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Advice Needed for Applying to Cambridge or Oxford for a Master's

Hey everyone,

I'm currently studying History at a Russell Group university and on track for a 2.1. I'm really interested in applying for a Master’s at either Cambridge or Oxford, but I'm looking for the least competitive humanities programme I can apply to. My main goal is just to get into one of these universities.

Does anyone have advice on which course or college I should apply for to increase my chances? I’m open to less well-known options, as long as they’re at Oxford or Cambridge. Also, I’m looking for some guidance on the application process – I’m a bit lost when it comes to writing my statement, choosing a course, and picking a college.

If anyone has experience with applying for a humanities Master's at either university, or knows of any tutors who can help with the application process, I’d really appreciate your advice!

Thanks in advance!

Reply 1

melancollege

Universities Forum Helper

I would advise against choosing your course for the sole purpose of admission. Also, I think that admissions work differently college-wise for postgraduate but I would need someone with more expertise in postgraduate admissions to clarify.

Reply 2

JMarlb

Original post by John.gren

Hey everyone,
I'm currently studying History at a Russell Group university and on track for a 2.1. I'm really interested in applying for a Master’s at either Cambridge or Oxford, but I'm looking for the least competitive humanities programme I can apply to. My main goal is just to get into one of these universities.
Does anyone have advice on which course or college I should apply for to increase my chances? I’m open to less well-known options, as long as they’re at Oxford or Cambridge. Also, I’m looking for some guidance on the application process – I’m a bit lost when it comes to writing my statement, choosing a course, and picking a college.
If anyone has experience with applying for a humanities Master's at either university, or knows of any tutors who can help with the application process, I’d really appreciate your advice!
Thanks in advance!

I got into Oxford with a borderline 2:1 to read Ancient History (MSt). Your choice of college does not influence admissions and I was rejected by my college choice (Merton) and assigned a different college (Regents). At PG level it matters little which college you go to, at least in terms of tuition. My tutors ended up being from different colleges than mine and I would meet them in their offices. Most of my social and academic interactions were department based. Now, my advice to you is to have a plan when writing your application. Talk about the stuff you like about the discipline, talk about your ideas for a dissertation, and why do you think you're a good fit for the university. You need a killer application to make up not having a first and show that you can thrive at Masters level. I had a distinction on my undergraduate dissertation and I believe that helped, but I am sure that a realistic research plan and a well written statement were fundamental to my success. I had a friend applying with a first from my undergrad uni and they did not get an offer, so grades are not the only thing that admissions is looking for, but with a 2:1 you are the underdog. Accept it and excel on the things you can.

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