Cambridge postgraduate applicants 2014/15

First acceptance has emerged on Grad Cafe.
Nuclear Engineering doctorate.
Good for him/her!

http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?t=w&o=&pp=25

One referee has done their reference...come on other referee... (not that I expect to hear from Cambridge any time soon but still)

is there any kind of email notification for this, or do we have to keep manually checking self-service?

have been checking since submitting on the 2nd and no references uploaded yet, argh!!

If applying for an MPhil (Economic and Social History, in my case) is it generally a good idea to get in contact with your preferred supervisor, or is this really only necessary when applying for a PhD? I have a good idea of who I want to take my dissertation with, if possible, but I don't know whether contacting them in advance will help my application, or whether I'll just seem a pest!

Also, for anyone also applying for MPhil History: did you complete A12 on the online application form (Summary details of research proposal or reason for applying for this course)? They ask for a separate research proposal of 1,000 words, and so I'm not sure whether to ignore this section altogether, or whether I use it to discuss my reasons for applying for the course in general, without reference to my specific dissertation proposal..

Back with another question (Cambridge, PhD application again). They ask you at some stage the following: "If you have worked on a research project, either for your first degree or subsequently, please describe your work below". Does 'research project' refer to BA/Master's dissertations or explicitly to a research project I might have done in additon to the 'standard' course of studies? The application manual does not mention anything in this regard...

If applying for an MPhil (Economic and Social History, in my case) is it generally a good idea to get in contact with your preferred supervisor, or is this really only necessary when applying for a PhD? I have a good idea of who I want to take my dissertation with, if possible, but I don't know whether contacting them in advance will help my application, or whether I'll just seem a pest!

Also, for anyone also applying for MPhil History: did you complete A12 on the online application form (Summary details of research proposal or reason for applying for this course)? They ask for a separate research proposal of 1,000 words, and so I'm not sure whether to ignore this section altogether, or whether I use it to discuss my reasons for applying for the course in general, without reference to my specific dissertation proposal..

If applying for an MPhil (Economic and Social History, in my case) is it generally a good idea to get in contact with your preferred supervisor, or is this really only necessary when applying for a PhD? I have a good idea of who I want to take my dissertation with, if possible, but I don't know whether contacting them in advance will help my application, or whether I'll just seem a pest!

Also, for anyone also applying for MPhil History: did you complete A12 on the online application form (Summary details of research proposal or reason for applying for this course)? They ask for a separate research proposal of 1,000 words, and so I'm not sure whether to ignore this section altogether, or whether I use it to discuss my reasons for applying for the course in general, without reference to my specific dissertation proposal..

For MPhils, I think it is more usual not to contact the supervisor in advance; certainly I didn't, and most of my coursemates didn't either. Often, if you're accepted, the supervisor will get in touch at some point afterwards, so you'll get a chance to talk then; mine contacted me soon after I had been accepted, to talk about funding. In fact the website explicitly says that it is inadvisable for prospective MPhil students to contact supervisors before applying.

I *think* I recall using the section you mentioned to discuss my reasons for applying to the course, because as you say you have to submit an research proposal as well, but you can tie it in with the proposal as well - I presume one of the reasons you are applying is because of wanting to work with a particular person, and benefiting from other relevant faculty members as well.

I contacted mine in advance, so I think it's up to you!

Hi,

I have applied for PhD in Engineering at Cambridge. The current status of application (all references filled and docs attached by 4 Nov) is under department review. Can any one help me about the next status or step or about progress of application.

Thanks

x

x

Double check that are no instructions somewhere on your department website. We were specifically told to (1) not contact potential supervisors in advance because the department would allocate suitable ones (2) to answer A12 with reasons for wanting to do the course because we also had to submit a research proposal with the application.

If the process is the same as in the Mphil after that stage your application will be under consideration by department. After that under consideration by degree committee and later on under consideration by board of graduate studies and finally and offer. I don't know if it is different process for phd students


Posted from TSR Mobile

If the process is the same as in the Mphil after that stage your application will be under consideration by department. After that under consideration by degree committee and later on under consideration by board of graduate studies and finally and offer. I don't know if it is different process for phd students


Posted from TSR Mobile

Whether or not all the steps are done on Camsis seems to depend on the department, and whether the person responsible in the department has time for this! My application showed no change at all between "under consideration by department" and "conditional offer made"!!! ...and other people in last year's thread also reported steps being "skipped" (which I presume was not the actual step being skilled but just the updates on Camsis).

How much time it took between these two stages ?

That's the first and last stage, just to make sure you're aware. A few months, which is quite normal for Cambridge.

Here are the instructions regarding contacting supervisors:

MPhil applicants excluding MPhil in Historical Studies: candidates cannot be admitted to the programme unless a suitable supervisor can be identified by the MPhil Sub-Committee who agrees that the candidate's research interests are viable and are a reasonable match with his or her own, and who is willing to take primary responsibility for supervising the candidate. It is not the task of the MPhil applicant to determine their prospective supervisor; they may express a preference, but this will not be binding on the Sub-Committee. Applicants should not normally write to prospective supervisors themselves, as these will be contacted in the course of consideration of the application once preliminary assessment of the academic credentials of the applicant has been made. Cambridge Faculty members are extremely busy and do not generally welcome inappropriate contact from MPhil applicants.

So I wouldn't contact any supervisors, personally speaking. However sj is right in that since you have to submit a research proposal as well, it's probably best to use that box to talk about why you want to do the course; trust me, the various boxes on the Gradsaf don't really count for much, the admissions committee is most interested in your grades, references, and research proposal. If you really wanted to check though, there is a list of contacts for prospective grads here, perhaps contact the administrative secretary in the first instance.

I should also say I did a history MPhil in 2011-2012, so if you've any queries Ryall I'd be happy to try & help.