Oxford GPA and PhD question?

[wetheplants]

Hi guys - I'm a recent graduate of Colby College trying to learn more about some of my options (not applying this year, thankfully).

I am very interested in learning more about pursuing a PhD and am also interested in studying at Oxford or Cambridge in the UK. (Not sure which college or anything, still very early in this process)

Firstly, what do the DPhill and MSt abbreviations mean? I am assuming its a PhD and Masters, but does anyone have any more information on that? Does one need a masters to apply for the PhD programs?

What is a research degree vs a taught degree?
 

Also, Oxford's website says you need a 3.75 GPA if  you are coming from the US... I was awarded honors and distinction within my English major at Colby, but I only have a 3.68. Could I really not apply then?

 

Thank you!!

Edited July 9, 2013 by wetheplants

[isabelarcher]

All of this info is available on their websites, really. DPhil = PhD, MSt = Master of Studies (taught degree). MSt is where you take courses, whereas for a DPhil and MLitt/Phil (research degree) you really are only doing research that culminates in the writing of a dissertation. You normally need a masters to apply for the PhD. 

 

For the GPA, contact them and ask. They have tons of international applicants and know that grading systems vary. They normally want a first, which is ~3.75 I think. However, the writing sample plays a big role in admissions too. They also look at letters of rec. I someone from the US about to start a masters at Oxford and they said it wasn't too hard to gain admission and it's much less selective than US grad programs because it's up to you to find funding. As I'm sure you know, top grad programs in the US normally fund you, so they accept the amount of applicants they can afford to fund. Funding is another issue you'll have to consider. The different colleges (read up on the system) normally offer grants you can apply for but unless you're independently wealthy you should expect to take out loans. Whether or not you think this is a wise course of action for a masters degree is up to you. 

 

I could be wrong about any of this so feel free to correct me; it was all gleaned from the Oxbridge websites when I was looking into this for myself. 

[wreckofthehope]

Hi guys - I'm a recent graduate of Colby College trying to learn more about some of my options (not applying this year, thankfully).

I am very interested in learning more about pursuing a PhD and am also interested in studying at Oxford or Cambridge in the UK. (Not sure which college or anything, still very early in this process)

Firstly, what do the DPhill and MSt abbreviations mean? I am assuming its a PhD and Masters, but does anyone have any more information on that? Does one need a masters to apply for the PhD programs?

What is a research degree vs a taught degree?

 

Also, Oxford's website says you need a 3.75 GPA if  you are coming from the US... I was awarded honors and distinction within my English major at Colby, but I only have a 3.68. Could I really not apply then?

 

Thank you!!

 

Yes, you need a Master's to apply for PhD (D.Phil) programs (which are, in any case, not really 'programs' per se). Oxford accepts around 45% of D.Phil applicants in English, Master's degrees are a little more competitive, but still nothing compared to the competition for places in the States. Funding is the issue, and as an international student, you'll find there is very, very, very little available.

 

Speaking as a graduate of the university, I would be wary of going to Oxford for all but a few fields (Medieval, Early Modern and maybe British Modernism). They're a very, very traditional faculty that has a very inward looking attitude  (personally, I think this is a bit of a stunted environment for a grad student to learn in. Although, of course, others probably disagree) - if you want a more current and nationally/internationally engaged department, there are plenty of fantastic UK schools to choose from (Nottingham, Sussex etc) and  London schools, especially, are much more collaborative and have grad students engaged in a lot of multi-institution reading and research groups, grad conferences etc.Of course they don't have Oxford's name recognition outside of the UK,  so it's a bit of a catch-22.

 

Research vs. Taught:

A research degree is a degree done entirely by research - the UK PhD is a research degree, there is no (or extremely minimal) coursework and the student is expected to spend their time as a student conducting and writing up research. The Oxford  MPhil is also a research degree (though the Cambridge MPhil isn't), as is the MRes (and MPhils) offered by many other UK schools.

 

A taught postgraduate degree is usually a Master's degree (at Oxford an MSt or an MSc, usually, at Cambridge usually an MPhil) - these will have a substantial component of coursework (often 5 classes for a year long course) and a research omponent in the form of a dissertation (usually of between ten and twenty thousand words...40 to 80 pages, approx).

Edited July 10, 2013 by wreckofthehope

[literary_tourist]

Word of advice though, if you want to study in the UK, there are other top ranked departments as listed in the RAE. York and Manchester are particularly good departments.

 

See this:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2008/dec/18/rae-2008-english-degree

[wetheplants]

Wreckofthehope, I am interested in either medieval or early modern lit, haven't quite decided which yet. Do you think that those departments are also limiting in their scope? I don't mind a traditional focus, but I am interested in doing some cross-disciplinary research, probably into some performance history in the same time period. What I read briefly on Cambridge's site was that they encouraged multidisciplinary approaches. 

[wreckofthehope]

Wreckofthehope, I am interested in either medieval or early modern lit, haven't quite decided which yet. Do you think that those departments are also limiting in their scope? I don't mind a traditional focus, but I am interested in doing some cross-disciplinary research, probably into some performance history in the same time period. What I read briefly on Cambridge's site was that they encouraged multidisciplinary approaches. 

 

Oxford has fantastic resources for Medieval and Early Modern scholars and I think the work being done in those fields is fairly exciting - a lot of work in material culture , book history etc,  from what I can tell.  As a whole, Oxford is self-isolating; and in English, especially, that has led to a sometimes unhealthy satisfaction with its own scholarship and methods...at least that's what I feel. So many people are lifelong Oxonians (BA -to-MA-to-MSt.-to-D.Phil-to-Lecturer- to-Fellow), people enter at 18 and never leave and I really think that contributes to the weird disinterest the faculty has in what's going on outside. Cambridge's faculty seems a lot more progressive, generally, and has a lot of interdisciplinary centers set up etc. 

 

Edited to add: I should say, though, that I had an absolutely amazing time there as an undergrad and, while I think their English course could do with a bit of modernization, I am eternally grateful for the breadth of the curriculum there. I just think that it's often far from the best place to be as a grad student, depending on your field.

Edited July 11, 2013 by wreckofthehope

[ComeBackZinc]

wreckofthehope, do you have any insight in the teaching question? I've heard that it can be hard for graduates of UK universities on the American job market because many don't teach as graduate students. Obviously that would be mitigated somewhat by Oxford's name. Have you ever head anything like that? Does it sound accurate? 

[wreckofthehope]

wreckofthehope, do you have any insight in the teaching question? I've heard that it can be hard for graduates of UK universities on the American job market because many don't teach as graduate students. Obviously that would be mitigated somewhat by Oxford's name. Have you ever head anything like that? Does it sound accurate? 

I've heard that, too. I think it's very difficult to tell how true it is because, in all likelihood, a lot of the people that move to the UK to do their PhDs are already inclined to stay there, if they can (and once trained and networked within a system, it is easier to stay there than to have to realign yourself academically). It's definitely true that there's far less teaching available to UK PhD students; that said, everyone I know who is doing a UK PhD has taught, my friends at Oxford have all taught a fair amount...it's just that it's usually up to the student to seek it out, and it is also very different in style to US teaching experience (one-on-one tutorials, or very small seminar classes).

[wetheplants]

I'm pretty dead certain I wouldn't stay in England forever, I would want to move back to the US East Coast to teach eventually. Do most Americans tend to stay there once they get in?

Do you have any ideas on how interested they are in interdisciplinary pursuits? Like I said before, I'm interested in Medieval (or early modern) lit along with performance history. I don't mind a more... inclusive teaching style, I guess, as long as people are happy to let me move between disciplines.

[Roos3]

I'm really interested in this conversation, because I'm currently applying for fall 2014, and I'm looking at schools in the UK (including Oxford) and schools in the US. My principal area of interest looks at elements that emerge out of western European pre-medieval and medieval literatures and folklores, and are carried forward to appear in modern works (largely fantasy, but not limited to this). For instance, my undergraduate thesis dealt with the concept of Faërie/the Otherworld, primarily in pre-medieval mythology and medieval literature, but also in Tolkien's fiction. I'm wondering if you have any suggestions as to whether Oxford would be a good or poor fit for this kind of research. On the one hand, they have a good medieval program, which is essential, but I would also need advisors who are supportive of extracanonical research.

 

Also, regarding the issue of teaching while studying in Britain and the limiting effect of the job market, I wonder if you have any advice for me. While I'm looking at schools in the US, I would greatly prefer to study and work in Britain for a number of years. The problem is, I don't really want to stay there for my entire career, and my understanding is that it's harder to study in one country and work in another. Are there things that can be done to mitigate this issue?

[rhetoricus aesalon]

I have a cousin who studied Irish history and taught at the same time while studying at Oxford. His experience seems to align with what is being said, though I could add he was completely converted to the Oxford mindset after returning to the States. In fact, he even had a distaste for how American scholars wrote published articles.

He hated the academic system in the States so much after returning that he left his TT job after a few years and now works for the government.

I'm sure his case isn't the norm, but I do feel like it may contribute to what is being said about the very different academic approaches that are celebrated at Oxford vs. the States. It sounds like you need to fundamentally re-establish yourself when professionally crossing the Atlantic, reorienting yourself to the research that is publishable and teaching that will support your career if and when you make the transition.

It might be something to consider, especially if you intend on eventually teaching and working in the States.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Chadillac