PetitJacques

Congrats, ProfMoriarty! You did your MSc in the same department? Out of curiosity, can I ask generally what topics your Dphil will focus on?

Wonderful, thank you, I will do that now!

Well I was just rejected from the one and only program I applied to... . I would like to apply again next year. Is it appropriate to ask the DGS (who I have emailed with quite a bit) or the director of the program (it's very small and I have been in contact with him as well) if they have any suggestions on how to improve my application for next year?

I am currently doing an MSc at Oxford but in a different department so I'll tell you what I know but it may be somewhat different in your case. I can't really help you on the interview side, since we didn't have that. Something I have heard here is that they can ask some difficult questions but the point with those is that they want to see your thought process - it's ok if you don't know the answer. That may be more for undergrad though. Conditional offers at Oxford are very common, and include academic as well as financial conditions (actually all offers are conditional on the financial side first, unless maybe the dept funds you - you have to prove you can pay). If you are in a degree program at the time of your application, it is rare to get an unconditional offer - conditional is the norm and the academic conditions always have to do with you achieving a certain goal by the end (GPA or honors). What the condition is will depend on your past work as well as the other applicants in the pool. So a second-class degree might be acceptable but if the applicant pool is really impressive the conditions may go higher because of that - I'm speculating here. But don't worry too much about the fact that they give out conditional offers - that is very common.

What if they both end up interested in working with you? This was unexpected, as my talks with them were mainly intended to get a sense of their research and my fit in the overall department/program - supervisors don't really come into play until the 2nd year of the program. I never asked about them taking on students though that ended up being where they took the conversation. How do I approach reconciling these two interests in my SOP? I don't want to look indecisive, but I also don't want to totally leave out one of these interests and potentially end up confusing or insulting a professor there.

Thank you for assisting both with my email and my overthinking!!

I am currently applying to a PhD program in the US and working on emailing POIs. I had a good conversation with the director of the program, who gave me some names of professors he thought I should contact. I am working on that now but not quite sure what to say. In this program, you don't need a research proposal to apply (you don't even start working on that until after qualifying exams about 1 1/2 years in) and you aren't matched with a supervisor until you have started the program. So, it seems like questions about whether or not they are accepting grad students don't make sense - what do I ask, then? I don't want to just write to tell them about what I'm interested in and that I think we have similar interests - that seems a waste of their time and somewhat pointless. But I worry that just asking about their current interests seems too vague. Should I ask to speak with them on the phone? (My current location doesn't permit face-to-face visits). Is it appropriate to ask if they see the program as a good fit? I am probably way over-thinking this but would really appreciate some advice!

I have no idea - I almost went to Cornell for my MA also, and when I visited I spoke to 3 2nd years in the program, 2 of whom were very much hoping to continue on in a PhD at Cornell. I don't know what your field is but Cornell is a good school, and if they match your research interests, go for it!

I just heard on Monday finally - I would probably be tearing my hair out if I was still waiting! I'll be going to Wolfson - a little modern and out of the way for me but hopefully I will enjoy it. I am so glad to finally be able to start on loans and accommodation, like you said. I'm coming with a spouse and I'm not sure yet if we'll be trying for college accommodation - I'm still waiting to hear from the accommodation office. I haven't heard anything from my department either, to the point where I emailed them to make sure I wasn't missing emails (or my deepest fear, that my admittance was a mistake! ). She said that no, it was normal, and I think I might not get any substantive info from them til this summer! Good luck - I hope you hear soon!!

I'm not sure if I'm grasping your GPAs correctly (I am American) but it seems like you did not so well your first year, and then very well your second year and after? If that's the case, I would contact admissions or your POI directly at the schools you are interested in, and explain to them what happened. I think that since you had a legitimate reason for a poor semester/year, and have shown consistently strong work since, that that one year shouldn't cause huge problems in an otherwise strong application - as long as you give them an explanation! Good luck!

Me, too! And I did the same "no-preference" thing for exactly the same reason. The funding won't make or break it for me (though would be very helpful!!), but I'm anxious to start working on things like housing and visas, especially as I'll be coming with a spouse looking for work. I hope it's not the end of May!

So glad to find this - I was about to post the same thing! I am in the same place as you - heard March 6th, accepted a week later, still nothing from any college. I know the website says 8 - 10 weeks after departmental acceptance but it's still hard to wait that long! I've heard nothing at all actually except an email about how to apply for loans from the US. Have you heard from your department beyond your acceptance? Should I be concerned that I haven't?

So I have been accepted to more programs than anticipated, which is a great problem to have but still leaves me more uncertain than when I began! I applied to policy-related programs - I'm interested in food/ag policy and children and nutrition. I am torn now between Cornell, Tufts, UMass Amherst, and Oxford, for various reasons. Oxford is, well, Oxford and I would love nothing more than to spend a year there. However my husband and I want to settle in New England and Oxford would not help me with local connections, food policy, or non-profit experience. Cornell gave me a good package and has a great name in my field (and overall) though not necessarily the best in policy. UMass Amherst gave me a full-ride and stipend, which is hard to turn down, and they are in a good area for our future plans and have good connections to food and ag. However, their "brand" is nothing like Cornell or Oxford. Tufts is also great but much more specific (maybe too specific?) and I haven't heard from funding. One thing I am contemplating is to see if I could defer one of these programs (most likely UMass, because of location and the fact that hopefully I would not be going further into debt with more schooling) so that I could go to Oxford (year-long program) and then come back to get an MPA. The research skills I'd get at Oxford are perfect for what I want to do, and I wouldn't get that at the programs here in the US. I do feel that doing both programs would be complementary, not redundant. However I don't know if it really is just smarter to take up Cornell's offer, with a good "brand" name and the ag/policy focus I need. Has anyone done anything like that or heard of anyone who has? ANY advice welcome...

I just found out that I've been accepted to the MSc program for Evidence Based Social Intervention for next year and I'm thrilled! However I'm an American with spotty knowledge of the Oxford or UK system. I have some questions that I can and will ask the department but in an effort to not seem quite so ignorant I thought maybe some of you here could help me too! - How long approximately does it take to hear from a college? - The program is listed at 12 months, but the 3 terms together (Michaelmas, Hilary, Trinity) go from October to June and add to 9 months. Is the extra 3 months for the thesis component? Will I be in Oxford from October to October? I need to know because of the next question... My third question's a little separate - I've also been accepted to MPA programs at Cornell, Brown, Tufts, and UMass Amherst. I am considering going to Oxford (for the year long program) and then coming back to do a program here. The Oxford program will be a great education, a great name, and give me some real EBSI research skills, but since I know that I want to work in New England, probably at a non-profit or state government level, the non-profit management classes and local network that an American masters offers would also be really important. UMass Amherst offered me full tuition and a stipend. I'd like to defer them for a year, go to Oxford, and then attend UMass Amherst (so that I don't go further into debt by pursuing two degrees). How likely is such a deferral? Is it in my best interest to explain about Oxford to UMass? Thanks!!!