Who will take me?

Hi! I'm a student from the US hoping to do my postgrad work in England (taught courses, master's in English). I just graduated last month- I'm taking a year off and want to start my postgrad in 2008. I already miss school (nerdy, i know) so I'm anxious to start again. But since I'm not familiar with UK schools, I don't know which schools I could get into. I'm scared no one will take me! I have a 3.65 GPA. Is anyone familiar with the GPA system who could recommend some schools? Assuming I have a strong personal statement, what are my chances? I would love to study in London but will probably apply to places throughout the UK and Ireland. Would love some advice- thanks in advance!

Reply 1

shady lane

Most universities outside Oxbridge specify 3.5 or less as the minimum entry requirement. I study politics; my highest condition was 3.5 and the lowest was 3.2 (and that was at a very good course at King's). Since this is your final GPA and you've graduated, you could try for Oxbridge as well. But it doesn't depend where you study; I know I got a lower offer due to my undergrad university; I know a few people from less prestigious US universities got offers of 3.7-4.0!

Reply 2

mariahb

o no! if offers for US students are 3.7-4.0 i'm in trouble! working full time at a boring job since i graduated has made me even more desperate to go back to school. I just hope someone will take me! any recommendations of unis to try?

Reply 3

The Boosh

I couldn't tell you which university requires which GPA level, but given that the UK has around 130 higher education institutes, you will certainly find somewhere to take you, especially given how some universities require much lower grades than others to get in.

For London, try looking at this site:

http://www.lon.ac.uk/

from here you should be able to determine which University of London college offers which course, and at which grade. I don't know how GPA translates in to the British undergraduate degree classification system, but the websites may be able to give you more information.

For courses nationally, try www.propsects.ac.uk - this website has a big database and even lets you apply online (cut and paste job).

Once you see several courses you like the sounds of, which will take your GPA, you can then start finding out the reputation of the courses/universities. Undergraduates on TSR will often tell you to look at university league tables, which are usually incredibly ambiguous at the best of time, so make you sure come to the postgrad forum and/or post in the English subject forum.

Reply 4

The Boosh

p.s. London has several universities which stand outside of the "University of London" designation - places like University of the Arts or University of East London. If you wish to be near London, and want to live in an attractive city which offers a very regular and very cheap transport system to and from London, then Oxford is a good place to look. Last time it was assessed, Oxford Brookes University (not Oxford University) had an English department with a near perfect teaching score (22/24) and high research score (5), but is lower down in the general league tables (partly because they accept candidates with lower grades to get in). www.brookes.ac.uk

Reply 5

apotoftea

www.findamasters.com is also a good website to have a look on

Reply 6

The Boosh

oooh, i didnt know that existed. is it comprehensive?

Reply 7

apotoftea

You can search by area, subject etc and lists pretty much all the MAs available with brief outlines, then it links you to the various university pages themselves.

The featured courses that come up first have more detail on the respective pages. Chichester's not on there though & they offer some MA courses

Reply 8

mariahb

thanks- that site looks great. i've found some programs that look good already. although they usually don't give GPA requirements- they just say that international students need a "good bachelor's degree"- not very specific. i don't feel i have a "bad" bachelor's degree but it is difficult to tell how good is good. any more advice or recommendations would be appreciated. thanks!