wonderfulday

Dear orangeanthropolog: All of your points are quite reflective and offer good insight. I might have to do more research before I can respond to some of the questions you posed, but the KCL's PhD is three years (both the offer itself and my supervisor confirmed this). The war studies fall under the strategic studies wing of the humanities in KCL...so most people graduating from that PhD end up teaching traditional IR courses or contemporary security. In terms of future goal, I want to teach at the university/college level and that's why I mentioned I will ultimately need a PhD. I honestly care less whether I teach anthropology or IR, I just love teaching and I want to choose a uni that minimizes my teaching opportunity. You are making a great recommendation in terms of learning what percentage of students from Oxford MPhil gets transferred or accepted in Oxford DPhil. I agree with you that this switch is not guaranteed. I think this will play a big factor in my decision making. Also, if KCL PhD offers me funding and Oxford MPhil doesn't, that might also affect how I decide. But at this point, I wasn't going to let the money to be the biggest factor.

I have two offers, a PhD in KCL and a MPhil in Oxford. The PhD in KCL is in War Studies--more in line with my BA and MA (which were in Conflict Resolution). The MPhil in Oxford is in Social Anthropology. Because my long term goal is to teach at a university level, I do intend to ultimately get a PhD. I visited both campuses and I loved Oxford a lot. My application to Oxford was for a DPhil (PhD) but they offered me an MPhil instead basically adding two more years to complete my PhD. As stated earlier, my ultimate goal is to finish my PhD. Now, I am really confused. Should I accept a PhD from King's College London (only three years) or should I accept the five years (both MPhil and DPhil) from Oxford? The only difference is spending two extra years in Oxford if I choose Oxford. I already have a Master's degree and the MPhil is a bit of a turn off, but yet giving up Oxford is really really hard for me. I must mention that the scholarship approvals on both are unclear as of yet. And one last point: after I finish an MPhil in Oxford, I must apply to the DPhil. So it is not an automatic process, but a Professor in Social Anthropology in Oxford told me that it is a pretty common practice to transfer from MPhil to DPhil in Oxford. Your feedback and advice on making a final decision would be greatly appreciated. This might sound like a pretty easy decision, but I find it very hard. I must admit I have somehow become really fond of Oxford's campus and its reputation. Maybe an immature thing to say, but I have to be honest here. Thank again for any advice you could offer.

I have two offers, a PhD in KCL and a MPhil in Oxford. The PhD in KCL is in War Studies--more in line with my BA and MA (which were in Conflict Resolution). The MPhil in Oxford is in Social Anthropology. Because my long term goal is to teach at a university level, I do intend to ultimately get a PhD. I visited both campuses and I loved Oxford a lot. My application to Oxford was for a DPhil (PhD) but they offered me an MPhil instead basically adding two more years to complete my PhD. As stated earlier, my ultimate goal is to finish my PhD. Now, I am really confused. Should I accept a PhD from King's College London (only three years) or should I accept the five years (both MPhil and DPhil) from Oxford? The only difference is spending two extra years in Oxford if I choose Oxford. I already have a Master's degree and the MPhil is a bit of a turn off, but yet giving up Oxford is really really hard for me. I must mention that the scholarship approvals on both are unclear as of yet. And one last point: after I finish an MPhil in Oxford, I must apply to the DPhil. So it is not an automatic process, but a Professor in Social Anthropology in Oxford told me that it is a pretty common practice to transfer from MPhil to DPhil in Oxford. Your feedback and advice on making a final decision would be greatly appreciated. This might sound a pretty easy decision, but I find it very hard. I must admit I have somehow become really fond of Oxford's campus and its reputation. Maybe an immature thing to say, but I have to be honest here. Thank again for any advice you could offer.