Meet the Oxford MBA Class of 2021-22: Pawel Rzemieniecki

We are excited to welcome the Oxford MBA Class of 2021-22 to Oxford this September. Get to know our incoming students in this blog post series as they prepare to join Saïd Business School.

Tell us about yourself

Sector/Industry you worked in pre-MBA: Finance; Consulting

Sector/Industry you are hoping to work in post-MBA: Consulting

Country of residence before coming to Oxford: UK

College: St John’s – a traditional experience with centuries of history!

In one word, how would your best friend describe you, and how would your manager describe you?

Best friend: Entertaining
Manager: Reliable

Tell us about where you have come from and what has led you to Oxford, and more specifically, the Oxford MBA.

I grew up in Poland, but I have lived in the UK for the last 13 years. I studied maths and then traded equity derivatives for a bulge bracket bank. I moved from Finance to Consulting in 2019. In choosing my MBA course, I first narrowed down the list to universities which offer one year courses. In the end, I decided on Oxford, as I think it is a great place not just for the MBA itself, but also for a diversified, holistic university experience (e.g. a wide array of extracurricular activities and dozens of student societies). For me, Oxford MBA’s focus on Impact, Entrepreneurship and thinking about the ‘bigger picture’ (e.g. GOTO) are differentiating factors which make the Oxford MBA a unique proposition.

What have you done to prepare yourself for the MBA?

I have spent some ‘thinking time’ on mapping my plan for the year and setting out personal objectives.
I have also read through the ‘prep’ resources on the MBA portal and applied for a couple of extracurricular activities – note: some of the deadlines are before the course starts!

What do you hope to gain from completing your MBA?

I am hoping to expand my theoretical toolkit and knowledge, meet a number of inspirational people and learn about tackling some of the world’s biggest, systemic problems (e.g. via GOTO). I also hope that the MBA year will be a great time for thinking, brainstorming and creating ideas in a supportive environment.

What is the best advice you received before commencing your MBA?

That’s difficult to say, as I haven’t yet been able to ‘verify’ the different pieces of advice! If I were to guess, I would go with: ‘Enjoy the year and make sure that you have a couple of clearly defined personal objectives (which may be extracurricular)’.

Do you have any advice about the Oxford MBA application process for candidates thinking of applying?

Don’t stress. Oxford Admissions team aims to make the experience as stress-free as possible, so… relax, be yourself and enjoy the process.

What part of the programme are you most looking forward to?

I am most excited about topics which talk about the ‘bigger picture’ and also about the interactive methods of teaching through workshops, small groups, labs and other co-curricular activities. After all, there is only so much one can learn about topics like Entrepreneurship from a textbook!

What do you think will be the most challenging part of the programme?

I wonder if I still have what it takes to read academic books – it has been a while since my university days! Additionally, I think it will be an art to juggle the diary to get the most out of the MBA experience and yet be able to enjoy what the wider College and Oxford community has on offer.

How do you plan to take the learnings from the MBA to influence positive change?

One of my objectives for the MBA is to learn more about Impact and Entrepreneurship – I don’t have a clear, well-designed plan to ‘change the world’ (who does?!), but I very much hope that in due course, having been through the Oxford MBA experience, I will be able to do ‘my bit’ and influence a positive change.

Are there any sport teams, societies, or clubs you’re hoping to become a member of?

Yes! I intend to try rowing – a quintessential part of the broader Oxford experience (I have no prior experience, but I have heard that anyone can ‘have a go’.)

I am also likely to play a few games of chess here and there and will look to do some swing dancing in town. If the diary allows, I might do some music – something I used to do a lot when I was younger. I am a bit rusty now, but Oxford is a great place for anything musical!

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