How difficult is it to get into solid UK MA programs in Philosophy(for an American)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, Philosophy is an MPhil at Cambridge (an MA is something their undergrads automatically receive after a few years absent special circumstances) and at Oxford it's a BPhil because there's no undergraduate philosophy degree. Those are far and away the two most worthwhile graduate philosophy degrees in the UK for an American.

Getting an American Master's before a UK one would be looked at with skepticism. If you had an American masters, you'd apply to the PhD program. The quality of your institution and recommendations would matter by far the most then; not your undergraduate GPA.

In terms of your minimum GPA, American GPAs will be evaluated differently because UK programs don't care about your grades in non-related classes -- remember that they don't even have those in most UK programs. What you need is a good recommendation from a known academic who walks through your subject specific grades/credentials and explains how they relate & recommends you. If you're coming from an Ivy+ or a university with a solid philosophy department (e.g., Pitt, Rutgers), this shouldn't be difficult. Otherwise, I wouldn't hold out much hope if the GPA is truly below the minimum.

(I have a philosophy degree from one of these schools and can answer specific questions.)

Oxford and Cambridge have been around a long time. They don't need someone mansplaining someone's academic credentials. That is an insane suggestion. They have experts in admissions and existing academic debts who are fully capable of looking at an overseas student from pretty much anywhere, and figuring it out. If they require a minimum GPA then that is it, an absolute minimum.

Admission to grad school at Cambridge starts at the Department level for philosophy. There is no centralized admission apparatus until after Department-based selection. You really don’t understand how graduate school in the UK works.

Are you capable of reading? "they have experts in admissions AND EXISTING ACADEMIC DEPTS" Said already

[Anonymous]

Except for Oxford & Cambridge, if you are paying full price & have reasonably good grades, you can get in without much fuss. The Brits are not accustomed to paying their way through grad school, & see Americans who will do so as a welcome source of cash. I would start with St Andrews, Edinburgh, & Durham, & move down to Aberdeen, Dundee, & any of the bigger universities in England. The ones associated with U of London are all good, but that’s a whole ‘nother level of expensive & crowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Except for Oxford & Cambridge, if you are paying full price & have reasonably good grades, you can get in without much fuss. The Brits are not accustomed to paying their way through grad school, & see Americans who will do so as a welcome source of cash. I would start with St Andrews, Edinburgh, & Durham, & move down to Aberdeen, Dundee, & any of the bigger universities in England. The ones associated with U of London are all good, but that’s a whole ‘nother level of expensive & crowded.

This is true, except for Durham, which is extremely academically competitive. They don't encourage or actively want American applicants.

[Anonymous]

Yes, getting a terminal masters will help.

[Anonymous]

OP, good luck to you and your kid! I hope you have generational wealth. I'm an academic so definitely encourage education for its own sake and love of learning. An MPhil definitely falls in the consumption, not the investment, category.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If an American kid has an undergrad GPA a bit below the "minimum requirement" (for places like Oxford, Cambridge, King's, etc), is there still any chance they could be admitted for an MA in Philosophy? (or are UK grad programs strict about that) Would getting a terminal MA in America (and doing well) before applying help?

I'm American, but after graduating from Queen's Belfast with a high 2.1 (I guess like an A- in US terms) I did an MPhil in political theory at Cambridge, then went on to do a PhD in government at the LSE.

I'm a smart guy, but I'm not THAT smart. And I wasn't at all a workaholic in grad school -- I loved my work, but also loved the social aspects.

All of this is why I'm recommending to my child to apply to universities in the UK. You'll meet smart people from around the world, but someone it's less insane than in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, good luck to you and your kid! I hope you have generational wealth. I'm an academic so definitely encourage education for its own sake and love of learning. An MPhil definitely falls in the consumption, not the investment, category.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If an American kid has an undergrad GPA a bit below the "minimum requirement" (for places like Oxford, Cambridge, King's, etc), is there still any chance they could be admitted for an MA in Philosophy? (or are UK grad programs strict about that) Would getting a terminal MA in America (and doing well) before applying help?

I'm American, but after graduating from Queen's Belfast with a high 2.1 (I guess like an A- in US terms) I did an MPhil in political theory at Cambridge, then went on to do a PhD in government at the LSE.

I'm a smart guy, but I'm not THAT smart. And I wasn't at all a workaholic in grad school -- I loved my work, but also loved the social aspects.

All of this is why I'm recommending to my child to apply to universities in the UK. You'll meet smart people from around the world, but someone it's less insane than in the US.

I find this very hard to believe. Queens is 2nd rate and so is a 2.1

[Anonymous]

Consider Edinburgh

[Anonymous]

I'm an American academic with degrees from American universities. I'm married to a British academic with degrees from British universities. We will not let our children become academics if we can help it. The profession is a grind now and university positions are not as cushy or pleasant as they were in the past. We both feel like our work doesn't do enough real world good, except we do like teaching.

Encourage your child to work for a few years and get a better sense of what they like and don't like about working and then have them pick a long-term profession that fits their personality and habits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If an American kid has an undergrad GPA a bit below the "minimum requirement" (for places like Oxford, Cambridge, King's, etc), is there still any chance they could be admitted for an MA in Philosophy? (or are UK grad programs strict about that) Would getting a terminal MA in America (and doing well) before applying help?

I'm American, but after graduating from Queen's Belfast with a high 2.1 (I guess like an A- in US terms) I did an MPhil in political theory at Cambridge, then went on to do a PhD in government at the LSE.

I'm a smart guy, but I'm not THAT smart. And I wasn't at all a workaholic in grad school -- I loved my work, but also loved the social aspects.

All of this is why I'm recommending to my child to apply to universities in the UK. You'll meet smart people from around the world, but someone it's less insane than in the US.

I'd argue otherwise, the environment at many UK universities is even more insane than at the infamous US colleges. It's not the 1990s any more.

Many/most UK MA programs are cash cows for the cash-strapped universities and especially now as the UK government is trying to turn off the spigot of students from other parts of the world using it as a route to get UK residency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many/most UK MA programs are cash cows for the cash-strapped universities and especially now as the UK government is trying to turn off the spigot of students from other parts of the world using it as a route to get UK residency.

This is true even at very good UK universities. Americans are full pay, unlike UK students, so usually are seen as important cash cows to balance university budgets.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, why would I lie?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If an American kid has an undergrad GPA a bit below the "minimum requirement" (for places like Oxford, Cambridge, King's, etc), is there still any chance they could be admitted for an MA in Philosophy? (or are UK grad programs strict about that) Would getting a terminal MA in America (and doing well) before applying help?

I'm American, but after graduating from Queen's Belfast with a high 2.1 (I guess like an A- in US terms) I did an MPhil in political theory at Cambridge, then went on to do a PhD in government at the LSE.

I'm a smart guy, but I'm not THAT smart. And I wasn't at all a workaholic in grad school -- I loved my work, but also loved the social aspects.

All of this is why I'm recommending to my child to apply to universities in the UK. You'll meet smart people from around the world, but someone it's less insane than in the US.

I find this very hard to believe. Queens is 2nd rate and so is a 2.1