Master's applications

Compared to undergraduate admission process, where a single application is sent to multiple institutions through a centralised applications system (UCAS), for master's, one has to file a separate application for every programme. The number of applications one can submit is also theoretically unlimited, however the £80 application fee (on average, differs slightly depending on a course or university) may pose a problem if you are planing to apply for multiple courses. For scientific degrees, the application usually consists of CV, statement of purpose, and 2 or 3 references (with academic references either preferred or mandatory). I have applied for 3 courses so far, all offered by University of Oxford. As usual, the deadline for Oxbridge application submissions is much sooner than for the rest of UK universities and I had to submit all the documents by the 10th of January.

Out of the three applications, I received one invitation for a formal interview (a part of the admission process for some universities). I was interviewed by 3 academics — a head of the programme and two associate professors. Following a small talk about the prices of train tickets from London to Oxford and cheap places to eat in the town, they started asking more specific questions. These mainly concerned my motivation for the course (such as : “How do you think your current degree and the individual modules relate to this course?” or “Are there any people or research groups within our department you’ve heard of ?”), background knowledge in the field ( “What do you think was the most important discovery in the field in the last decade?” , “What was the last paper you’ve read?”) and my previous research experience (“What research methods and assays are you normally using during the work on your thesis? ”). Despite the interviewers were both very friendly and extremely polite throughout the entire conversation, my overall impression of the interview was terrible, and I started to question my suitability for the course. To my surprise, I received an email including an official offer the following week. The email also stated that the admission panel was impressed by my performance at the interview, which led me to believe that this was simply an administrative mistake and they must have swapped the names of the applicants. I called the teaching office twice to make sure this wasn’t the case, before telling my family and friends.

Long story short, my main advice is: try to tailor each application specifically to the course you are applying for. Demonstrate you took an extra step to find out about the course in detail, knowledge of the recent work published by the institution or generally in the field helps immensely. Avoid generic clichés such as “I’ve always dreamed of becoming a XY.” or “My main motivation for the course is the reputation of the XY University.” Don’t despair if the interview doesn’t seem to go well, it is designed to push you to your limits. Also, the process is fairly competitive and submitting more applications increases your chances of acceptance (if you can afford it). Lastly, masters in UK (usually) only take 1 year to complete, which makes it one of the few places where you can get an internationally recognised degree in half the time normally needed.