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The Oxford Postgraduate Thread

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This thread is an excellent idea, I was beginning to consider starting one in the postgrad forum as I was wrongly assuming that this one was intended for undergrads only.

I am a matriculated student like some of you here, and would be happy to answer any questions newcomers might have, although I've left Oxford a year ago. I'll be going back in the fall to do a DPhil in French/English Lit. As for colleges, I've put down New (my former college) as first choice: it is simply the most beautiful and welcoming place to live in, although postgrads now reside in little houses nearby. My second choice is Teddy Hall, simply because they're our neighbours :biggrin:

I can't wait to go back... and to hear about funding :s-smilie:

By the way, does anyone know if I will need to matriculate again in October as I will (technically) be a Fresher? It is a cool experience the first time, but I'm not exceptionally eager to spend half a day walking around town in my sub-fusc again.

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Reply 41

brewski

My impression is that you wouldn't need to matriculate again, since they say that those who have matriculated at Cambridge or Dublin before won't need to matriculate again. I imagine it's the same for postgrads who did their undergrad at Oxford, although you'd be the sort of person I'd ask, since you went there. :-p

Congrats on all your offers. :-)

Reply 42

Sooz2471

brewski

My impression is that you wouldn't need to matriculate again, since they say that those have matriculated at Cambridge or Dublin before won't need to matriculate. I imagine it's the same for postgrads who did their undergrad at Oxford, although you'd be sort of person I'd ask, since you went there. :-p

Congrats on all your offers. :-)

Thanks

Yes, you must be right... I was just asking because I matriculated as a visiting student during my Masters, I didn't do my undergrad at Oxford. Which course will you be doing?

Reply 43

cyberpoet

Hi all and many congratulations on your offers. I was so pleasantly surprised to find this thread lurking in what I thought was the undergrad section - great idea thanks!

I've been accepted for the MSt Women's Studies.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 44

Poincare

Hi guys, I hold an unconditional offer to read MSc Mathematics and the Foundations of Computer Science.

I have been accepted to Linacre college. Totally clueless about selecting a college but barring any exceptional reasons, I should be going to Linacre. Anyone else going to this college too?

Question : Are accommodations on college-site strictly better than those that are not? What would I be missing out if I don't stay on college-site?

soulgroove

Hey guys. I've received an offer to do MPhil in Politics (Comparative Govenrment). Was super surprised that I got offered, considering that I come from a relatively new and unknown (internationally) university in Singapore.

Hello fellow Singaporean! Finding funding is truly tough for us. I am probably borrowing a chunk of money from relatives to go. :eek3:

Reply 45

Sooz2471

Cyberpoet and Poincare, congrats!

To all offer holders: how long after the decision deadline did you receive your formal letter? Has anyone actually received anything by post yet? I badly need the letter to apply for funding...

Reply 46

cyberpoet

soulgroove

That's the KEY problem I would guess. I got an offer from LSE too. On the website, it appears that it is much easier to defer for LSE as compared to Oxford.

If I get no funding, what I would probably do is to defer LSE, work 1 year and then go for LSE.

But it totally sucks to give up Oxford which is like a dream.

Anyone has any idea the chances of approval of deferment application for Oxford?

I tried to defer last year and was told I'd have to reapply & be reassessed against the next batch of applicants. Although it varies slightly between different faculties, I believe this is the general policy across the university. You'd need a really good reason to defer such as a serious illness for example. It might be a good idea to speak to your dept to find out what their own policy is.

Having said that, there's no reason why you shouldnt reapply to Oxford even if you decide to defer LSE. I daresay you'd stand a pretty good chance of getting in again next year. In any case, it's probably worth trying to hang on to the Oxford dream! :smile:

Reply 47

Seasons

Sooz2471

To all offer holders: how long after the decision deadline did you receive your formal letter? Has anyone actually received anything by post yet? I badly need the letter to apply for funding...

I haven't received mine yet and am a bit anxious about it... I just want to ensure I can meet my academic conditions! In all likelihood they won't be a problem, but I really really want to know for sure. I'm hoping the letter will arrive next week.

Reply 48

cyberpoet

Sooz2471

Mine arrived within a week of the Jan 15th deadline. But as my department is tiny, I don't think this is going to be reflective of other programmes though.

Sooz, I think we're in the same faculty - Mod Langs? (though French a much larger part of it obviously). Has there been no word from Stephen Lay on the official letter?

Reply 49

Sooz2471

cyberpoet

Yep, we are :smile:

What language will you be studying?

In fact, I received a message from Stephen Lay two days ago telling me that he was on leave till Monday and would respond to my email more fully then (I had emailed him a few days before finding out that I had an offer, asking whether he needed my last transcript, which had not yet been issued at the time I applied). I'm not sure what he means given that I have been accepted already, so they obviously don't care about that transcript. So I suspect that there are conditions coming with my offer and that he'll tell me about it on Monday... I'll prob respond asking for a PDF letter if it's possible to do that.

Reply 50

cyberpoet

Sooz2471

Yep, we are :smile:

Errr mmm...the Language of Feminism? :wink:

Women's Studies is interdisc and is bunged in under Mod Langs for some reason, I for one can't fathom.

Good luck with your letter and hope it arrives safe & sound on Monday. I havent heard much from Dr Lay apart from the initial offer letter.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 51

brewski

Sooz2471

Thanks

Yes, you must be right... I was just asking because I matriculated as a visiting student during my Masters, I didn't do my undergrad at Oxford. Which course will you be doing?

I'm going to do the MPhil in Political Theory and I'm suuuuuuuper excited. Ecstatic. lol.

Anybody know about Oxford being able to place master's people in top US PhD programs? Do they have a decent record for that? I think i'll probably want to stay on for the DPhil, but I might also choose to apply to some US PhD programs, so I'm just curious about how they've placed people.

Reply 52

brewski

Sooz2471

I received my offer letter on 19 March, which is the date by which my department was supposed to have made its decision. I haven't yet received anything by post, but I'm on the other side of the planet, so I'm not all that surprised.. best of luck with your funding!

Reply 53

probably not

brewski

I'm going to do the MPhil in Political Theory and I'm suuuuuuuper excited. Ecstatic. lol.

Anybody know about Oxford being able to place master's people in top US PhD programs? Do they have a decent record for that? I think i'll probably want to stay on for the DPhil, but I might also choose to apply to some use PhD programs, so I'm just curious about how they've placed people.

yeah very common, i know a whole bunch of people who've moved from the mphil in theory (and other politics courses) into big us programmes so i wouldn't have any worries if i were you.

Reply 54

Poincare

brewski

Anybody know about Oxford being able to place master's people in top US PhD programs? Do they have a decent record for that? I think i'll probably want to stay on for the DPhil, but I might also choose to apply to some US PhD programs, so I'm just curious about how they've placed people.

I am interested to see statistics on MSc graduate destinations too. E.g. LSE maintain a loose database of where their MSc graduate go for each program. Its look to know for sure that some people make it to the Ivy League for further studies. Or that people are getting into lucrative bank jobs. :biggrin:

Reply 55

hobnob

Sooz2471

By the way, does anyone know if I will need to matriculate again in October as I will (technically) be a Fresher?

I was in a similar situation five years ago. You definitely won't have to matriculate again, but there may be some confusion on the part of your college, so don't be surprised if you still receive letters about the matriculation ceremony. Just ignore them. :smile:

It is a cool experience the first time, but I'm not exceptionally eager to spend half a day walking around town in my sub-fusc again.

Half a day? Surely that's a bit of an exaggeration? The matriculation ceremony only lasts about half an hour, so even if you allow another 30 minutes for filing in and out of the Sheldonian and another hour for the matriculation photograph, there's no way you'd have to spend more than two hours wearing subfusc unless you desperately want to. :p:

Reply 56

CooCooCachoo

Sooz2471

I thought it'd be in the mail when I got back from a quick visit to Istanbul (i.e. now) but alas, nothing yet. Am I recalling correctly that you're also abroad? It all logically takes a tad longer for us, but I am sure the letter will come through.

Reply 57

Sooz2471

hobnob

Thanks, will do.

hobnob

Weird, my ceremony took place in the Examination School... Of course I was exaggerating a little, but if you include gathering in college with other graduates and waiting for an extremely apathetic fellow to call all names on the list, it does take longer than two hours :biggrin:

Reply 58

hobnob

Sooz2471

Ah, OK. It must have been during one of the years they were doing repairs at the Sheldonian, then. Normally you're meant to matriculate and graduate at the Sheldonian. The exam schools are only used for this purpose when the Sheldonian isn't available because they're restoring the ceiling or whatever.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that as a DPhil you'll never have to wear subfusc again until your graduation. :wink:

Reply 59

Sooz2471

hobnob

Anyway, I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that as a DPhil you'll never have to wear subfusc again until your graduation. :wink:

Yep, no more exams! I can now allow my true nature of apprentice researcher to show up and officially discard any clothes less comfortable than pyjamas for the next 3 years. Working days only, though. :p:

brewski

Likewise. Do you mean they sent you an official/formal document by email? That's convenient, I wish my department was that practical, although I'm expecting a message informing me of the conditions (if any) of my offer today...

CooCooCachoo

Of course it will, let's just be patients! Correct, I live abroad but France isn't that far from the UK (I think it only takes 3 working days for snail mail to get to me)... I haven't received anything yet although I haven't checked today's post delivery :wink:

On the other hand, a few people have argued that they sometimes mail out letters to overseas students sooner than others so you might get yours soon anyway :smile: