UK Applicants

[skunky]

Any other UK applicants out there? If so, any of you heard anything?

I can't help but feel my application must have seemed hopelessly quaint. My writing sample dealt with some pretty unfashionable mid-20th C poets and was totally devoid of any theory, while my statement of purpose was so rushed and unfocused that, when I read it again the other day, I just sat there laughing and shaking my head.

Going into this whole process I simply didn't have a clue (blagged GREs, no contact with departments, only the very briefest of mentions of POIs in statement etc etc). I wish I had known about this place 6 months ago, or perhaps that I had never come across it. I now feel painfully informed.

Hello all, by the way. You all seem lovely.

[Mr Grimwig]

I heard back from Edinburgh, Durham, UCL, and St Andrews several weeks ago. I had applied in mid-December.

Still waiting to hear from Oxbridge. They say late March before they'll notify....blarf. I hope they squeal sooner than that.

[antecedent]

I applied to Edinburgh in late November (with my American apps) and was accepted two weeks later in December.

Good luck with Oxbridge, Mr. Grimwig! It looks like you're piling up a good set of acceptances though. Well done!

[deebee]

I went to cambridge for my master's and I didn't find out until march 20th

[antecedent]

So, is anyone thinking about accepting their British offers? Edinburgh (bizarrely) appears to have more funding available than my other options, and the program is great, so I'm very strongly considering it.

One worry I have is that the lack of teaching in British MAs might hinder PhD applications further down the road. Though from what I understand, all the other opportunities (conferences, publications, presentations, research groups, LORs etc.) are just as strong as North American programs. Any thoughts on that?

[ekim12]

I've accepted both Edinburgh and UCL, but I'm still awaiting the decision of the English department at UCL for an unconditional offer.

I don't see how the British MA will hinder a PhD application. It'll bolster it, I think. In terms of teaching, don't most North American programs require doctoral candidates to teach starting year 3? I guess it depends on the program. Anyway, I know some profs in the Wellesley English department who used their M.Phil. at Oxbridge to start at year 0 with the rest of the Ph.D. candidates (at top-notch US unis). Sometimes the M.A. transfers over and you're treated like a Ph.D. student in year 3... sometimes that doesn't happen. As for other opportunities, it seems that they're available but you've just got to take the initiative. I'm a little nervous about that, given that we've only got ONE year to do that in the U.K.

I'm curious about the percentage of Masters students who continue onto a D. Phil. at the uni. Do you think that obtaining a masters at the uni increases the chances that you'll receive funding for a doctoral degree later?