orangeMan

Hi, Most UK programs operate a rolling admission process (e.g., https://lfylive.lse.ac.uk/lfy/tc/enquiries/enquiry.html?a=4&q=40240&searchString=) One of my friends applied in May and received an offer of admission in late June! As for the funding, your chance of getting any funding from the school is close to zero (e.g., http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/registry/studentfinancialsupport/pgscholarships/scholarshipsoverseas). If you are an exceptional international student, they (i.e., your department) MIGHT give you the tuition fee waiver, but you will have to support yourself. The immigration law has changed since the new government came into power. International students must have 800 pounds (per month) * 9 + your tuition fee to apply for a visa if your school is in the capital. If not in the capital, 600 * 9 + the tuition fee. Finally, as an international student you are not entitled to apply to external funding bodies like AHRC (e.g., http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/default.aspx). You can apply to funding bodies in your country such as the Fulbright scholarship awards (http://www.fulbright.co.uk/fulbright-awards/for-us-citizens), but those are very competitive. You would be impressed by the calibre of the Fulbright scholars (http://www.fulbright.co.uk/about/american-participants/postgrad-scholars).

I didn't know about this Microsoft Academic Search. Thanks so much for sharing!

I suggest that you email the admissions tutors directly with your stats. It is allowed (maybe not customary) in the UK for prospective applicants to email the admissions tutors. Find out who does the admissions for your masters program and email him or her. I can tell you that in the UK one person not a committee reviews your masters application and makes the decision.

Professors can write a great letter of recommendation based on a transcript. It's not up to them to decide whether an applicant is qualified to go to grad school. How arrogant of them!

I personally find overenthusiastic students obnoxious. It's like they have nothing better to do or something. As they say, you can't polish a turd.

I think it is customary to interview an applicant for a PhD program in the UK. A supervisor (as they are called - we call them advisors) wants to see if you are a good fit. You would be working with him or her for the next 3 - 4 years. You need to be able to get along.

how low or bad is your GPA? Is it greater than 3.0?

As you know, a 2.5 from Harvard would increase your chance of getting in. I am not sure about a 2.5 from an average university...

Hi, LunarSilverStar. I can only tell you about colleges in the University of London. For evening classes, Birkbeck might be the best bet. http://www.bbk.ac.uk/study/pg/politics/TMSPPMNG.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkbeck,_University_of_London Goldsmiths, Royal Holloway and Queen Mary might consider lower qualifications in individual cases. http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Politics-and-IR/studying/Postgraduate.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Holloway,_University_of_London http://www.politics.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/internationalrelations/index.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Mary,_University_of_London http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-international-studies/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldsmiths School of Oriental and African Studies might consider a 2.5 but I think it would be difficult. http://www.soas.ac.uk/politics/programmes/mscintpol/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_Oriental_and_African_Studies For your reference, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_London http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2011/may/17/university-league-table-2012 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/universities-and-colleges/1558897/University-league-table.html http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2011

Lunar, what program do you want to do? I know a couple of UK program that consider a 3.0 or less.

The department should have made the decision before the break and the university has just sent the confirmation of acceptance to the applicant?

But it means that you have to apply to a new PhD program at the new university, doesn't it? You can't go from Michigan to Harvard just because your advisor is moving . . . can you?

I think it's wrong to report a false grade, but it's not wrong not to report it.

Check the taught programs requirements. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate-study/application-admission/general-entrance-requirement

In my personal opinion, yes you do have a great chance of getting in! There are a lot of Americans who do the study abroad thing at UCL so they should be familiar with mainstream American universities. My friends at UCL come from Colorado (Boulder), Cornell and Emory. Check the Fulbright Commission website too. http://www.fulbright.co.uk/study-in-the-uk

Some academics are so selfless and dedicated. They genuinely want to help you define your research question. I have had a couple of these informal conversations with potential advisors. I found those informal conversations very helpful and I managed to narrow down my research question. Make sure that you thank him or her. They are taking their time to have an informal discussion with you.

I don't mean to be rude, but neither is considered a safety or insurance school.

Hi, Kevin. Sorry for the delayed response. Yes, that's right. You must meet the university's minimum entry requirements to be considered for admission. For example, at Imperial College, the university entry requirement is a lower second class degree (must), but most programs ask for an upper second class degree (should). Departmental entry requirements are less stringent. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/entryrequirements/graduate

Can you secure a masters qualification and leave the university for good? I really feel sorry for you, but I think the graduate office is right.

I would explain why I have chosen to apply to the masters program at Syracuse. What you want to do in SoP is to demonstrate that the school's research interest matches your own.

Hi, these link might help. If you have a specific question about UK universities please ask again. http://www2.lse.ac.uk/aboutLSE/statisticsOnLSE/statisticsOnStudents.aspx http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/entryrequirements/graduate/countryindex/usa http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate-study/application-admission/general-entrance-requirement http://www.dur.ac.uk/international/countryinfo/?cid=165 http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/taughtpostgrad/postgradadmis.html http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/process/ Generally speaking, each application will be considered on its own merit. It would be silly to reject an applicant with major 3.9/4.0 and minor 2.9/4.0. What I suggest is to read the entry requirements carefully. Some universities say "GPA must be above 3.3 (USA)." Others say "Applicants should normally have at least a 2.1 or equivalent (GPA 3.6 or better) in their first degree." And finally, "We consider graduates or students in their final year of degree studies who have obtained, or are expected to obtain, at least an upper second-class Honours (2.1) degree. An MSc awarded with a Merit, a PhD or an MPhil degree may override the requirement for a 2.1 achievement in the first degree in individual cases."

In my personal view, only the first 2 UK masters programs are comparable to the worst of the best US ones. At graduate level, it's easier to be admitted to Oxford than Harvard and some US students use Oxford or Cambridge as safety schools in case they get rejected by all top US institutions.

This is popular in the US. http://www.usnews.co...es-in-the-world And less popular ones. http://www.forbes.co...-colleges/list/ http://www.washingto...ersity_rank.php

Hi, I am not a CS person but this link might help. My roommate did one of the programs there and highly recommends it. http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/computing/teaching/postgraduate

Find someone who keeps his/her word to write the letter. Rockstar academics are too busy with their stuff, conferences, journal articles, government jobs, etc.