Cambridge postgraduate applicants 2014/15

The college capacity discussion reminds me of what happened as reported here for the 2012 intake... There were some unlucky souls who got approved quite late, were sent to BoGS for approval... And BoGS turned them down because there was no more capacity at the colleges. Two or three reported this on TSR so there were presumably a good few more out there. Before anyone panics, they have since addressed the issue by giving departments maximum numbers of offers they can make to ensure there was no repeat of this situation.

Reply 1781

vincedp

Original post by sj27

The college capacity discussion reminds me of what happened as reported here for the 2012 intake... There were some unlucky souls who got approved quite late, were sent to BoGS for approval... And BoGS turned them down because there was no more capacity at the colleges.

Thats pretty awful. I find this applying a year before you go really annoying anyway. I changed my mind about what I want to do at least 15 times in the past 3 months, how the hell am I supposed to know definitively a year ahead?

Reply 1782

gutenberg

14

Original post by vincedp

What are the chances for the benefactors? i got an offer from st johns and was wondering...

There are usually 6-10 full scholarships given out per year from my understanding, with some of those going to internal candidates (so for example, someone I know self-funded their first year, and then was awarded Benefactors' in their second year). The grad community in John's is around 300, so that's 70-80 approx in each new year group, but you will also be up against people already in the college, who are moving from BA to MPhil, or MPhil to PhD, who are also looking for funding from the college.

There is a much higher chance of you getting money from John's if you have already won some kind of partial funding - so for instance if you're a candidate from the EU who has secured a Research Council fees-only award, or a CHESS fees-only award, then John's may step in to help you with the rest. I am funded this way - I have 3 scholarships, including AHRC, that cover my fees & part of my living costs, but St John's contribute the remaining chunk of my maintenance grant from one of the Benefactors' awards. I think a great majority of the awards they give are of this 'top-up' variety.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1783

vincedp

Original post by gutenberg

There is a much higher chance of you getting money from John's if you have already won some kind of partial funding - so for instance if you're a candidate from the EU who has secured a Research Council fees-only award, or a CHESS fees-only award, then John's may step in to help you with the rest.

Thanks for the feedback.

6 days to go untill CHESS.... we'll see how that goes....

Reply 1784

vincedp

Also, I was wondering:

How much do the current students spend on food on average per month (without parties etc)?

Thanks!

PS: found this at the other place: http://www.ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/fees/livingcosts/

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1785

haart

Original post by Backyee

Any news from MPhil Development Studies??

Still waiting. What stage you at?

Reply 1786

ukwarwicker

Was wondering if any chaps still receive an email notification of the funding process. Seems like this had died down and therefore we can hypothesize that it is indeed not a norm but probably only for selective department. cheers

Reply 1787

Backyee

Original post by haart

Still waiting. What stage you at?

My status is still 'Under consideration by department'....

Are you the same?

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1788

TimmonaPortella

21

Original post by vincedp

Also, I was wondering:

How much do the current students spend on food on average per month (without parties etc)?

Thanks!

PS: found this at the other place: http://www.ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/fees/livingcosts/

There's no particular single answer to that. It really depends what you buy.

If you're asking how little you can get by on, probably a little more than anywhere else in England, unless you're willing to venture all the way out to Aldi (I've never summoned up the will to go that far, personally, and most people shop at Sainsbury's). Also, I think most undergrads don't have freezers, so that might affect their expenditure.

If you're not asking that, and just want a general budgeting figure, again, it's really hard to give one. What do you eat? Do you cook? Do you tend to buy lunch out? etc.

The Oxford estimates don't look too far off to me, for a person living normally who isn't particularly trying to save etc.

Reply 1789

Charles Highway

Hi,

Has anyone rejected a Cambridge college for postgraduate study, in order to be considered at another college?

The graduate admissions website (https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/gradadmissions/prospec/studying/colleges/) says:

You should not decline the offer of College membership. If you decline the offer of a place at a College you will not be able to indicate an alternative College preference. Without a College membership your admission will not be confirmed, and you will not be able to take up your place at Cambridge

I think this is most likely to cut down work for admission officers or graduate tutors. After all, why would they allow one to reject an offer in the first instance?

Ever,
Charlie

Reply 1790

arguendo

14

Hoping a knowledgeable current student/someone also in same boat can explain - my offer states acceptance by May 15, and I thought I had to meet all conditions to be able to accept the offer I.e. financial undertaking. But the guide attached (both to offer and in standard response from grad admissions) says 31 July. What date do I need to submit the financial undertaking by? It makes a big difference if its 15 May as I won't hear back from Cambridge college scholarship competitions by then.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 1791

lcs5062

Who has applied for an engineering postgraduate course? I know the engineering department had a meeting yesterday (10th March) and I was interested in hearing whether anyone's status had changed since.

Reply 1792

fluteflute

19

Bear in mind that the website also says:

If you decline your offer of membership your offer of admission will not be confirmed, and you will not be able to take up your place at Cambridge.

Reply 1793

gutenberg

14

Theoretically I think you can, but the Board of Graduate Studies will not accept any responsibility for you in finding another college - so if you can't find another one to take you, after having rejected the one that BGS found for you, then you won't be able to take up your offer, as it is conditional on you having a college. Most college graduate tutors, I imagine, wouldn't be too sympathetic to you rejecting a college and then applying to theirs, especially in the more oversubscribed colleges.

Which one have you been allocated to? People do switch between colleges if they've been offered funding by another college, but otherwise I think it is considered best just to accept the one you were allocated to.

Original post by Charles Highway

Hi,

Has anyone rejected a Cambridge college for postgraduate study, in order to be considered at another college?

You will probably lose your place. Unless you have a reason such as a disability that cannot be accommodated in the college you are allocated, or you win a scholarship at another college, then with very few other exceptions, BoGS will not help you gain an alternative place. There is also a 'gentleman's agreement' amongst colleges not to open up a 'transfer market' and allow students to move colleges. The general operating principle is that over an above issues like accommodating disabilities or awarding scholarships, all Colleges are equal in terms of the services the provide.

If you reject the offer, you will have to get a letter saying you are released from the College that offered you the place (from the Graduate Dean of that College). Then you will have to approach the admissions staff of the College you wish to attend, with the letter, before they will even entertain a conversation with you, such is the internal pressure not to allow these moves. You will have to provide some compelling reason for joining the College, beyond 'I prefer your architecture' or similar, and you will still have to fit the profile of students they are looking for.

Reply 1795

pricklypear

Original post by ukwarwicker

Was wondering if any chaps still receive an email notification of the funding process. Seems like this had died down and therefore we can hypothesize that it is indeed not a norm but probably only for selective department. cheers

Yeah, I'm 99% sure it's department-specific. I didn't receive an email but I know (well, I think I know - no such thing as certainty in the application game) that I got nominated for funding by the University, based on two things:

1) An email received in December telling me that my prospective supervisor was so much in demand that she was going to wait until the Division had put forward its nominees for funding, and then choose from that pool. I got an offer with her as supervisor, so I can only assume I was in the funding nominee group.

2) Another email last month (response to an inquiry from me) telling me where I was ranked in terms of the one-year funding nominees. Now I'm paranoid about saying the exact number just in case I'm not technically supposed to make it public, but let's just say it was in the top three.

All that, but no official email from them last week. So I think it is very safe to go ahead and assume that only some departments (well, seemed to be only History based on the posts here) send notification emails.

Reply 1796

Charles Highway

Original post by threeportdrift

You will probably lose your place. Unless you have a reason such as a disability that cannot be accommodated in the college you are allocated, or you win a scholarship at another college, then with very few other exceptions, BoGS will not help you gain an alternative place. There is also a 'gentleman's agreement' amongst colleges not to open up a 'transfer market' and allow students to move colleges. The general operating principle is that over an above issues like accommodating disabilities or awarding scholarships, all Colleges are equal in terms of the services the provide.

If you reject the offer, you will have to get a letter saying you are released from the College that offered you the place (from the Graduate Dean of that College). Then you will have to approach the admissions staff of the College you wish to attend, with the letter, before they will even entertain a conversation with you, such is the internal pressure not to allow these moves. You will have to provide some compelling reason for joining the College, beyond 'I prefer your architecture' or similar, and you will still have to fit the profile of students they are looking for.

I'm not so sure this is accurate, since a college can be rejected through the graduate application self service. It is then simply passed on to other colleges. The BoGS doesn't do anything in the process. My application is simply presented to colleges as 'available for consideration' through a computerised system. There is no extra effort required except on the part of graduate tutors at other colleges.

I think if one holds a departmental offer, one holds an offer, regardless of how picky one is regarding colleges. Which takes more effort:
- a departmental interview which is then verified by the board of graduate students etc.
- a graduate tutor looking at an application form

They certainly don't want to have to interview more students departmentally, and would rather have my fees than not...

I think it is strange that an offer can be rejected at all. What purpose does being able to reject an offer serve for Cambridge? (unless my rejecting an offer is simply a veil for "don't offer this punk a place")

It's such a stupid system. At least at undergraduate level, it's either a yes or a no to the college offered.

Also I should add, that I have not received an offer from a college, I have received an email that has asked me whether I want to be considered by a college (which I am assuming for the purpose of this exercise is an offer). If I say that I do not want to be considered, they simply reject my application and it is passed on for another spin of the roulette wheel.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1797

username1280667

Original post by Charles Highway

I'm not so sure this is accurate, since a college can be rejected through the graduate application self service. It is then simply passed on to other colleges. The BoGS doesn't do anything in the process. My application is simply presented to colleges as 'available for consideration' through a computerised system. There is no extra effort required except on the part of graduate tutors at other colleges.

I think if one holds a departmental offer, one holds an offer, regardless of how picky one is regarding colleges. Which takes more effort:
- a departmental interview which is then verified by the board of graduate students etc.
- a graduate tutor looking at an application form

They certainly don't want to have to interview more students departmentally, and would rather have my fees than not...

I think it is strange that an offer can be rejected at all. What purpose does being able to reject an offer serve for Cambridge? (unless my rejecting an offer is simply a veil for "don't offer this punk a place")

It's such a stupid system. At least at undergraduate level, it's either a yes or a no to the college offered.

Also I should add, that I have not received an offer from a college, I have received an email that has asked me whether I want to be considered by a college (which I am assuming for the purpose of this exercise is an offer). If I say that I do not want to be considered, they simply reject my application and it is passed on for another spin of the roulette wheel.

Sounds like a bit of a grey area to be honest.

If you haven't already, just email them (the college first, then the admissions team if the college response is not clear and definitive) and check that declining their offer will not technically use up your '1 college offer' allowance if you definitely wish to take up your place.

Someone in the main thread reported that Homerton sent them a similar email, explaining that they got the impression that Homerton understand they are not a great fit for everyone, and don't want people to be forced into going there. The question is whether the Universities central administrators/admissions system has a built-in workaround to allow the colleges to do this without counting it as the candidate formally declining their college offer.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1798

ukwarwicker

You asked your department on the ranking position for the funding nomination and they told you? Which department are you in and I thought such information would be confidential...

Reply 1799

pricklypear

Original post by ukwarwicker

You asked your department on the ranking position for the funding nomination and they told you? Which department are you in and I thought such information would be confidential...

I emailed them about another (somewhat related) issue, but didn't ask about the ranking. They offered it without prompting. I'm in SocAnth. I don't see why it would be confidential - it's my own personal ranking after all, not as though they're telling me where others are ranked.

Cambridge postgraduate applicants 2014/15

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