Oxbridge MAs

[ClemSnide]

Salvete omnes. I'm interested in the Cambridge MPhil and the Oxford MSt (one year) and MPhil (two years) programs. Does anyone have any information about these, what they're like, what the admission rates generally are i.e. how selective they are, etc? I've looked at the programs' websites already.

I'll be working in the area of imperial Roman historiography and other Latin prose literature.

Edited December 3, 2009 by ClemSnide

[spozik]

Salvete omnes. I'm interested in the Cambridge MPhil and the Oxford MSt (one year) and MPhil (two years) programs. Does anyone have any information about these, what they're like, what the admission rates generally are i.e. how selective they are, etc? I've looked at the programs' websites already.

I'll be working in the area of imperial Roman historiography and other Latin prose literature.

Hi there. I don't know much about these programs, and I'm not applying to any, but hey, some information is better than nothing, right? A friend of mine who applied in last year's admissions cycle got rejected everywhere except for one safety school and Oxford. So, I wouldn't say that it's easy to get in, but you may have a bit better luck with those than with some PhD programs in the US. Any reason you're particularly looking at these programs? Just curious. There are some decent, funded terminal MAs state-side as well, if you're interested.

[caputmundi]

My sense is that graduate study in England is much more independent, research based. Less formalized classroom setting and more writing, writing, writing. I assume this means one applies with a very well thought out research agenda. It also means one has command over languages so that he/she is able to focus on research rather than nuts and bolts of improving Latin & Greek (I only assume). Something to keep in mind between now and the time you apply. I think this is a really great route, though. It seems like something American Phd programs would really dig. Good luck!

Edited December 4, 2009 by caputmundi

[ClemSnide]

Thanks guys. I'm in Canada, and I will be applying to Canadian schools as well, not just British ones. My SO is from the States and would prefer not returning there, so there is a chance that I might not apply there (this is for next year's admission cycle by the way) and if I do, there is a good chance I would not accept an offer, even if funded, if I have also been accepted by a British or Canadian university.

The British schools appeal to me because of the heavier research emphasis and the superior library resources. It's true that the Cambridge MPhil and the Oxford MSt wouldn't allow me to work on acquiring further language skills, but the literature option for the two year Oxford MPhil would. Latin won't be a problem for me, but I meet the bare minimum for Greek for the PhD programs I like, so a terminal MA seems like a better option rather than a post-bacc or an extra year in undergrad (neither of which would allow me to do much research compared to an MA). That I wouldn't be pressured to TA at the British schools means that even if there is no classroom instruction in the languages, I will have time on my own to get some extra reading done.

How selective are Oxford and Cambridge? Are they as inundated with applications (for Classics) as American schools? Personal experiences with applying there or know anybody who has?

[JustChill]

I feel like Oxbridge sometimes accepts more than the usual because they know that people from North America are not as likely to attend even if admitted because of the distance and price. I just got accepted to Oxford today for their MPhil program in Russian and East European Studies. I'm very happy and excited, but also very surprised, because I seriously just sent off my hard copy writing samples to them two weeks ago. Did they really compare my app to all of the others in such a short period of time, when it takes American universities until February or March to make a decision? I don't know, but it feels strange.

[Eskobastion]

Did they really compare my app to all of the others in such a short period of time, when it takes American universities until February or March to make a decision? I don't know, but it feels strange.

No, they don't. As far as I know, the admission process at Oxford and Cambridge is a little bit different than in the US. They have several deadlines which means that they compare applications after the first deadline, then wait new applications and compare the new applications and some of the applications sent before the first DL and so on until the all deadlines have passed.

I think that there might be a change that some students which are better than the students admitted in the programs early do not get offer if they send their application in the last cycle..

[ClemSnide]

Okay, something to keep in mind then for Oxford and Cambridge: apply early. And honestly I think it would be great to know where you're going as soon as possible - many of us have partners who are often moving with us and that requires some planning.

Congratulations on the acceptance rockchalk! I assume you're going to accept the offer? If you feel comfortable doing so, could you share your 'stats' e.g. GPA etc? What did you submit as your writing sample?

[JustChill]

Okay, something to keep in mind then for Oxford and Cambridge: apply early. And honestly I think it would be great to know where you're going as soon as possible - many of us have partners who are often moving with us and that requires some planning.

Congratulations on the acceptance rockchalk! I assume you're going to accept the offer? If you feel comfortable doing so, could you share your 'stats' e.g. GPA etc? What did you submit as your writing sample?

Thank you, I'm very happy. Nonetheless, I am still waiting (and probably will until February or March) on all of my other application. So I want to see what happens with those before making a decision. Most of the others were for Russian history PhD programs, not REES Master's. I absolutely think that it helped me that I applied before their first deadline, because, as I said earlier, I received my acceptance only about two or three weeks after I sent off my two writing samples and way before January 15th, as they had previously told me.

Regarding my stats, I don't mind sharing them if it helps in any way:

Graduated in May from the University of Kansas. Double majors in History and Russian and East European Studies (REES).

Departmental honors in both majors.

3.70 overall GPA, 3.93 History GPA, 4.0 REES GPA.

Received an Undergraduate Research Award for my History Honors thesis, which i was also invited to present at a regional conference.

Was awarded a Fulbright-Hays grant to study abroad at Moscow State University.

Have 5 years of advanced Russian study at the universities of Kansas, Indiana, and Pittsburgh.

GRE: 720 verbal, 5.5 writing (although I didn't need to report my GRE scores when I applied to Oxford).

I submitted two chapters of my history thesis (which was written on a Russian history topic) as my two writing samples.

Hope this helps.

Edited December 14, 2009 by rockchalk

[ClemSnide]

Thank you rockchalk. I kind of forgot about this forum, what with holiday revelry. Your background is very impressive. For me, I am not worried on the GPA front, but about the writing samples. I plan to submit my thesis as well, which I am working on these days. I really, really hope it will be good enough for them.

[grotesqueidols]

I feel like I have rolled in a bit late here...hopefully you have sorted everything out but if you do have any questions about the Cambridge Mphil (which is what I think you must mean by MA) feel free to ask. I am an American finishing an Archaeology PhD at Cambridge...and I did an Mphil there as well. It isn't quite Classics but we are just down the street physically and disciplinarily

Particularly be careful which colleges you select. That is surprisingly more important than you think and if you, say, pick Trinity and Johns which are too popular you will no doubt end up somewhere unfavorable. You should shoot for nice older ones that are lovely but not absurdly flash.

[Hashem1]

I feel like Oxbridge sometimes accepts more than the usual because they know that people from North America are not as likely to attend even if admitted because of the distance and price. I just got accepted to Oxford today for their MPhil program in Russian and East European Studies. I'm very happy and excited, but also very surprised, because I seriously just sent off my hard copy writing samples to them two weeks ago. Did they really compare my app to all of the others in such a short period of time, when it takes American universities until February or March to make a decision? I don't know, but it feels strange.

Although my degree is in Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (minor in Middle East Studies), I'm interested in the MPhil in Islamic History and/or MSt in Oriental Studies at Oxford (I have the equivalent of five years of Classical Arabic, and my interest is mainly in the Graeco Arabic translation movement). Does anyone out there have advice for a person (like me) who's applying to a program/field (and at a UK institution) just slightly outside of what they did for their undergrad?