trinity [week 5]: running of the bulls

A lot of readers want to know what it's like being an Oxford MBA. What is it really like to condense two-years of coursework into just one-year? The trick, of course, is to not only 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).

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.

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?

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.

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:

Sunday, May 23rd
Prepare for Real Estate and Corporate Valuation class tomorrow
Host friends at Exeter College for dinner and a tour

Monday, May 24th:
Class all day from 8:45am until 4:45pm
Pull all-nighter working on Real Estate assignment

Tuesday, May 25th
Class from 8:45am until 12:15pm
Finish Real Estate, and pull all-nighter working on Corporate Valuation assignment

Wednesday, May 26th:
Class all day from 8:45am until 4:45pm
During lunch attend a student government meeting (SAB) on the 2010 MBA class pledge
Help an MSc student with his research by volunteering to participate
*Real Estate assignment due by 8:30am
*Corporate Valuation assignment due by 12:00pm

Thursday, May 27th:
Class from 8:45am until 12:15pm
Pull all-nighter finishing two assignments due tomorrow

Friday, May 28th:
Meet with sector consultant Steven Todd to review my SCP strategy for the summer
*Managing the Project Portfolio assignment due by 5pm
*Marketing Innovation assignment due by 5pm

Saturday, May 29th:
Mid-term "Garden Tea Party" at the Perch Inn in Binary
Dinner and tour of Mansfield College courtesy of CK

Sunday, May 30th:
Dinner and tour of St. John's College courtesy of Nick
Pull all-nighter working on Entrepreneurial Finance
*Entrepreneurial Finance assignment due by 12:00pm tomorrow

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.

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.

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.