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Experiences of Oxford for Postgrad

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Reply 40

ChemistBoy

Eternal Student

Plus Oxford required me to live within 30 miles of college for the duration of the research period, which isn't realistic for part-time students with full-time jobs.

Bizzare, I could understand that for laboratory-based research but philosophy? Is it just so they keep you isolated from the filthy philosophy that is going on in 'the provinces'.

University of Oxford

Oxford

Reply 41

puppy

the_alba

Are you applying for a Master's or a PhD? Either way, AHRC funding pays all your tuition fees and gives you a grant to live on, around £8000 for a one-year Master's, and £12,600 per year for three years for a PhD. You find out in the summer whether you've been successful.

Thanks. Sorry to be one of those annoying people asking for someone to do all their work for them, I wouldn't ask if I wasn't totally frustrated with websites and postgrad prospectuses and chasing references!

Reply 42

hobnob

fuglyduckling

Brilliant quote. I absolutely love the Sherlock Holmes stories :king1:

http://www.citsoft.com/holmes3.html

This one's got the Case-Book as well: http://camdenhouse.ignisart.com/canon/index.html :wink:

Reply 43

apotoftea

Know the feeling Puppy

Reply 44

apotoftea

Eternal Student

But given my distinctly post-modern leanings, coupled with the fact that a great chunk of my research topic is linked to practical philosophy (and even those two words together in the same sentence are probably enough to spark of yet another endless debate), it really didn't seem like a good idea to follow through on the offer.

Yeah, I'm not a PM (or indeed the PM) but I certainly agree and find a lot of very very interesting.

Saying that though, a certain person in my department is enough that my application would be set fire to. Although he is on the UG reading lists I noticed (was doing some investigating) - they probably have mass burnings of his book

Reply 45

Da Bachtopus

puppy

Ok someone help me fill in my application form before I tear my hair out. What should I put in the funding section? I've ticked 'intend to apply for' for the AHRC but their website is confusing so I have no idea what the funding might cover, for how long, and when I'd find out whether I got any or not. Arghhh

Good luck. It's absolute mind****ery. When I applied last year there wasn't even a box for "intend to apply to AHRC", which seemed a bit odd since (i) everyone applies, and (ii) you can't apply until you've already received an offer. So they might have sensiblized it for you.

IIRC correctly, there's a section on the form where you have to declare your expected expenses (on Tution Fees, living costs, whatnot). The Uni' website provides the figures for this, but it's relatively hidden:
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/gsprospectus/funding/costs.html

(Hmm, looks like this is tidier than it was last year too!)

You then have to declare your potential funding assistance, and what shortfall you expect. I assume you'll be applying for this AHRC grant (which mercifully you don't have to think about for a few months):
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/apply/postgrad/research_preparation_masters_scheme.asp

The details of what the grant actually GIVES you are on a different part of their site, though:
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/holders/postgrad/research_preparation_masters_scheme.asp

As the_alba said, they pay your tuition fees, along with giving you £8,800 in maintenance. SO, when you declare your potential assistance on the Cambridge form you need to put down a figure of around £14,000 (if you get the grant), incorporating both the maintenance and the tuition fees. I might be wrong here, as I'm not sure if the "tuition fees" they pay cover only the 'University Composition Fee' or whatever, or that AND the 'College Fee'. You might want to check with someone how large a figure you should declare.

When I completed the form, I actually gave two figures, one based on what shortfall I would have should I receive a grant, and another based on shortfall should I not receive one, and have to rely on (completely made up) sums I could get from my family. Apparently they use this information to calculate the 'financial condition' you have to prove you can meet to take up your offer.

Reply 46

puppy

This is the Oxford form, haven't looked at the Cambridge one yet since I'm already here so there's way less to do so I'm doing it after Oxford. The whole funding thing is just annoying, I'm going to pay for it myself because I know there's no way the AHRC will fund me (academic record isn't up to much) but I have to apply there to be eligible for money from Trinity (if I stay here) which is far more likely to come my way but you have to go through the AHRC first. So annoying.

They don't have an AHRC box, just a load of empty boxes for 'intending to apply' 'applied for' or whatever. Makes very little sense to me.

Then I have to write my statement of purpose and sort out my written work to send. What on earth do you put in your statement of purpose? 'I can't be bothered to get a job yet and mooching about pretty colleges and getting battered a few nights every week seems like a much better deal. Oh and Classics or something'

Reply 47

the_alba

Classics? I thought Cambridge's Classics department had been temporarily barred from receiving AHRC funding because not enough award holders were finishing their PhDs. Maybe it's still okay for Master's students though. (I was trying to find the page where I read this on the AHRC site, but like you say it's been designed by a chimp).

If you're positive you won't get AHRC funding, then it really doesn't matter what you put on your statement of purpose I suppose. They have guidelines on the website for the kind of things they want to hear.

But crucially: if you're applying to the ARHC for Oxford (putting it on the Oxford form), then that wouldn't count for Cambridge, so you wouldn't get any money out of Trinity. You have to apply to the AHRC for the Cambridge course only if you want to qualify for this back-up funding, as you can't apply for AHRC funding for more than one university.

Reply 48

puppy

the_alba

Well obviously I can't apply until I (hopefully) have a place somewhere. At the moment it's more a case of knowing enough about it to fill out the funding section of my application form. And obviously I need a statement of purpose for my applications to Oxford and Cambridge... no idea what you're even supposed to say. I have no goals or aims so how do you write something with the word 'purpose' in the title when you don't have one?

Reply 49

hobnob

puppy

No goals or aims? But you must have some reason for wanting to do a graduate degree; surely you wouldn't put yourself through the application process if you didn't? :wink:

Reply 50

puppy

hobnob

No goals or aims? But you must have some reason for wanting to do a graduate degree; surely you wouldn't put yourself through the application process if you didn't? :wink:

I'm just not finished learning yet. There's loads more stuff I want to do. If I get into Oxford I might stay for a DPhil afterwards. I don't really know what I want though, it's hard to put it in to words (ones that someone who will give me a graduate place would understand at least). I just really love art history and I want to carrying on doing it, whether it's as part of classics at Cambridge or an art history Mst at Oxford. That's not going to fill a statement of purpose though!

Reply 51

hobnob

puppy

Hmm, fair enough. Have you tried looking at the list of modules for the MSt yet? There might be something in there that particularly interests you, so you could use that as a starting point and say you want to "deepen your interest in X". Alternatively, if you're changing from Classics to Art History, you could try to explain why you specifically want to focus on art history rather than, say, Homer's use of the dative. Or mention things that particularly attract you about art history - I'm sure there's a reason why you love it so much you want to learn more about it. :smile:

Reply 52

puppy

hobnob

Yeah I've read all the blurbs for the compulsory and optional papers (obviously!) so I can write about that, I'm not sure how you go from wanting to learn more about those to wanting to do an MSt in it though, it's not as though I couldn't read a pile of books on it without staying at uni.

Reply 53

Da Bachtopus

^^ Ditto. You should say why you're looking to change to / specialise in Art History, then outline why their particular course would be So So Good. I think they want to see how you've considered that course in particular, what interests you, what options you'd choose should you take it, and how you'd be building in what you already know. If it's a "three essays + thesis" structure, then have a paragraph explaining what area you'd work on for the thesis. Obviously it doesn't bind you to do it should you get on the course, you just need to sound like you've got a plan, even if you're just trying to make up plausible-sounding research topics. This might mean a bit more effort since you'll have to re-write the specific areas for different applications.

If you're not sure what you'd do yet, and if the deadline isn't until New Year, then maybe you should take a week off stressing over the forms. Look over the courses again and let a few research topics drift into your mind over a week or so. Hopefully you'll then be able to fill in the "statement of purpose" with reasonable confidence.

Reply 54

Da Bachtopus

puppy

That's the disillusioning thing about the humanities; even when you get onto the courses it's largely just autodidacticism.

Sometimes there's an even more horrible box asking about your future plans, so if you're considering a DPhil, you might want to put that in there, and make obvious point that you'd need to do the Masters first. Couldn't you say (even if this is a white lie) that you'd specifically enjoyed stuying art in an academic context; that is, you quite like criticising / writing essays on stuff, and you want to take this to the next level, as well as obtaining an official qualification in the discipline. Have you considered going into the art trade, or working in galleries or something? Having a Masters would certainly help you in that.

Reply 55

apotoftea

After much pondering, brain wracking and soul searching I've decided not to apply. The course really doesn't offer what I want to be doing (and also long term research too); I also really think I would hate the fact about not being able to question things in a more modernist way, plus the course doesn't really offer anything about that sort of area of History.

Basically the course at RH trumps Oxford by miles; RH also has some of the key names in my area of research, Oxford doesn't! Far far far too many pros towards RH so just the one application.

Maybe one day I'll end up hopefully teaching at Oxford and I'll be the one to rebel and actually let students study postmodernism :biggrin:

Reply 56

The Boosh

hey sticky *ahem* - good to hear about your choice of course. sounds like you've made a good choice. i've just applied for a job at the ivory towers, though i doubt anything will come of it.