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Oxford Graduate Applicants 2010/11

Well to paraphrase the start of an undergraduate applicants thread in the Oxford forum, I noticed that Cambridge has a thread but the better uni doesn't :eek:

So... I'll be applying for the MSt in Music (Musicology) course.

Anyone else applying to Oxford? Not expecting any other musicians :p:

Reply 1

rckaisler

I was eagerly awaiting the launch of a thread such as this!

I'll be applying for both the MSc in Global Governance & Diplomacy and the MPhil in International Relations.

Reply 2

Who?

1

rckaisler

I was eagerly awaiting the launch of a thread such as this!

I'll be applying for both the MSc in Global Governance & Diplomacy and the MPhil in International Relations.

Just to point this out to you now - Oxford makes you choose one degree. I.e. sure you can theoretically apply, but having called them specifically regarding this issue some time ago - they made it clear that it is strongly looked down upon. This is not the case in other universities as far as I am aware.

It would be my advice that you e-mail or call them up to see if it's worth applying for both.

Reply 3

rckaisler

Who?

Just to point this out to you now - Oxford makes you choose one degree. I.e. sure you can theoretically apply, but having called them specifically regarding this issue some time ago - they made it clear that it is strongly looked down upon. This is not the case in other universities as far as I am aware.

It would be my advice that you e-mail or call them up to see if it's worth applying for both.

Thank you for your advice. I was studying in Oxford as a visiting student last autumn and took the opportunity to consult members of both departments, as well as several of my tutors, about this matter. Yes, it is certainly not recommended to apply to both. However, I was told that the only way that it can actually hurt your application is if both are received by the same admissions committee. Seeing as the two programmes are offered by different departments, I am hoping that this will not be the case. I have very good reasons for applying to both and so am willing to take the risk.

Still, I suppose it cannot hurt to email and ask again.

Reply 4

Philboy87

Hello there,

When should one start applying for courses? I would be interested in applying for Politics. Its sometimes hard to find the information on the website I believe. When should I ask my tutors to write me references and how do I include them in the online-application? It would be nice if anyone knows these things. Thanks

Philip

Reply 5

hobnob

14

Philboy87

When should one start applying for courses?
October/November(ish) if you're very keen, but the deadline won't be until January and applying before January won't improve your chances.

Its sometimes hard to find the information on the website I believe.

No, it isn't, really. Have you had a look at it yet?

When should I ask my tutors to write me references

You can ask them now if you like, but since they won't actually be writing them for at least another four months, it might make more sense to ask them when you're closer to submitting the actual application. Otherwise they'll only forget.

and how do I include them in the online-application?

Please have a look at the website. It's all explained in the instructions to the online form.
Basically you enter your referees' email addresses and then they get email instructions on how to upload their references to a secure server.

Reply 6

Craghyrax

17

The_Lonely_Goatherd

I noticed that Cambridge has a thread but the better uni doesn't :eek:

Reply 7

DerPumuckl

8

I'm applying for an MPhil in Economics, though I'd prefer Cambridge since its only one year and thus cost and opportunity cost are lower.

Reply 8

rmn002

I'm applying for the MSt. in History. I'm planning on applying this September (if the online application is available by then), so everything is out of the way before the Financial Aid deadline.

Reply 9

joshlyman

Rob L

I'm applying for an MPhil in Economics, though I'd prefer Cambridge since its only one year and thus cost and opportunity cost are lower.

Hahaha this is precisely what I was going to write for the MPhil in Politics. I'm applying to both as the process is rather similar but Cam is by far my top choice.

Question about references though: do I just include them in the application package (would rather do it sooner than later as I have time on my hands right now) or is this going to be more complicated than it ought to be?

Another one: can one of my referees (how many should there be, by the way?) be a person well-known in academia who has known me for more than a decade but never actually was my teacher? I feel that her reference would be more relevant because she can account for my personality and desire to pursue a graduate degree while a teacher's reference would only assess my academic abilities, which is very easy to do just by looking at an applicant's transcripts.

Reply 10

hobnob

14

joshlyman

Question about references though: do I just include them in the application package (would rather do it sooner than later as I have time on my hands right now) or is this going to be more complicated than it ought to be?

Seriously, guys, have a look at the notes of guidance - they're there for a reason.

Another one: can one of my referees (how many should there be, by the way?) be a person well-known in academia who has known me for more than a decade but never actually was my teacher? I feel that her reference would be more relevant because she can account for my personality and desire to pursue a graduate degree while a teacher's reference would only assess my academic abilities, which is very easy to do just by looking at an applicant's transcripts.

You can do that if you like, but it'll probably be a good idea to have the other reference(s) written by people who have taught you and are in a position to talk about your actual work.
As for the number of references, it's usually three, although some departments will consider applications with just two references (I don't think the politics department is one of them, though).

Reply 11

joshlyman

OK thanks. I think I'll stick to that plan as I find really weird that Oxford doesn't ask us a SOP with the dissertation proposal -- I'd say personality and such should go a long way in admission-related matters.

Cambridge's website is so confusing that I assumed Oxford's was as well, therefore I didn't look into it too much :tongue:

.

Yes, the other two referees will be teachers from my time at Warwick.

Also, about the writing sample. I was going to submit a long essay from my US politics module in which I got a first, but it's well over the 2000-word limit. It didn't seem to be a big deal from what I read on the website about that -- should I cut the essay down to that limit?

Reply 12

JosephineM

We need to include a writing sample in the application? Everyone seems to know more about this than me. Where can I find out more about this? I mean, if the application form for 2010/11 opens in Sep or so, how do I find out what it contains?

Also, is there an interview involved in the application process for taught masters at Oxford? Thank you.

Reply 13

The_Lonely_Goatherd

OP

20

JosephineM

We need to include a writing sample in the application? Everyone seems to know more about this than me. Where can I find out more about this? I mean, if the application form for 2010/11 opens in Sep or so, how do I find out what it contains?

Also, is there an interview involved in the application process for taught masters at Oxford? Thank you.

I found looking at both the online graduate handbook and the graduate pages of my prospective (well, in my case, current!) Faculty's website quite helpful for answering questions. IIRC, I have to send in some written work and I think I might be called for an interview as well. If you have a nose around the websites, it should have the info somewhere :smile:

Reply 14

joshlyman

God I hope there are no interviews. At least not at Cambridge! I don't think taught masters applications include interviews though :frown:

Reply 15

hobnob

14

joshlyman

Cambridge's website is so confusing that I assumed Oxford's was as well, therefore I didn't look into it too much :tongue:

.

Fair enough. :wink:

It's actually a lot better organised than the Cambridge website, though.

Also, about the writing sample. I was going to submit a long essay from my US politics module in which I got a first, but it's well over the 2000-word limit. It didn't seem to be a big deal from what I read on the website about that -- should I cut the essay down to that limit?

Well, if you can cut it down without losing too much, that's probably the best option, but if that isn't possible, I'd try asking the faculty whether you might submit one long piece of work instead of two short ones. Some faculties allow you to do that (I know English does). Unless it's a *very* long essay, though, I can't imagine it should be a major problem, but it's safer to ask and make sure.

Reply 16

joshlyman

hobnob

Fair enough. :wink:

It's actually a lot better organised than the Cambridge website, though.

Well, if you can cut it down without losing too much, that's probably the best option, but if that isn't possible, I'd try asking the faculty whether you might submit one long piece of work instead of two short ones. Some faculties allow you to do that (I know English does). Unless it's a *very* long essay, though, I can't imagine it should be a major problem, but it's safer to ask and make sure.

Yeah it is, I'll give you that! And my long essay is 5000-word, I'd really rather not cut anything because I already condensed it down to that from 7000-8000 words and I feel I'd lose useful content in the process. I'll email them in due time, thanks!

And do you know if the application process includes an interview at some point? About earlier though, I read on the Cam website that only two references were needed + one on character if I were to apply for financial aid, so that answers my question. I'll just submit three for both applications!

Reply 17

rckaisler

joshlyman

And do you know if the application process includes an interview at some point?

Taken directly from the Department of Politics website ('Frequently Asked Questions' section)

Will I be required for interview?

The Department does not ordinarily interview applicants. Your candidature will be considered solely upon the basis of the materials that you supply with your application.

I would suggest reading through their website. Not only are the application guidelines clearly set out, they also answer a lot of questions that I would not have even thought to have asked (I'm applying for the MPhil IR, so the application procedures are virtually identical).

Reply 18

arod

5

Same question as in the Cambridge forum, just wondered if anyone knows if any of the science depts put on an "open day" for prospective grad students? Just noticed that some of the unis in London do this. It might be a good way to get a debrief on the key research areas in the dept and meet a few profs...

Reply 19

Belphoebe

Will probably apply for the MSt in renaissance literature, though I might decide to leave it for another year. I know funding is incredibly scarce - I'm hoping to self-fund as I'm working this year - but I wonder how hard it is just to get accepted. I have no idea if I'm good enough..

Oxford Graduate Applicants 2010/11

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