Hey, do you have any tips for those planning on applying for master's at Cambridge/Oxford? Majorly from the perspective of an international student? Thanks xx
(I'm really really sorry for how late this reply is, I hardly check my Tumblr anymore because I'm so busy and inbox notifications just don't show up for some reason)
-however-
I am about to start my MPhil in Linguistics at Cambridge (yay), so I have some tips (from someone who also did their undergrad at Cambridge):
The application process is draining (seriously I've never been so tired by anything ever), so set more time aside to do it than you think you need!
In a similar vein, make sure you have a timeline for when you're going to get things done, and make sure that timeline leaves you about a week before the deadline so that you can deal with any emergency situations
Remember that at postgrad it's less about the uni and more about the supervisor, so if you find that the uni doesn't contain the academic research you're interested in, then don't apply. I basically couldn't have applied to Oxford as they didn't do the kind of research that I was interested in (it was more traditional in its approach), so I stuck with Cambridge (although obviously I know Cambridge much better so that was an advantage)
Writing sample: If your course asks for one of these, I recommend finding the piece of work you were proudest of, and spending a good few days polishing it- the people looking at it want to see how you communicate complex ideas and concepts. The sample doesn't have to be directly related to the Thesis/Project you're applying for, but at least tangentially related is useful
Start emailing potential supervisors over summer if you are applying in the winter: this is partly because supervisors get super busy over term time so are worse at replying to emails, partly because you come off super organised, and partly because if you haven't been at the institution before, it will take some shopping around to find the right supervisor. I had the good fortune that my undergrad supervisor was happy to supervise my MPhil, but if I were to come at this from an outside perspective, I would go through faculty lists and email people, stating my intent to study there, how I noticed they were interested in xyz, and how I'd like to do a master's in something within that (be clear about your project aims). Don't be disheartened if they say no- ask for other suggestions! You can also shoot an email to a PhD who's supervised by the person you're interested in and see from them if they think it's worth asking.
References: both references should be academic, and ideally from those who have supervised you. My first reference was my Director of Studies, who was in charge of my academic progress at uni, and the second was my lab supervisor from my second year, since he taught me a lot of skills I needed for the MPhil project. If you have a dissertation supervisor, I recommend asking them (I learned the hard way that I should have asked the guy who's my MPhil supervisor because he knew me and could recommend me, but I got the place so that's alright in the end)
Interview: from my experience (and anecdotes from friends who applied for other courses), these are much more low key than undergrad, and they want to know more about your research contribution and what you think you'll learn- mine lasted literally 10 minutes, a friend's lasted 15 mins, etc. However, it's worth preparing with 'what will I learn' in terms of topics and skills, as well as 'how can I contribute to the research of this institution'
Remember that a Master's is often seen as a gateway to a PhD, so have in mind how you could expand on your research beyond just your master's, which helps contextualise your research contribution further
Research proposal: there are lots of very useful online guides for this, so definitely do some research on structure before you write! Be clear in the proposal about the aims of the project (these can shift in conversation with your supervisor but you need initial aims), and also where this research could be expanded. I included a few sources and a bibliography, as well as my name and email address in the footnote just to be professional. Make sure it fits the length requirement, and make sure that it looks presentable. Also- this step takes so much longer than you think, so really prepare in advance.
Hope this helps anyone considering applying for a master's!
