Oxford Neuroscience MSc/Dphil 1+3 success?

Has anyone managed to get on this course? The 4 year program or the standalone MSc? If so, what is your background and experience? I know this course in insanely competitive and I have been rejected. I want to try again but want to get an idea of what I need to achieve before then?
Thanks!!

Reply 1

slapsticjoe

yes

(edited 3 years ago)

University of Oxford

Oxford

Reply 2

QuentinM

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by LucyCassia

I haven't personally, but as I've done a Masters and now I'm doing a PhD in Neuroscience, I'd ask you the following in return:

1) What's your current situation? (I might be able to suggest ideas for next steps)
2) What are your goals post-PhD (why do you want to do one, basically?)
3) Why specifically this degree?

My experience of trying to get on a Neuroscience PhD was incredible difficulty, even discounting some of the more competitive courses/universities like this one (where I chose not to apply for that reason, and because they weren't offering the projects I was interested in). For reference it took me 3 years. The only reason I really got on one was because in that 3rd year, I agreed to volunteer in someone else's lab for a few months (up until the first lockdown), whilst they were applying for funding with someone else. This gave me more lab experience, but also experience in growing, for example, the specific stem cell lines I now use in my project, which was massively valuable experience that I presume made me the best candidate (I don't think I have many other redeeming features!)

Experience wise I had this work, a few summer "internships", my MRes research projects (2 of them) and my undergrad research project, giving me experience in all sorts of techniques (cell culture, western blot, qPCR, viral transduction, immunofluorescent staining etc). I was also in the process of contributing to a literature review during my final application which has since been published (getting publications, although difficult for students, is often considered highly).

For this Oxford program, it likely won't come down hugely to your experiences as it does with a lot of other PhD's, because you don't choose your project until the end of year 1 (so your experience at application could be almost irrelevant by then). I imagine they would be expecting a 1st class degree for undergraduate (or a prediction for that grade) as one of the principal things.

What are your plans now? Are you looking for other PhD projects elsewhere?

Original post by slapsticjoe

yes

Ok but can you answer the rest of the OP's questions?

Reply 3

DIANAGIS

Hi!
Did you try again?

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