What do 66 people, aged 21-46, from 36 different countries have in common?
They each face a transformational future as they start the Blavatnik School of Government’s Master of Public Policy (MPP) this week.
The group of students is the Blavatnik School’s second class to embark on the MPP. They all competed successfully among 486 applicants to meet the School’s rigorous criteria for acceptance on the programme.
The Blavatnik School seeks evidence of three core skills from its applicants to the MPP: a track record of outstanding academic achievement; a proven capacity for leadership; and a high level of commitment to public service.
Since confirming their places on the 2013 MPP programme, the School has been working hard to help pave the way for the students’ arrival. Ngaire Woods, Dean of the Blavatnik School, explained how she has already been getting to know the incoming students through an iPad flashcards app: “We are using flashcards to ensure that each of us knows the whole cohort of students before they arrive. Creating a collaborative community who will transform public service is a central goal of the School. Every individual on the MPP has a combination of intellectual ability and capacity for leadership and true public service. That’s why I am so eager to get to know them – we all are.”
As well as creating the flashcards app, the School sent new students a comprehensive pre-arrival guide in July, and fortnightly newsletters since then to keep them updated and informed about what they need to do to prepare for their arrival in Oxford. Another initiative is a Facebook group for the 2013 class, in which for the past few months, the incoming students have been getting to know each other as they exchange information about their professional experiences and ideas about their new lives in Oxford.
Incoming MPP student Ahmed Safar is a Former Deputy Minister of Labour and Capacity Building for the Government of Libya. He said, “Certainly, from what I've already experienced, the MPP and the Blavatnik School community as a whole have been of great assistance at multiple levels. The MPP class Facebook page is already strolling ahead with very useful inputs at multiple levels, including academically and personally. Potential classmates have already begun pairing up as flat mates."
Sven Jungmann, a physician and reservist airborne reconnaissance officer from Germany, who is also joining the 2013 class, explained, “The newsletters were so full of useful information and warmly written that I felt very welcomed as a new member of this distinctive community. At the School, you don't feel like a regular student – you feel like you are embarking on a journey with an amazing team of great individuals who all (faculty, staff, and students) share the same goal: Making life on this world more enjoyable to as many as possible.”
With admissions now open for the 2014 MPP, we invite future applicants to get to know more about the Blavatnik School through an array of initiatives such as videos, blogs and special events produced throughout the academic year.
Pictured are 2012 MPP students opening their iPads for the first time. iPads play a crucial role in the MPP curriculum.
