[Gridiron-Gangster]

(Original post by Athena)
Dude, just how many courses are you applying for? Weren't you also looking at senior status law and land economy?

History of Med so far won't bother with MFE. Will apply to Camb too and others.

[jennabriann]

I still haven't heard back from my department... Has anyone heard from the Msc in Water Science, Policy and Management program?

I really thought that we would know by now, and I am also starting to think my application has been forgotten.

[Knisper]

(Original post by jennabriann)
I still haven't heard back from my department... Has anyone heard from the Msc in Water Science, Policy and Management program?

I really thought that we would know by now, and I am also starting to think my application has been forgotten.

I know someone who applied by the January deadline, and she got an offer a few weeks ago. So maybe you better ask them?

[HoVis]

(Original post by pocahontas5)
well it depends on how you live ;-)i'm currently living in UK and e.g. i'm spending 90 quid per month on food whereas the uni estimates i'll be spending 290 per month... i'll be sharing a room with my boyfriend which lowers the costs as well.. anyway i'm currently living off 500 quid per month and i'm sure i won't be sending much more in oxford

I hate to be the harbinger of doom, but where do you currently live? Oxford is an expensive place to live and you should bear in mind that the only supermarkets in walking distance of the city centre are Sainsbury's or Tesco's, which are not exactly the cheapest. And unless you've already got cheap accommodation in Oxford lined up, rent here is also so much higher than elsewhere in the country (unless you live out -- but then you'd have to factor in travelling costs). For example, my fiancé and I are paying £750 a month on a one-bedroom flat in a not particularly nice part of Oxford,* which is £100 more than my parents are paying for a 3-bedroom detached house in Suffolk!

Like I said, I don't want to get you down-hearted, but don't underestimate how much living costs can vary. I'd reckon one could get by (if living in non-college rented accommodation, 12 months of the year) with around £9,000 a year.


*I always used to scoff at people who thought Oxford had any 'rough' parts, but since moving into a flat on Rectory Road I have had: a group of men arguing in our back yard, guys smoking in a separate incident in said back yard and scaring the bejeezers out of me when I looked out of the window (incidentally the same night someone was murdered on St Clements, about 100m away), massive shouting matches happening in the car park behind our flat, and terrifyingly huge men accosting me on the street whilst alone. And then there was the time the police came knocking on doors asking if anyone had any information about a mugging that had occurred on our street.

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by HoVis)
I hate to be the harbinger of doom, but where do you currently live? Oxford is an expensive place to live and you should bear in mind that the only supermarkets in walking distance of the city centre are Sainsbury's or Tesco's, which are not exactly the cheapest. And unless you've already got cheap accommodation in Oxford lined up, rent here is also so much higher than elsewhere in the country (unless you live out -- but then you'd have to factor in travelling costs). For example, my fiancé and I are paying £750 a month on a one-bedroom flat in a not particularly nice part of Oxford,* which is £100 more than my parents are paying for a 3-bedroom detached house in Suffolk!

Like I said, I don't want to get you down-hearted, but don't underestimate how much living costs can vary. I'd reckon one could get by (if living in non-college rented accommodation, 12 months of the year) with around £9,000 a year.


*I always used to scoff at people who thought Oxford had any 'rough' parts, but since moving into a flat on Rectory Road I have had: a group of men arguing in our back yard, guys smoking in a separate incident in said back yard and scaring the bejeezers out of me when I looked out of the window (incidentally the same night someone was murdered on St Clements, about 100m away), massive shouting matches happening in the car park behind our flat, and terrifyingly huge men accosting me on the street whilst alone. And then there was the time the police came knocking on doors asking if anyone had any information about a mugging that had occurred on our street.

I used to think £750 per month for a one bedroom apartment is a lot and now that I am looking into accommodation in London I am in such a shock. Student accommodation, one bedroom, non ensuite....£660 per month...God

as for the bad areas in Oxford, not exactly a bad area as such but I live behind the train station and there is a 3-4 min walk that is basically completely dark and it really frustrates me cause it can't be that difficult to put some lights! It is very dangerous especially cause the road is bumpy. And to think that this is accommodation for families with children!

[WaSaDa]

Does it make much of a difference that the college says 12 months living costs will be £12,900 and makes the financial guarantee based on that even though my course is 9 months long?

Is it easy to get accommodation for 9 months?

[HoVis]

(Original post by WaSaDa)
Does it make much of a difference that the college says 12 months living costs will be £12,900 and makes the financial guarantee based on that even though my course is 9 months long?

Is it easy to get accommodation for 9 months?

Depends on if you're planning to get college accommodation or private rented accommodation. The latter will almost always be a minimum lease of 12 months; colleges might let you stay for a shorter amount of time.

[HoVis]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
I used to think £750 per month for a one bedroom apartment is a lot and now that I am looking into accommodation in London I am in such a shock. Student accommodation, one bedroom, non ensuite....£660 per month...God

as for the bad areas in Oxford, not exactly a bad area as such but I live behind the train station and there is a 3-4 min walk that is basically completely dark and it really frustrates me cause it can't be that difficult to put some lights! It is very dangerous especially cause the road is bumpy. And to think that this is accommodation for families with children!

Ach. That's rotten! House-shares might come up cheaper? (Though a friend of mine has horror stories about going in for a house-share in London to keep costs down and then his housemates - whom he didn't know - failing to pay bills, wash dishes - etc! )

Being a country bumpkin, I hate having streetlights outside my window (I grew up being used to total darkness at night and find it really hard to sleep with city lights/noises!), but I must admit I'm grateful for the streetlights near our flat when walking home at night. Are you on the non-city side of the train station? What's it like? (Might be an area we'd move to if I had to commute regularly).

[WaSaDa]

(Original post by HoVis)
Depends on if you're planning to get college accommodation or private rented accommodation. The latter will almost always be a minimum lease of 12 months; colleges might let you stay for a shorter amount of time.

Thanks! Oh yeah, should've said that it was for private rental accommodation. Where I did the undergrad it was easy enough to get 9 month accommodation - it was just generally of a way lower quality than the 12 month houses. That's a bit annoying, but better to know the situation now.

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by HoVis)
Ach. That's rotten! House-shares might come up cheaper? (Though a friend of mine has horror stories about going in for a house-share in London to keep costs down and then his housemates - whom he didn't know - failing to pay bills, wash dishes - etc! )

Being a country bumpkin, I hate having streetlights outside my window (I grew up being used to total darkness at night and find it really hard to sleep with city lights/noises!), but I must admit I'm grateful for the streetlights near our flat when walking home at night. Are you on the non-city side of the train station? What's it like? (Might be an area we'd move to if I had to commute regularly).

which one is the non-city side? Haha. I live in Castle Mill. It's not bad, only a few mins from the station, it takes about 18 mins to get to town (by foot) and we have an amazing kebab van near-by In general, if you are interested you should apply now, cause last year we applied a bit earlier and we only got an offer for a place in mid August.

[HoVis]

(Original post by WaSaDa)
Thanks! Oh yeah, should've said that it was for private rental accommodation. Where I did the undergrad it was easy enough to get 9 month accommodation - it was just generally of a way lower quality than the 12 month houses. That's a bit annoying, but better to know the situation now.

Hmm, I could be wrong. Maybe do a recce on rightmove? But I'm fairly sure they're year-long. Then again, if you get somewhere cheap enough (might be possible if you share) you might be able to afford paying for the three extra months?

[HoVis]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
which one is the non-city side? Haha. I live in Castle Mill. It's not bad, only a few mins from the station, it takes about 18 mins to get to town (by foot) and we have an amazing kebab van near-by In general, if you are interested you should apply now, cause last year we applied a bit earlier and we only got an offer for a place in mid August.

Can't do anything 'till my funding situation is clear, unfortunately!

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by HoVis)
Can't do anything 'till my funding situation is clear, unfortunately!

you can put your name down though. We didn't know till the end of August if we'd end up going together cause we were waiting for approval of his loan. We still applied in the end of March. I think its a good opportunity cause it's quite cheap, very nice inside (I can send you pics if you PM me your email ) and the location is not bad. Plus of course the university accommodation office has way more houses than that, and there are some more central ones, and a few cheaper ones.

[bluebelle11]

I am super confused and obsessing, so wanted to see if anyone had any feedback for me...

I applied for Oxford's part-time MSt in human rights law for the March deadline and am waiting to hear back. Today, I received an e-mail from the accommodation office. And of course, I got the e-mail on my phone, so the subject that popped up showed "Welcome to the University of Oxford" and I didn't see the extra "Accommodation Office" part until I opened it! SO SAD! They acknowledged in the e-mail that some of us might still be waiting for decisions, so I'm taking this to mean it was just a general e-mail sent to graduate candidates to make us aware of options if we were admitted. But then I start over-thinking and wondering why they would send it now, especially if we might get rejected and be really sad about getting an e-mail after! I'm definitely thinking too much and it probably doesn't mean anything, but I just thought it was an odd e-mail to send people who might still be rejected for admission. Sort of a cruel trick! When I got accepted into my previous school, I received login information to the school system long before I got my acceptance. There is definitely a part of me that's hoping the accommodation office is just more on top of things than everyone else, but I hate getting my hopes up! Anyone have any insight on this?

[Mackenzie123]

(Original post by cyberpoet)
Sorry I didnt receive a PM; if you click on my name, there should be a function for sending PMs.

MSt in English starting this October. I'd expect meetings would vary depending on courses and tutors (some are more elusive than others) , and what you happen to be working on that term I suppose. I met with my supervisor 1-3 times a term, and my dissertation supervisor every fortnight in Hilary and Trinity. Tutors/class conveners everytime there's a taught class or seminar. Again I'm not sure how it works in Cont Ed though.

Thanks so much for the great answers! Much appreciated.

[Mackenzie123]

(Original post by Kiki09)
I believe that at Cont Ed this will vary by course. The course I did (part time MSc English local history) had weekly classes/tutorials for the taught papers and then dissertation supervisions as arranged individually all of which were in Oxford. However, some courses seem to do a mix of online learning and residentials that concentrate all the face to face classes/tutorials into a few weeks.

Thank you, Kiki!

[Dubie]

(Original post by cyberpoet)
Also the AUS dollar is very strong thanks to your rich natural resources in this crazy world economy; I guess it's a good time for Aussies to study abroad or in the UK.

It's definitely better than a few years ago when it was three dollars to the pound! It's also a great time for buying things on the internet from the US

But yes, if the exchange rate wasn't relatively favourable, there's no way I'd be able to afford to come without a scholarship (I'll still have to borrow, but a more manageable amount).

To those who are already there, how do you find the accommodation in Oxford? I know it varies college to college (and of course is different if you're renting privately), but my overriding impression is that the rooms are very small. Is it tolerable because there's space elsewhere - i.e. you spend time at the college etc - or are the photos misleading, or do you just have to put up with being cramped if you want to go to Oxford?

[HLS]

(Original post by WaSaDa)
Does it make much of a difference that the college says 12 months living costs will be £12,900 and makes the financial guarantee based on that even though my course is 9 months long?

Is it easy to get accommodation for 9 months?

If your course is 9 months long you need only prove access to living costs for 9 months.

[WaSaDa]

(Original post by HLS)
If your course is 9 months long you need only prove access to living costs for 9 months.

That's what I thought too! Will have to get onto them about it once the holidays are over.

[HLS]

(Original post by WaSaDa)
That's what I thought too! Will have to get onto them about it once the holidays are over.

To answer your other question, if you live in College or University accommodation the standard contract length is 37-40 weeks (i.e. ends last week of Trinity).

It would appear most colleges do not allow graduates not to pay rent over the vacation period even if they are not residing in college accommodation (most do allow this for undergraduates). There are a few exceptions to this.

I think you will struggle to find private accommodation with 9 month contracts attached, especially accommodation intended to cater for students. If you do it will most likely be accommodation which the owners intended to lease for 12 months but nobody wanted!

I recommend you take considerable care to digest any prospective tenancy agreements you sign, especially if you 'go private', as the legal arrangements can vary considerably and can have very important consequences.