pre-mba: preparing for oxford

One of the most quintessential Oxford experiences is to row for your College. The ultimate, of course, is to be good enough to compete against Cambridge in the annual "Boat Race" for the chance to win a "Blue." But to put things into perspective, this year's boat (2009), which beat Cambridge, had 8 rowers, all of which were affiliated with the Saïd Business School at Oxford, and two of which actually rowed in the last Olympics! Regardless of age or ability, roughly 1 out of 3 Oxford students row at some level for their College. To succeed, even the amateur rowers wake-up for practice by 6am, and regularly run 4 miles to prepare themselves to compete.

I more modestly aspire to condition myself to pull my own weight in the boat. Although I have always played sports, even at the collegiate level, my greatest fear are the curses and mumblings I'll hear from my teammates as they see me try and squeeze into our tiny boat. Therefore, I decided last week to take fate into my own hands, and join a gym. Every day this week I've been jogging 3-miles on the treadmill, and then hitting the weights for another 30-minutes. Plus, I've been working in some tennis. For just $10 per/month I joined "Planet Fitness" to begin my quest to lose 15-20 pounds within 3-months before shipping off to England.

During my admissions interview at Oxford in February, I attended an "Open House" where the MBA administrators told us all about what to expect during out MBA course. At one point, they neatly presented a bar chart on the wall that clearly laid-out our day-to-day schedule: 3 hours of outside study, 3 hours of job search, 1 hour of sports, and 1 hour of debauchery. The rest of the day was presumably spent eating, sleeping, traveling to and fro, and actual class-room time. They recommended finding a balance between the very serious work at hand, and a chance to network with the larger university. According to their recommendation, though, it would be unwise to partake in more than 2 outside activities. So, after deciding on rowing, I had just one more arrow in my quiver before having the next year planned out exactly to the minute. 

In addition to rowing I thought I'd take up tennis. I've been playing tennis for 13 years now, and although I'm rusty, it's perhaps the best sport I have a chance to "really" compete in. During my undergraduate years I played for one year for my college team. Currently, I play in a Mens 3.5-4.0 USTA League in New York, but I've got a lot to work on! I would recommend anyone interested in sports, even at the recreational level, to find the appropriate contact at the Oxford University Sports Club page. 

In conclusion, no one disagrees that attending the Oxford MBA will be a hugely transformational experience, both professionally and personally. Part of that experience is to immerse yourself in the sporting tradition of the University, particularly rowing. But just as you would start preparing for your classes by brushing up on your math, it is also a wise idea to prepare yourself physically for what is sure to be an immensely mentally and physically grueling year!