All of your videos have been incredibly helpful! I find them most helpful throughout my graduate application process. A sincere thank you from Korea, Dr. Williams!
Hi Dr. Williams, we always appreciate your videos, experience and wisdom! I just recently did my interview for UG studies at Cambridge and it didn't go too well, in my opinion. After watching this video, I wonder whether I should follow in your footsteps haha 😆 Postgraduate applications definitely seem much more detailed and complicated as opposed to undergraduate but as you said, there's nothing much to lose from trying. Thank you for the information and I hope you, your family, and everyone else in this comment section have a great Christmas!
Thank you very much for these videos. I would like you to post this video a little earlier. Because I submitted my master degree application literally 3 hours before the release of this video😂. Anyway I think I did my best and about the contact with supervisors is really important. I applied as historian (MPhil of Social and Economic History). I spent a lot of time to write my personal statement, where I also described my professional experience during bachelor degree (working at National museum, international school). For me it was more stressful to contact with Peter Frankopan than with Presidents. I know what I am saying about 😂. Hope my application will be successful and not without the help of your videos 😊
same man (I submitted my app in the beginning of December)! best of luck, the fact that you’ve been watching this channel all along might have helped anyway
oh gosh I submitted my application for MSc in EBHC already before this video was uploaded😭 I hope I did most things correctly though and I shouldn’t worry about my PS not being perfect since as far as I know staff spends less than a minute reading them and I’ve been writing and iterating on my PS for 2 months😁
Wow Matt, this was incredibly helpful (and hit close to home lol)... My dream in highschool was to do undergrad law at Oxford, but like you said, that's what i THOUGHT i wanted to do. I ended up doing econ, hating it, then switching to IR. I fell in love with Chinese politics and IR in my second year after taking a module on it, and i even started learning Chinese as my fourth language lol. I see a lot of your own research focusses on legislation in UK gov and parliament, but as someone from the Politics and IR Department at Oxford, do you have any advice for me? A lot of the relevant experience listed on the website for my course is described as "may be an advantage"... To what extent is it truly an advantage? My third year dissertation will answer 'what role does the Korean Peninsula play in the new Cold War between the US and China", and hopefully have my HSK 2 qualification by the time i apply. I am also going to have completed one, if not two (interview next week!!), research internships in collaboration with my uni. However, the site mentions study or working experience in China, which i probably won't have. I just don't know what i'm up against because it's a super niche course, but the calibre of applications is surely higher... Any advice will be appreciated!
Hi there. My advice is to go for it and put your best foot forward! These grad course websites are like job descriptions, in that they list some desirable traits, but don't assume that one person will necessarily present all of them to the highest levels. You can't know in advance what the competition like be like, so you just need your application to emphasise what you offer that is sought after in the course description, and basically sell yourself. Good luck with it!
Dear Dr. Matt Williams, If I may, I would like to ask you one more question. Considering the fact that I am in my final year of studies, not possessing a final transcript, is this factor of “uncertainty” a drawback for my application and ultimately securing a place and scholarship?
It's not unusual for people to apply before finishing their undergraduate studies. It does mean that more weight has to be placed on your references and any obtained grades to guess at your final degree result. But, I don't think it would be a significant drawback.
Hello Dr. William, I have a question regarding the personal statement. In my case, I am applying for theEnglish and American Studies MSt. Since the course falls into humanities, I assume that my thoughts and language in the personal statement should be complexe and sophisticated to some degree. I expect this to kind of show how able I am to take the course. Can you please elaborate on how the content and, most importantly, language should be in the personal statement?
You need to make sure your language is clear. Sophisticated language can sometimes mean incomprehensible language! Ideally you should be able to communicate complex ideas plainly.
Hi Dr.Williams, Thank you so much for all of your help. Do academic references have to be professors who might have taught me at the undergraduate level? Or does getting a reference from a professor that I may have done research with, or did a short course with following my undergraduate studies also work as an academic reference?
Hello Dr. Williams, massively thank you for your relentless works to help us get through the journey. am planning to apply MA at Oxford this year and hopefully starting next year. but I recently found out that the course I am intending to apply, is still open for 2024 start. I am not quite ready in terms of SOP and PS although I can pull it up and from now have a month to finalize the application. I first thought why not just give it a go, but then I got worried that what my first failed application may have bad influence on the next shot. Could I ask for any advice? thank you so much!!
Hi there. Thanks for your message! No, an application this year would not influence a re-appilcation next year. So you can give it a try if you feel up to it. Good luck!
Respected Sir, On application form of MSt English (1900-present), I am unable to find any section to link written work. Kindly guide if I am missing out on some strategy of application form. Thank you
Thank you for this video. Finalising my personal statement right now. Applying for MSc in Education (Digital and Social). To what extent should I lean into what I intend to research on (percentage-wise) in my personal statement?
Thanks for your comment. Good luck with the application! Of the six bullet points listed under the personal statement tab for your course, two are relevant to your intended research: -- what you want to achieve from the programme you are applying for -- the nature of the research project that you hope to undertake (if you have ideas about this). So, mathematically, I would say that up to about a third of the statement could speak to your research interests. And, of course, talking about your research will be relevant for some of the other bullet points, such as: -- your reasons for applying to this particular course -- the areas of study in the subject which interest you -- your relevant academic, research and/or practical experience
hello! thanks so much for this video! I'm applying for a history masters and just wondering how clear I need to be about the sources I want to use. I have some ideas of the specific sources I need for my diss, but of course I'm not entirely sure. Is a rough idea enough? What are you looking for when reading that part? also, are footnotes required for all articles mentioned in the statement or can I just put them in a bibliography? thank you!!
Hi there, a rough idea of sources sounds fine. Although, don't be too vague, as in: "I intend to consider 18th century sources". Footnotes are not generally required. All best!
Dear Dr. Matt Williams, Thank you for your helpful videos! I am in the process of applying to postgraduate programmes in politics. While my university written work is in the field of politics, it is slightly different to my proposed research field. Do you think that this will have a negative impact on my chances of getting accepted?
No, that's fine. Submitted work typically does not need to be related to proposed research. If that was necessary, it would have plainly said as much on the website.
Hey Dr. Williams, I am an undergrad student from Pakistan and I am planning to apply for for graduate program in Oxford. My major is English linguistics and I wanted to ask if I can get some specific guidelines to process my application and prepare for it for I have not graduated yet. Please give me some specific guidelines related to my discipline.
Thank you for this great video! I'm applying for a DPhil in Statistics and I understand that an interview is part of the application process. If so, how much weight is put on the interview performance relative to research proposal and transcript?
For a DPhil, the interview is about as important as the research proposal, because offer evidence of your aptitude and potential for sustained study. The goal is to take as much useful evidence as possible and form a more rounded assessment of you and your abilities. The transcript also matters, but does not need to be flawless for you to be a contender.
One more question if you have the time: aside from the proposed supervisor, does anyone else's assessment of an application influence whether a candidate is accepted? If yes, who is that usually? Thanks for your help!
![Essay Structure [and my SECRET to coming TOP at UNI]!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3TADeQI-XI0/mqdefault.jpg)
All of your videos have been incredibly helpful! I find them most helpful throughout my graduate application process. A sincere thank you from Korea, Dr. Williams!
Fantastic -- thank you for your kind comment!
Hi Dr. Williams, we always appreciate your videos, experience and wisdom!
I just recently did my interview for UG studies at Cambridge and it didn't go too well, in my opinion. After watching this video, I wonder whether I should follow in your footsteps haha 😆
Postgraduate applications definitely seem much more detailed and complicated as opposed to undergraduate but as you said, there's nothing much to lose from trying.
Thank you for the information and I hope you, your family, and everyone else in this comment section have a great Christmas!
Thanks for your comment. I hope you're well and have had a great Christmas!
You are great. Thanks.
That's very kind! Thank you
Thank you very much for these videos. I would like you to post this video a little earlier. Because I submitted my master degree application literally 3 hours before the release of this video😂. Anyway I think I did my best and about the contact with supervisors is really important. I applied as historian (MPhil of Social and Economic History). I spent a lot of time to write my personal statement, where I also described my professional experience during bachelor degree (working at National museum, international school). For me it was more stressful to contact with Peter Frankopan than with Presidents. I know what I am saying about 😂.
Hope my application will be successful and not without the help of your videos 😊
Best of luck to you! Thanks for your comment.
same man (I submitted my app in the beginning of December)! best of luck, the fact that you’ve been watching this channel all along might have helped anyway
oh gosh I submitted my application for MSc in EBHC already before this video was uploaded😭 I hope I did most things correctly though and I shouldn’t worry about my PS not being perfect since as far as I know staff spends less than a minute reading them and I’ve been writing and iterating on my PS for 2 months😁
I wish you all the best. Thanks for your comment
Wow Matt, this was incredibly helpful (and hit close to home lol)... My dream in highschool was to do undergrad law at Oxford, but like you said, that's what i THOUGHT i wanted to do. I ended up doing econ, hating it, then switching to IR. I fell in love with Chinese politics and IR in my second year after taking a module on it, and i even started learning Chinese as my fourth language lol. I see a lot of your own research focusses on legislation in UK gov and parliament, but as someone from the Politics and IR Department at Oxford, do you have any advice for me? A lot of the relevant experience listed on the website for my course is described as "may be an advantage"... To what extent is it truly an advantage? My third year dissertation will answer 'what role does the Korean Peninsula play in the new Cold War between the US and China", and hopefully have my HSK 2 qualification by the time i apply. I am also going to have completed one, if not two (interview next week!!), research internships in collaboration with my uni. However, the site mentions study or working experience in China, which i probably won't have. I just don't know what i'm up against because it's a super niche course, but the calibre of applications is surely higher... Any advice will be appreciated!
Hi there. My advice is to go for it and put your best foot forward! These grad course websites are like job descriptions, in that they list some desirable traits, but don't assume that one person will necessarily present all of them to the highest levels. You can't know in advance what the competition like be like, so you just need your application to emphasise what you offer that is sought after in the course description, and basically sell yourself. Good luck with it!
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 many thanks :)
Dear Dr. Matt Williams,
If I may, I would like to ask you one more question. Considering the fact that I am in my final year of studies, not possessing a final transcript, is this factor of “uncertainty” a drawback for my application and ultimately securing a place and scholarship?
It's not unusual for people to apply before finishing their undergraduate studies. It does mean that more weight has to be placed on your references and any obtained grades to guess at your final degree result. But, I don't think it would be a significant drawback.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Great! Thank you for the clarification!
Hello Dr. William, I have a question regarding the personal statement. In my case, I am applying for theEnglish and American Studies MSt. Since the course falls into humanities, I assume that my thoughts and language in the personal statement should be complexe and sophisticated to some degree. I expect this to kind of show how able I am to take the course. Can you please elaborate on how the content and, most importantly, language should be in the personal statement?
You need to make sure your language is clear. Sophisticated language can sometimes mean incomprehensible language! Ideally you should be able to communicate complex ideas plainly.
Hi Dr.Williams, Thank you so much for all of your help. Do academic references have to be professors who might have taught me at the undergraduate level? Or does getting a reference from a professor that I may have done research with, or did a short course with following my undergraduate studies also work as an academic reference?
Yes, a reference from a professor that you have done research with can work very well. The reference does not have to come from an undergrad tutor.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thank you so much!
Hello Dr. Williams, massively thank you for your relentless works to help us get through the journey. am planning to apply MA at Oxford this year and hopefully starting next year. but I recently found out that the course I am intending to apply, is still open for 2024 start. I am not quite ready in terms of SOP and PS although I can pull it up and from now have a month to finalize the application. I first thought why not just give it a go, but then I got worried that what my first failed application may have bad influence on the next shot. Could I ask for any advice? thank you so much!!
Hi there. Thanks for your message! No, an application this year would not influence a re-appilcation next year. So you can give it a try if you feel up to it. Good luck!
Thank you for your reply!!:)
Respected Sir,
On application form of MSt English (1900-present), I am unable to find any section to link written work. Kindly guide if I am missing out on some strategy of application form.
Thank you
You'll need to contact graduate.studies@ell.ox.ac.uk for guidance.
Thank you for this video. Finalising my personal statement right now. Applying for MSc in Education (Digital and Social). To what extent should I lean into what I intend to research on (percentage-wise) in my personal statement?
Thanks for your comment. Good luck with the application!
Of the six bullet points listed under the personal statement tab for your course, two are relevant to your intended research:
-- what you want to achieve from the programme you are applying for
-- the nature of the research project that you hope to undertake (if you have ideas about this).
So, mathematically, I would say that up to about a third of the statement could speak to your research interests. And, of course, talking about your research will be relevant for some of the other bullet points, such as:
-- your reasons for applying to this particular course
-- the areas of study in the subject which interest you
-- your relevant academic, research and/or practical experience
hello! thanks so much for this video! I'm applying for a history masters and just wondering how clear I need to be about the sources I want to use. I have some ideas of the specific sources I need for my diss, but of course I'm not entirely sure. Is a rough idea enough? What are you looking for when reading that part?
also, are footnotes required for all articles mentioned in the statement or can I just put them in a bibliography?
thank you!!
Hi there, a rough idea of sources sounds fine. Although, don't be too vague, as in: "I intend to consider 18th century sources".
Footnotes are not generally required.
All best!
Thank you !! @@JesusCollegeOxford1571
Dear Dr. Matt Williams,
Thank you for your helpful videos! I am in the process of applying to postgraduate programmes in politics. While my university written work is in the field of politics, it is slightly different to my proposed research field. Do you think that this will have a negative impact on my chances of getting accepted?
No, that's fine. Submitted work typically does not need to be related to proposed research. If that was necessary, it would have plainly said as much on the website.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Great to hear that! Thank you for your reply!
Hey Dr. Williams, I am an undergrad student from Pakistan and I am planning to apply for for graduate program in Oxford. My major is English linguistics and I wanted to ask if I can get some specific guidelines to process my application and prepare for it for I have not graduated yet. Please give me some specific guidelines related to my discipline.
Dear Zaira, thanks for your comment. I am not well placed to advise for this course. Please contact: academic-office@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 thank you so much
Thank you for this great video! I'm applying for a DPhil in Statistics and I understand that an interview is part of the application process. If so, how much weight is put on the interview performance relative to research proposal and transcript?
For a DPhil, the interview is about as important as the research proposal, because offer evidence of your aptitude and potential for sustained study. The goal is to take as much useful evidence as possible and form a more rounded assessment of you and your abilities. The transcript also matters, but does not need to be flawless for you to be a contender.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Thanks!
One more question if you have the time:
aside from the proposed supervisor, does anyone else's assessment of an application influence whether a candidate is accepted? If yes, who is that usually? Thanks for your help!