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University of Cambridge

Cambridge

Official CAMBRIDGE 2017 Postgraduate Applicants thread

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Reply 40

jwilson

Original post by sarzed

no it doesn't :frown:

but I'll be sending my transcript along with my ones from the UK since it shows my most recent work. :smile:

*

To the history people- when/are you planning to approach potential dissertation supervisors? I'm thinking of waiting until around October when I've proposed my undergrad dissertation, so I'm slightly more practiced in trying to articulate my research interests...anyone have any thoughts/advice? :smile:

I am also waiting until October, I've already done my undergraduate proposal but I haven't 100% decided on what angle I want to take on my MPhil one. Planning on consulting my dissertation supervisor and another lecturer when term starts to get their thoughts. Whatever it is, mine will definitely be an expansion of my undergraduate topic (because i'm interested in the subject and also I'll have a good foundation for further research) :smile:

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Reply 41

holly_1994

Original post by sarzed

no it doesn't :frown:

but I'll be sending my transcript along with my ones from the UK since it shows my most recent work. :smile:

I have already approached potential supervisors but have been told not to worry as you are usually assigned one based on who they think suits you best. I'm just trying to get everything down on paper to make sense of my research proposal at the minute, as I'm not sounding very coherent just yet! :smile:

I think October sounds like a sensible plan though!

Reply 42

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Usually, one doesn't approach a Masters Supervisor, they are just allocated by the department. This is because the subject of the dissertation is usually less critical to the overall likelihood of an offer (than a PhD) and the nature of a Masters dissertation is such that the Supervisor doesn't need to be such a close 'fit' to the subject matter.

An approach for a PhD is useful, but not vital. Useful because a) you might get to form a relationship that is positive in the selection process (but you might not!) and b) you might get useful pointers in terms of structuring your proposal. However, some departments actively discourage contact, in large part because of point a) above, the impression it may encourage favouritism in the selection process. Some potential Supervisors also ignore approaches for their own reasons, usually point a) plus workload!

Reply 43

econboy

Hi guys,I am going to apply for Mphil in Economics this September for 2017 entry but I do not know if my profile is strong enough.. (I don't want to waste that 50 quid..)I am going in to my third year (pure economics) at a decent RG university. My current degree average is 79% and I also have some relevant work experience.Do I stand a chance? Thank you. (A couple of the modules I took were essay-based)

Reply 44

6DOIT

Hi all. Does anyone have course materials for the MPhil in Economics? I am interested to buy them.

Reply 45

aleyamarz

Hello all

I'm entering the third year of UCL's BSc Psychology program.

Interested in neuroscience, so I'll be applying for the MPhil in Basic and Translational Neuroscience

It's a newly established MPhil in Cambridge so I can't find many resources on it. If anyone has applied for it before or is in the midst of applying for it, do let me know :biggrin:

Reply 46

aleyamarz

Original post by econboy

I think anyone with a degree of at least a high 2:1 stands a realistic chance really :smile:

provided you write a decent PS if necessary in your application

Reply 47

FCB

Original post by econboy

Grades are only one part of the equation. I'm starting MPhil Epidemiology in a few weeks, and my degree average was only 67% (Strong first in my dissertation and other relevant modules). They did say though that my references were superb (I got along really well with one of my professors who is well respected in the field) and that they thought I interviewed excellently. If you are hitting high 2:1 and above then your grades are certainly good enough, i'd focus on making sure the rest of your application is up to standard :smile:

Best of luck.

Reply 48

econboy

Original post by aleyamarz

I think anyone with a degree of at least a high 2:1 stands a realistic chance really :smile:

provided you write a decent PS if necessary in your application

Thank you very much, aleyamarz!

Reply 49

econboy

Original post by FCB

Best of luck.

Thank you for your reply, FCB!

Reply 50

pomopom

Hi everyone! I'm thinking of applying for the English Studies MPhil in Criticism and Culture, although I'm feeling a little anxious about the application process haha. I've noticed that on the course's page it no longer mentions a personal statement as part of the application process, only a research proposal and a sample of written work - does anyone know if a personal statement will still be required?

Also, does anyone know if you can open an application and gradually edit it before you finally submit (like UCAS) or is it best to have everything ready and do it all in one go? I know the website advises to have everything already prepared but I wasn't sure if this was with regards to the final submission or just opening the application.

Sorry if these seem like silly questions!

Reply 51

username2228735

Still deciding and not 100% sure - had an offer for 2016 but decided not to take it.

Reply 52

Lusine

Hi y'all good people!

I'm about to start the whole application process for an MPhil in International Relations, not particularly bothered about a college but it might be because I haven't done enough research!

Really my main issue is that I don't know where to start - it seems so competitive and I feel like my proposal may not be strong enough (I graduated last year and haven't done much academic work since, so it's making me a little bit anxious). Have people contacted potential supervisors? I saw people saying earlier that it isn't so important but I feel like IR is a little bit different. I may be wrong though...is anyone else applying for or currently doing the IR Mphil and can give some advice? I'd reeally appreciate it! Thanks in advance...

Reply 53

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by Lusine

PM me, or find sj27 if she is around. Apologies if I've forgotten any other IRers!

Reply 54

Anna.Karenina

Hi! I'm currently studying Linguistics and Comparative Literature at Queen Mary, University of London, which is RG. I'm on course for a 67, and got 63 and 65 in my first and second year respectively, which I know is below par for Oxbridge. However, in my first year, my health deteriorated and I was hospitalised about six times, and in my second year, I had a baby. I still managed to get high 2.1s and firsts in my relevant modules, and even handed in an assignment two days after my son was born (and only asked for an extension for one assignment, which I think shows dedication and an ability to handle a high workload) I hope to apply for Linguistics, but given that most will be applying with a higher degree classification than I, is it a wasted application? Thank you :smile:

Reply 55

Lusine

Original post by threeportdrift

PM me, or find sj27 if she is around. Apologies if I've forgotten any other IRers!

Will do, thanks!

Reply 56

Camilli

Mulling over a "leave to continue" application. Dissertation done, but still needs to be marked. Also, as brilliant as that was (IMO), I need to pull my head out of it to figure out what topic would be worth 4x as much prose.

Also thinking about The Other Place, as my master's supervisor is based there. But given various forms of snobbery, I need to be especially sure about my final marks, on top of the other bits.

Reply 57

Lusine

Original post by jneill

Here's the full dataset - enjoy... :smile:

http://bit.ly/CambridgeMastersCrozierData

NB. It's large, over 40,000 rows.

OMG! Haha, this is perfect! I was just reading through the thread and saw the pdf, tried to export and of course it didn't work! Then saw this! Was like someone was reading my thoughts <3 thanks!!