2022 DPhil Information, Communication, and the Social Sciences

You know folks, I emailed the OII before (last week) to ask if all interview invitations were already sent. They did not reply. Heck, they didn't even open my email message.

still no reply on that?

part-time applicant, nothing on my end, even the upload button still in place. never thought the waiting would be so hard

I wish they would send out rejections when they decide not to shortlist people, rather than waiting until after they’ve done interviews and accepted people.

Folks, just a heads up, the sixth week has officially passed.

Did you apply anywhere else? I applied to LSE (got an interview, waiting to hear), Cambridge (rejected because they couldn’t find a supervisor who was suited to my topic), and a lower ranked uni that I just really like the supervisor (offer).

Did you apply anywhere else? I applied to LSE (got an interview, waiting to hear), Cambridge (rejected because they couldn’t find a supervisor who was suited to my topic), and a lower ranked uni that I just really like the supervisor (offer).

LSE I applied for PhD Sociology, with second choice Media and Communication. Was interviewed by the latter. It’s ranked number 3 in the world for this, behind Amsterdam and USC, so I am excited about the opportunities this can provide. And London seems cool.

Cambridge I applied for Sociology because they have a small cohort researching the sociology of media, but unfortunately none of them felt suited to take on my topic, which is really rather niche. They gave lovely feedback though which helped my ego lol

The third school I have an offer for I’d be in the Criminology part of the Sociology and Criminology department. It’s ranked way behind the others, by like 200, but I’m seriously considering it because it would be a much less stressful experience. I studied there before, have contacts, and the supervisor and school are really accommodating. I think day to day life experience is just as important as rank.

Oxford would be the best because they have great support, and high rank. But I’m pretty sure I got a rejection (no interview yet). It was a long shot anyway.

any ideas why it can be so long this year?
according to The Gradcafe, last year interview invitations were sent on 24 Feb, 1 and 8 March, which adjusted to the deadline date gives us 9, 14 and 21 Feb for this year - but there is still nothing
the waiting is devastating

Anyone who emailed the grad office heard back?

I received the following generic response, seems copy pasted from the webiste:

Thank you for your email. Once you have submitted your application, you will have access to the Graduate Applicant Self Service Portal where you can check whether your application has fulfilled all of the requirements for it to be assessed, including the status of your references. Self Service will not, however, give information on the status of your application after it is ready for assessment. Please refer to the Graduate Applicant Self Service portal user guide for full details.
Read more about what happens after you submit your application on the 'After you apply' section of our website and see our timetable for expected decisions. Please remember, however, that we receive a very high number of applications and you will not always receive your decision by the date published.

If you have not heard the outcome of your application two weeks after the estimated decision date, you can contact the relevant department or faculty directly (OII) to enquire further. Contact details can be found on the relevant course pages on the Graduate Admissions website.
There is also more information on the decision timing Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

I received the following generic response, seems copy pasted from the webiste:

Thank you for your email. Once you have submitted your application, you will have access to the Graduate Applicant Self Service Portal where you can check whether your application has fulfilled all of the requirements for it to be assessed, including the status of your references. Self Service will not, however, give information on the status of your application after it is ready for assessment. Please refer to the Graduate Applicant Self Service portal user guide for full details.
Read more about what happens after you submit your application on the 'After you apply' section of our website and see our timetable for expected decisions. Please remember, however, that we receive a very high number of applications and you will not always receive your decision by the date published.

If you have not heard the outcome of your application two weeks after the estimated decision date, you can contact the relevant department or faculty directly (OII) to enquire further. Contact details can be found on the relevant course pages on the Graduate Admissions website.
There is also more information on the decision timing Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

I likewise received the same exact response, folks. However, in the other thread, the person who was interviewed for the part-time DPhil in Social Data Science asked the interviewers about the decision timeline. He/she was informed that interviews are going to take place last week and this week and decisions are going to be released one month after you are interviewed.

So folks, maybe there was indeed a delay because of covid, but one thing is for certain, if any of us are getting interviewed, it has to be this week.