Official CAMBRIDGE 2017 Postgraduate Applicants thread

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There's no 'supposed to take' they go to the meeting when the meeting is held, if your application arrives the day before, it might get there in a day, if it arrives the day after it might take weeks and weeks. It might also go there and still be in the 'wait and see' pile and so go back to a later meeting when the quality of the cohort is clearer. Otherwise, early decisions are made usually on the clear 'not up to standard' or the very few clear 'superstar' applications. The vast majority don't have decisions made until after Christmas when the calibre of the entire cohort is understood.

Thanks! Just to clarify: if an application is received October 1st, and another on October 21st, with a meeting held by the department on, say, October 25th (for example), would both applications be considered there and then in that meeting? So the application that was sent in on 21st October might look like it has been dealt with quickly when, in actual fact, it's just made it into the next batch of applications being processed in that meeting?

Not quite sure if that made sense, but I hope it does!

Yes, in principle, but it is also complicated by the fact that (based on my 5+ years talking to the POLIS staff) applications are passed out to potential Supervisors or the course leaders. They might a) not get through a bunch of 'latest' applications for that months meeting and b) might decide, especially at this early date, not to present all applications at the meeting. So they might present/circulate for discussion only the weakest and strongest anticipating a decision and some of the middle ground so that a benchmark can be established.

Because PG subjects can be so diverse, there is usually a two-step process. Initially, the nearest academic specialist makes a judgement of the quality of the application based on their knowledge of 17th century shoe-lace tying techniques and their influence on court etiquette - or whatever the applicant has proposed to research, plus the basics of the undergrad degree, references etc etc. They make a suggestion - yes/no/undecided and put it to the central meeting. in the central meeting, they have the harder task of weighing up the difference between the shoe lace tying application and the application looking at the history of EU convergence in the early 1990s (whatever that is!) ie they have to judge quality across very diverse academic boundaries. They also have to juggle with the more strategic influences eg the department has decided to raise academic standards, or they have suddenly lost a 17th Century Supervisor for a year, so can't support as many 17th century applicants etc.

At this stage though, at probably the first meeting in this cycle where they are assessing applications, I suspect it will be very much a benchmarking exercise - yes they might give a no to the weakest 30% of applications received, possibly a yes to the top 2 or 3, but the vast majority looked at will go back into the pending pile until after Christmas, when the general quality of the cohort is more evident. So applications don't just get one shot at the committee, they keep cycling around until they get a decision.

Yes, in principle, but it is also complicated by the fact that (based on my 5+ years talking to the POLIS staff) applications are passed out to potential Supervisors or the course leaders. They might a) not get through a bunch of 'latest' applications for that months meeting and b) might decide, especially at this early date, not to present all applications at the meeting. So they might present/circulate for discussion only the weakest and strongest anticipating a decision and some of the middle ground so that a benchmark can be established.

Because PG subjects can be so diverse, there is usually a two-step process. Initially, the nearest academic specialist makes a judgement of the quality of the application based on their knowledge of 17th century shoe-lace tying techniques and their influence on court etiquette - or whatever the applicant has proposed to research, plus the basics of the undergrad degree, references etc etc. They make a suggestion - yes/no/undecided and put it to the central meeting. in the central meeting, they have the harder task of weighing up the difference between the shoe lace tying application and the application looking at the history of EU convergence in the early 1990s (whatever that is!) ie they have to judge quality across very diverse academic boundaries. They also have to juggle with the more strategic influences eg the department has decided to raise academic standards, or they have suddenly lost a 17th Century Supervisor for a year, so can't support as many 17th century applicants etc.

At this stage though, at probably the first meeting in this cycle where they are assessing applications, I suspect it will be very much a benchmarking exercise - yes they might give a no to the weakest 30% of applications received, possibly a yes to the top 2 or 3, but the vast majority looked at will go back into the pending pile until after Christmas, when the general quality of the cohort is more evident. So applications don't just get one shot at the committee, they keep cycling around until they get a decision.

Having a bit of a panic moment, and hoping one of you might know something about this?!

I applied around two weeks ago for the MPhil in Medieval History and have been in touch with potential supervisors (meeting one tomorrow), but my application has already gone from the Department to the Graduate Committee - does this sound ominous to anyone else? It's supposed to take about 1-2 months to be considered by the Dep, and I'm starting to really worry that mine has been passed on so quickly - does anyone know of anyone who has ever applied and had this happen so quickly? Did it turn out okay?

I had my interview for MPhil in Industrial System, Manufacture, and Management on Tuesday. I feel like it went quite well, and my interviewer said I should hear back in about two weeks.
This will be the longest two weeks of my life!! Any advice for how to stay calm and patient and not be checking self-service every hour??

I would have thought you'd just get an unsuccessful message if they weren't interested, instead of moving you forward to the Grad committee stage. Surely it means you're progressing forward. Hopefully it means they think you're an ace applicant and want to make you an early offer :-)

Just found out yesterday that I received an offer for the MPhil in multi-disciplinary gender studies, with my research dissertation being in the realm of gender medieval history!

Unbelievably excited!

I put my application in on the 4th of October.

Now just to wait and see about colleges! I applied to Corpus and Caius.


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Would you know whether other departments use this same process, as well? I recently received a lovely email regarding my application to ESD which basically said that although a number of decisions(recommendations and rejections) had been made, a decision on my application was still pending. I gather, then, I am probably in the undecided pile.

Hi
Even i got the same reply from ESD department . When did you apply though? Do let me know when you hear from them again.

All my documents were received on the18th of October, so about two and a half weeks ago. They are trying to admit fewer students on the MPhil for the October 2017 intake since they will have fewer members of academic staff next year. Hopefully, it will all turn out okay

Damn. So they wont admit 40 like they used to do? I'm curious how you got to know this :P