Msc Russian & Eastern European Studies

[...] I am very interested in this postgraduate course that is being offered at Oxford. They do require a 2.1, which I do have, but I am slightly concerned about my A-levels, which are not so great. The thing is - I have no idea whether they wouldpay any attention to A-levels as they do not list it as a requirement ? Would you say that it might be an obstacle?

Also, I wanted to ask people already enrolled on this course, or prospective students did they find the whole application process difficult and was it hard to get in ?
What would br your tips in terms of writing a good Personal Statement and how important References are?

- you do not list your A levels so do not worry about them.
- REES is one of Oxford's least competitive programmes.
- getting three references together is hard for some people.
- with your personal statement, explicitly state what you hope to get out of your time at Oxford and which resources you want to use and who you want to work with.
- because it is an interdisciplinary programme, you might be better served doing a master's elsewhere. For example, if are interested in Russian literature then Bristol or UCL would be better. If you are interested in politics then Birmingham might be better. It just depends upon your interests and what you are looking to get out of postgraduate study.