What are my chances of acceptance? Oxford/Cambridge Dphill

Graduate School
1

<p>Hey all,</p>

<p>I am looking for a school to do my doctoral work in early Christian theology and philosophy. I have been communicating with two professors, one from Oxford and one from Cambridge. Both are very interested in supervising my project, though the Oxford professor seems more keen. She cannot wait to meet and discuss my ideas and has even asked me to write a paper for an upcoming conference. Both professors are well respected, have written important books, and the Oxford one was just awarded a professorship. </p>

<p>I have often been told that a willing supervisor goes along way in the admissions process. I am concerned, however, with my academic history. My undergraduate GPA was not great, below 3.0. My story is not dissimilar to others'...I had no intention of doing postgraduate studies. I planned to complete my B.A. then join the army. After 8 knee surgeries on the same knee I realized my plan was impractical and started to think about gradschool. Long story short, I focused on school and brought my GPA up: just over 3.7 in my last 2 years and 3.8 in my final year. I also wrote 2 senior theses, I got an A- on the first and an A on the second. This was enough to get me into one of the more respected M.A. programmes in Canada. I finished the M.A. with a 3.7 GPA (actually 10/12) and got an A on my Major Research Paper which was on the same topic as my proposed PhD. </p>

<p>On their websites both Oxford and Cambridge require a 3.7+ gpa in undergraduate but there is no mention of graduate school GPA. It seems odd that they only focus on the undergraduate record. It seems odd that they would only consider undergraduate record. Should I just apply anyways? do you think there is any chance for me? I hope the influence of my potential supervisor will help!</p>

<p>any help, ideas, suggestions etc are appreciated!</p>

2

<p>You can’t be admitted to a DPhil program (or PhD in Cambridge’s case) without completing a master’s degree first, except maybe under some very exceptional circumstances. Therefore, the fact those departments’ admission pages list recommended undergraduate GPA ranges but not graduate ones is either an oversight on their part or an indication that the graduate GPA they look for from advanced applicants is the same as the undergraduate cutoff they list.</p>

<p>In any case, I know for a fact that both Cambridge and Oxford occasionally accept candidates with American GPAs below 3.7, and that this is a guideline more than a firm requirement, at least in my field (history). The fact you’ve been in touch with people who are excited about your project is far more important than the fact your GPA borders on desirable according to those universities’ websites but isn’t above the cutoff.</p>

<p>In summary, don’t panic. If you get rejected, it won’t be because of your GPA.</p>

3

<p>Hi ghostt,</p>

<p>Thanks for the reply.</p>

<p>My background is in history…medieval history…but I focus on early late-antiquity/early medieval intellectual history and this puts me in the realms of history, classics, theology, and philosophy. Professors have suggested I apply through their divinity schools simply because it is less competitive.</p>

<p>Most U.K. schools do not post an M.A. minimum GPA for PhD acceptance. I am assuming they feel that attaining an M.A. proves competency so they put more weight on research proposals and references than grades. I have what I think is a strong research proposal and have strong reference letters from respected professors. I’m sure everything will work out in the end.</p>