Postgraduate application for King's College help

orlando1922

Okay guys my situation is different to other master degree applicants

I just completed my MA international relation degree at brunel university but I've decided to do another master degree in China&Globalisation at KLC in order to stand a better chance to gain PH.D admission to Ox-Bridge next year.

I was worried that I will get rejected as the competitions for KLC are fierce. Their entry requirement is a 2.1 but my undergrad result is a high 2.2, but my MA exam grades are merit marks (overall 63%). Also I put in my personal statement that I will be having my internship at Oxford University from August to early September which is heavily related with the course content. I hope they do take relevant experience and my Master exam results into account.

It was a little odd to me last week when i asked them about my application status, they said my statement for UK immigration service explaining why I need to do another master degree had passed their inspection and now they are applying for CAS number for me in order to allow me to renew my visa. When I checked their FAQ for postgraduate applicants they say they will start to apply CAS for students once the students received their unconditional offer. I'm kinda confused with this, jezzzz, I'm just starting to get anxious about it cos its been two months since I submitted my application and yet still not knowing about their decision.

Do you guys think that they will take my current MA grades and relevant internship experience into account despite my insufficient undergrad grades?

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

alleycat393

In terms of getting on to the course, it sounds like you already have so well done! Your PS and references are important for this as are your grades because they want to know why you want to do this course, what experience and interests you have in the field and how it fits with your career plans.

Re: the CAS, the UKBA recently introduced a new rule that international students can only come to the UK to do a degree that is higher than any previous degrees they've completed. This is to stop people from doing several degrees at the same level to stay in the country and 'fake' students from coming in to work. This is why you had to submit the statement and why your application didn't follow the normal path for an application from someone with just an undergrad degree.

Reply 2

orlando1922

Original post by alleycat393

Thanks for your reply mate, I really appreciate it.
I understand the new regulation regarding to students doing the same level of degrees. I have submitted my explanation statement to king's college, and their admission officer said it has been accepted and they are applying for my CAS number, in order for me to renew a Tier 4 Visa. This new course i applied is China&Globalisation which is closely tied up with my MA international relations, I have obtained an A and a B respectively for my MA module exams in China and the world, Globalisation. I also received an internship offer from Oxford University to work as a communication staff responsible for delivering communication work between Chinese intellectuals/economists/diplomats invited by Oxford for their academic exchange programs.

My only concern is that they might target at my insufficient undergraduate results which was a high 2.2 and discriminate the reputation of my universities (Bangor and Brunel) cos they probably will give priorities to applicants from the top Russell Group Universities. Its nearly 2 months since I submitted my application on the 5th June, and their deadline for on campus accommodation application is 31st July, I'm just worried that this is a bad sign that they will reject me cos its been so long, their official website said the application will generally take 4-8 weeks. its been nearly 8 weeks and I still received no reply.

Reply 3

alleycat393

You may want to chase them up and check then. The 4-8 weeks is to turn the application around I think but you've already been accepted so that's no longer relevant. As far as I know, the CAS number takes minutes to generate but I could be wrong.

Reply 4

orlando1922

Original post by alleycat393

That is the odd thing I found it's really weird, on their official website stated clearly that they will begin to apply for CAS numbers for students once they had their offers. I have not received any offers and they already told me on 5th July saying that my UKVI statement explaining why I want to do another MA degrees had been accepted and they are now starting to apply for CAS number for me in order to enable me to renew my student visa. But when I asked them about when will I receive their decision they said my application is still discussed by the admission committee. I waited till last week and asked them again, they replied yesterday explaining that they are experiencing a high volume of applications and that's why my application's decision had been delayed.

You see that's why I found it's strange and why I am so anxious about it, they said that they have started applying for my CAS number before I received any offers and it sounds like I have been accepted but until now I have received nothing from them regarding their decision on my application.

Reply 5

Jantaculum

Original post by orlando1922

I just completed my MA international relation degree at brunel university but I've decided to do another master degree in China&Globalisation at KLC in order to stand a better chance to gain PH.D admission to Ox-Bridge next year.

I was worried that I will get rejected as the competitions for KLC are fierce. Their entry requirement is a 2.1 but my undergrad result is a high 2.2

I don't know about visas so can't help there - but Cambridge require you to have a 2.1 or higher if you're going to apply for postgrad there. This is a university requirement not a departmental one, so a high Masters grade, even a distinction, doesn't override it.

If the only reason for doing the KCL masters is to apply to Oxbridge, it would be wise to double check that you're going to be eligible to apply?

Reply 6

alleycat393

Yes it does sound strange. You may want to ring them and ask for clarification and make sure you understand exactly what is going on.

Reply 7

orlando1922

Original post by alleycat393

Yes it does sound strange. You may want to ring them and ask for clarification and make sure you understand exactly what is going on.

thanks man, much appreciated for your help, yep I just rang them up and they apologised for the delay due to high volumes of applications. They gave me a conditional offer and the condition is my successful completion of my current MA program in mid September, they just wanted to make sure that I'm NOT studying two courses at the same time. It took so long because they weren't sure about when will I finish my current MA degree and also because of the high quantity of postgraduate applications they receive