<br /><div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHAp9VymFg7P7nzt8XCOmes6RiF2HAgqP4K52gGRQ0UkXl9t0GxmLH0Gi10nRcQ-xwVDrKsP4frbREKiiJ6K2fsm0iPrPSCofxdMFxcRPApuMkWBB-_dBAsxopKgQ5QWo_s44L6QLl1U/s1600/Oxford_Speaker_Dr+Ramin+Khadem.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468877409518488802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHAp9VymFg7P7nzt8XCOmes6RiF2HAgqP4K52gGRQ0UkXl9t0GxmLH0Gi10nRcQ-xwVDrKsP4frbREKiiJ6K2fsm0iPrPSCofxdMFxcRPApuMkWBB-_dBAsxopKgQ5QWo_s44L6QLl1U/s200/Oxford_Speaker_Dr+Ramin+Khadem.JPG" /></a>For Trinity term, Emily (from my Michaelmas <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">studygroup</span>) arranged to have Dr. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ramin</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Khadem</span>, Chairman of Odyssey Moon Limited, give a speech entitled, "Reflections on the Root Causes of the Current Economic Crisis." Pretty typical fodder for an MBA audience following the "Great Recession of 2008-09," but what made this speech unique was that Dr. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Khadem</span> took an ethical approach to solving the root causes of economic excess. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T2sv3jfo6UIIo5s72xbMcUnWw8Ipvehikmuj7_g_lQcIZ-tIa80RscZrLNyABDr79C_6ephtf7E3lQVAg5AEepV42i61-EvH1UqrLPh7gWKMhaYPxIrYKohIV5qd8SavKmAxmyMOZIo/s1600/Oxford_Speaker_Dr+Ramin+Khadem_Exeter+grounds.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468884961788438882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T2sv3jfo6UIIo5s72xbMcUnWw8Ipvehikmuj7_g_lQcIZ-tIa80RscZrLNyABDr79C_6ephtf7E3lQVAg5AEepV42i61-EvH1UqrLPh7gWKMhaYPxIrYKohIV5qd8SavKmAxmyMOZIo/s200/Oxford_Speaker_Dr+Ramin+Khadem_Exeter+grounds.JPG" /></a>As a member of the <a href="http://www.ebbf.org/">European Baha'i Business Forum</a>, Dr. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">Khadem</span> was uniquely qualified to speak on the role that moral and ethical values can play in business to enhance overall prosperity. Another twist on this presentation, is that Dr. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">Khadem</span> has been involved in the commercialization of outer space for the past quarter-century, previously as the CFO of <a href="http://www.inmarsat.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">Inmarsat</span></a>, a global satellite network company that was sold to private equity firms <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">Apax</span> Partners and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">Permira</span> in 2005. Who better to combine business experience with the "big-picture" perspective?</div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqX9wP1ybSkYFwrJcbc3pQLj13qwpkdmgLHbC0lXDDFCNhk9eToVioY20UBTBcNUR6MM4XeQjFi8F3nxRptCAR9d1otPGRuskrQ5wiMKm2Cdo-8ySlr2kW2Xjdjs07xHP9St0D9BkOVI/s1600/Oxford_Speaker_Dr+Ramin+Khadem_Exeter+Dinner.JPG"></a> </div><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqX9wP1ybSkYFwrJcbc3pQLj13qwpkdmgLHbC0lXDDFCNhk9eToVioY20UBTBcNUR6MM4XeQjFi8F3nxRptCAR9d1otPGRuskrQ5wiMKm2Cdo-8ySlr2kW2Xjdjs07xHP9St0D9BkOVI/s1600/Oxford_Speaker_Dr+Ramin+Khadem_Exeter+Dinner.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468887641524070882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqX9wP1ybSkYFwrJcbc3pQLj13qwpkdmgLHbC0lXDDFCNhk9eToVioY20UBTBcNUR6MM4XeQjFi8F3nxRptCAR9d1otPGRuskrQ5wiMKm2Cdo-8ySlr2kW2Xjdjs07xHP9St0D9BkOVI/s200/Oxford_Speaker_Dr+Ramin+Khadem_Exeter+Dinner.JPG" /></a></div>Following on his success, Dr. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">Khadem</span> now serves as Chairman of <a href="http://www.odysseymoon.com/">Odyssey Moon Limited</a>, where he aims to develop a "sustainable commercial transportation system to deliver payload services to the Moon in support of science." We've certainly come a long way since Frank Sinatra's 1964 rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon," recorded just 5-years before the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission. In the wake of Goldman <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sach's</span> Congressional testimony regarding charges of fraud last week, perhaps Dr. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">Khadem</span> has the right idea, that when we search for ethical guidance we should look skywards where a more enlightened global perspective can be found.</div></div></div>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-49737057619171094002010-05-08T08:17:00.000-04:002010-05-08T08:18:15.063-04:00trinity [week 1]: oxbridge games...coming soon.Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-87677289925544654772010-04-21T16:28:00.009-04:002010-05-08T08:16:28.627-04:00hilary [trek]: part 1, new york<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDKnCzTZ5-bk5fQvQ3jNdJAn89N1-lYWtUbIXOyPswhPuqyqiIp4y8eWGXAh5wWM4Epa3na0ztAc36N-TPjAw4sF6eR6rJc8HTq8bcyXBnqlgiIYe_uYCRF7qYSCwXlrsX5quOJdMW4g/s1600/New+York+Boston+Trek+2010.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463015096987103330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDKnCzTZ5-bk5fQvQ3jNdJAn89N1-lYWtUbIXOyPswhPuqyqiIp4y8eWGXAh5wWM4Epa3na0ztAc36N-TPjAw4sF6eR6rJc8HTq8bcyXBnqlgiIYe_uYCRF7qYSCwXlrsX5quOJdMW4g/s320/New+York+Boston+Trek+2010.jpg" /></a> Certainly one of the highlights of the Oxford MBA is the global Treks that take place in April between Hilary and Trinity terms. This year the Oxford SBS Alumni Relations Office recognized ten different Treks. They included China (Hong Kong & Shanghai), Geneva, Germany, India, Japan, Middle East, New York/Boston, Nigeria/Ghana, Silicon Valley, and Spain. Although students organize these Treks, they are supported by both the Alumni Office and the Careers Office. In fact, the New York/Boston Trek that I organized was of such strategic importance that both the Careers director and the Alumni director attended. Well, technically, the Alumni director's flight was cancelled due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland, but still...these Treks are big events!<br /><div><br /><p>Any Oxford MBAs interested in "pitching" a Trek next year will typically face a deadline on the second-to-last Friday in January (i.e. Friday, January 22, 2010). During the following week, students actually pitch their Trek ideas with the winners being announced the following Monday (i.e. Monday, February 1, 2010). By this point, you should have already identified a team to help you, a list of students who have displayed interest in attending the Trek, and a list of companies that you are targeting.<br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMiCbloCA9-Gy8uKe28xdOWPSzKx9cNbka9ZgAJ9QwcM5bAwWQw-Id86Dd1y3REa26MyBQJlPb-YxtM_92mXhDXZAnoFLf2iKJMglfTEglvONjM5OwVnKrFxv0Ak6UscLuJbnYYKTc_M/s1600/NY+Trek+Pier+Lunch.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463014131873885106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMiCbloCA9-Gy8uKe28xdOWPSzKx9cNbka9ZgAJ9QwcM5bAwWQw-Id86Dd1y3REa26MyBQJlPb-YxtM_92mXhDXZAnoFLf2iKJMglfTEglvONjM5OwVnKrFxv0Ak6UscLuJbnYYKTc_M/s320/NY+Trek+Pier+Lunch.JPG" /></a>Your Trek team will be given 30-minutes to pitch the proposal to a committee consisting of at least the Alumni and Careers directors. At this point, the New York/Boston Trek had "indications of interest" by email from 50 MBA students, of which, ultimately 12 attended the Trek. We had also compiled a 5 slide PowerPoint deck, which identified the dates of the Trek, as well as the flight, hotel, and estimated budget. Of the 15 companies that we had originally identified, we wound up seeing 10 of them, which is a pretty strong success rate. This year all 10 Treks were approved, and collectively over 150 of the 243 students in the 2009/10 class visited 100 companies. Hopefully, next year will be as strong - if not stronger!</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltSdoZ_ZaSZoWKnnjULxcbDeEEOBQThLaW25tOJ_N7a3AddpH4vixtO3PrWejXwmeEygVU3MVzXebM8N6eADMwrDwErjScVnAUuqlCAua-bjsZDA0yOkw3TmQVcVtxOCst-QmdxvBPwM/s1600/New+York+Trek+Wall+St+Bull.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464509358083503698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltSdoZ_ZaSZoWKnnjULxcbDeEEOBQThLaW25tOJ_N7a3AddpH4vixtO3PrWejXwmeEygVU3MVzXebM8N6eADMwrDwErjScVnAUuqlCAua-bjsZDA0yOkw3TmQVcVtxOCst-QmdxvBPwM/s320/New+York+Trek+Wall+St+Bull.jpg" /></a>Most people flew-in to New York (JFK airport) the weekend before our Trek started. Many people stayed with friends or family to save money. It appears that everyone knows someone in NYC! Those who stayed in a hotel chose "<a href="http://www.thepodhotel.com/index.html">The Pod Hotel</a>" in midtown Manhattan for about $75 each per/night (assumes sharing a room). You can book online, or call them at (212) 355-0300 (<a href="mailto:info@thepodhotel.com">info@thepodhotel.com</a>). I think that the best deal they offer is an en-suite room with two twin-sized beds, which for some reason can only be booked over the telephone, not over the Internet. We just missed our Columbia MBA counterparts this trip, but ideally next year we'll able to organize a night-out, or a brunch, to share our "case-study" war-stories.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPMGvJ4GGJv0xgCKM7tqXiy6mn5NQLWZ19s9VLYUYni6m35yHXYhjA5ZGcuYZYZcT5P7hGhW6Yb-qUH4l73Va-DlM8BR4SxRaz9N5SIrLqWNmrzJhE_2yuCZbkY7icp0mbIE9LwkIyEY/s1600/New+York+Trek+NYSE.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464509834266687986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPMGvJ4GGJv0xgCKM7tqXiy6mn5NQLWZ19s9VLYUYni6m35yHXYhjA5ZGcuYZYZcT5P7hGhW6Yb-qUH4l73Va-DlM8BR4SxRaz9N5SIrLqWNmrzJhE_2yuCZbkY7icp0mbIE9LwkIyEY/s320/New+York+Trek+NYSE.jpg" /></a>We tried to cluster our company visits together. For example, on Monday we stayed downtown and visited Citigroup at 388 Greenwich Street, and then Deutsche Bank at 60 Wall Street. The next two days were spent largely in midtown. On Tuesday we visited CBRichardEllis, Credit Suisse, and Barclays Capital. We finished in New York on Wednesday by seeing Sanford Bernstein, SecondMarket, and Pfizer. Similarly, next year's Trekkers should consider visiting no more than three companies each day.<br /></p><p>It would be unfair to choose favorites, but suffice to say that ALL of ours hosts had put a considerable amount of time and effort into our visit, and we could not be more grateful. Learning about how the commercial real estate market in New York is structured, and how absorption rates may presage an economic turnaround was absolutely mind-blowing. Other companies were saddled with the Herculean task of finding buyers for hundreds of billions worth of assets. One company shared with us that they knew exactly where every oil tanker in the world was at anyone given point in time by cross-referencing insurance records with maritime weather reporting. Bright people!<br /></p><p>Still others spoke to us about the intersection of finance and social welfare through microfinance. Meanwhile a bunch of young and talented hot-shots are fastidiously creating new markets around the world for trading illiquid assets. I wonder if I could buy a PPM (private placement memorandum) in their company through their own trading architecture - that would be interesting!? Finally, the last company on our New York trek brought out an impressive line of managers who deftly answered our questions regarding the effect of Obamacare on the healthcare industry, and how pharma companies compete for market share in emerging markets that are already saturated with generic drugs.<br /></p><p>Needless to say, this New York Trek was a real treat for all of us. We are eternally grateful to our kind and generous hosts. We trust that they were sufficiently impressed with us, too, so that they will be willing to meet with next year's Oxford MBA class!</p></div>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-76919561724352618202010-04-19T11:35:00.008-04:002010-04-20T09:37:56.413-04:00hilary [trek]: part 2, boston<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1Za1ke8OiCeexXoGGaT5wweumCZ6KWndf9bpplfiqg8rcA642tS_bmWUWXVPYm05z1CJJl0jvNgT_4LjRnKKG82O3wN8zRyarFO5XTwB-PzJA8CBDcJnSCs5mr1WcFEIZyWOmkXC2So/s1600/New+York+Trek+BOS+South+Station.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461874114873300498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1Za1ke8OiCeexXoGGaT5wweumCZ6KWndf9bpplfiqg8rcA642tS_bmWUWXVPYm05z1CJJl0jvNgT_4LjRnKKG82O3wN8zRyarFO5XTwB-PzJA8CBDcJnSCs5mr1WcFEIZyWOmkXC2So/s200/New+York+Trek+BOS+South+Station.jpg" /></a> After spending the first three days of the week in Manhattan, we shuttled off to Penn Station, bags in tow, and fresh from our afternoon meeting with Pfizer, to catch our <a href="http://www.amtrak.com/">Amtrak</a> train to Boston. I suggest next year's Trekkers to order train tickets in advance, when they can be bought for as little as $48 one-way, as the price can double just a few days before departure. The more adventurous "budget traveller" can take the <a href="http://www.fungwahbus.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Fung</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Wah</span> Bus</a> out of Chinatown for $15 one-way - there is no cheaper way to travel from New York to Boston. In either case, you will want to get off at the Boston South Station (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">BOS</span>) near the financial district.<br /><br />Our Career Director really earned his keep during this 4 1/2 hour train ride as he indulged our many questions regarding career advice. We checked-in to the Holiday Inn at Beacon Hill. I recommend this hotel to next year's Trekkers, because it's conveniently located near both the financial district, and the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBTA</span> Red Line, which can get get you to Cambridge to visit Harvard and MIT within a 5-minute subway ride. We booked the hotel through <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Priceline</span>.com for $95 per/night for a twin room, which meant that when sharing the bill, it cost us less than $50 per/night each. The hotel is located at 5 Blossom Street, and you can reach them by calling (617) 742-7630.<br /><div><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9L-TM1IYKM0VrTumnUB5W-VSVhpb7sPBiokSnfDNwAi6fNo_E116D7WYcIEf2MmT59kNO1heyqHjQ_tiK3qvr8lXIbFseZzzIA86_pwwq3JAqA9Sy9-AnMEeLnKcR3a9uj-5OBR6r-zo/s1600/NY+Trek+Harvard+Class.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461873363373862642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9L-TM1IYKM0VrTumnUB5W-VSVhpb7sPBiokSnfDNwAi6fNo_E116D7WYcIEf2MmT59kNO1heyqHjQ_tiK3qvr8lXIbFseZzzIA86_pwwq3JAqA9Sy9-AnMEeLnKcR3a9uj-5OBR6r-zo/s200/NY+Trek+Harvard+Class.JPG" /></a>Thursday was our first full-day in Boston. We were scheduled to visit our MBA counterparts, and some Oxford alumni, at the Harvard Business School. As President of the Oxford Finance Club, I reached out to my counterparts at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">HBS</span>, Co-Presidents Melvin and Larry, who were kind enough to host us during our trip to Cambridge. In return, we offered to host them during their London Trek in late November (during the Thanksgiving holiday). It was a great opportunity to compare notes on what activities our respective finance clubs had planned for the year. Melvin met us outside the Baker Library at 10am, and walked us over to attend our first <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">HBS</span> class. Professor Matthew <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Weinzierl</span> kindly introduced himself to us. A wunderkind who focuses on taxation issues, the Professor <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Weinzierl</span> is a hands-down student favorite who teaches the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">BGIE</span> (Business, Government and the International Economy) required class to first year students.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0X_m5dQhk52dbbwzfneEc1DBhYI6nzMYuol3yWTEoOFa3kAbles9nmAeoZJzd5sYufjJcsnV79rdFvp2frE9xhPnluMpr85ZAWFF96A-EouMt6XwJrp8mgJGKBFbkPAbRYJweNL6VHvg/s1600/NY+Trek+Alumni+Dinner.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461966630894770114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0X_m5dQhk52dbbwzfneEc1DBhYI6nzMYuol3yWTEoOFa3kAbles9nmAeoZJzd5sYufjJcsnV79rdFvp2frE9xhPnluMpr85ZAWFF96A-EouMt6XwJrp8mgJGKBFbkPAbRYJweNL6VHvg/s200/NY+Trek+Alumni+Dinner.JPG" /></a>After class we ate on campus at the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Spangler</span> Food Court. Then, we spent the rest of the day discovering Harvard University. I walked down Oxford Street, and found my way to the Harvard Law School where I sat for a while reading under the warm sun, taking everything in - it had been a busy Trek so far! Later in the evening, we met with some Oxford alumni, who were now studying at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">HBS</span> and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">HLS</span>, and enjoyed a nice dinner, courtesy of Oxford Alumni, at a highly-recommended restaurant, called "<a href="http://www.upstairsonthesquare.com/">Upstairs on the Square</a>." </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTB_RISuDO6XcMm7oDiOAx3MkVaTuP6avUE-amnXkOWG_Q7EuAINbenVbmnwHzgRK_bSma7TLMWX_XaOlzP2mgXbkp468IwKkktblLIYEq4XBNSN0Af5YfqAzf3nc4LVSegm-0o7iuimY/s1600/Fidelity+Investments+logo.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 50px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461971036998974082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTB_RISuDO6XcMm7oDiOAx3MkVaTuP6avUE-amnXkOWG_Q7EuAINbenVbmnwHzgRK_bSma7TLMWX_XaOlzP2mgXbkp468IwKkktblLIYEq4XBNSN0Af5YfqAzf3nc4LVSegm-0o7iuimY/s200/Fidelity+Investments+logo.jpg" /></a>Following a nice day of rest-and-relaxation, we visited the last two companies of our Trek on Friday. We started the day at the international headquarters for <a href="https://jobs.fidelity.com/investment/">Fidelity Investments</a> at 245 Summer Street in Boston. Founded in 1946, Fidelity grossed more than $12 billion in sales last year. The nation's largest private mutual fund company, Fidelity rose to prominence when famed mutual fund manager, Peter Lynch, averaged a 29% annual return during his tenure between 1977 and 1990. With over $20 billion in assets, the Magellan fund has now been eclipsed by the Fidelity "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Contrafund</span>," which has nearly $60 billion in assets. Each year, Fidelity brings in roughly twice the total number of assets of Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Citi</span> Smith Barney combined. In addition to its retail activities, Fidelity also boasts a very strong asset management business. Our host Alison invited Matt from institutional research to talk with us about the exciting things that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">FRM</span> is doing. Thank you both very much!<br /></div><div><a href="http://www.statestreet.com/company/careers/job_opportunities.html"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 204px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 96px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461971492278373938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX46WCquLAO4RoJBa37Q-QStueSWPIPHK9PRCUkeZsCqIaDrZpyStR6NptGvE2bbr5hnDMARuGKKrwZHKoPxGKq_z9r1D8o6I_GOPlgIGYW23crNECrSH1G3Kmlh9N4twOG6y2KMXCb1M/s320/State+Street+logo.png" /></a><br /><div>Later in the afternoon, we walked down the block to visit <a href="http://www.statestreet.com/company/careers/job_opportunities.html">State Street Corp</a> at 1 Lincoln Street. Our host Lauren organized a tour <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">de</span> force. Over the course of two hours, we toured the trading floor, met with the head of Talent Acquisition (Richard), the recruiter for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">SSgA</span>-Global <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">Advisors</span> (Erin), and the recruiter for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">SSGM</span>-Global Markets (Amy). They were incredibly generous with their time. The head of trading also stopped by to take us through a day-in-the-life of a new hire in the "professional development program (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">PDP</span>)." Like many other companies, State Street is looking to expand its footprint, and its "global rotational program (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">GRP</span>)" with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">SSgA</span> sounds very promising, yet extremely competitive. Thank you for making it a spectacular visit!</div><br /><div>Finally, I would once again like to thank Harvard University, Fidelity Investments, and State Street for making our New York/Boston Trek an unmitigated success. I hope that you were as impressed with us, as we were with you. I very much look forward to helping next year's MBA class visit again, and to include other Boston financial firms, such as Putnam Investments and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">MFS</span>. Now it's back to Oxford to start Trinity term (ends July 3rd), provided this Icelandic volcanic eruption stops already!</div></div></div></div>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-33602340147028080402010-04-09T15:35:00.002-04:002010-04-09T15:47:37.387-04:00hilary [trek]: press release, launch<span style="color:#333333;">For the past two-months I've been organizing a cross-Atlantic Trek to New York. Everything is now ready to go! We're visiting ten blue-chip companies in New York and Boston, and twelve MBAs are participating. While we're here, we're also attending alumni events in both New York and Boston. And we're going to meet our fellow MBAs at Columbia and Harvard. It should be great fun, and I'm going to blog about all of it! Let's start with the press release recently issued by the Oxford B-school Press Office:</span><br /><br /><br /><strong>Oxford Comes to Wall Street</strong><br /><em>MBAs on business trek to New York and Boston</em><br /><br />9 – 18 April 2010<br /><br />Saïd Business School, University of Oxford<br /><br />A team of MBA students from Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford will be visiting the USA on a business trek organised by the School’s student network for Finance. The team will be visiting New York and Boston to meet with key companies from the financial sector in order to gain an insight into how business in the sector operates.<br /><br />With participants from Europe, North and South America, and Asia the trek is an opportunity for students to increase their understanding of the financial markets and business developments in the US, to see firsthand how the financial sector is recovering, and to network with Oxford alumni and corporate contacts. The students also plan to meet with MBA candidates for the incoming class.<br /><br />One of the organising students Justin Belkin said: ‘‘The MBA class at Saïd is very diverse with participants from around 50 countries worldwide and from a wide variety of different sectors. The School has an excellent finance faculty and many of the class, keen to pursue a career in that sector, expressed an interest in getting firsthand experience of American culture and trade so I decided to organise a trek focusing on different organisations on Wall Street and beyond. We could not have chosen a better time to visit. As the economy recovers, more employers are looking to recruit from the top business schools, and Oxford is a natural choice. This will be a good opportunity to highlight the USA as an attractive destination for a fulfilling post-MBA career.”<br /><br />The 15 students undertaking the trek are all keen to forge strong connections and to learn from the companies they will meet on their visit including: Barclays Capital, CB Richard Ellis, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Fidelity Investments, Pfizer, Sanford Bernstein, SecondMarket, and State Street.<br /><br />The Oxford students will also meet with fellow MBAs from both Columbia and Harvard Universities to network and build transatlantic relationships.<br /><br />While the team is confident that they will hear practical wisdom from these interactions, they hope to reciprocate by engaging in meaningful dialogue and offering consultancy advice on specific opportunities and challenges for some of the organisation’s they visit.<br /><br />Derek Walker, Head of Careers at Saïd commented: ‘It is good to see the strong interest among our students in working in the finance sector in the USA, and clearly the country presents good opportunities. The students have set up a series of valuable meetings and will also be working closely with our alumni there to maximise their opportunities. The visit is a good way for companies to meet MBA students who are highly motivated to work in the US, are geographically mobile, and who have a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, business specialisms and sector experience. We look forward to a successful visit.’Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-84306756131666934222010-03-21T09:46:00.008-04:002010-03-21T10:33:16.549-04:00hilary [week 10]: oxford literary festival<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0t6DW7umbEA45hKeI6rlFWMv2G1FRR2vUlksqeAjLpzfznIWE8fu7iwXGYt2kJ6Ux57o_RBvp-Kcymq5DDJmF8XKVlEyiLyM5q1tQBPlzN5HvhJfhXfgQ-4lS-YH7xNVgpQKe7sjehM/s1600-h/Waterstones+Oxford.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 145px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451085809523514498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0t6DW7umbEA45hKeI6rlFWMv2G1FRR2vUlksqeAjLpzfznIWE8fu7iwXGYt2kJ6Ux57o_RBvp-Kcymq5DDJmF8XKVlEyiLyM5q1tQBPlzN5HvhJfhXfgQ-4lS-YH7xNVgpQKe7sjehM/s200/Waterstones+Oxford.jpg" /></a> It was time to head into town to reward myself with a nice caramel macchiato. I had just finished delivering a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation on our Darjeeling Tea Single Estate business proposal, and I was in need of some refreshment.<br /><br />Every Hilary term, MBAs must pass the “<a href="http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/degrees/mba/Pages/Projects.aspx">Entrepreneurial Project (EP)</a>” in order to graduate. The EP counts for one class, and is broken-up into two parts. The presentation part that I had just completed (40% of grade) lasted 30-minutes in total (i.e. 10m presentation, 10m Q&A, and 10m feedback). The second part of the EP consists of an 8,000 word paper/business plan (60% of grade), and is due on the first day of Naught Week (Trinity Term). The examiners will give us back the first part of our grade as early as this Monday, which coincidentally is the first day of finals.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADUFfp7Z6BPO4sBL05MCqy2b_N3BrZyFEDyFJyTXfQeWrvg7kJ9hVihvwNPrHyE8n6xLGXOlv4Ib2ObmRu5w-H_JslchMBOvQnFe5XJOZ4D9eNGYYEOvUuJxpkGiRgGvl6_WMgsQXxw0/s1600-h/Oxford+Literary+Festival.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451087637702470002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADUFfp7Z6BPO4sBL05MCqy2b_N3BrZyFEDyFJyTXfQeWrvg7kJ9hVihvwNPrHyE8n6xLGXOlv4Ib2ObmRu5w-H_JslchMBOvQnFe5XJOZ4D9eNGYYEOvUuJxpkGiRgGvl6_WMgsQXxw0/s200/Oxford+Literary+Festival.jpg" /></a>But before I could start worrying about exams, I was driven by a much more important mission. To wrap my hands around a nice comforting cup of coffee goodness. As I walked through the Broad Street entrance into <a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/">Waterstones</a> bookstore in the old William Baker House, something immediately caught my attention. I came across an interesting flyer advertising the <a href="http://www.oxfordliteraryfestival.com/">Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival</a>, which was to start tomorrow.<br /><br />So, I grabbed a flyer, and made my way up the two flights of stairs to the Costa Coffee café. I couldn’t believe my good luck! I found a new reason to come back to Oxford after I graduate. From this Saturday, March 20 until next Sunday, March 28 over 300 accomplished authors will be speaking across the University.<br /><br />Each event costs £10 to attend, and they do not offer student discounts (I asked). Most events will be held at Christ Church. They’ve set-up special outdoor tents near the Memorial Garden entrance off St. Aldates that extend into the Masters Garden. Other authors will speak at Corpus Christi College, the Bodleian, and the Sheldonian.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZmGMNgWq2RtWPvHoePdsPe_W2vrWQ1ftI3m5WBmYkG8Uayzww1kXlMBUlnKvUf4AAXnOxHcDK4X1E-xBYYiI2H591NpLaeNBX1GDT662pgowtIbkGmFkjAjMTVUyNtXXZAD1HhQko8g/s1600-h/Times+Literary+Festival+2010.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbfEg5sSyXalZ7mFu_6J1fynNKJHlcBctrZnDHUFNX8x4jnS5fgN5cl7cuFDMjgMnTMnYueIhc2nNVPrCJMAcDX-HMpSjJ1HtPgcVbQOaI274pvGD34vF9wGbCI8ohQ3E20T7Qh7qs4k/s1600-h/Times+Literary+Festival+2010.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451087943804803106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbfEg5sSyXalZ7mFu_6J1fynNKJHlcBctrZnDHUFNX8x4jnS5fgN5cl7cuFDMjgMnTMnYueIhc2nNVPrCJMAcDX-HMpSjJ1HtPgcVbQOaI274pvGD34vF9wGbCI8ohQ3E20T7Qh7qs4k/s200/Times+Literary+Festival+2010.jpg" /></a>I’ve taken a break from studies to see some fellow Exonians, namely Martin Amis and Philip Pullman. This Saturday I attended “The Fantasy Tradition at Oxford” at 2pm with authors Philip Pullman (Golden Compass), and William Horwood (Duncton Wood). I bought the “Golden Compass” for £7.99 and had Pullman sign it for me. I told him about my blog, too, but he seemed…confused/disinterested.<br /><br />Next Saturday, Martin Amis will be speaking on his new book, “The Pregnant Widow.” I don’t know much about the book, but it appears rather miraculous how a widow can get pregnant – surely there must be some dramatic way around this?<br /><br />There are many other fun events that I wish I could attend, but just don’t have the time. For example, the Director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor spoke at the Sheldonian about “A History of the World in 100 Objects.” On a sassier note, Dr. Brooke Magnanti will speak more about her literary career as blogger-cum-author where she recounts her days as a high-end call girl to pay for her doctoral studies at Sheffield.<br /><br />I strongly urge you to pick up a schedule at either Blackwells or Waterstones, or simply walk down to Christ Church and follow the signs. I look forward to making the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival a regular tradition for my family.Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-12205022828909284992010-03-20T12:34:00.008-04:002010-03-20T13:25:47.152-04:00hilary [week 9]: hello pressI’m a seasoned veteran by now. It’s been nearly 6-months since I arrived in Oxford to start my MBA program. I guess you can say that I’<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">ve</span> reached the “half-way” mark...and I’<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">ve</span> been blogging about it ever since.<br /><br />I am <em>so </em>interested in recording my experiences here, in fact, that I was one of the first <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span> to respond back in October to a request from the <a href="http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/newsandevents/Pages/contacts.aspx"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Saïd</span> Business School Press Office</a> to serve as a “Public Relations Ambassador”. They invited me to sit for an interview so that they could write a profile on me. That profile was then neatly tucked away in a desk draw. For nearly a half year that profile has not seen the light of day – until last week.<br /><br />Apparently, an independent contributor to the Financial Times was writing a story on “blogging, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span>, and social networking.” The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">SBS</span> Press Office reached out to me asking if I would be interested in answering a few questions, and that the writer had a strict Monday deadline. A couple of days later I was chatting with the writer over the telephone for a half hour. I followed up a day later with an email to thank him. I also wanted to make sure that he was clear on what I had said during the interview, so I included the following recapitulation:<br /><br /><em><strong>Introduction...the problem</strong><br />After heeding the mantra of my previous employer that the future of investment banking was "Dubai, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Mumbai</span>, Shanghai, or say good-bye," I crossed the other side of the Atlantic to attend the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Saïd</span> Business School, University of Oxford where our class hails from nearly 50 countries. Now I was faced with a new problem...how to stay in touch with a diverse group of 250 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span>? <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> emerged as the clear solution - then <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Linkedin</span>.<br /><br /></em><em><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span>/<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Linkedin</span> solution...<br /></strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> was such a popular choice, that the incoming MBA class actually migrated over from the "Incoming Student" intranet site to the new "</em><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=44133047689"><em>Said Business School - Class of 2010</em></a><em>" <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> page. Part of the reason was that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> not only allowed for richer content, but also proved to be a better vehicle for communicating with past and future Oxford <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> proved so valuable to me as President of the Oxford Finance Club that I even launched a "</em><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=337599430005"><em>Finance-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">OBN</span> (Oxford Business Network)</em></a><em>" <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> page to publicize group events.<br /><br /><strong>Blogging solution...</strong><br />Nevertheless, as useful as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">Linkedin</span> have been to our MBA class in helping us coordinate and publicize activities, they couldn't quite capture the "human narrative" that old-fashioned blogging filled rather nicely. During the application process, in fact, I derived the most benefit from <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">Googleing</span> "Oxford MBA blogs." This led me to both the "official" Oxford MBA blog (for which I am now a contributor), and all the way to India where I regularly read (and contributed) to </em><a href="http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/international-indian-mba-schools-accepting/42682-oxford-said-applicants-2010-11-a.html"><em><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">Pagalguy</span></em></a><em>.<br /><br />It became clear to me that no matter how glossy the MBA brochure, nothing could replace the down and dirty <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">nitty</span> gritty narrative of personal experience that others so kindly provided on these blogs. Having benefiting so much from the kind postings of others, I decided to give back to others by launching my own blog called, "Confessions of an Oxford MBA." Through Google Analytics I can see that my blog currently reaches thousands of readers in 45 countries from New York to New <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dehli</span>.</em><br /><em></em><br />*I'm very curious to read this Monday's weekly FT "MBA Report" to see if: (a) they even run the article (b) do they mention me explicitly (quote) or implicitly (c) if they do quote me I hope it reflects well on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">SBS</span> and myself. I'm sure I'll write an addendum to this blog post if they run the story in some form or another - it was a great experience either way.Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-58213947385015748242010-03-20T03:34:00.006-04:002010-03-21T08:03:10.884-04:00hilary [week 8]: hector sants, ceo of fsa<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZSwD-8hX9WapzhVizo_GQ475KZqZofAZhx_BcG13vrSpyRth-gpxQOG3FNbZh9ogQcusOLmImNwwxS7VkwUVhjPAfT6eYsrWG6LNEe_4dyLDOtGCaPAglrxfXgnvsSdUV2r1cJfzIvM/s1600-h/Hector+Sants+FSA+Dinner+March+2010.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450617777616403266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZSwD-8hX9WapzhVizo_GQ475KZqZofAZhx_BcG13vrSpyRth-gpxQOG3FNbZh9ogQcusOLmImNwwxS7VkwUVhjPAfT6eYsrWG6LNEe_4dyLDOtGCaPAglrxfXgnvsSdUV2r1cJfzIvM/s200/Hector+Sants+FSA+Dinner+March+2010.JPG" /></a> Before choosing Oxford for my MBA, I had visited several other business schools. I was surprised to learn that in just about every instance, other business schools were geographically and culturally separate from the larger university. One thing that appealed to me about Oxford was the fact that the Saïd Business School is an integral part of the University of Oxford.<br /><br />Many of the people whose names splash the headlines of the Financial Times come and speak at Oxford. In this way the business school benefits from Oxford’s 800-year history of educating leaders. Last Friday was no exception. Fresh from his morning interview with the BBC Today show, Hector Sants returned to his alma mater to deliver the Annual Lubbock Lecture in Management Studies to a packed theatre at the Saïd Business School, entitled “UK Financial Regulation: After the Crisis.”<br /><br />Having served the past three years as CEO of the Financial Services Authority, Mr. Sants had already handed in his resignation in February, but with 6-months left to go in his term, he had a new announcement that he wanted to make at Oxford. As President of the Oxford Finance Club, I attended the event, and I was also invited to the boardroom afterwards to have dinner.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIsIDq314EwO4MSfBpMMWZgmTTXGKgxdjaYAnrckpKlS8B5ktQDv7RmVwbFc8dfRNevwmQ9Fnb0Dbn6sAL7plpEyG_W2ZlJTXxmkBGjD_Pi4EYw6Txald649-BW96IjewsTgbMKMCRFI/s1600-h/Hector+Sants+FSA.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450617916176457810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIsIDq314EwO4MSfBpMMWZgmTTXGKgxdjaYAnrckpKlS8B5ktQDv7RmVwbFc8dfRNevwmQ9Fnb0Dbn6sAL7plpEyG_W2ZlJTXxmkBGjD_Pi4EYw6Txald649-BW96IjewsTgbMKMCRFI/s200/Hector+Sants+FSA.bmp" /></a>During the dinner, we followed Chatham House Rules allowing us to speak freely, but on the condition that opinions remained anonymous. We all shared a good laugh when I pointed out the fact that Mr. Sants and I would both be looking for jobs this summer. It just so happens that the FSA is hiring. I was surprised to learn that regulators get more exposure to global capital markets than investment bankers. I also suspect that regulators will be in high demand over the next few years as the financial services industry waits nervously to see what new rules will be meted out.<br /><br />Mr. Sants’ tenure as CEO of the FSA began inauspiciously in July 2007. He had the misfortune of being appointed just weeks after two hedgefunds at Bear Stearns unexpectedly collapsed. This was followed by the American Home Mortgage bankruptcy in August. During these early days of the recession few had ever heard of collateralized mortgage obligations, or credit default swaps.<br /><br />It was only a matter of time before the spill-over effect rippled across the Atlantic. The first to fall in the United Kingdom was Northern Rock in February 2008. Next, the British government nationalized part of Lloyds Bank and RBS. The FSA quickly found itself thrust into the limelight.<br /><br />When the dust finally settled, the FSA received mixed reviews on its handling of the economic crisis. Many viewed the FSA as having too light of a touch for an industry that had witnessed regulatory concerns dating back to 1995 when Barings Bank collapsed. It appears that lax oversight may have once again contributed to a repeat of corporate excess.<br /><br />To combat these criticisms, Mr. Sants emphasized during his speech that the FSA needs to be more proactive, including intervening earlier. Mr. Sants formally announced tougher consumer protection rules governing the sale of financial products to the public. He declared, “We will now seek to proactively intervene earlier in the product chain to anticipate consumer detriment and choke it off before it occurs.” This new “outcomes-based” approach to regulation replaces the previous “principles-based” regime. The FSA will continue to follow a broad set of principles, but the big difference will be much stricter supervision.<br /><br />The new FSA approach to regulation ratchets up the dial on government heavy-handedness – perhaps too far. For example, reform on an institutional level will at the very minimum entail annual stress tests for banks. His speech also alluded to a possible “insurance tax” on financial institutions to offset systemic risk. Mr. Sants summarized his position as follows, “Higher capital and liquidity will reduce the probability of failure.” Mortgage companies will also be policed by “mystery shoppers” who will be monitoring lending standards. Many wonder whether the FSA is going too far, or not far enough?<br /><br />Despite these recent overtures, however, the FSA must still contend with the very real possibility that a Tory victory in the upcoming months may entirely uproot the institution that Mr. Sants has worked so hard to reform. Time will tell whether the money and political will exist for the FSA to succeed.<br /><br />*At the request of the Saïd Business School Press Office, this blog was posted on the website "BusinessBecause" in an article entitled, <em><a href="http://www.businessbecause.com/school-commentary/hector-sants-makes-fsa-announcement-at-oxford-university.htm">Hector Sants Makes FSA Announcement at Oxford University</a></em>.*Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-74967635103167519782010-03-13T20:44:00.017-05:002010-03-15T16:48:35.086-04:00hilary [week 7]: Q&A student panel<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyulbbDuqNa7j-L2jGjB35TU908asOdfoe6LaZmSKiZ-1ziqVPy8vRMR6cV9meha8Z7mfTz4URYb0fDAnn44Rf-evvs6GV3bajYXGrCOBfUPlkH9RVo-Bcho3Q6XaUCtAClVVIfrst2Ko/s1600-h/SBS+Open+Day+March+2010.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448322649681289586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyulbbDuqNa7j-L2jGjB35TU908asOdfoe6LaZmSKiZ-1ziqVPy8vRMR6cV9meha8Z7mfTz4URYb0fDAnn44Rf-evvs6GV3bajYXGrCOBfUPlkH9RVo-Bcho3Q6XaUCtAClVVIfrst2Ko/s200/SBS+Open+Day+March+2010.JPG" /></a> <em>Now</em> the tables were turned. Slightly over one year had passed since that blistering cold February night when I set course across the Atlantic with Lisa for my Oxford MBA interview. I strategically scheduled my interview during an “Open Day” to maximize my visit. Now flash forward to Friday where I found myself seated opposite 60 eager applicants as part of an MBA student panel.<br /><br />Owing to its relatively small size of 250 MBAs, the Saïd Business School interviews every short-listed MBA candidate before accepting them. Granted - some applicants opt for the telephone interview, but I was <em>SO </em>determined to get admitted into my top b-school choice, that I left nothing up to chance - and flew to Oxford to meet my maker face-to-face. Following my interview, I waited four painstaking weeks before learning their final verdict.<br /><br />Similarly, many of the applicants who had come today were approaching the end of their journey, hoping for the same release. As I walked into the Rhodes Trust Lecture Theatre to sit next to some of my MBA classmates, I felt all eyes descend upon us, eager to glean whatever nuggets of wisdom they could find. First question…<br /><br /><em>How did you go about picking an Oxford College?<br /></em><br />The University of Oxford is comprised of <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/colleges/">38 colleges and 6 halls</a>, of which 35 colleges currently accept MBA students. This is quite an impressive statistic – higher than Judge at Cambridge– indicating general acceptance of the newly minted MBA program within the larger University. The three colleges that don’t accept MBAs include Nuffield (alumnus Mohamed El-Erian), Somerville (alumnus Margaret Thatcher), and University (alumnus Bill Clinton). Every college boasts its own history, replete with rich tradition and fabled alumni. Colleges typically provide housing, food, religious service, and a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Room_(university)">Middle Common Room</a> (graduate community) to MBA students apart from the b-school. You really can’t go wrong with any of your choices.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCdQSaXSUW-f_QVZRwA2mApIqcuIGsHNXAgf84K42I645zKKgF9MtZmJgGUK4rXW4_CmTWX6ylDYlBvFeq2apivhcqCem-ZDCW0mrkhZx0pwm49t8IKdnm3nfIkkXrM5f_obogIGYWCQ/s1600-h/Oxord+College_GTC.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448315913732529906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCdQSaXSUW-f_QVZRwA2mApIqcuIGsHNXAgf84K42I645zKKgF9MtZmJgGUK4rXW4_CmTWX6ylDYlBvFeq2apivhcqCem-ZDCW0mrkhZx0pwm49t8IKdnm3nfIkkXrM5f_obogIGYWCQ/s200/Oxord+College_GTC.jpg" /></a>About one-third of the class becomes members of the de facto business college, GreenTempleton. Colloquially known as GTC, GreenTempleton offers housing right across from the b-school at Rewley Court, making it a popular choice for MBA with spouses, and families. Another 40 MBAs journey to St. Hugh’s where it is rumored to share a border with Scotland due to its geographic distance. Although I must confess it’s difficult to take issue with a college that has its own private-label wine.<br /><br />For those yearning to become a member of a top sporting college, then you might do well to choose Brasenose. With its entrance idyllically situated opposite the Radcliffe Camera, Brasenose also has new housing near the b-school. In addition, "boaties" proudly display their “black and gold” as they can claim the oldest boathouse in the world (founded 1815).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzvgcmfitAUcEIMA8AxwzF8cxaOHwX_ZichuMoTGzIzMVkgnFhyphenhyphenwdwF9lKCQOL8ED1jl36KbH2MzQ84YQuP_DjDGxfumuUmZ6Pc-KUNjD4YcYUBuL1tVZzmPybhTXi4z3f2zYvQxqW-E/s1600-h/Oxord+College_Christ+Church.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmpbmpoG0fgrf0bNumkGyQm1YwW9251IH1aB_jDBm7vkKKWemjuhiXQxq2o2KkdiXPs5m-koz1gNaQCS-MDVx8eu46cCJkDRBVlzjDwJjnGULNKlA4xNq70hJW9dMls_Rxu0KEWjf5yU/s1600-h/ChCh+Poker+2.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448319053482914994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmpbmpoG0fgrf0bNumkGyQm1YwW9251IH1aB_jDBm7vkKKWemjuhiXQxq2o2KkdiXPs5m-koz1gNaQCS-MDVx8eu46cCJkDRBVlzjDwJjnGULNKlA4xNq70hJW9dMls_Rxu0KEWjf5yU/s200/ChCh+Poker+2.JPG" /></a>Referred to as “the House,” few would pass on a chance to join Christ Church where they filmed the Harry Potter dining room scenes. This year we regularly played poker in the same MCR where Albert Einstein spent his time in 1931. But get ready to work. Their novice rowers practice perhaps more than any other college – often 8 times a week! After all, the novice rowing competition held during Michaelmas term is called the <a href="http://regatta.chchbc.org/">Christ Church Regatta</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaCVNf8JPE_NTIhG-0fR_A-aKLVt92WWLcFjVzRj_bMJSdX0-QGy6wYoH8DMkMTeIB-XPxzZghCaKTTprSpb04rpuZHe2ksIHulQE0Aq4OcnVJFmO1DnS6LEjZMwpbAfl7ylAsWHSErU/s1600-h/Oxord+College_Turl+Street.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448319534521266290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaCVNf8JPE_NTIhG-0fR_A-aKLVt92WWLcFjVzRj_bMJSdX0-QGy6wYoH8DMkMTeIB-XPxzZghCaKTTprSpb04rpuZHe2ksIHulQE0Aq4OcnVJFmO1DnS6LEjZMwpbAfl7ylAsWHSErU/s200/Oxord+College_Turl+Street.jpg" /></a>As you walk down the centuries old Turl Street you’ll discover three very ancient colleges: Exeter (1314), Lincoln (1427), and Jesus (1571). Exeter’s view overlooking the Radcliffe Square has been consistently voted as the “best view in Oxford.” Exeter offers sumptuous en-suite housing, but you have to trek to Cowley to get there. In contrast, Lincoln offers centrally located quarters on Bear Lane (City-Centre). They’re so small and cramped, however, that you would have to travel to Greece to find something more Spartan. Finally, few colleges can out fillet Jesus and its MBA disciples when it comes to best food.<br /><br />Whiles it’s impossible to profile every college, I certainly recommend taking a walk down Oriel Square toward the old cobble-stone Merton Street where you will pass Oriel before reaching Corpus Christi and finally Merton. All very beautiful colleges, you can often tell how old they are based on whether they kept to the traditional stone slab quads, which Corpus and Merton have, or whether they transitioned to the ubiquitous green lawn made fashionable in the 1850s. Oriel prides itself on having a strong rowing tradition, and this year they took a surprising number of MBAs (circa 15). Whereas Corpus is cozy, Merton is monolithic.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNylYGpjG34nI0TS9AD0vZw0TI6O2bccpRxoXERVj4qnzvYi4MnNH_0JnevU6hFpwGWuz3ncnN3gsMWm1PLJRm_uNnwOR448QKPuet4eif0scBXkti6c5FLe9YpkOWoHAHUyuxVapDd4/s1600-h/Oxord+College_Merton.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448320337655252066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNylYGpjG34nI0TS9AD0vZw0TI6O2bccpRxoXERVj4qnzvYi4MnNH_0JnevU6hFpwGWuz3ncnN3gsMWm1PLJRm_uNnwOR448QKPuet4eif0scBXkti6c5FLe9YpkOWoHAHUyuxVapDd4/s200/Oxord+College_Merton.jpg" /></a>Arguably the oldest college in Oxford, Merton (1264) basks in resplendent glory of having developed the first archetypal “quad,” which was later adopted by the other Oxbridge colleges. Following one of the stranger Oxford traditions, Mertonians observe the “Time Ceremony” every October where they hold hands and walk backwards around the Fellows’ Quad while drinking port in order to maintain the space-time continuum. You might think that after all this revelry it would be difficult to walk straight, let alone think straight. Nonetheless, Merton regularly outperforms its peers academically by finishing toward the top of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norrington_Table">Norrington Table</a> every year.<br /><br />If you believe in the Golden Rule: that he who has the gold makes the rules, then you might want to consider St. John’s, which is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_of_the_University_of_Oxford">the richest of all the Oxford Colleges</a>. This is also where former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair went to school. They are rumored to have the largest wine cellar in all of Oxford. With a rather large endowment in its own right, New College has trained several Hollywood actors including Hugh Grant and Kate Beckinsale. The New College Cloisters, along with its giant oak tree, were featured in the movie, Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZesaudqmvn_6vL638VT6KOROw4hXgIzdyfm5V_USEb2EZdEwZedW5gvQTtJ9NARmnZRaqNcX68GG2xilL579Di3EhWs4zSDlKrAOAHimGqT3EMaFvVW7Qxx0wguYNXVWq8QsvT1mYXVY/s1600-h/Oxord+College_Magdalen.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448322177012990578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZesaudqmvn_6vL638VT6KOROw4hXgIzdyfm5V_USEb2EZdEwZedW5gvQTtJ9NARmnZRaqNcX68GG2xilL579Di3EhWs4zSDlKrAOAHimGqT3EMaFvVW7Qxx0wguYNXVWq8QsvT1mYXVY/s200/Oxord+College_Magdalen.jpg" /></a>Meanwhile the more judicious among us should deliberate the merits of Magdalen College, which has educated two US Supreme Court Justices. Famous for having its own deer park, Magdalen was rumored at one point in its long history to keep the number of deer equal to the number of teaching fellows. This undoubtedly placed enormous pressure on faculty not to defect, lest they be served a never-ending staple of venison. But the biggest kept secret is that Magdalen offers free housing to the one MBA it accepts.<br /><br />Although the answer I provided during the actual Q&A wasn't so in-depth, I do believe that I communicated the same basic point. There is not one perfect Oxford College. They all possess a unique charm. The larger point to be made is that this collegiate system is what separates the Oxford MBA from other b-schools. And if you find this enchanting, then choose Oxford!<br /><br /><em>*During the Q&A I was asked many other questions related to jobs, families, work/life balance, etc. Please write a comment below specifying which topic you would like me to address next*</em>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-45895598773355651812010-03-13T20:44:00.003-05:002010-03-13T20:44:36.990-05:00hilary [week 6]:Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-18852673380726174742010-03-13T20:44:00.001-05:002010-03-13T20:44:21.279-05:00hilary [week 5]:Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-52246206886770099832010-03-13T20:43:00.001-05:002010-03-21T13:10:03.953-04:00hilary [week 4]: valentine's day<img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 181px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451128167899875394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DB-An-_XpPv7S624-sUJAD72PyxoiBtpxoVehTNCjshaQ90CrPX-1JpuAdILZ5VFEGmn4ObnVGQvaM9qFrHdVDfwn_yVgllMuqxAK1n4mS-xtshAtXDxTRiNvqVJ0DdHkJs6pjQG4m0/s200/Valentine's+Day.png" />A month has passed since I last saw my fiancée Lisa. I actually think that we've handled being apart much better than expected. Unlike some other couples where MBA really stands for "Married, But Available," Lisa and I have kept focused on what's really important to us: our wedding later this year, and making lots of money!<br /><br />I attribute our success to several factors. We Skype almost every night. We constantly send little "pings" back-and-forth between our iPhones during the day. It also helps that I'm constantly distracted by studying, applying for jobs, and participating in extra-curriculars (e.g. student government, finance club, and rowing). Although I can't speak for Lisa, I imagine that it helps that she's working full-time, and has her family nearby.<br /><br />That being said, at least half of MBAs decide to bring their significant other with them. There exists a strong support network here at Oxford for couples and families. But regardless of the level of support, I've noticed two things. First, there is a difference between married couples with kids, and those without. The two groups tend to "hang-out" in different circles, which is fine, because there's plenty of both to go around. Second, I observe that to keep the relationship healthy the spouse MUST find some kind of work, whether paid or unpaid (volunteer work). This can be complicated because of work visa issues, but I think that if someone wanted to, they could always find a job labeling Darwin's butterflies at the Oxford Museum of Natural History.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCytTzLlwcYl00dDzJMoFww0K8SKrZq2hJ0l1J4Q3FxtAyertBejOE9O5fQXnoAAKrEUX6Ph_qRkb9ndS7dtdw7rrKEnEElJsRMhJS1mze0oYuCE2jedBGYetw4SoM3a7uxpLDSEPGxX0/s1600-h/Valentine's+Visit+Justin+Randolph+breakfast.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451130485789967858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCytTzLlwcYl00dDzJMoFww0K8SKrZq2hJ0l1J4Q3FxtAyertBejOE9O5fQXnoAAKrEUX6Ph_qRkb9ndS7dtdw7rrKEnEElJsRMhJS1mze0oYuCE2jedBGYetw4SoM3a7uxpLDSEPGxX0/s200/Valentine's+Visit+Justin+Randolph+breakfast.JPG" /></a>It also helped tremendously to make special visits every so often to see one another. This Valentine's Day Lisa flew to Oxford to see me. I picked-her up at the airport, and after spending one night at my college accommodations ("The Exeter Estate & Gardens"), we spent the weekend at the Randolph Hotel. The Randolph normally costs £215 per night minimum, but they have a special arrangement with SBS where they charges £150 per night, and this includes a hot breakfast. This amounts to a significant 30% in savings at one of the swankiest addresses in Oxford! In order to qualify for the discount, however, you have to coordinate with the front desk at SBS, which acts as a good safe-guard against non-MBAs qualifying for the discount.<br /><br />Through the kind beneficense of our friends, Lisa and I enjoyed a sumptious dinner at the Christ Church Grand Dining Hall courtesy of Nisheeth, followed the next day by lunch at Lincoln College - thanks to Harpreet. We ended our vacation with Lisa's first Formal Hall dinner at Exeter College. We had a great time although the Valentine's Day vacation was too short to do much travelling outside Oxford. Especially because I had assignments due that Monday and Tuesday. At least Lisa gets to see that I really do work hard here. Enjoy the pics:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRTJe4rwtDRao8YtyeyM7UXARuxU6qSrPi1AjtVjVlltwVZxv8pTAjOy8hp_mxKR7QJzdELly4_nWPDDE8OT33waqpPi-3ueT0SZAmY7cZEMDtlbCeVh_B77pwUH6-r_skJ-iyj7rzp0/s1600-h/Valentine's+Day+Exeter+Dinner+friends.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451132135861503474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRTJe4rwtDRao8YtyeyM7UXARuxU6qSrPi1AjtVjVlltwVZxv8pTAjOy8hp_mxKR7QJzdELly4_nWPDDE8OT33waqpPi-3ueT0SZAmY7cZEMDtlbCeVh_B77pwUH6-r_skJ-iyj7rzp0/s200/Valentine's+Day+Exeter+Dinner+friends.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gwNOwnlt39wZ0uizHGlQLiyhI-Wc8w8ROq6NaNSu1FWO8nWNSldgsIUPMaHu30L6pXAeHVeE8P894Mgjh-dQCImZuifiEA4qygF6StOHkfxLNpzQquMTa7qIHBoVoxjnUftd7-bea0U/s1600-h/Valentine's+Visit+ChCh+Dinner.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451132746328612562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gwNOwnlt39wZ0uizHGlQLiyhI-Wc8w8ROq6NaNSu1FWO8nWNSldgsIUPMaHu30L6pXAeHVeE8P894Mgjh-dQCImZuifiEA4qygF6StOHkfxLNpzQquMTa7qIHBoVoxjnUftd7-bea0U/s200/Valentine's+Visit+ChCh+Dinner.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXAjOMD0-nZLPi5RIZQe7Wg74RREeCaHaQOd2sPINckfYghWxuMS7SRzpQoLHn73o6oKfYo5DKtzsGWYwQKSkBaDt_KyxgQZZOJUK4hZ0SByfki-CWDM1d_WBEiJCyxw2DERLnp4zrpM/s1600-h/Valentine's+Visit+ChCh+Dinner+Inside+close.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451133320999937970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXAjOMD0-nZLPi5RIZQe7Wg74RREeCaHaQOd2sPINckfYghWxuMS7SRzpQoLHn73o6oKfYo5DKtzsGWYwQKSkBaDt_KyxgQZZOJUK4hZ0SByfki-CWDM1d_WBEiJCyxw2DERLnp4zrpM/s200/Valentine's+Visit+ChCh+Dinner+Inside+close.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbNVRnwEO3t1FXtVCj99_UqqvjCQWWshBedOf3tgZEMACpEjzQjtBAj5HjHDNoRTEq1mBEtX6eZckfo-7er_joOnc0saWZBih6ydBQetoPxkCPLY8X3C7pyEPAKj7q2rL7-NaiDgmgqY/s1600-h/Valentine's+Visit+Lisa.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451134858997432658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbNVRnwEO3t1FXtVCj99_UqqvjCQWWshBedOf3tgZEMACpEjzQjtBAj5HjHDNoRTEq1mBEtX6eZckfo-7er_joOnc0saWZBih6ydBQetoPxkCPLY8X3C7pyEPAKj7q2rL7-NaiDgmgqY/s200/Valentine's+Visit+Lisa.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXganFZe1PkeEHCutGthoPTQi6IaaM1-n90796EuNKJVIpWs28MvNk9UGwnkHyNJlZULA0U0TBdHtLNIou7-xrr37DFtMS6zlzali_HbrWPFAyJi9w0yfsIedr5Ysn1LyblLI0URZ8E0/s1600-h/Valentine's+Visit+ChCh+Dinner+Nisheeth+Harpreet.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451134279391237202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXganFZe1PkeEHCutGthoPTQi6IaaM1-n90796EuNKJVIpWs28MvNk9UGwnkHyNJlZULA0U0TBdHtLNIou7-xrr37DFtMS6zlzali_HbrWPFAyJi9w0yfsIedr5Ysn1LyblLI0URZ8E0/s200/Valentine's+Visit+ChCh+Dinner+Nisheeth+Harpreet.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKBDe1vdbUnGpGqaNq3kJ22KyrSdYyPf-0vVM6OTCoAKHyCbBgVvOWYFUQzqH3TQIleV28q4Fl4-UnVYsKj9M9o48p-ig2EUGxibPxTVd3TiZ-eASYLy6PEEywZvWizzgUa0G6ABvGyI/s1600-h/Valentine's+Visit+ChCh+Dinner+inside+far.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451133800090761986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKBDe1vdbUnGpGqaNq3kJ22KyrSdYyPf-0vVM6OTCoAKHyCbBgVvOWYFUQzqH3TQIleV28q4Fl4-UnVYsKj9M9o48p-ig2EUGxibPxTVd3TiZ-eASYLy6PEEywZvWizzgUa0G6ABvGyI/s200/Valentine's+Visit+ChCh+Dinner+inside+far.JPG" /></a>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-5448866193771513532010-03-13T20:41:00.000-05:002010-03-13T20:43:36.812-05:00hilary [week 3]:Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-14789293409444066172010-01-25T13:16:00.012-05:002010-03-15T16:49:21.931-04:00hilary [week 2]: financial times and haggis<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfw8QLA9AMqk1QCAqYSyroEw86pHJlS07rWJ4KzLP1Dc2FFXphwxvngz_QmBx4JBAmLYYWNUa0wpDDnxcONUxD9mrd5epuGEtpOG-EgFiZi08mCBZTU8AbIDDIFuAQV35F1_tBiRrjIQ/s1600-h/FT+MBA+Rankings.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 146px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430796508014362162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfw8QLA9AMqk1QCAqYSyroEw86pHJlS07rWJ4KzLP1Dc2FFXphwxvngz_QmBx4JBAmLYYWNUa0wpDDnxcONUxD9mrd5epuGEtpOG-EgFiZi08mCBZTU8AbIDDIFuAQV35F1_tBiRrjIQ/s200/FT+MBA+Rankings.jpg" /></a>One might understandably wonder what the Financial Times newspaper and haggis have in common. And I must confess not much at all, other than the fact, that this week I enjoyed revelling in the glory that the <a href="http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings">Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2010</a> saw Oxford move up four spots to #16 world-wide (tied with Yale) to become the second highest ranked B-school in the United Kingdom behind LBS...and that I got to expand my gastronomical limits by trying haggis. <div><div><br /></div></div><div></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430839606558448626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYeqoeysjiuVhtnCBEBC47jwW1A8Ei_1M-NugK5OnXzo-xaPLw5FbENKuU-08exUamz-poyo4aD-AISDKCvN6LfKlOQQkJ3reTgfUpZBmwyclWIgf6VVy56prVKTHhun9Pb6ah3TBrLM/s200/Robert+Burns+Dinner.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430839611994106866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKW7Y6eNWlA5xjNDaCdR-Qd75SLp16O0Px4wLfmwh9W_eUm4asOtHXKKh_rpCxdhaH7ZlrE3DVbhPuR1hCtkC5ZmxP3ifMd_WsrelRdihche6dyvt4TzKJ2PyE__Y-dzI0H0QuaxVAR4s/s200/Haggis+Neeps+Tatties.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430839622790241314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_lsa3K9ESsrJD44Ps1Zp8e7hjDygFKSh82kJJupQuZXmI8E2F_jbWH7nPcwIrf030NsuPrfY2q7uu2CDWPkgwhwGhD54o5EYFgrGSS7nP_JTEz0GlH5Wxp5S6MBBj7W7weOgYvBnLIk/s200/Cutting+the+Haggis.JPG" /><br />Of course, not <em>too</em> much faith should be placed in these rankings, but nonetheless it serves as a signal to recruiters about the growing prestige and quality of the Oxford MBA. Had the rankings been released just a few hours earlier, I might have enjoyed a nice toast of fine Scotch during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns">Robert Burns</a> Dinner that I was invited to at Merton College - by my friend Pavan.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tojNJGDV1oIYEIL8JU1TY3Vc0E9N_x5MsKzfbQGLjTf2F4y9Iy2AdK7EwKMGCzWvnx7SJtWS1ekQkG_9E2R-QTtySsdlopogtMtL1zhbe0g7Pu2OZMoxtFLPMN_uzq9-43s7WO8HDa4/s1600-h/Scotland_Haggis.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430797077488794850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tojNJGDV1oIYEIL8JU1TY3Vc0E9N_x5MsKzfbQGLjTf2F4y9Iy2AdK7EwKMGCzWvnx7SJtWS1ekQkG_9E2R-QTtySsdlopogtMtL1zhbe0g7Pu2OZMoxtFLPMN_uzq9-43s7WO8HDa4/s200/Scotland_Haggis.jpg" /></a>Commemorating the Scottish poet's "Address to a Haggis" back in 1787, we all dined on traditional <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis">haggis</a> (sheep heart, liver, and lungs), which was served alongside "neeps and tatties" (yellow turnips and potatoes). I managed to overcome my American culinary sensitivities by eating "at least one" piece of haggis. The night was filled with the sound of bagpipes playing, and dinner guests wearing their kilts and donning their best Scottish brogue. Oxford sure is an interesting place, and I've been so lucky to have had the opportunity to study here, and to make such good friends.</div>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-348136444670099502010-01-25T13:15:00.003-05:002010-01-25T20:41:11.683-05:00hilary [week 1]: mba finance club<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo51m80LlpuATza-O1W9ymxeYqq9Y8g3ZyOeuFfH6d3dNRr7AG9PwwAv46SyLhWBvQJSh6jmEe-6x_Zrirb1eVjceMKRVDietaFI5UC3C6hcOOTU2V-HImfgLr665ob18yO0GMROaVfao/s1600-h/OBA.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 107px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430851659424061506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo51m80LlpuATza-O1W9ymxeYqq9Y8g3ZyOeuFfH6d3dNRr7AG9PwwAv46SyLhWBvQJSh6jmEe-6x_Zrirb1eVjceMKRVDietaFI5UC3C6hcOOTU2V-HImfgLr665ob18yO0GMROaVfao/s200/OBA.jpg" /></a> Like any other top-tier MBA program, Oxford provides many opportunities for interested <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">MBAs</span> to become involved in student clubs. Every year the Oxford Business Alumni (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">OBA</span>) recognizes 5 core <a href="http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/DEGREES/MBA/Pages/OpeningDoors.aspx">"Oxford Business Networks (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">OBN</span>),"</a> including Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management Consulting, Private Equity, and Social Entrepreneurship. Beyond this "core" group many other non-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">permanent</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">OBNs</span> and "Student Interest Groups (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">SIGs</span>)" are supported depending on the inclination of the students.<br /><br />Current <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">OBNs</span> and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">SIGs</span> include Real Estate, Technology, Leadership, and Women in Business - just to name a few. In many ways these <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">groups operate </span>much like traditional MBA student clubs, however, the difference is that while run by students they are expressly operated in a way as to link current students with alumni and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">practitioners</span> in the field. It provides a nice "bridge" for students as they transition back into the work world, and also provides a mechanism to keep alumni involved.<br /><div></div><br /><div>For example, when I was elected as President of the core Finance OBN, I was elected to a 2-year term. Since the Oxford MBA only lasts 1-year this obviously means that I am "contracted" to stay on and support the next year's class as an alumni.</div>Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1426204835835274534.post-4097856565058660352010-01-21T18:33:00.006-05:002010-01-21T19:44:10.037-05:00hilary [week 0]: entrepreneurial project<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4nRGkxdlM6B72iggEBWwTjDmRxzMEUs1CJBwLvKHkbZf6xYsiAJqG_QXq3cATtv2_ZYoshQBxMIxZr1riDdmCT3j9r10-4rSdC8pGpCl3f6QcgfUWLUM-wucrnng5AA9TNBLpT6guKk/s1600-h/Darjeeling+Tea.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 161px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429349929761418338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4nRGkxdlM6B72iggEBWwTjDmRxzMEUs1CJBwLvKHkbZf6xYsiAJqG_QXq3cATtv2_ZYoshQBxMIxZr1riDdmCT3j9r10-4rSdC8pGpCl3f6QcgfUWLUM-wucrnng5AA9TNBLpT6guKk/s200/Darjeeling+Tea.jpg" /></a> As you may already know from reading my previous blogs, the Oxford school year is separated into Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity terms. Furthermore, each term is divided into roughly 11-weeks. Week 0, also referred to as "naught week," marks the start of students returning from their holiday break. Students then attend class from Weeks 1-8, revise for finals during Week 9, and finally take their exams during Week 10. But for an Oxford MBA...the work never really ends.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94wsYdOqiUOw_RtStnbpSXw7UERqxopUSbiAXq8y9k_OfEjytZWQj25KNfLPTlTjwy8SMmLEzbNSTQhQEx0MDxk1CNflcDCA3yxqm9nrFCFcEWQpc9pg3SBgoL1IoLQvh8kdDsqSOf48/s1600-h/Cup+of+Tea.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 175px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429350153303633202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94wsYdOqiUOw_RtStnbpSXw7UERqxopUSbiAXq8y9k_OfEjytZWQj25KNfLPTlTjwy8SMmLEzbNSTQhQEx0MDxk1CNflcDCA3yxqm9nrFCFcEWQpc9pg3SBgoL1IoLQvh8kdDsqSOf48/s200/Cup+of+Tea.jpg" /></a>I was working on several "pet projects" ever since returning to New York on December 19th. As soon as I returned to Oxford on January 13th for the start of Hilary term, I wasted no time executing my plans. In my next blog I will talk about the various initiatives I'm taking to raise the profile of the Oxford Finance Club. But for now I'll talk about the "Entrepreneurial Project (EP)" that I worked on over the Christmas break.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipV4KVKE4nY6XjnLYLEV1OzcJZ-KlfWQYrNG53DG97Wl2RibaKdD3jeutk_SovhSy1JI-dTTU676ZXyWxapEkL1fiVasSiV2Hs9J-vkCBzIZbK0DyenyycmDE6oXT6YojB_2yDIfzMTeU/s1600-h/SVCO+Panel.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429354239566776562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipV4KVKE4nY6XjnLYLEV1OzcJZ-KlfWQYrNG53DG97Wl2RibaKdD3jeutk_SovhSy1JI-dTTU676ZXyWxapEkL1fiVasSiV2Hs9J-vkCBzIZbK0DyenyycmDE6oXT6YojB_2yDIfzMTeU/s200/SVCO+Panel.jpg" /></a>First, a little context. To combat the criticism that B-schools do not impart their MBAs with any practical "real-world" experience, many programs now include business plan and consulting project components. Following this logic, by the end of Hilary term Oxford MBAs are expected to pitch our EP (business plan) to a panel of venture capitalists - some plans are actually funded by the VCs. Each EP group must consist of no more (or less) than 5 people. I am pleased to be working with Adarsh, Court, Genia, and Rajeev this term. Together, we must also submit a 6,000 word report related to our EP.<br /><br />After considering several options, we decided to form an EP group around the topic of Darjeeling Tea in India. I was motivated to try something new and different, but at the same time leverage my financial knowledge of auction markets, as well as my business knowledge of owning a coffee shop. To kick things off, I invited everyone to Exeter College for a formal dinner on Sunday. I brought a sampling of Darjeeling Tea products. I also shared my findings on product offerings, and pricing, from research performed in the exotic reaches of...New York. After several brain-storming sessions, we decided to focus on helping tea cooperatives in Darjeeling get a better price for their tea by arranging an online auction system. We will also help local plantations implement new technologies, as well as re-market their product so that it may reclaim its moniker of being the "champagne of teas." It will be an interesting journey, and I can't wait for my first trip to India!Justin Belkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07334775573655869157noreply@blogger.com0