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University of Oxford, Pawel-Sytniewski
University of Oxford
Oxford

Oxford or Cambridge?

Im currently finishing up my undergrad in International Affairs at a US school. I'm looking to do graduate school in UK. I have come up with two programs that interests me. Mphil. International Affairs at Cambridge and Msc.Global Governance and Diplomacy at Oxford.

I plan to eventually attend law school back in the US. The reason i'm applying to UK for a grad school is because i feel that undergrad degree in International Affairs wasn't in too much depth so probably a year more of rigorous study at good UK school might be a good idea. I totally understand that either of these two degrees won't help me in my career, i only want to pursue one of these for the sake of broadening my knowledge in the field of International Affairs.

Coming to my question, which of these two degrees is better in terms of academic quality, experience, resources, crowd etc etc.
Well, pick the course that appeals most to you. They're both, you know, pretty good. And not many people here can compare the two universities as not many people have done the same course at both...
University of Oxford, Pawel-Sytniewski
University of Oxford
Oxford
Reply 2
I am sure alot of people here might have talked to people who are in either of the two programs and may be able to compare the academic quality and other factors of the two..Im basically looking for any thoughts on what people have heard or read about the two programs.
Reply 3
Why don't you just apply for both and make that decision when/if you've actually got offers?:confused: And if you only get one offer (or none), that's your dilemma solved for you.
Reply 4
Definitely go with what Hobnob says!

People seem to mention SOAS/LSE a lot around here too (in that subject area) - might be worth a look on the forum etc?
Reply 5
http://oxfordggdblog.blogspot.com/ - Have a look for more info on the Oxford program
Reply 6
@Danielj315

I went over the blog. Its pretty informative but its an opinion of a single person and as far as i can see he mostly have negative views. That made me think about the two programs.
Thanks forthe help..hobnob is right..it will sort out itself..
Reply 7
I made this decision about a year ago. I'm American, and I'd wanted to go to Oxford since I was little, but I chose Cambridge and didn't even apply to Oxford. My main reason is that Cambridge has a one-year program and some specific faculty members who I want to work with. Oxford's program is two years. I can see benefits for both if your ultimate goal is law school. Cambridge's program will give you the depth in IR and will get you to law school more quickly, but Oxford's program will give you more time to get ready, take the LSAT, and work on applications. If you're looking at going into international law and want to try some at the graduate level, you should look at the course offerings this year for each school; they'll probably change next year but you'll get some idea. I've heard that Dr. Weller at Cambridge teaches a good International Constitutional Law course and I'm sure Oxford has good courses on it as well.

You should also look into LSE, KCL, and SOAS. KCL has some really interesting programs (like international intelligence and security).
Reply 8
Thanks Sunflower52. You gave the best words :smile:
Reply 9
Hey thanks for the shout out for the blog. Good luck with your grad school search!
Reply 10
Blog is by no means all negative,it helps if you go back to the start of it and read from there!

Also the course in GG and Diplomacy is also a 1 year course
Reply 11
I loved the Blog. The person who created it really put alot of effort in it. I think iv read the blog several times by now. The only issue with the Blog is that it is the opinion of a single person.
Honestly, before i read that blog i was certain to apply only for GGD at Oxford. But then i went through the Blog and the impression i got was that GGD is a relatively new program and a good source of making money for the University. That's why i started looking for Mphil.International Affairs at Cambridge. And that's the reason i created this thread to have some second thoughts on GGD and information on Mphil.International Affairs at Cambridge.
Reply 12
danielj315
Blog is by no means all negative,it helps if you go back to the start of it and read from there!

Also the course in GG and Diplomacy is also a 1 year course


Thanks for the input. I changed the blog settings so it now shows the oldest posts first. When I was writing it, I always intended for it to have a certain progressing order.

I understand that I am a bit critical of the progamme. By the time we were done, only one person out of 15 in the group wasn't angry at the programme for something or other!
Reply 13
hussain87
I loved the Blog. The person who created it really put alot of effort in it. I think iv read the blog several times by now. The only issue with the Blog is that it is the opinion of a single person.
Honestly, before i read that blog i was certain to apply only for GGD at Oxford. But then i went through the Blog and the impression i got was that GGD is a relatively new program and a good source of making money for the University. That's why i started looking for Mphil.International Affairs at Cambridge. And that's the reason i created this thread to have some second thoughts on GGD and information on Mphil.International Affairs at Cambridge.


One of the best ways to find out information on a programme is Facebook. Usually there are public groups for people in said programme. Like "Global Governance and Diplomacy 08-09". Or just look for people in the Oxford network that have "Global Governance and Diplomacy" in their profile. Probably same is true for Cambridge. It's been my experience that most people are willing to provide you some input if you send them a message. One of the reasons I started the blog was several prospective students contacting me over Facebook.
Reply 14
Thanks. I'll do that!
Reply 15
To be honest, Global Governance and Diplomacy probably wasn't the right programme for me. Plus my college just didn't fit me, I wasn't able to find how to make the best of my time and the opportunities afforded me as an Oxford student till it was too late, and I spent most of the year fairly frustrated.

But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be the perfect programme for you. You get in and out of Oxford in a year, get to go to all the interesting events Oxford has to offer, plus get the Oxford degree to hang up on your wall. The ideal GGD student would probably already have their professional contacts set up so they can quickly resume their life when they finish, and probably not have aspirations to continue with postgraduate study in the immediate future following the end of the MSc.
Reply 16
That's one thing that worries me; the one year programme. By the time you'll be settling down, it would be the end of your degree and you'll graduate without actually doing anything.

I have to go to a law school anyway after Masters, so i think it shouldn't matter to me too much. Im just concerned if the program is a good learning experience or i'll be wasting my time on stuff i already know from undergrad.
Reply 17
I think the MSc would be really good for you if you are specifically interested in "global governance" (I still don't know what that is :confused: ). I took the diplomacy side. The main thing I learned was a lot about critical studies / Marxist arguments in the other course options.

If you are interested in the field of International Relations, another programme would be better.
Reply 18
GGD Blog
I think the MSc would be really good for you if you are specifically interested in "global governance" (I still don't know what that is :confused: ). I took the diplomacy side. The main thing I learned was a lot about critical studies / Marxist arguments in the other course options.

If you are interested in the field of International Relations, another programme would be better.



Thanks, i think you pretty much answered my question. I love International Affairs, and if Msc.GGD isnt all about that i think i'll look for another program or something.

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