Urgent application help

I am thinking of applying to Cambridge to obtain a MPhil in medical sciences. There is a question on the application that asks to write a proposal for the research I plan to do or to describe why I want to apply to the aforementioned degree. I am really confused about the question. Am I supposed to get in touch with research supervisors at Cambridge before I apply? Am I to know exactly what I want to be doing for research before I apply to Cambridge?

Reply 1

Viceroy

Yes, you need to describe why you want to apply to the degree programme, why you want to attend Cambridge in particular, and what research you wish to undertake. I do not know the specifics of the MPhil in Medical Sciences, but it may be prudent (or even encouraged) to contact potential supervisors ahead of time to ascertain their interest in your work/research proposal.

Reply 2

Klix88

An MPhil is essentially the first phase of a PhD. Unless you're applying for an existing funded project, it's going to be rooted in individual research. You do need to at least have a research project in mind and as Viceroy says, it's useful to check in advance that the staff in your target department will be interested and/or willing to supervise it. One approach could be to figure out the staff areas of interest, then email them, explain why you share that interest and ask whether they have any MPhil-level projects which might be suitable for you.

Reply 3

sj27

To contradict Klix, at Cambridge (and Oxford) an MPhil is a taught masters, not the first phase of a PhD.

To the OP, have you checked the guidelines on the web page? What you need to put in there varies by department for MPhils. Some do want a rather detailed research outline (for the thesis part of the M), others only want an indication of areas you're interested in. Some departments encourage you to contact supervisors ahead of time, others actively discourage it as part of the application process. If there are not enough details of this particular department's requirements on their web page then I suggest you contact their graduate admissions and ask.

Reply 4

mounika_parimi

I contacted Graduate Admissions. This was the e-mail I received back from them:
Thank you for your email and interest in studying at Cambridge. Based on information about the course (which is available at this pagehttp://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/gradadmissions/prospec/studying/qualifdir/courses/mdmd/) the course is for candidates wishing to take a shorter course of research and write a dissertation for the Masters after one year. It is a research degree for candidates who know what they want to research. Please look on the Department of Medicine website for further information and contact them directly if you need further clarification.
I am really confused as to what they mean by "know what they want to research."
The program description on the website states:
Along with the specific research training provided in the laboratory in which you work, you receive further training within the department in the form of graduate workshops concentrating on research techniques, research seminars both on the Addenbrooke's site and elsewhere in the University, and graduate student seminars dealing with generic skills such as intellectual property rights, writing a thesis or paper, and entrepreneurship.Candidates wishing to take a shorter course of research and write a dissertation for the Masters after one year may apply for the MPhil in Medical Sciences.

This makes it sound like I will be trained in the lab I will work with. Do I need to have a completely independent project in mind or work on the same project as the lab that I will work in. Are the professors quick in replying to my enquiries. I don't have a lot of time before my application is due.

Reply 5

Ellim

It sounds as though you are expected to write a proposal for an independent project of your own devising. Which is fairly standard, and even those who join research groups usually have to write research proposals.

Sorry to say, but this sounds like a pretty fundamental aspect of the course, and the application, and something you should have considered a LOT earlier. Maybe you're not ready for a research-intensive degree and should focus your applications on taught master's courses.

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