birdcamp

Big ol' lurker here in Winnipeg... thought I better join in and post my results. 18/30 No publications No 'real' conferences Master's SSHRC, plus a number of provincial/university awards 4 years experience TA/numerous guest lecture appearances 4.37/4.5 MA GPA, 4.0 undergrad Great reference letters Political Science Offered category C... not sure whether I will take super-sshrc or regular sshrc, choice amounts to going to a reputable Canadian university and being rich, or going to my dream school abroad and racking up debt. Congrats to all successful applicants, and good luck next time to those who were not.

Hi there, Just wondering if anyone has received any PhD offers from Cambridge? I haven't heard one way or the other yet, and was wondering if that was just because my application is a bit of a special case (it was originally with the Department of Politics, but got switched because they thought my area of study was better suited to the Philosophy department), or because Cambridge is that inefficient.

Nothing as of yet here in MB... hopefully tomorrow. My choice of school in the fall totally hinges on this news, I can't stand the uncertainty anymore!

@CooCooCachoo: Thanks for the reply... it is pretty much consistent with everything else I've heard from people at Oxford. The only external funding that I still might receive is a $20,000/year scholarship (which, as I'm sure you know, does not even cover tuition), so I'm assuming that I would have to take out a loan or something to cover my costs. I'm assuming that you're at Oxford... what motivated your decision to study there? Particular faculty members that you wanted to work with? The prestige/employment prospects of having an Oxford D.Phil? Being offered my placement was kind of a dream come true, though now that the initial euphoria has worn off, I'm starting to get nervous about the financial implications and beginning to second-guess whether or not Oxford is the right move to make. Don't get me wrong - I realize that this is a privileged dilemma to have - but it is a dilemma nonetheless!

Ziz, Thanks very much for your reply, though I won't lie - it kind of depressed me. I suppose my follow up question would be this: is studying at Oxford worth the crippling costs?

A query for anyone who is already studying a Dphil at Oxford: What are your funding sources? I have rejected a full ride from a Canadian university to work with one of the top people in my field at Oxford, but am now worried about how I am actually going to pay for it. I'm aware of all the obvious funding sources for Canadians (i.e. Commonwealth, Rhodes, SSHRC, etc) but will not be receiving anything beyond a $20,000/year SSHRC (if that). I was wondering what the prospects were of actually receiving funding through the university, like through the colleges and whatnot. Any advice or account of previous experience would be very helpful. Thanks!

@Mcmuffin: the one major difference is that most UK programs do not require a GRE score. Otherwise I believe that application process is pretty much the same (i.e. program of study, transcripts, etc.) Of course, different schools/departments give different weight to the various components.... I have a general question for anyone who is already studying at Oxford: What are your funding sources? I am rejecting a full ride at a Canadian university to study at Oxford with one of the top people in my field, but am nauseous when I think about the fees. Are scholarships/funding packages easy to come by (i.e. through the colleges)? Any advice would be helpful.

Hi Jordan, I'll be starting a Dphil at Oxford in fall 2012 (supposing of course I get my finances straightened out!) As for advice, I have none and could use some myself...