So this time last year I contemplated applying for postgraduate study at Oxford. I had taken two years off after my graduation, got some valuable work experience but thought it was time for a change.
Fast forward a year and I am almost halfway through the teaching part of my Masters course and back to application writing again. This time I am applying to do a Dphil (PhD) in Education. Most of you might be asking, isn’t it really expensive? Isn’t it too competitive? Why would you want to continue being a student? The truth is it can be expensive but there is a lot of funding out there.
Money is one of the number one reasons why people are put off by doing their PhD or have to put it on hold until funding becomes available. This year there is some good news. The UK government are introducing a new doctoral loan of up to £25,000 for PhDs and postgraduate research programmes. This is a really good back up options for those who are unsuccessful with Research Council funding.
There are lots of things to consider when applying for postgraduate study. It also involves more time studying and less time being in the ‘real’ world. If you feel that you need to take time off between studying then this can actually be a huge advantage for your application no matter if you decide to travel, work or find an internship.
The first thing to do is find the expert in your field and email them! Spending time researching who will supervise you will be one of the most important decisions that you can make. If possible and depending on your field, you should find someone who has published widely - alone and with their doctoral students. The number one tip would be to get in contact early with your potential supervisor.
Deadlines for the application for most Dphils are mid January (if you want to be automatically considered for funding). However it is worth checking on the course page directly as it will vary depending on the department and some applications require separate forms for funding. If you are considering postgraduate study at Oxford (Masters or PhDs) and have any questions about the application process you are more than welcome to message me through Instagram. Best of luck!
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