Oxford Graduate Application 2012/13

It's reassuring to know that there is an interest in Medieval Economics at Oxford.

Are you more focused on 20th century economic history, or is your interest slightly earlier? I'm interested in comparisons of economic situations throughout the British Isles, so I was thinking for my postgraduate research I may want to take that further though I haven't yet decided how, but hopefully it will be more clear once I have seen what data there is available. It's reassuring to know that there is an interest in Medieval Economics at Oxford. Oh yes, and do they interview postgraduate applications?

Oxford is overrun with medievalists in various disciplines. If you slap 'Medieval' on the front of any seminar title, they will spring out of the woodwork. Besides a weekly medieval history research seminar, there's a specific medieval 'economic and social history' research seminar.

If you're interested, you can see this term's listing of medieval stuff, including those two seminars, [PDF] here.

My research project is 20th century econ history, but I am interested in just about everything.

Ordinarily the Department do not interview postgraduate applicants, unless they wish to clarify some element of your research proposal.

My advice on the research proposal/statement of purpose would be get as good an idea as you can about the sources and methods you plan to utilise. I had a very detailed understanding of the broad subject history I was interested in but did not pay sufficient attention to methodology and, accordingly, did not secure any funding.

Somebody won the Feinstein Memorial Prize in Economic History for their MSc Dissertation on micro-climatic effects on crop yields in (I think) 13th century England. It was a superb paper and there is a good depth of interest in the medieval period at Oxford, and I'm sure at Cambridge too.

It sounds like that will be a really interesting area to study. Ah, ok I will make sure I try and cover methodology in as much detail as possible then. Do you know if they tend to fund economic history over other areas, or if they are indiscriminate?

Oh thank you! It looks excellent! So can graduates just 'turn up' to any of the seminars?

anyone from the Jan applicants, still waiting for colleges?

Yes. And at least in my subject (English) we're strongly encouraged to go to our own subject seminar regularly -- they have a mix of academics from Oxford and elsewhere giving papers on research they're doing, plus postgrads with well-advanced research giving papers derived from that, so it's a good way to get a bit of a feel for what people are doing, plus pick up tips on things to do (and things not to do) when presenting.

Yup, Jan applicant and still waiting for a college reply. Applied for Nuffield.

anyone from the Jan applicants, still waiting for colleges?

I am I applied to St. John's. I wonder if anyone else has heard from them.

Ditto, applied to John's too. Maybe they are taking a little longer than expected?

Hey, did anyone receive some kind of confirmation or reply after emailing graduate admissions to accept the initial university offer?
(Emailed them a while ago, and as the deadline for replying is approaching, wanted to make sure I haven't messed something up)

anyone from the Jan applicants, still waiting for colleges?

I am I applied to St. John's. I wonder if anyone else has heard from them.

Have any March deadline people heard back yet about colleges, may I ask?