Chances - Oxford MSc

Graduate School
1

<p>Just applied for an MSc course at Oxford...and am quite nervous about my application, particularly because of my GPA.</p>

<p>I've had a total of 13 internships so far, including posts at NASA Headquarters, US House, Senate, and State legislature. I've also have had 3 years of research experience in 2 different labs (the first lab, working under a $4 million federal grant). I'll be publishing 2 papers from this...(1 of which I sent as my sample writing piece). The work is relevant to the course at Oxford. I also started my own non-profit think tank in school. I'm now the Executive Director of it. </p>

<p>I'm a current senior at a SUNY flagship school with a triple major in Econ, Geography, and Int'l Trade. My overall GPA is a 3.32 (which is in the range of Cum Laude, which I'm expecting to achieve), while my major GPAs (in same order) are 3.39, 3.77, and 3.77 (all my majors relate to the course as well). However my overall is a 3.32 because of freshman and beginning of sophomore year (for example, I have a C in into to microeconomics, but an A- in Microeconomic Theory, a B in intro to macroeconomics, but an A in Macro Theory). Overall an upward trajectory.</p>

<p>I have good letters from 2 well known professors/researchers, 1 of whom sits on the editorial board of the same journal as the head of the department at Oxford. I also have a good letter from my NASA supervisor. </p>

<p>EC's: Student Association Senate, President + Founder of Und. Geography Club, Student Rep. to the Department of Geography Faculty</p>

<p>Should mention that I have a learning disability, so things take me a little longer to process (so a multiple choice exam, I'll get an 80, but for the same material but in essay form, I'll easily get a 95-100...it's just how I learn I guess)</p>

<p>Program is in the School of Geography and Environ. Program accepts 26...and usually gets around 59 applicants. They say the min. GPA is a 3.7, but I emailed the head of the program and she said that they weigh research experience heavily and look at relevant courses most. </p>

<p>I know, it's an odd application, particularly because of the whole GPA thing. Watcha think?</p>

2

<p>I know GPA requirements at Oxford can be flexible, at least for my course. For example, one page on the website of the faculty I’m applying to lists 3.7 as the minimum GPA for American applicants, and another: 3.6. I’ve read testimonies from people who actually got in with GPAs even lower than that. However, I’ve never heard of an American student with a GPA as low as yours getting into a postgraduate course at Oxford, and even if one did, he/she would simply not receive funding.</p>

<p>I think your GPA is a huge impediment.</p>