I am planning on applying to Oxford for my masters for next fall, and was hoping any of you may be able to answer a question I have. I am a European citizen, but I got my undergraduate degree in the US as an international student.
Oxford is my dream school, and definitely my first choice. I know that I can get into various programs at Oxford, such as my second choice, third choice, etc, if we only consider GPA requirements. However, I am a bit unsure about my first choice of program. It says that they normally expect a GPA of 3.8 or above for the program, and I anticipate my GPA to be 3.74 or 3.75 by the time I graduate this December. I have a 4.0 GPA in my major, but I have some GedEds from freshman year that I got a B and C in that is pulling my GPA down. I have secured great recommendations from two of the best professors at my current university, and I have prepared by taking various online courses from various Ivy Leagues outside college, such as Harvard, just to make sure I’d have a good foundation of knowledge for the types of programs I want to apply to in the event that I get accepted. Is it possible to get accepted to a program at Oxford with a slightly lower GPA (in this case, 3.75 for a program that has a 3.8 requirement)?
I really want to attend Oxford, but if it is not realistic for me to get accepted to that program I would rather apply for my second choice of study, where I meet the GPA requirements.
If it says that a 3.8 or above is required, then you have very little chance of getting admitted with a 3.7, and you should aim for the second-choice program.
If it only says they expect a GPA of 3.8+, or that most successful applicants have a GPA of a 3.8+ - well, that’s more of a grey area. It’s not a hard requirement, so you’re not automatically disqualified. But you’re not in the top half of their applicants, GPA-wise, either. Still, you’re not that far behind a 3.8 either…
It depends on how strong the rest of your application is, too. If you have a 3.75 and an otherwise really strong application - one that will make you stand out from the others - then if I were you I would take the chance on the first-choice program, especially with a 4.0 in your major. (I’ll say that random online courses from other universities likely won’t make much of a difference on your application.)
It says that a strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honors (which I do have) is required, but the GPA normally sougth is 3.8. I assume that means that I have a chance of getting accepted to the program if I have a strong application otherwise.
I think I will take a chance and apply to the program, and just try to make my application as strong as possible.
Many Oxbridge courses specify a minimum of a strong upper second. Those are an easier admit than the ones that specify a first, especially now 20-30% of UK graduates get a first. Where did you rank in your US college class? Will your reference say you were their best student?
As I’m sure you know, the concern about US students is that they don’t have the depth in the subject that a UK student would do. So things to consider are how close this masters is to your undergrad field of study (taking online courses suggests it might not be) and whether you’ve done an in depth piece of work like a senior thesis that shows your ability to cope with the level of independent study that is assumed for a masters course (or indeed any degree in the UK).