Oxford Graduate Application 2012/13

Original post by 6DOIT

Alright, basically I applied for a postgrad degree in Oxford back in November 2011 and I was told that my application was being re-evaluated in the second round application. Now, I intend to submit some more documents (like an updated letter of intent, an additional reference, and possibly a written work) to strengthen my profile but the problem is that the admissions committee says that they can't receive any more documents from me. My question is, would it be a sensible move to do by getting one of the lecturers from my university who has contact with the admissions committee in Oxford to help send these documents for me? I would appreciate any advice on this matter. Thank you.

Erm, how exactly are you imagining this will work, then? Your tutor slips your updated application to his contact at Oxford, who will then secretly swap it for the application you sent in, like in some second-rate spy film? :erm:

That isn't going to happen.
I can see why this is frustrating for you, but it's not actually a second application, it's a reevaluation, and that's why you're not allowed to add new references and extra materials.

Reply 1205

Why would you add an additional reference? Three references are more than enough already. And if you are applying for a taught degree the letter of intent doesn't matter.

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Original post by Ghost6

Why would you add an additional reference? Three references are more than enough already. And if you are applying for a taught degree the letter of intent doesn't matter.[/QUOTE]

This may be true for your course. It is NOT true for all of them.

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fadingwinters

2

Original post by cyberpoet

That's a beautiful college. I applied to Trinity :smile:

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I've always wondered (having studied at rather traditional places where no text is later than the modernists), when they say 20th century to the Present, does that include current/contemporary writings?

If so, which authors would that be and how does one go about selecting contemporary authors 'worthy' of study? Or does that not matter really? ( :tongue:

sorry as you can tell I dont know much about contemporary criticism. Post-modern et all have always baffled me).

It does indeed, although from the info Oxford provides on the course page, there seems to be an emphasis on the earlier half of the 20th century in the department. The focus of my statement of intent was postcolonial literatures, particularly a few works spanning 1960-80, so I can't boast much expertise on postmodern works and criticism. However, throughout undergrad I have written on films and texts as recent as 2007, and never ran into any obstacles or doubts as to the critical 'validity' of examining them, so to speak.

I guess there would be many ways of approaching studying the contemporary... there's a module on 21st C American lit at my current uni, for instance, which looks at everything from postmodern theory to social media and tech. One of Cambridge's contemporary MPhils has a module which includes contemporary works post-9/11 within that particular context. So I couldn't give you a straightforward answer to be honest, it's almost like nearly everything goes when it comments on a current sociopolitical and cultural moment :smile:

Reply 1208

6DOIT

Original post by hobnob

Erm, how exactly are you imagining this will work, then? Your tutor slips your updated application to his contact at Oxford, who will then secretly swap it for the application you sent in, like in some second-rate spy film? :erm:

That isn't going to happen.
I can see why this is frustrating for you, but it's not actually a second application, it's a reevaluation, and that's why you're not allowed to add new references and extra materials.

Thanks, I see your side of the argument and I think sending them those documents at this time would probably annoy them further. However, I've had some major changes in my module/course selections in this academic term and during my interiew, the interviewer was very keen as to what modules I selected. Thus, I would like to update them with my current module selections which will describe my academic background and my suitability for the course and take the opportunity to express my interest through this letter of intent. But then again, I am not sure whether this is a wise thing to do and that it will frustrate them. What do you think?

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6DOIT

This may be true for your course. It is NOT true for all of them.

So, do people who are in my position take the effort to send a letter of intent? And what do you precisely mean by a letter of intent? :smile:

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Original post by 6DOIT

This may be true for your course. It is NOT true for all of them.

So, do people who are in my position take the effort to send a letter of intent? And what do you precisely mean by a letter of intent? :smile:

Ghost was referring to the statement of purpose (which he keeps on claiming is irrelevant. It is a sidetrack to your original question anyway, so ignore.)

Reply 1211

hobnob

Original post by 6DOIT

Thanks, I see your side of the argument and I think sending them those documents at this time would probably annoy them further. However, I've had some major changes in my module/course selections in this academic term and during my interiew, the interviewer was very keen as to what modules I selected. Thus, I would like to update them with my current module selections which will describe my academic background and my suitability for the course and take the opportunity to express my interest through this letter of intent. But then again, I am not sure whether this is a wise thing to do and that it will frustrate them. What do you think?

It's not really about annoying them, it's about remaining fair to other applicants. They can't effectively give you a second stab at the application, let alone allow you to submit additional written work, letters of intent and whatnot.
If you think that the change in your module choices is really all that vital (although I'm not too sure why it should be), send a brief email to the graduate secretary, say that instead of module xyz - as stated in your application - you're now in fact taking module abc, and ask him/her to amend it. But that's all you can do, really.

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Original post by sj27

Ghost was referring to the statement of purpose (which he keeps on claiming is irrelevant. It is a sidetrack to your original question anyway, so ignore.)

It is irrelevant as far as I know in the context of taught masters courses. You are asked for one only because it is just an opportunity to inform the admissions committee of special circumstances not already covered in other parts of the applications but most people just send a boiler plate about how great they are and how them attending the course will benefit the entire world. In those cases it is given no consideration whatsoever.

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Original post by Ghost6

It is irrelevant as far as I know in the context of taught masters courses. You are asked for one only because it is just an opportunity to inform the admissions committee of special circumstances not already covered in other parts of the applications but most people just send a boiler plate about how great they are and how them attending the course will benefit the entire world. In those cases it is given no consideration whatsoever.

yes, but you do not know what the admissions committee of every single taught masters course is looking for. To take an obvious example, an MBA is a taught masters and SOPs are critical in admissions for them. There are other courses where they may not be as critical but where they do play an important role. Given that many if not most applicants have excellent grades and excellent references when applying to places such as Oxford, SOPs can be a deciding factor in admission decisions.

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Original post by sj27

Given that many if not most applicants have excellent grades and excellent references when applying to places such as Oxford, SOPs can be a deciding factor in admission decisions.

People actually involved in admissions (in math/statistics/economics to be precise) told me otherwise. Again, this section of the application is included for other graduate school candidates such as professional degrees or research degrees for whom the statement of purpose is essential in matching them to research groups and faculty. And there is enough variation in grades, classes taken, schools attended, recommendations, samples of work and other relevant activities to make decisions on that alone without considering self-glorifying cookie cutter essays.

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Original post by Ghost6

People actually involved in admissions (in math/statistics/economics to be precise) told me otherwise. Again, this section of the application is included for other graduate school candidates such as professional degrees or research degrees for whom the statement of purpose is essential in matching them to research groups and faculty. And there is enough variation in grades, classes taken, schools attended, recommendations, samples of work and other relevant activities to make decisions on that alone without considering self-glorifying cookie cutter essays.

Yes, I'm sure the guy who was recently rejected for M Phil Economics at Cambridge despite a first from LSE and great references agrees with you. And there are a lot of non maths/stats/economics courses out there. And perhaps you should start a separate thread on this subject rather than repeatedly sidetracking other threads with it, especially if you want to make sweeping statements when you have limited, imperfect information on a very small number of courses - you have no idea what course OP applied for.

Reply 1216

olleh88

Original post by pocahontas5

do you have ur interview on the 21st as well? what time? or are you doing it through skype?

i'm studying internet censorship in china, i spent last summer investigating the issue in shanghai and now i'm writing my dissertation on it. i want to continue studying the topic at OII. what about you? what are you currently studying?

yes, thru skype. im not sure what exactly I want to study.. :frown:

killing me... why interviewww.w...

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Original post by sj27

Yes, I'm sure the guy who was recently rejected for M Phil Economics at Cambridge despite a first from LSE and great references agrees with you.

This MPhil is notoriously competitive and some of the applicants have truly stellar backgrounds including Ivy League educations, relevant internships and sometimes even publications in respected journals or letters of recommendation from Nobel laureates. The quality of his statement of purpose prose can't do much against this kind of competition.

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