[Straightforward_student]

I am currently an MFE student at Oxford, and for those considering the program, let me impart a few words of advice. First, the program is intensely theoretical and mathematical. You should have an intense mathematical background, in spite of the bull$%£& the program literature implies. In addition, you are expected to manipulate software dealing with econometrics and statistics, including coding some programs and models. Whether this is a valuable exercise in and of itself is beside the point - what you should consider is whether or not such a program will suit your interests and help you achieve your goals.

If what you are searching for is an applied finance course that will prepare you for a career in IB, this is not the program for you. A small handful of students, including myself, will be beginning careers in IB this summer, but we succeeded in the interview process largely by preparing for interviews at the expense of our academic work, not through it. I have found virtually nothing in the program that would prepare me to be conversant in finance, and have thus taken to reading all I can outside the scope of the course material in order to learn about the aspects of the marketplace that will be quintessential knowledge in the city.

Next, the program has suffered immensely due to failures on behalf of the administration to foresee and deal with problems as they arise. Although some issues have been effectively resolved, Said Business School's attitude seems to be that time will rectify the issues... in other words, if you attend the program in the first few years, you are treated more as a guinea pig than an important part of an incipient program.

Finally, if you attend the program, be prepared to experience little to nothing outside of life at the business school, especially if your background is not of a heavily quantitative nature. The material and the classes are immensely time-consuming, and often I find there is little value added by the lectures.

On the bright side of things, the name Oxford has and will undoubtedly continue to attract some of the best and brightest from around the world. The average GMAT in our initial MFE class is 730, which has hardly an equal anywhere in the world. Secondly, you will have the opportunity to meet several top industry experts, which has been a tremendously enriching part of the course. However, remember that Oxford is not a centre of business, and your lack of proximity to the finance centre is undoubtedly an obstacle rather than an advantage.

In sum, though the program has some highlights, essentially the benefit will be the brand-name Oxford on your resume. The course work is extremely theoretical and likely of very little value to someone interested in a career in IB. Much of your time is spent (read: wasted) dealing with side-issues, such as learning Matlab without any solid instruction on behalf of the university and analysing certain issues in theoretical finance until you are on the verge of insanity and intellectual stagnation. Unfortunately I am forced to honestly admit that I consider this program a grave mistake (I also got in to LSE). On the other hand, for those interested in heavily quantative careers, such as structuring, exotics, etc... this program may be of value, though one should keep in mind that such fields are even more competitive than IB.

Feel free to post specific questions - I would be happy to answer.