- So welcome, welcome to the session. Thank you so much for joining us. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are. Hopefully, not in the middle of the night for anyone. Welcome to this session about the Oxford MSC in Major Programme Management. My name is Magda Brown. I'm the recruitment manager for this programme, and you might have seen my name somewhere in the emails already, or I might have spoken to many of you already as well. So lovely to see everyone joining us. And this session will be recorded, so don't worry about missing anything. We'll send you the recording and we'll send you the slides probably next week so you can just relax and listen to us hopefully. So I just wanted to introduce Jessica to everyone. Jessica is our new programme director. She started a couple of months ago and I will hand over to her now so she can introduce herself and tell you a little bit more about the programme as well. - So, hello, everybody, and welcome to this webinar around our MSC in Major Programme Management. As Magda said, I'm very new to the programme myself, although I have already worked at the business school for nearly eight years now, just on other programmes. So I'm really enjoying getting to know the current cohorts that we already have, as well as interviewing those of you who are applying. Hopefully some of those are on the call today. So if I've met you already, welcome again. I've actually had quite a diverse career myself moving through veterinary research and professional sport, looking at performance as well as financial services before coming into higher education. And I wonder if you could move on to the next slide, Magda, 'cause as you can see, the cohorts that we have are very diverse as well. We usually take about 60 in into the programme per year. But this covers, as you can see, sort of across 27 different sectors, 32 nationalities. And you'll note that actually, although you might have seen in our application information that we ask for over seven years experience, actually the average age of the people who apply for the program, is actually much higher than that. One thing that we are still working on is our female participation. We would like to get that higher and we work every year to try and improve that. But it's improving year on year. So the, you know, often it's thought of that this programme might be about major infrastructure programmes only, but it certainly isn't. You know, we have people from all different backgrounds. It could be NGOs, yes, there are some people from infrastructure, but it could be things digital change as well. And the thing we notice about the participants that come to the programme is they are really looking to differentiate themselves in their workplace. And we hope this is the programme that could do it for them. You know, they're looking to either elevate their practise or maybe scale up the size of the programmes that they already run. Also it's a real good opportunity to come and reflect on your practise, which is something that we're often far too busy to do in our day-to-day work life. What would you mind moving to next slide, Magda? Thank you. So we're actually undergoing a bit of a redesign at the moment. So some of our panellists that we've got here today haven't actually gone through the programme in this structure. So this is sort of a new design for them. But what we've done is we've themed, so we have eight modules across the two years, but we've actually then done subsea. So the overarching theme of the programme is leadership because that is the place to which people who come on our programme are going, you know, they're moving up the ladder. But then we've grouped some of the modules together. So we start off thinking about, you know, beginning of a programme, thinking about the design of the programme, mapping it out, scoping it out, then we move on to the sort of governance section. And then when we get to the end of your programmes, we'll be thinking about the impact that these programmes make. I wonder if you go to the next slide please, Magda. So this is just the general information about the programme, which I'm sure a lot of you know, if you've already had a look at the website. So it is part-time, over two years. You come and visit us in person about every six weeks to two months. And that's eight modules which run into the first part of your second year. And then for the last part of your programme you are required to do a dissertation, but that doesn't require you to come to Oxford for that. You can see there's pre-work expected to be done before you come to your module. Might be some reading, might be watching some videos as well as your assignments after each of your modules, which could be another 40 hours. Okay, if we could move on to the next slide please. Thank you. So here's a little bit more about the structure. So as I've mentioned, we have these eight modules and we've actually moved to five days in Oxford now. So the first day when you come is what we call a cohort day. And this is actually to enhance cohort building and it could be academic skills, it could be extra industry speakers. So we keep quite a mix in that day, but it all contributes towards your learning around major programmes. And then the standard sort of teaching is run from Tuesday to Friday where you will have classes nine to five every day. Plus we have some events in the evening as well. And that teaching, it wouldn't necessarily- - Sorry to interrupt. I think Sara wants to add something. She raised her hand. - I don't want to interrupt, but it's interesting that you've got eight modules. I noticed two new, and you say seven summative assessments. So we had eight assessments. Which module does not have an assessment? - So the change is that rather than having a module assessment, module assessment pattern, with the groupings I showed you what happens if you have your first two modules now, then you do the assessment, which will be across those two modules, but it might be more than one piece, but it is in one assessment. And then the next two are together. And again, there's an assessment period after the end of that, which might have multiple tasks, but it's another one assessment. And then the research methods stands alone. And then the final three modules, again, they're grouped together. So the assessment will be after the last three. So just a slightly different setup. - Thank you. - So you have perfectly answered just what I was, just what I was about to go on to describe, so that's great. So that's how the assessment is now going to be structured with this grouping around you. You could see that we did these sort of sub themes that we showed you earlier. And you can see here from the module titles, there hasn't been a massive change in what we're actually teaching, but we have introduced a couple of new modules or they've been slightly renamed. So the programme management impact and futures are our newest modules, which are looking at sort of, the impact looks at sort of global impact of the different programmes, and futures is all about thinking about, you know, what's are going to be the disruptions in the future that perhaps we haven't, but we can't even imagine at this point. So that's going to be quite an exciting module and we'll be bringing in sort of the latest research and thinking around that. Okay, and moving on to the next slide. Oh, okay. - Yeah, well you're done. - We're now over to Magda. - Thank you so much Jessica. Thank you for the introduction and this overview. So I will now use the next sort of 10 minutes to tell you a little bit more about the application process. I know we have some very lucky offer holders on the call already so you can sort of switch off for the next five, 10 minutes or go and make yourself a cup of tea 'cause this won't be relevant to you. But I try to get through this 'cause it's important for people who are still considering applying. And then hopefully we'll have lots of time for our alumni in students panel as well. And this is obviously the most important part of this session. And please feel free to type your questions in the Q&A box provided. We will try to answer all of them. I have a couple of colleagues with me on this call as well and they are monitoring the Q&A box so they will be able to help you with your questions and I can answer some of them verbally as well. So how do you apply? This is quite an experience programme, it's an executive master's degree, so you need at least seven years of relevant work experience and in this current cohort, average number of years of work experience is actually around 17. So we do see a range, obviously we see people with 9, 10 years of experience. We see people with 25 plus years of work experience. But that seven is the minimum requirement. We do also require from you to have an upper second class or equivalent undergraduate degree. However, we do also accept candidates that's happened in the past who maybe did never do an undergraduate degree, sort of went a different route, professional route into their career. And we can talk to you on a case by case basis if you've got extensive work experience that will be sufficient for the application. And then if English is not your first language then we'll need some sort of English language certificate and I can talk to you about the English language requirements a little bit later. There is no GMAT and no GRE requirements for this programme. You apply online. And these are the documents you will need to apply online. So you will need a CV, academic transcripts for all the degrees that you completed, two references or other contact details of two referees that you can input in your application. At least one professional and one academic or two professional referees. And the system will send them an automatic email with a request to complete a reference. And then the most important part of the application, you will also have to complete three essays and I will talk about those essays a little bit later as well. I've noticed we've got a question. Someone is asking, I already have a master's in engineering, is it worth obtaining an MSC? Well I think it depends on your personal circumstances in this case, but obviously this is a different programme to an engineering degree. The focus here is more on leadership and strategy, like Jessica said. And so it might be worth sort of booking an individual call to discuss your situation in more detail. And this is about the English language proficiency. So if English is not your first language, you can either take a test, so like IELTS or TOEFL or most likely apply for an English language waiver. This is what most other students really do. So you can do this on two grounds. One is an academic waiver. So if you completed a full-time degree course in the last couple of years, you can apply for an academic language waiver. And again, more more often we see that people apply for a language waiver based on professional grounds, you most likely work for international companies, big organisations, you probably use English on a daily basis. So you can ask for a waiver based on that. You self-evidence for that. So there's no need for a letter from a company, you just have to upload a statement, self written statement in your application just to confirm how long you have been using English at work for, in what capacity, whether that's writing reports, talking meetings and so on. And we usually grant your waiver based on that. And those essays. So very, very important, three essays. As you can see the main one is 2000 words and it's a bit of a case study. So we ask you to describe two examples of major programmes that you find interesting. So they can be programmes that you have worked on. They don't have to be. I've seen different essays with different examples. It depends what you find easier to do really or more interesting to do. Obviously describing the programmes you have worked on might be easy in terms of getting the information that you have easy access to, but it's completely up to you. And then two short assays, 500 words, what qualities are essential for a project manager and what unique contributions you would make to the cohort. That essay is more about yourself. And some top tips for success. I know some of them feel self explanatory but I just put them there on the slide just to remind people 'cause we've seen it all with those essays. So please, please do read questions carefully. Make sure you are answering the questions that we are asking you. Try to use the words count, the words given to you. Obviously you don't have to aim exactly for 2000 words but try not to submit something that is sort of very short and quality is not good. Avoid repetition, check spelling, check grammar, that's all very important. And the most important thing is referencing. So referencing any external sources of information that you are using. If you don't do that, we run your essays through a plagiarism software and obviously it might red flag it if you didn't reference properly yours essay. So please make sure you mention any external sources of information if you are using any. And I just wanted to quickly talk about funding. So most of our students are actually self-funded. So they use either savings or loans or they apply for external funding, external scholarships. Different loan companies provide different rates and you absolutely have to reach out to them directly, contact them directly, speak to them. We work with a number of different loan companies, just to give you some examples. We work with US private loans, Future Finance, Land Wise, Spark Finance. But their availability often depends on your nationality, your country of residence. So please do contact them directly. There is also a number of external scholarships available in different countries. I've seen that too. So government scholarships or sort of countrywide scholarships. So it's worth exploring these as well in your countries. They often have very sort of early application deadlines so it's important to be quite quick, yeah. And let me just go to the next slide. And company funding. So some of our students apply for company funding and they are company funded. And I think if you are seeking, I think it's always a good start to ask your company 'cause worst case scenario they will say no, but it's always worth exploring this possibility. If you are seeking support from your organisation, I think it's important that you build a business case and you demonstrate obviously the return on investment for your employer as well. So here I would encourage you to research the programme carefully, research the content of the modules. There's a lot of information on the website, and try to tie them to your role and your organization's current situation or maybe the projects that you run. And don't forget about the dissertation. So your dissertation will focus on applying your learnings to your own organisation. So it can be used to address a key challenge, upcoming project or upcoming initiative in your organisation And of course when you building that business case, don't forget about the diversity and the quality of the cohort. So you will be studying with 60 other very experienced professionals so you will be able to gain ideas and inspiration and innovation from different organisations and different people as well. And also understanding their challenges might help you with your own challenges and you will be able to discuss that and a lot in the classroom, in the lecture theatre and sort of find new solutions to your problems. And finally, scholarships. So we have a limited number of scholarships available at Saïd Business School. We already had our first scholarship deadline in January. The second and final scholarship deadline is in March, so that's the 25th of March. And we have a couple of scholarships left. So if you would like to apply for the women's scholarship, or the directors award, you need to submit a separate essay with your application. So that's another essay, 500 words, explaining why you think you should be awarded this scholarship. Everyone is automatically considered for the Rewley award, which is also 50% of the programme fees. But the Rewley award is very much focused on your academic credentials and your academic excellence. So just something to keep in mind. And now hopefully we've got a couple of minutes before we move on to the panel to answer any questions you might have. Let me just see questions in the Q&A chat. Ruby's asking the scholarships cap the age. No, absolutely not. Age is not a relevant factor. They are mainly merit based. So Directors award and women's scholarship are very much merit based and obviously Rewley award focuses on your academic credentials. Let me see. So I've got some questions from Tamal here as well. Is there any geographical information for the 2024 cohort? Yes, it won't be final information Tamal 'cause obviously we are still recruiting for the 2024 cohort. We are somewhere in the middle of the recruitment cycle. So if you email me directly, and I know we've emailed before and we've spoken before, I can share some information with you but it won't be set in stone. 'cause obviously we are still accepting applications and expecting a lot of applications. What companies are the prospective and accepted candidates for cohort 2024 working for? Again, I can pull that data for you, maybe share that via email. Yes, they come from very diverse. So local international businesses, absolutely NGOs, governments, we've got PWC, we've got KPMG, in the past we have network rails or big sort of construction companies as well, banks. So financial sector. But happy to share more information via email. I don't remember to be honest off the top of my head because we've had so many applications and so many offer holders already. But I'm very happy to share that. I think this current cohort will be probably similar to. this upcoming cohort will be very similar to the current cohort. So if you want to look at some stats on our website for the current cohort, that will give you a good idea of what to expect. Paige is asking if an essay is required for the director's award? Yes, a 500 word essay in your application, an additional one. And Ruby is asking when is the deadline for the application for the director's award? It's the 25th of March, Ruby. Okay, I think my colleagues are answering some other questions but I think most of them are answered and I will keep an eye on the Q&A box throughout the session and my colleagues will as well. But I think we can now move on to the most interesting part of the session, which is that our student panel, alumni student panel. So please feel free to type questions in the Q&A box for our panellists too. And before I move on to your questions, I just wanted to say huge thank you Sara, Sumaiya and Sadiya for agreeing to help me with this event today. I know they are all very busy. I know Sara has just graduated from the programme. Sumaiya and Sadiya are coming for the last module next week, so I know they are incredibly busy. But thank you. Thank you so much to all of you for joining us. And Sara, I was wondering, as you are the first person in my slide, I was wondering if I could ask you to introduce yourself and tell us maybe briefly why you decided to study this programme 'cause you have officially graduated now. - That's right. Thank you Magda. And thank you for inviting me. It's a pleasure to be here. As you just mentioned, I graduated on Saturday. It was really excellent event. I think I'm still a bit high from the weekend. It is quite nice. So my background, I actually, it also goes to one of the questions which a candidates have put. So I've done more or less engineering all my life. I have a bachelor, master's and a PhD in engineering and I then worked in industry for 17 years. But when you work in industry, so I worked in major aerospace companies like Airbus, Rolls Royce, DLR, Space Agency. And now more recently I have joined the European Union Space Programme agency where we are mainly responsible for satellite navigation and satellite communication programmes. They are large programmes of over several billion euros. And in my job I am head of engineering. I was also head of engineering in my previous jobs. And actually there's a reason why I joined the programme is that I did too much engineering. And when you work in industry, you know, always leading programmes, you're always tasked to design your organisation. You have to manage risk, you have to manage so many different things and these are the skills you haven't necessarily learned in your engineering degree. And the main, really the greatest advantage was after several years in industry to go back and learn. And the topics you learn are absolutely relevant. It doesn't matter if you're looking at leading large programmes or you're in another senior leadership roles, you are always touching different topics which are really relevant to your day to day in industry. I'm speaking for myself. And so I really enjoyed it. And every time we had a module, there was always really good discussion, really interesting visiting professors, interesting group work. And then in the end we would have to write an assignment by applying what we learned in the week back to our projects, which we led before. And I had so much time to reflect back on what I did right, what I did wrong, because let's say take an example of stakeholder engagement and stakeholder management, a topic we learned. It's something I completely really underestimated in my job and never paid enough attention. And something, once you learn it, you can't unlearn it. So now I'm very much aware that I need to pay more attention to that. And it really helped me also to find my next job, I have to say because I had done all this reflective learning and looked at so many examples. So I had all these examples ready whenever I went on interview and they asked me questions. I had all the examples ready to give them because I had spent the last two years analysing what I've done. So that was a very positive point as well. Yeah, so I really enjoyed the course. The reflective learning was really powerful and we really made some great friendships because in the cohort you have a really diverse people from diverse industries. They also share in their knowledge. So you really have to actively engage with the whole course and the topics and you share a lot, you learn a lot from each other and you make really great friendships. So apart from all the nice dinners and events we've organised together, actually I even have been on girls trips with my girlfriends, which I have made from MMPM and it's really kind of friendships I've made for life, which is really something I really cherish. So yeah, so I'm really happy to answer any of your questions you may have or doubts. There's no question which is stupid question. Just, I'm happy to share from my side. So feel free to ask anything. - Thank you. Thanks so much Sara. And congratulations again on graduating last Saturday. - Thank you. - Sumaiya, you were nodding there along what Sarah was saying. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your sort of reflections on this programme. - Thank you Magda. Again, thank you for having this. I feel it's such an honour for me to be here today because I remember when I was actually applying and I don't think there was , so there was, I must have missed it. So I'm really glad this is happening today. So I'm Sumaiya. So I had a startup since I was 18 and I've been working with that for the last 16, 17 years or so. And that company's grown from being a very small organisation to a really well known education institute in this space. But this came about because I felt at a time when I was working there that I had a lot of experience and I knew how to do a lot of things or I thought so at the time of course, but I didn't have any professional qualification or any learning behind it 'cause all of my professional education was in the arts. Like I did history as my undergrad and I had a different masters in a completely different subject. So I thought, I felt it was a time that I do something about that basically. And actually as you would normally do, I dunno, I went and looked at MBA programmes because when you think of business school, you think of MBAs. I don't think of that anymore, of course. Then I came across this by chance and actually it just was a much, much better fit because for the MBA stuff, I felt like I already had covered my experience. But really what I was hoping this would offer me would be something that I needed at the time a little bit more challenging. Something that would help me thinking and think a little bit differently maybe. And I think obviously I haven't, I'm near the end of the programme now, almost getting there. But I find the programme has done that, that's for sure. But it's done beyond that. And it's not just about my professional career. I find me as a person now, I think differently. I'm able to think a little bit more holistically at different things, look at the bigger picture, even if it's in a personal capacity, not necessarily for work things. So I have changed. So even if my career things and I'm going into consultancy, I'm doing freelance consultancy at the moment. And I do definitely feel that I would not have been able to do that if it wasn't for this programme. And I dunno if another programme would have enabled me to do that in the same way. So I really enjoyed it. And like Dr. Sara said, I'm also happy to answer any questions that, you know, anyone has about application process or just experience or being at Oxford. Yeah, really happy to be here as well. - Thank you. - Thanks so much, Sumaiya. That's interesting what you said about the MBA 'cause I often speak to the candidates who initially thought about doing an MBA but they were looking for something more specialised. They come my way for MMPM so that's very interesting. And last but not least of course, Sadiya. Sadiya, could you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit more about the programme? Don't know if Sadiya still with us or she might be frozen. - She's muted. - Sadiya, you're muted, so I dunno if you- - My name is Sadiya, can you hear me? - Yes, we can hear you now. Yes. - Yeah. Yeah, hi everyone, my name is Sadiya. Thank you once more. And thank you for having me on this panel. I am a banker but a projects manager. I work with the Central Bank of Nigeria and I actually, I have years of experience, about 13 years of experience. I was looking for a programme to do my master's. Initially I had project management in mind and when I went online to search, I realised there wasn't anything like project management in Oxford. But programme management popped up and in my head I was like, oh what is it about? I went through the requirement, the details and what the programme was about and I realised it was something I wanted to venture into. However, I didn't really understand it initially because when I started, of course, Guy and the previous team helped me through the whole application process. The application team so far they were so supportive 'cause at some point I even had challenges with my organisation, some documents and all of that. But they were super supportive and that really helped me in my application process. While I applied, of course I got shortlisted, I was excited, the programme started. I realised we had eight modules, had to be in Oxford every six weeks. Yeah, like two months, about six to eight weeks. Yeah, it's been interesting. The first module I struggled 'cause my expectations were different. My expectations on the programme was I had actually thought it was more of, it was going to be like you just get the lectures, you come, you have these lectures, they come in, they give you information you need, not necessarily oh this is the key to solving your projects challenges and the problems you experience on your programmes. But I just didn't expect it to be so interactive. But in all honesty it's been super interactive and I can say I've learned so much from my fellow cohorts. It's not just about, oh okay, this person has the vast knowledge of everything. It's a combination of the diversity, we leverage on each other's experience, our knowledge, the relationships. Sometimes when I have challenges, I don't necessarily have to approach my colleagues at work. I will speak to my cohorts and they've been super helpful. And some of the things I really enjoy, dinners, especially the lunch, when we go out for lunch, there are just avenues, you get to sit with different people, talk about problems or issues you're going through on your project or your programmes. You get to know what people's lives are about, even personal stuff. You have this discussions at lunch. Then when you have issues, there are lots of peoples that are approachable. Even Alex has been super helpful as well. White as well. There are people you just easily, I just realised that the lecturers also approachable. When you meet them and have one-on-one discussions with them, they give you that listening ears. They're willing to listen to you regardless of the challenges you're going through. They're there to help, they support you. And so far I've really learned a lot, even when it comes to implementing it on my job, especially systems thinking and risk management has been so helpful. These are things I never really thought about, but over the few months or a year plus, it's been so helpful even on the job. Yeah, yeah, so far that's it. Feel free to ask me any other questions. Thank you. - Thank you. Thank you so much Sadiya. And I'm so glad you talked about, you know, how interactive the programme is, how you have to engage in discussions and debates 'cause that's slightly different or very different to what some people might have experienced in the undergraduate degrees for example. We've got a couple of questions here. So Ludmila, and I think Ludmila is an offer holder now. And Ludmila is asking what was the most difficult part of the course and which advice or what advice you would give to the future students. So this is a question to any of you, whoever would like to answer. - Okay, I would just say it was designing, it was the first module for me. That was quite difficult 'cause I didn't actually go through all the readings in all honesty. And that was . So I advise you before you start a module, make sure you complete your readings so you can actually contribute and bring in rich contributions. You can reflect, you can actually contribute to class discussions and even interactions. You can ask the necessary questions. 'Cause if you don't do that, at the end of the day, you go into class and you are like a fish out of water. I don't know. But for me, it was the struggle. My first module, I didn't complete my readings. It was a struggle for me. Then after the assignments, I didn't do so well in the first module in all honesty. But after that I learned from my mistakes. - That's very good advice, very practical advice. Thank you Sadiya. Sumaiya, I think you unmuted yourself there. - I think for me, I think the programme design, the way it's designed, so obviously we have a dip in and out. You're in Oxford, you have assignments and then you're away for a bit. And I think sometimes, it's a personal thing for me is when you've finished your assignment, that gap, you're not working on your university academic studies, to get back into it again can be a little bit difficult. But that might just be a personal thing. So if somehow I try to be more consistent, do lesser with the weeks, but just 'cause of my time with my workload, I ended up doing a lot the week before or deadline time and then the weeks that are quieter is a little bit harder to sort of keep going the momentum. But on that note, we have a group chat and it's the most active groups I've ever been on or will ever be on. And we've done some statistics and it seems, and our programme hasn't ended, but we chatted continuously for 550 days and we've sent 12,724 messages. I dunno if you can see. So we have a lot of statistics, Mag, that you might be interested in this. - Oh yeah, definitely. Please, yeah. - So amidst the challenges, the support is there, like Sadiya mentioned. And that's one of the thing I feel like you won't find in other programme. The support is incredible because it's not just support, it's genuine support. There is a genuine feeling in the room of concern and wanting good for others. So if there is an issue, people, you just have to ask and more than one person will come reach out to you and offer that help. And that comes from a very sincere place. And that's level of support and that sort of support is very hard to find. Our cohort definitely has it, but I know the whole MMPM is just an incredible group to be part of. - Amazing. Thank you Sumaiya, thank you so much. Yes, please send me an email of all those stats. That's very interesting to see and your poor phone, I can only imagine how many notifications you keep getting. - If I can just add. I think it's worth to note that all of us are in a different private situation. So you said the cohort medium age is 41, some younger, some older. I personally have two small children. So balancing my family life, my full-time job and the studies is for sure was not easy. And that was the challenging part of the balancing. So you need to prioritise and all of a sudden you have a crisis at home or at work and you still need to work on your assignments. So it should not be underestimated. But I've also learned that you learn to stretch yourself and then you're proud in the end when you're over the line. And as Sumaiya said, there was always the support from the group. So whenever somebody was, we were up against the deadline and we were missing this or that, everybody was jumping in to say how they can support, and always egging you on and pushing that, okay, we will do it. And so we knew that somehow the spirit, that was a great spirit with the group and it was everybody wanted that we come through together and we made it in the end. So, but yeah, it is a challenge and I would say, maybe I did underestimate it a little bit before I started and just the balancing of the three different parts. But at the same time I'm glad I did it. It's good that I underestimate, it's good that I went into it. And then because in the end you stretch yourself and you do it. - I think that's the point of the programme as well. It stretches you, I think you all mentioned that, that you were a bit surprised at the beginning, but you know, you stretched yourself. You did it, you completed the programme and you had a positive experience. Regina, I'm sorry, I know you've had your hand up for a while and you've typed the questions now. I dunno if you would like to ask your question verbally or if you just you want to type your question? No. I can see that Regina has a question about scholarships. So maybe one of my colleagues can answer this question rather than the panel. So we talked about the most challenging aspect of the programme. I just wanted to ask you about the most enjoyable part of the programme. Let's sort of talk about, you know, pleasant and nice things as well. So could you maybe I start with Sara, actually. Sara, could you tell me about the sort of most enjoyable part of the programme or your Oxford experience and maybe what part of the programme surprised you? - Okay, so there's a lot of enjoyable moments to be honest. I think I enjoyed all of it. Of course, the assignment bit was always a bit stressful. You had to deliver something. But being in the classroom discussing different topics which are really applicable to your job and you have many different, many times I had this aha moment where you you cracked something that you've always bothered you and then you figured it's something out. I think these aha moments were really powerful and it's great when you finally figure things out was something you had a problem at work. And just the sharing with the cohort, I mean we do a lot of, once you are in for a week in Oxford, you do a lot together. I mean you put a nice social programme around our curriculum as well, around the agenda. There's also social part of it, which has been really enriching as well. And Oxford's just an amazing place. So it's something that we always look forward to every time and we are also very sad that it's over. - Thank you. Thanks so much Sara. Sadiya, what about you? The most enjoyable part of the programme or the experience. - So far for me it's been, I've enjoyed the diversity, people from all over the world, you know, different cultures, you know, experiences. I'm going to miss those moments when we sit and we talk about different things in terms of challenges on the jobs, also friendships. In as much as we plan activities. I know it's not going to be like when we're still in Oxford, we really have to sit and plan activities or how we meet. I know there are definitely some cohorts I'm not going to see again. Maybe just emails on the group, hello, hi. And you know, when they are first period and stuff like that. I'm really going to miss that. I'm going to miss the dinners, especially because we get to bond a lot. Yeah, and so far I'm going to miss the programme as a whole. Yeah, it's been interesting. It is been an amazing journey so far. I'm really going to miss my time in Oxford when I graduate. - Thank you. Thanks so much, Sadiya. You still got one more module to go next week. Sumaiya, what about you? - Yeah, I think of course the essays, no, maybe receiving some of the marks, but not so much. But I think really there was one time, I think it was last module, the one before came we had the union debate. So we actually went and we had to do a practise debate. So we had for motion, against motion and we were in groups and then we had to actually do the debate in the Oxford Union itself. So I think that was a, that brought a different side to everyone. You think you know someone and then you have to let them debate and then you find out who they really are. So that was really pleasant. I think that was a really fun morning that we had on, from the teaching perspective. And we then the other thing once we did was the punting. Again, you think, you think a group of people who are so academically well and they're so professionals in their careers can manage a boating trip. - It's a different set of skills you need, I think. - It's a different set of skills to be able to do punting in Oxford. But obviously if you're in Oxford, you're happy to do one planting trip. There's those moments, those chances to be together and to spend that quality to time that, you know, and especially like Dr. Sara mentioned with the family and things, this is the one chance this, so this programme allows you to be completely away in a way. And sometimes we need that. And I know that's been really helpful for me. So I have three children that I have to leave behind for the programme. And as difficult it is for them, not for me, for me it's easy, but you know, you need that but to be in that space where you can dedicate your thinking about your programme or your learning, yourself and focus on your investing in your education, I think that is a very rare opportunity that you will get without any sort of, sorry what's the word, just distractions. So you can just focus on it. And I think that's something that I will appreciate more once the programme is ended. Because really we don't get much time to reflect on our leadership styles and our methods of working approaching, and the programme enables you to do that thinking and gives you the space to do it in. And Oxford is Oxford, of course. I'm biassed so I'm from Oxford, so of course Oxford is Oxford. But you know, so those are things have been really, really pleasant. And of course the lectures and those things are good. We do, I dunno if the setup is the same, but we get a lot of guest lectures coming in and I'm sure that that'll continue. That is a really good part of the programme in the sense that of course you have the lecturers, the professors who are based at Oxford, but the guest lecturers that come in, it does bring a different perspective. You know the university has tried to get people who are experts in the field to come in, the leaders of their industry to come and talk to you. So those key moments are definitely, they will stand out and we feel the benefit of it because we get to, you know, hear their perspective and listen to their stories. - Thank you. Thanks so much, Sumaiya. - Oh, I forgot, sorry. The Christmas dinner. The Christmas dinner. Yeah, because you get crackers and you get to wear a Christmas hat. - Ah, very important to mention. Thank you. Thank you so much. I wanted to ask, you all talked about the practical applications of the programme and I know that's important to you as well. So I wanted to ask you if you could maybe give an example each of how maybe you used the knowledge and skills land in the programme in your organisation or in your role. Anything that you learned that you could actually apply in practise the next week? Anyone? - I can start. So for me it was, as I said, because it's typically, again, one candidate was asking is I've got engineering degrees, is it the right one. So you learn also about systems thinking. And system thinking is about looking at the problem from the very high view system of system and then zooming in and out of this issue. And when you're optimising something, you should focus on optimising the whole and not only the parts. And very often what we do is we optimise the parts and that's what I now always take a step back. So zoom out, it's funny enough because I work with satellites so I can zoom in and out like a navigation satellite and you can look at the problem from other angles. And when you're changing something, how does it affect the rest of the system? So that's the one practical examples, which it changes your thinking about how you tackle a problem, I should say. Another thing is about risk management because we focus too far on risk management, not enough on opportunity management. So again, every time and just recently we had a major crisis at work. It was a crisis but it was also in the end an opportunity. So it led to some good options. So always to have also a look every time you're assessing risk and mitigation options. Also just likewise looking at opportunities. I had one more thing I wanted to mention. I mean, there's just so many different things. You have all this learning in the background that you are like always, you're looking at things with another lens now, I find in my day-to-day work from all the learnings that I have taken. Whether it's with leadership styles, more or less from every module I've taken something away, which then when I'm in my day-to-day work, I have this extra filters which now actually apply to my day work. So for me it's been, I apply it a lot in every day, I would say. - Amazing. Thank you so much Sara. Sumaiya and Sadiya, anything you would like to add? - Yeah, I think you just grow with each module. And I personally for me, this has been a very personal growth model as well. So I feel like each module you see something happen and you can't really quite pinpoint it sometimes, but you know something has changed. And someone said this to me that what happens is, I think it was their experience or maybe someone said to them, I'm not exactly sure, but each module you go back having learned so much new content and maybe different ways of doing things. And maybe you have, these are moments that Dr. Sara was talking about, but you go back to a workforce that have stayed where they are. It's only been a week away, but you feel like you've come back with something different and every module you're doing that really by the end of the programme you are a different person to your team who may still be the same team. And that growth that happens every few months. it's really hard to describe but it's also really hard to pinpoint exactly where it is. For me, systems thinking was also the module that kind of changed my perspective on things. And I've started to look at different things, look at things differently now. But also, I've become very humble as a person. There was a point in my life I thought I knew everything 'cause I was running my own business, I was calling the shots, I was telling people what to do and then this programme broke me basically. But it's a learning thing and it's really good when you do get on the other side and you can't see it changing you for the better. - Changing your thinking as well. A lot of people say that, that they have to grow and change and it changes their way of thinking as well. - And it's not just academic, it's the people in the room. So of course you have your academic side of things and those things are, you know, that's all there. But actually the calibre in the room is unmatchable. It's just so incredible for you to be in that space that you really can't get that anywhere else because experience in the room it's just so rich, so, so rich. And somebody would've experienced something similar to you but would've sold in a different way and that's okay 'cause there's just different ways of doing the same thing. So those sort of things, moments are really, I think really, really key. - Amazing. Thank you. Thanks so much. I think I calculated the total experience of this current cohort. So not exactly the cohort, but it was 1000 years in total. - Wow. - In cohort 60. So you right. We've got a question here, don't know if you've got an experience of this. I would like to know if you have an opportunity to interact with professors from other Oxford colleges or faculties during your five day stay in Oxford. - So we have a dinner once, a university organised dinner, and often at the dinner you'll have other guest speakers and the dinner is held at a different college every term, every module. So you get to experience the other colleges in that way. There's also the Oxford Union and the only tricky thing is though the term, the module times and the term are not in sync with the Oxford University term times. And the Oxford Union operates with the university term times, their term. But there might be model or two that clashes and then that week you can hop in and out of their events what's going on. Of course if you are more local, you are in the UK, you can come to those events out of it. But really, but the programme is so busy itself, you're probably not going to have much time. But if it does clash with the time, with the thing, there's always a lot going on. So there are opportunities, but again that might be the decision and some people do this, they'll travel two, three days before and then leave it two, three days after just so that they can try to maximise benefit of being in and around Oxford, go to other places or just do other things in Oxford. But again, everyone's circumstance is different. If you can afford that sort of time, then that's great. If not within the week, it's not so easy. - Difficult to, yeah it's going to busy. - But it's definitely doable. And like I said, we are arrange social around that week, so we'll do dinners outside of the university dinners on the other days, but it's not always going to be possible 'cause there are some. If we come out term time, which has happened that it is quiet period. - I would say, I dunno if you agree that there's so many different initiatives and things happening at Oxford, but the expectation is that you will be proactive and you will reach out to all these different people. It's not like, you know, you get a list of contacts for example and it's done for you. There's an expectation that you will be very proactive as well. Would you agree with that? Is that how it works? - Yeah, I think like my motive in life, If you want something done, just do it. If you want something, ask it. If it's not already existing then create it. - Thank you. Thanks so much. I'm just conscious of the time. It flew by, just a couple of minutes left. So I just wanted to ask one last question. If someone decides to apply after today, what advice would you give them? And then shall I start with Sadiya for a change? - Sorry, I didn't get the question. - Sorry, if someone decides to apply after today, what advice would you give them before they apply, before they start the programme? What advice would you share with someone? - In my own opinion, I'll tell the person, go ahead apply. It's worth it 'cause the experience has been amazing and what you learn, you can't unlearn really. So there's no in trying, but you need to give it your best and you should have in mind that you must create time to get the best out of this programme. - That's very good advice. Create time. Thank you. Thank you Sadiya. Sara, anything you would like to share? - I would just like to echo that, go for it. You won't regret it. You will enjoy it very much. And make sure that whether it's your employee or your family that you negotiate this time, that you actually then dedicate the time and that you feel more relaxed when you're in the course. But either way you will find a way to make it happen. That's what I found so and so. Yeah, go for it and you will enjoy it. That's all I can say. - Thank you. Thanks so much Sara. And Sumaiya. - No, same apply. Once you apply, hopefully you're in and then you have a choice to make whether to accept or not. But if you don't apply you don't have a choice to make. So just apply. - I like that. That's very good advice. - You have support to apply. So in the process of applications, of course the support available. So make use of that support available. I know I did. Magda's happy 'cause it was somebody else at that time who I . But you know the Oxford teams answer any questions and were available to answer any other questions or help in any way so. - Of course. You sort of started talking about my next slide Sumaiya. So thank you so much. Just wanted to say thank you to all of you. Sumaiya, Sadiya, Sara, thank you. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you for sharing your experiences. You've been wonderful. Sadiya and Sumaiya, I look forward to meeting you next week Tuesday. Is it next week? Next week, it is, isn't it. Tuesday and Wednesday. And Sara, congratulations again and hopefully we'll see you in Oxford at some point. - Yeah, and good luck to Sumaiya and Sadiya. - Thank you. - Thank you. - Thanks so much. Just a very quick note from me, a couple of people asked in the chat about the application deadlines. So like I said, the next application deadline and the final scholarship deadline is the 25th of March and then we've got 3rd of June and 15th of July. We might close earlier if we fill up. We only have 60 places, so an early application is encouraged. I was just wondering, Jessica, do you want to add anything before we finish? - Just good luck to anybody who hasn't applied yet and we look forward to reading them. - Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us today everyone. Thank you so much to the panel. Thank you so much to Jessica as well, and Joe and Daniela who are monitoring the chat. And good luck with your applications everyone. Thank You. - Thank you everyone. - Thank you. Bye-bye.