Hi everyone, just looking for some advice. I’m a 29 year old male with a European passport (although I’m of Indian origin) and considering doing an MBA to boost my career prospects. I also have over 7 years work experience at a top airline company in the UAE and have completed my masters and bachelors in Aerospace Engineering (graduated with a 2:1 in both programs)

I am targeting top universities in the UK . I don’t speak any other language besides English so it would be hard to find a job there. Based on my profile and assuming I get a decent gmat score what would be my chances of getting into Cambridge or Oxford?

These are the top two unis I think I can realistically aim for with my profile. Unfortunately my extra curriculars are also pretty weak and I have had just one job promotion in the last 7 years. Thanks in advance.

<div>It's rather hard to answer this, but you probably have around a one in five chance of acceptance at Cambridge, and perhaps one in eight at Oxford.&nbsp;<br></div><br><div>Of course, I have to be curious: if you have a European passport, why are you targeting schools in the UK rather than in the EEA, where your passport might make it easier to hire you. Are you planning to return to the UAE?&nbsp;</div><div>
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Hi Stuart, thanks for your reply. Well I also have my pre settled status in the UK so I have the right to work there. Finding a job in other European companies won’t be easy since I don’t know the language. Oh, 1/5 and 1/8 seem pretty low, is it because of my low extracurricular activities? I have worked in a top airline company and academically I have a pretty good background as well. I already have a conditional offer from Warwick, depending on my GMAT scores I could get accepted there but on reading the previous posts on this forum I see that Warwick is not good for career switchers. If I get good references and a good GMAT would my chances of getting accepted to Oxbridge increase or should I just target lower tier universities like Manchester for example which is good for career switchers?

My estimates are probably too high, not low. These are already highly selective programmes: maybe one in three applicants get an offer at Judge and one in four at Said. From what you write, it's impossible to see that you have managerial experience, that you are a high performer, that your managers can see your potential, that you have self-awareness, a mission, or any career goals that require an MBA. You present as an Indian guy with engineering degrees. Clearly, there must be more to you than you present here, or Warwick would not have offered you a seat.&nbsp;<br><br>Yes, if you want to switch Manchester is a great choice, other things being equal. It's the number 4 UK MBA and that's a strong performance.&nbsp;<br><br>PS Obviously, there are countries in the EEA where English is an official language but, yes, if you have pre-settled status then the UK is an option. Brexit and the pandemic will hit harder in the UK then most of the other European MBA markets.&nbsp;

Thanks again for your prompt response Stuart. Yes, I don’t have much much managerial experience unfortunately. My target schools are Oxbridge and I wanted to keep Manchester as a safety net. Given the most likely scenario is that I will only be accepted at Manchester, is it worth going there given the current brexit and pandemic scenario and am I likely to get a high paying job in the UK or any other part of the EU once I graduate from Manchester ? I am open to moving either to investment banking, consulting or finance. Tbh I just want to branch out of engineering as the pay isn’t very good and the career prospects in aerospace aren’t very good now because of the pandemic (obviously I won’t give this reason in my essay though) I am also thinking of consulting a professional to help me with my university application. Sorry, I forgot to respond to your earlier question, I would not be looking to work in the UAE post graduation and would like to move to Europe instead.

<div>I think you'd have to do a lot of work, be an early applicant, and have a very focused career goal to get into an Oxbridge MBA. I suggest you look at masters in finance degrees, since that fits your goals and, in that context, the factors that make you a weak candidate for a top MBA will not count against you. Aviation engineers are good with numbers and develop a strong intuition for factors involving acceleration and deceleration. The Oxford MFE is an obvious option https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/programmes/degrees/msc-financial-economics&nbsp;</div><div>
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Hi Duncan, thank you for your response. What sort of work would I need to do in order to boost my chances of getting into Oxbridge. I really wanna pursue an MBA this time around, rather than a specialized Finance degree as I have already done my MSc in Aerospace. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get into Oxbridge. I have a solid career at the one of the worlds best airlines and academically my record is decent as well. It’s just my extra curriculars I feel that are really lacking. If I get good references and a decent GMAT score won’t I stand a chance ? Or should I just focus on Manchester instead.. though I’m not sure what the post graduation opportunities are given the current scenario so I would like to go to the best uni possible&nbsp;

Other people who apply to Oxbridge are not weak candidates. They all have strong careers, many of them stronger than yours in terms of managerial experience, good academics, good GMAT scores and many will have work experience with employers that hire from people from Said than your firm. Look at the profile of the current class.&nbsp;<br><br>The Oxford MFE students earn 15% less than AMBS MBAs, but they are out of the labour market for shorter, and they have 98% employment compared to 76% at AMBS. Do the MFE, then do the part-time MBA at Cambridge when you are 40.&nbsp;

Alright, was just reviewing the MFE course and it looks like a solid course. I will take your suggestions into consideration. Though the average GMAT score is nearly 750 for this course and average age 23, hope these won’t be limiting factors but it’s also only 8 months which means I’ll be able to save a lot more in living expenses as well. Again, thanks guys your input is much appreciated. Have a great day&nbsp;