Will it get funded a PhD at Oxbridge

I have an undergrad first (3 yrs) and a low merit(60 .7%) at masters from Uo Manchester, worked with a well known prof for my dissertation and scored a first in that. (First seems was awful i was sick and missed roughly 1.5 months out of the three as i was in hospital recovering hence was late in joining my course). I have published 3 papers ( no the first author), had an internship for 6 months with a prof at Manchester. Currently work for a not a small yet known spin out(6 months). Phew! After all that i would love do do a PhD with two people( unfortunately both of them are at cambridge). Is it worth applying for cambridge knowing my profile ? I was fairly confident up until my undergrad but after that first sem in masters confidence has been low.

What subject area are you in and would you be applying for a funded project or your own proposed project?

chemistry, at the moment i am thinking of applying for funded projects within a group. I think CDT's would be full with Firsts.

CDT programs look beyond academic score, if anything CDTs probably are more incentivised to be more forgiving here due to the way the first year incorporates essentially a year of professional training versus a traditional PhD with bolt i funding. Ultimately they want high calibre students.

The problem isn’t that you didn’t get a first but that you didn’t do very well, well below par, I understand you achieved a merit but this is pretty much an absolute minimum for a PhD let alone funding - the scale is relative to the applicant pool. I think for any source of funding you’ll be best off leaning on your experience & contacts.

I would always say applying for funding also isn’t a case of this OR that, but you should probably apply for everything and see what you land. We’re pretty much past the end of the 2023 cycle (maybe even past January start 2024) so you can start getting your applications in top form for a autumn 2024 cycle application. The other thing you can do is apply for industry research opportunities simultaneously to academia (which is generally more forgiving to things like having a low 2.1 versus a strong 2.1).

I see, thak you for your response. Do you reckon my application is not competitive? With the internship, industrial experience and papers ? My references are quite good as well. And i have evidence for extenuating circumstances. My undergrad was a high first.
I am applying for 2024 sept term.

Would you advise be to possibly not be too hopeful about Oxbridge ? Should i apply of comparatively less prestige(subjective) then ? If thats the way i get fully funded.

There was a guy at cambridge who's response seemed positive but he did not have any funding at the moment. The other guy also at cambridge mentioned he did not have any open positions( That could be genuine or possibly a polite way of rejecting).
Sorry for the long reply

I would say your application has a point of weakness rather then uncompetitive. 3 papers (if your first author) will be very strong & relevant experience is always a bonus. Generally everyone has good references so that is unlikely to move the needle.

one thing to note is even though you have a strong first at UG, this indicates your performance dropped as you went up the academic levels - generally universities are more forgiving if they see an upward trajectory, but the first will hopefully mean you tick the academic minimum requirements (and certainly will at some institutions).

with a PhD I wouldn’t necessarily get hooked on “ Cambridge” factor, you should apply to good research groups & supervisors. University name is less of a factor then group & supervisor reputation and most importantly how they manage their students.

it is always better to cast a wide net of applications, at multiple institutions if you want to pursue a funded PhD.