<p>How difficult is it for a US student to get in? I'm a citizen of the UK...</p>
<p>Would a 3.5 cumulative gpa/ 3.8 in PoliSci (IR) from a mid-top lvl LAC with solid GRE scores and research work be enough to put me in the running?</p>
<p>I would say yes. Graduate admission to Oxbridge is easier in general than undergraduate. Also look into LSE and King's College London War studies programs. SOAS may also have stuff of interest. Any work experience? Internships?</p>
<p>Not sure if they even look at the GRE. There are a few courses that do in the UK but they are the minority.</p>
<p>You should have a good shot. Also consider LSE of course.</p>
<p>I'm at Cam now and doing an MPhil on the neoconservatives, but in the history faculty. I went straight from undergrad at Cam without even writing a dissertation. It's not quite true that admission is easier for grads. Most people apply to the arts with very high grades (ie: First from all other UK uni's apart from Ox and Cam, where a high 2.1 is seen as the standard). Obviously these aren't easy marks to attain, and a 3.5 GPA might be a little too low- high Cambridge 2.1 is eqiv to 3.67 on offical conversion. IR is also v. competitive. That said, research will help your cause greatly. GRE doesn't matter, as nobody else will probably have taken it. You'll also need to present a detailed research proposal to the faculty and get in contact with some people. Where have you spent the last few years studying? I'm currently applying to USC. </p>
<p>Good Luck.</p>
<p>I would definatly make sure you have a kick ass personal statement. It could make all the difference in the world. I personaly got a low 2:1 and got into a MPhil course in Cambridge. I however was rejected from Oxford. As stated above I would look into the LSE and King's College London as back ups from Oxbridge. Although they they are preety much on par with oxbridge in this area (especialy LSE).</p>
<p>psmyth,</p>
<p>Which subject are you studying? I checked the Cambridge CIS website, and it says GPA 3.75, which converts to above 67.5, or a 2.1 ++/ 1-- depending on your department. Were you at Cam for BA? Which college are you at. I'm at Downing.</p>
<p>Hi, I applied for the MPhil in Criminology. My college would have been Hughes Hall but I decided to go to LSE instead. I did my undergarduate at University College Dublin. I like the "city" of Cambridge. It's very nice. Especially down by the river Cam.</p>
<p>At least in the math department, the biggest obstacle for a U.S. student trying to go to Cambridge for graduate school is getting the money. Cambridge provides very few stipends for non-British people; usually, there's one stipend per year given out for the third part of the Cambridge math Tripos, and one or two for the math DPhil. Other than that, of course, there's the Gates Cambridge fellowship, which is not so easy to get, and things like NSF funding. It might be different, of course, in IR.</p>