The beauty of the Oxford MBA is the diversity of people in the class because having people representing 64 nationalities in the same space for a year is uncommon. However, being surrounded by a diverse group does not necessarily mean you are engaging with diversity. You have to be deliberate to enjoy the beauty in diversity.
For me, being intentional simply means letting go of control and enjoying new adventures while maintaining your values. You might have been the one in your friendship group that always suggests where to go, what to do and so on but when you come here, be willing to let others take the lead in some cases; make friends with people from different nationalities and be open to different movie choices, food choices, diverse ideas on what to do etc.
This analogy is my story; I was known to be the one that came up with suggestions back home in Nigeria. I was the plug for social activities in my friendship group. But when I got to Oxford, I realised that that mindset would have to be tweaked. So, I embraced my spontaneity hat by embracing new adventures while maintaining my values.
There was a time I went on a day trip to London with my friends. When we arrived, one of my friends suggested we eat in a Korean restaurant. I knew nothing about Korean food, so I allowed my friends, who knew much about Korean food, to pick all dishes. We had a whole buffet of meals I barely knew and that entire experience was a delight.
Now, let me talk about two moments that were surprisingly my best moments. I would use ‘surprisingly’ because I did not expect those moments to be my best.
Close to the end of Michaelmas term, I decided to join some ladies from class (at that time, we were not close) on a trip to Bath. After our final exams, we went on the trip, stayed in a hostel and shared rooms. I wasn't sure how it would turn out because I barely knew much about them and their preferences. However, it ended up being such a fantastic trip. We toured the city, played games, made a minor dance choreography, and laughed along the way. Through that trip, we bonded and built a lovely friendship, leading to many more adventures in the year.
Another surprisingly fantastic moment was when my friends and I binge-watched a Korean drama for two days. We spent the time in the same house, with some of us sleeping on the sofa while others slept in a room and each took turns cooking. We danced, played, helped the chef cook and stuffed ourselves with food. It was simply remarkable because we all have different nationalities, and because of the diversity, everyone cooked something unique, allowing us to experience diverse types of meals and styles of cooking.
Here on the MBA programme, you might find out that some of the best moments come from intimate hangouts with lovely people and doing some of the most random things like debating movie characters' love lives.
Come ready to take a step back sometimes and allow someone with a different background to take the lead. Another point I want to note is to remember to be kind.
Enjoy the experiences, be kind and keep working to be your best version. If you are kind, you will receive kindness at some point. Moreover, there isn't an ideal MBA type, so be true to yourself and come with a mindset to grow, learn and unlearn.
