Oxford Graduate Application 2012/13

Ps to the op - graduates often receive their college offers late - so don't worry. It doesn't mean you'll end up in a "less desirable college". I think I remember getting mine around July when I was accepted for my MSc there.

Mmm try going to school in a snowstorm or when it's -35! (It happens all the time in Canada, especially in January or February, and we have snow until at least April.) Having dug in Greece at 40-45 degrees and experienced Canadian weather, I am looking forward the mild winter and the beautiful spring that the UK gets!!! It seems like a good middle-ground to me. But hey, maybe I am just too positive and I idealize Oxford too much!

The voice of gloom speaks up again: Oxford has its own slightly bizarre micro-climate, which I think comes from it being in a slight valley amidst a lot of rivers. From October through to February/March/April/May (in the case of this year - ugh!) it can be very damp, grey and overcast, but of course nowhere near as cold as Canada! This year has been a particularly bizarre one: we essentially seem to have missed spring and gone from wet, chilly, jumper-wearing weather a few days ago to wonderful sun-shine and summer-dress-wearing weather from yesterday onwards. (But... Oxford is *stunning* in the sun).

Something which a friend from Austria once told me when she visited the UK was that the weather in England was much more changeable than that elsewhere; she found it really odd that it could be raining in the morning and sunny and hot in the afternoon. So be prepared for unpredictability, and bring a very flexible selection of clothes!

Yeah, you're right it's not just the UK that does this. Universities in all EU countries have to treat students from member states the same for fee purposes. For that reason lots of students from England are applying to the Republic of Ireland (and other countries) as they are treated as home students and pay lower fees than they would in the UK.

Although, a loophole in this law results in the somewhat bemusing fact that Scottish universities charge students from anywhere in the EU *other than England* the same price as their home students, but charge students from England much more, because they are allowed to treat students from a different 'region' of the same state (which is what England and Scotland seem to be in relation to one another in terms of EU law) differently. Bah.

I can see why they do it to some extent - preventing loads of English students from crossing the border for a (much) cheaper education, trying to keep bright Scottish students in Scotland, and also probably as a tiny bit of a get-back for centuries of history in which England behaved atrociously towards them - but it is a tiny bit annoying.

Yeah, I'd heard about it but maybe the best plan in that case is getting back onto the street in England to lower tuition fees there.

This is pretty irrelevant to the current conversation but I just thought I would share my anger:

Went into NatWest bank to ask about getting a loan for my masters (modern languages) and they said "sorry, we only offer loans to postgraduate students studying sciences, not humanities"

Yes, thats right. The bank only help science students. Lovely eh??? Especially as science students are so much more likely to have sponsorship!

*RAGE*

so weird if different banks fund some subjects and not others..... need some consistency! but thanks, will try... although I dont know how much luck I'll have getting a loan without any history at that bank

This is pretty irrelevant to the current conversation but I just thought I would share my anger:

Went into NatWest bank to ask about getting a loan for my masters (modern languages) and they said "sorry, we only offer loans to postgraduate students studying sciences, not humanities"

Yes, thats right. The bank only help science students. Lovely eh??? Especially as science students are so much more likely to have sponsorship!

*RAGE*

Unless I have become delusional, and unless the NatWest website is giving false information, NatWest do not offer postgraduate studies loans to anybody.

Have you got your banks confused?

my bf had no history either and he got a CDL from co-op for classics.

Hmm. To be honest - and I'll concede that I wasn't hit by the fees rise, so am probably not as bound up in this as many slightly younger students are - I don't actually oppose the rise in fees in the UK. Firstly, the system of repayments is very generous. No repayments unless you're earning above a certain amount, no interest beyond the rate of inflation, and the fact that the debt is written off if you haven't paid it after 30 years means that it is essentially a graduate tax, and those who benefit the most fiscally from a university education end up paying the most. I admit that the psychological impact of having what seems like a massive quantity hanging over you as a 'debt' can cause a problem, and Oxford, at least, is making efforts to prevent this from putting off students from lower income families (fees are means-tested here under the new system; something I also have a bit of an issue with, but I do think it is probably the best way to avoid putting off bright but poor students). The government loan for education is so much better here than it is in the States - fees are ridiculously high, the interest on loans is massive, and the debt can never be written off - not even if you declare bankrupt.

<snip>

EDIT: I know this essentially makes my objection to the lower Scottish fees sound a bit silly. It's more the mild unfriendliness of the distinction that gets to me than the difference in cost.

Yes, well if you've accepted the silliness of the Scottish objections then my main point has been reached.

I'd never further this off-topic-ness by saying that if a high enough proportion of student debt is written off then the system isn't working (for students or government) as higher education isn't being paid for at all at all. I wouldn't add that as much as I sympathise with your friends the sixth formers and younger students will be facing much more difficult barriers to entering the Radcliffe Camera if they can't afford to go there (though woot to Oxford for student grants). And I'd never derail the conversation further by adding that in this modern society higher education has become a necessity so it shouldn't be left only to the privileged. Nah, I'd never say that.

I had to pay a student contribution towards my fees (over four years €5000). If I was in debt now, there'd be no way of thinking of adding to that with a postgrad and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Oh, and genuine question after all that. Do postgrads stay around Oxford during holidays or do they head home too?

I'd never further this off-topic-ness by saying that if a high enough proportion of student debt is written off then the system isn't working (for students or government) as higher education isn't being paid for at all

I'd never further this off-topic-ness by saying that if a high enough proportion of student debt is written off then the system isn't working (for students or government) as higher education isn't being paid for at all at all.