Feanor

I've had two interviews so far in this round of applications and both went very well, although I wasn't aware of that for the first one until I got an unofficial offer It's easy to think they'll care as much as you about a certain thing you screwed up during the interview or about the fact you got nervous, but sometimes they saw it as just a minor detail and were happy with the other perks you showcased. Remind yourself that you're likely to be the most judgmental person about your own performance, so maybe it wasn't really that bad...don't read too much into it and just wait for the decisions - the fact you had an interview shows they were already interested.

I got an email from my would-be supervisor saying I should get an offer soon, so now fingers crossed for funding But I don't think everybody does that and in fact I only know because he noticed the paperwork was taking too long and was nice enough to let me know already, so you should try to be patient. I know it's hard, I was going to send him an email asking about it in the very same day he emailed me...

Oh well, it seems Cambridge is not really popular in the GradCafe.

Unless money is an issue, just come along to Cambridge I applied to Bonn as well, but Cambridge is a much better pick if you want to stick to academia.

Pardon me for my limited knowledge on ponies. Congratulations once more

Awesome, congratulations Rainbow Dash (?). Was it a college scholarship? Or just April's fool?

Can't you ask the Canadian institutions for a little more time? Also, are you expecting a college scholarship in Oxford or just the Clarendon? You could try asking your department to find out whether you've been put forward for a Clarendon or not. And why not Cambridge? Did they confirm you won't get any funds?

It is settled, I'll go to Cambridge. Where are all the Cantabrigians?

I asked the Graduate Students Assistant at my Institute and she confirmed they could only put forward two applicants for the Clarendon and that I wasn't one of them. Well, I was pretty on the fence regarding the Cambridge vs Oxford matter, but college-wise I think Christ's is a better fit. They have a considerable number of mathematicians working on fields of my interest (including a Category Theorist) and chances are I'll have lectures with two of them, whilst St. Edmund has two mathematician fellows and they work with Graph Theory and Geometry/PDEs. Besides, there are three possibilities I might get at least some funding in Christ's and none at St. Edmund. So, I still might get some funding in Cambridge (be it from the College or the Cambridge Trust) while I certainly won't get any in Oxford, but I think college placement was what tipped the scales. Too bad, I wish I could go to both places

Confirmed that I won't get a Clarendon Scholarship. And since my college doesn't have any scholarships I'm eligible for, it seems I'm heading to Cambridge...

OK, now I'm positive they are listening to my complaints Got placed at St. Edmund's Hall. To be honest, Cambridge's Christ's seems to be a better fit... But I'll wait for the Clarendon Fund.

I made an open application to Oxford and was accepted at Christ's College in Cambridge. Well, the college is certainly a factor, but funding is much more important at this point... I won't make any decisions until I have full information.

Oh my, got the college in Cambridge but no news from Oxford (even though Oxford made an offer about a month earlier)...

I'd be joining Christ's College

Congratulations!

You might, however, have to take the IELTS (or other approved test) for the visa. I've heard there was a fraud incident with the TOEFL in the UK and that the UK government would stop accepting the TOEFL test for visa purposes. Here is what the government page has to say: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-applying-for-uk-visa-approved-english-language-tests And here is ETS' information on the issue: https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about/who_accepts_scores/uk/

Not really. For me, "you'll have an answer by X" actually meant "we will contact you precisely on X" every single time so far.

I don't know about the Physics Tripos, but Part III of the Mathematical Tripos has a really good reputation worldwide (as in being one of the best possible master's one could take for a future PhD in Mathematics). Would you have full funding in Cambridge? Do you plan to work abroad (in the U.S or Canada, for example) or stay in the U.K?

If your scores are higher than the minimum required, you'll be fine. In this last stage, they check whether you have the minimum entry requirements set by the university and your individual department and prepare your offer and its conditions accordingly.

Oh, sorry, I thought you got the conditional offer because of your signature. If I'm not mistaken, they took around 7 business days to send me the conditional offer once the status changed to "application with Board of Graduate Studies". Unless there is some issue with your TOEFL/IELTS results, you should get your offer soon.

Congratulations on your acceptance!

In case funding is not an issue, I'd undoubtedly head to Oxford (with the little information available). As I see it, the BPhil degree seems to be a really good preparation for research, including a thesis, and thus would be a great addition to your CV and a source of valuable LoRs for future PhD applications. Besides, if you do well, there is a good chance you could stay in Oxford or go to other top-notch program. If you manage to stay there, the Oxford brand (or one of an equivalent level) will be really helpful when you apply to faculty positions after graduation (unfortunately, rankings do matter) and it is naturally easier to be promoted to the PhD program whilst there than to try your luck applying from elsewhere. There are of course other factors such as personal preferences regarding the cities and the individuals in each department and their prefered subject matters and you should factor them in your decision. You should also consider the academic and social benefits of the collegiate structure of Oxford. I do believe, however, that it is likely that you'd get another offer at ND and elsewhere after 2 years in Oxford (unless you fail hard, but that won't happen ).

I got the offer a couple of weeks after the interview. Glad it helped you

As mentioned by andos, you should check CAPES and CNPq as there are many funding options for PhDs. In the U.S case, I highly recommend you check the LASPAU-SwB scheme (http://www.cienciasemfronteiras.gov.br/web/csf/laspau) and in general look for all possible funding opportunities. This includes the "Fundação Estudar" and international organizations that may support your particular field of research. You may also be sufficiently good and lucky to get a scholarship from the university or a college in Oxbridge or elsewhere in Europe, but I wouldn't count on it. Good luck with your preparation!

Any news regarding college placement so far?