Averroes MD

You have a very good shot.

Is GTU only a collection of schools or is there also a GTU GTU? i.e. i.e. is there a standalone GTU campus or just the member school campuses? I hope that makes sense.

Hello friends, I'm applying for PhD's this fall, in Theology and Near Eastern Studies programs. My topic of interest is somewhat related to history, and I do frequent this forum a lot, since it's much more active than the Religion sub-forum. I'm gunning for Cambridge or Oxford, with the hope for funding. But, I'll apply to some U.S. programs as well, since I know funding is hard to come by in the U.K. I've completed the GRE and gotten tons of feedback on my writing sample, which will require some time to clean up. Cheers!

I think you're OK but you may want to polish your story about what happened. What you don't want to do is look unstable in any way, shape, or form. So, it should be clear that this a one-time difficult time you went through and it was a long, long time ago, and you are now a changed and successful person. Just my opinion.

Thank you very much for your kind words. And thank you again all for your forthright feedback and constructive criticism. It is no doubt because of your help that I was fortunate enough to get an A on the paper. And the professor, who is a big shot in his field, told me that it was a very impressive article. Glad it worked out well.

ibnbattuta would know. he's travelled all around the world

Dear all, I must admit that I was a bit annoyed when I initially read responses in this thread. This was because I was hoping you'd all just say, "long is fine as long as it is good." Fortunately for me, you all did not let me proceed in my folly. You guys really saved my goose. Judging by the consensus on this forum, I think I would have been royally screwed if I had submitted what I had planned to submit. Anyways, it took me two days--at least 7 hours on each day--to get the essay down to the page limit. And I really hate to admit it, but it's a much better piece now. So, thank you. P.S. Thank you also for the specific recommendation about copying and pasting into a new document. I actually did that three times. So, it took me three passes to get it down. But, the process allowed me tighten the argument and improve the flow. I'm REALLY pleased with the end result. Thank you!! Yours, Contrite.

Alright, I've dedicated a day to seeing what I can cut from the essay. Painful.

Thanks for your input. I appreciate it. I've decided against the formatting plan. I thought people here would all chuckle and say it's very common for grad students to do that, but apparently I am mistaken. Thank you again all for your input.

Alright, seems like there is a consensus here. But, just to clarify: there was no prompt or specific topic for this essay. It was left open-ended on any subject about the topic of the class. Therefore, there is no way to say that "it is not well written," since the topic is open-ended and the page limit was placed arbitrarily. Otherwise, it would be like saying that a thesis is "not well written" since it is 100 pages long. I know this generation loves concision, but sometimes you really do need to go in-depth to do justice to a topic. Anyways, I get the idea... Don't do it. Roger that.

I think it's a stretch to call it "cheating," but thanks for your input. I also humbly disagree with this part: It doesn't have to be either of those two. Sometimes an argument has to be thorough, as you mention here: I may just do that. I'm debating. Thanks!

So, how noticeable do you think using various tricks (size 11 font, smaller margins, and 1.5 spacing) is? This is in order to overcome a professor's page limit for an essay. I've gone way, way over the limit, but--and I may be thinking too much of myself here--I really think it's a really good essay, and I really don't want to cut it down. I think I'll also use end notes instead of footnotes for references. That should also buy me another page, lol. What about size 10 font? Pushing the limits? Thoughts? EDIT: The professor merely gave the page limit, without specific instructions about the formatting. However, it's obviously understood that the essay should be size 12, normal margins, and double spaced.

Go to Cornell and give me the fully funded Cambridge offer. (Just kidding. Congrats on both offers.)

The second school sounds like UC Berkeley.

Yes, that's what I meant. Yes, I am scared of this myself. Have faith. In the career before this, I received a million and a half rejections and then one acceptance at an excellent program. After half a million rejections, I could barely get up in the morning. But, then alas, success. Good luck, and please let me know how it goes!

Thank you, my friend. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to get accepted to a program but not get funding. You may want to consider applying to US PhD programs as well next time around. Good luck!

Also, can UK PhD programs offer funding from their bursaries to international students, or does that never happen?

Damn, I knew I was missing something here. I didn't think about this (i.e. factoring in EU residents)! Thank you for your post/clarification. OK, the Cambridge Gates scholarship success rate is 5%... I'm assuming Clarendon is a bit higher... How different is that from the percent success rate of getting into a TT US PhD program? Or have I misunderstood something again here?

So, I'm set on applying to Oxbridge this coming year... Everyone keeps telling me that funding is incredibly difficult to get. However, if you say 30 funded positions were offered, and there were 268 applications total, then 30/268 = 0.11. So, 11% of people are accepted with funding. Isn't that similar to the acceptance rate for US PhD programs? Or have I misunderstood something here?

Thanks so much!!!!

What's the Carnegie scholarship? Can anyone link me to the relevant site? Is it something that one can use for Oxford/Cambridge? Thank you.

I'm applying to PhD's in the UK this year (Oxford/Cambridge), and they require a concrete research proposal. Any recommended resources for writing a good research proposal? Any good sample research proposals to look at? Thank you!

Yes, I think it would hinder your chances.

Thanks. I wonder what Theology & Religious Studies use. I'm assuming Chicago?

I always use Chicago style... What about you? I find MLA to be less academic... Am I correct in this judgment or is this my own prejudice? Thanks!