whatshewrote Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 I am applying for Medieval Studies MA's this fall at York, Leeds, and Oxford (actually it's an MSt there), and I'm just wondering if it's important to contact professors there the way it seems to be here in the US. Should I be looking for professors whose research interests match my own (although I must profess my own research "focus" to be incredibly loose at this moment) and sending them emails telling them how great I am (in so many words) and that I've applied to their school's program? Is that done there? I've been in contact w/ the administrators for the different schools, and they've been very helpful/friendly, but I haven't actually contacted any professors (my applications have already been submitted)... The same question goes for U. of Toronto, I suppose, where I also applied, have been emailing the dept. secretary, but haven't contacted any professors. Help! Am I dooming my applications? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balderdash Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 If the MA is research-based, yes. If not, no. For research degrees in the UK it's even more important to get in touch with a potential advisor before applying, but it makes little sense for taught degrees. A few friends of mine are doing their MAs here England with me and none of us made contact beforehand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatshewrote Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks. They are, indeed, taught programs, so that's what I'd assumed. Good to know, though! I'm hoping the whole taught MA in England turns out to be a wise/useful choice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aselfmadewinter Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 As for as U of Toronto goes, the professors there seem to be very open to communication. I've done my BA and MA there, and I can say that it can't hurt to contact them. You could still easily get an acceptance without doing that, but I don't see why wou shouldn't contact someone anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encephalization Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 For an M.A., I would not contact the professors until I had decided on what university I wanted to attend. However, the M.A. in the UK usually includes a dissertation/thesis which is written during the last six months of the degree (after two semesters). The dissertation often counts towards 60-70% of your final mark. Most schools would make students choose their topic during the start of the second semester but in my experience it is a great advantage if you start a good few months earlier. It might even be good to start thinking about it now. If you do a thourough read-up on the subject and identify a problem, most professors/future supervisors would be very happy to help you early on. This also means that when the rest of the class chooses their topics, you do not have to fight over attention. Just my 2 pence.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balderdash Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 For an M.A., I would not contact the professors until I had decided on what university I wanted to attend. However, the M.A. in the UK usually includes a dissertation/thesis which is written during the last six months of the degree (after two semesters). The dissertation often counts towards 60-70% of your final mark. Most schools would make students choose their topic during the start of the second semester but in my experience it is a great advantage if you start a good few months earlier. It might even be good to start thinking about it now. If you do a thourough read-up on the subject and identify a problem, most professors/future supervisors would be very happy to help you early on. This also means that when the rest of the class chooses their topics, you do not have to fight over attention. Just my 2 pence.. I wouldn't be so black-and-white about it - it depends on the school and the field. A lot of people in my College don't have them, my MPhil doesn't, and my friends at Oxford are about 50-50 on having a dissertation (we're pretty much all in the social sciences). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encephalization Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I wouldn't be so black-and-white about it - it depends on the school and the field. A lot of people in my College don't have them, my MPhil doesn't, and my friends at Oxford are about 50-50 on having a dissertation (we're pretty much all in the social sciences). Yes, maybe I should have been more specific, although I did write M.A.. I know that when it comes to Medieval Studies, both York and Leeds have dissertations/theses in one form or other. The Oxford M.St. I have no real knowledge about to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balderdash Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Yes, maybe I should have been more specific, although I did write M.A.. I know that when it comes to Medieval Studies, both York and Leeds have dissertations/theses in one form or other. The Oxford M.St. I have no real knowledge about to be honest. MPhil is Oxbridge lingo for MA. It's the same degree. (They don't call it that because historically, if you get a BA from Oxford or Cambridge, you're entitled to take your MA 6 years later, without any extra studying. Thus, an entry level master's such as the MPhil needs to be differentiated at these institutions.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encephalization Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 MPhil is Oxbridge lingo for MA. It's the same degree. (They don't call it that because historically, if you get a BA from Oxford or Cambridge, you're entitled to take your MA 6 years later, without any extra studying. Thus, an entry level master's such as the MPhil needs to be differentiated at these institutions.) OK, well.. I guess the "MSt" was confusing me. However, MPhil and MA is not the same thing in the majority of UK universities (MPhil being a research degree and MA being a taught), including Leeds and York. Again, Oxbridge is probably different. Either way, I feel like I have steered this way OT so. Sorry OP, hope any of what I said earlier made sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatshewrote Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 OK, well.. I guess the "MSt" was confusing me. However, MPhil and MA is not the same thing in the majority of UK universities (MPhil being a research degree and MA being a taught), including Leeds and York. Again, Oxbridge is probably different. Either way, I feel like I have steered this way OT so. Sorry OP, hope any of what I said earlier made sense. Haha - that's okay. I appreciate everyone's words of advice. As I understand it (which is hopefully correct, since it was the basis of my application for this degree), an MSt (Master of Studies) at Oxford is a taught program, while the MPhil is a research-based program. I wish to use the taught course as an opportunity to narrow my research interests and focus on something I can then carry on into PhD work, since I don't have a specific enough topic at the moment to jump right into a research degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encephalization Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Haha - that's okay. I appreciate everyone's words of advice. As I understand it (which is hopefully correct, since it was the basis of my application for this degree), an MSt (Master of Studies) at Oxford is a taught program, while the MPhil is a research-based program. I wish to use the taught course as an opportunity to narrow my research interests and focus on something I can then carry on into PhD work, since I don't have a specific enough topic at the moment to jump right into a research degree. Ah, that makes more sense. Anyways, the best of luck to you. I was, up until a year ago, set on pursuing a career in medieval archaeology and I have a wonderful professor who used to be at Oxford. I am sure that you will enjoy yourself wherever you end up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oiseauaudio Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Good luck! Let us know when you hear back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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