Cambridge

[AmericanInUK]

Hi, I'm an American student who will begin studying for my MPhil at Cambridge in October. Is anyone else starting this fall also?

[theregalrenegade]

Not starting in the fall but would love to hear how it goes for you. I'm considering applying in 2013 for my doctorate in history.

Good luck and congratulations!

[Allegra]

Hi, I'm a Canadian starting my MPhil too (in history) in October! There are a bunch of people from my undergrad (U of T) going, so there should be a relatively decent North American contingent

[theregalrenegade]

Hi, I'm a Canadian starting my MPhil too (in history) in October! There are a bunch of people from my undergrad (U of T) going, so there should be a relatively decent North American contingent

Congratulations!! How exciting for you!!

What college did you decide upon? Did they end up giving you accommodation? (I'm not trying to be nosy, just curious how it all works and what to expect when I apply )

That's great that you'll have people you know there in the same situation.

[Allegra]

Thanks! Yup, I have accommodation (it's pretty much guaranteed for grad students and actually requisite for matriculating - but you can ask for an exception, if you really don't wish to live in residence).

If you're curious, this is how my application process went:

- contacted supervisor over the summer (around July I think)

- sent documents in late September

- accepted in late October/early November

- received confirmation after sending in my final transcript (in June, since that's when we convocate at U of T)

Accommodation really slow in coming... In fact, I got the information via email from my college grad tutor's office (Fitzwilliam) because the Board of Graduate Studies was so slow. I received a package about 2 weeks later, but it's nothing fancy like US law schools/colleges will send you! Don't expect anything to knock your socks off

One more thing about colleges - I was stupid - put Fitz down without really looking into anything else. I went to a rather hoity-toity college at Toronto and just didn't care about formal high table dinners etc. Also, I'm living in a relatively *new* building by British standards, which means a lot when you want good running water, nice kitchen facilities, and heat during the winter. This is just a thought, since many of my friends went the same route after we discovered in college that old limestone and lead windowpanes may look romantic, but certainly don't feel romantic in the middle of December when you have ice inside your window and your room doesn't heat up.

Trinity has very poor grad housing; my friend at St John's is really happy, and my other friend at Murray Edwards (all women's) is probably the most delighted of us all. She lives in a modern flat build ~2 years ago and ME has beautiful gardens where you can pick fruit & vegetables to your heart's content!

I had another friend go to King's and have a good experience there, and my supervisor is at Gonville & Caius so if I stay for the PhD we've already talked about me switching over so that I'm closer to him for convenience. And, of course, another good measure is whether the college is known for being particularly strong in your field of study.

Hope this helps! I'll be posting over the year if you have any more questions once I'm actually in the middle of school.

[theregalrenegade]

Wow! Thank you for all the information. The specific college info is really helpful. The potential professor I'd like to work is at Emmanuel College, but I just recently learned that you don't necessarily have to reside in the same college that your supervisor is in.

It's nice to hear how it all went down. I'm assuming when you say you contacted your supervisor in the summer, it was last summer (2010) and you sent in your application last year as well? The fall term starts in October, right?

I'll definitely send a message or two as I think of more questions.

Yes, please keep us updated on your experience!

[Allegra]

No problem I always felt that the application process was such a crapshoot, it helps to hear how other people navigated it!

Yes, I contacted my supervisor last summer - before I applied - and I really liked the turnaround on my application. I also think my supervisor secretly liked the fact that I solicited him to see if he had space, was not on sabbatical, liked my proposal, etc. We are off to a great start even though the real work hasn't even started yet - and some of my friends have never met the people they are about to spend an entire year shadowing. Or at least listening to The fall term starts the first week of October, but international students' orientation takes place the week before so we have special permission to move into residence a few days early.

Just let me know if there's anything else you're curious about!

[bella10388]

Thanks! Yup, I have accommodation (it's pretty much guaranteed for grad students and actually requisite for matriculating - but you can ask for an exception, if you really don't wish to live in residence).

If you're curious, this is how my application process went:

- contacted supervisor over the summer (around July I think)

- sent documents in late September

- accepted in late October/early November

- received confirmation after sending in my final transcript (in June, since that's when we convocate at U of T)

Accommodation really slow in coming... In fact, I got the information via email from my college grad tutor's office (Fitzwilliam) because the Board of Graduate Studies was so slow. I received a package about 2 weeks later, but it's nothing fancy like US law schools/colleges will send you! Don't expect anything to knock your socks off

One more thing about colleges - I was stupid - put Fitz down without really looking into anything else. I went to a rather hoity-toity college at Toronto and just didn't care about formal high table dinners etc. Also, I'm living in a relatively *new* building by British standards, which means a lot when you want good running water, nice kitchen facilities, and heat during the winter. This is just a thought, since many of my friends went the same route after we discovered in college that old limestone and lead windowpanes may look romantic, but certainly don't feel romantic in the middle of December when you have ice inside your window and your room doesn't heat up.

Trinity has very poor grad housing; my friend at St John's is really happy, and my other friend at Murray Edwards (all women's) is probably the most delighted of us all. She lives in a modern flat build ~2 years ago and ME has beautiful gardens where you can pick fruit & vegetables to your heart's content!

I had another friend go to King's and have a good experience there, and my supervisor is at Gonville & Caius so if I stay for the PhD we've already talked about me switching over so that I'm closer to him for convenience. And, of course, another good measure is whether the college is known for being particularly strong in your field of study.

Hope this helps! I'll be posting over the year if you have any more questions once I'm actually in the middle of school.

Thanks you for the post.

Edited August 22, 2011 by bella10388