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Really upset, please advise

H

Hi Everyone,

I am doing an MA. I have applied for an MSc because I couldn't get on the PhD I applied for this year. This MSc would normally lead to the PhD I applied for (but got rejected for)as it is a conversion masters.

I got a rejection letter for the MSc today and am absolutely devastated. I phoned up the course leader to ask why I had not been accepted.

They said the following: limited places, need to safeguard standards. We needed a reference from you from someone who recently has known you in an academic capacity. Your first degree wasn't without difficulties (I had a chronic illness). You haven't successfully completed your masters.

Could someone translate this for me please? I am still in shock and my head is swimming.

To give you some background information...my course officially finished on 15th September. However, I have had an extension on my dissertation to to financial crisis. if my dissertation was marked I would have the results back in January.

H

I didn't tell the masters course leader that I had an extension or the reasons why.

The academic reference for the PhD was from my masters course, however to the best of m knowledge, they only received a ref from my undergrad course and my previous job (as masters referee was on holiday).

The referee for the MSc I applied for was from my undergrad degree and my previous job.

H

I asked what I had to do to get on the course for 2008 and the course leader said to 'work as diligently, efficiently and as effectively on my masters as I can.'

The deadline for my MA dissertation is 15th October and my MSc course would have started on 1st October.

I applied for this course in 2005 and was told to go away and do some modules with the OU to show my academic ability and reapply. I now fee really cheated as I have gone away and done a masters and yet still that isn't good enough!!!

Do you think he course leader knows I have an extension? Do you think I had a bad reference? Do you think I can reason with them and persuade them to take me??? Am really distraught. Any advice welcome.

K

Hi Hattie, so sorry that you;re feeling so disappointed right now.
Before I or anyone else can answer your questions, could you please provide some more details as it sounds like quite a complex story.

1: why are you applying for a masters course whan you already have/are in the process of completing one? Are you changing academic disciplines
2: you say the MSc is a "conversion" masters for a PhD - do you mean an ESRC 1+3 studentship? IF so , these are VERY competitive. (Or am I barking up the wrong tree?)
3: Who did your references? do you have any inkling that they might not have been favourable? Can you fond out?
4:What was your undergrad history? I know you mention difficulties with chronic illness, but if you specified those circumstances, course selectors should not discriminate on those grounds.....


H

Thank you for answering!
1) Yes I am in the process of changing disciplines.
2) The MSc is funded.It is intended that the best students who don't want to go into industry will be selected for a PhD. (It is not an ESRC 1+3 studentship).
3) The reference for my undergraduate degree is favourable. I don't know about my masters. I am a bit worried that my supervisor might give me a poor reference because I asked for an extension. Although I guess they shouldn't do because my reasons were very valid... I applied to the Access Fund and the messed up my application leaving me with not enough money to live on. I had my phone cut off, I had no money to buy food and was nearly evicted.
4) I am better from my illness. I know lecturers shouldn't discriminate, but I'm sure in reality they do.

V

Lots of people get rejected and never really know why. It's happened to me. It's not nice but it's one of those things.

V

i am very sorry.
there isnt much i can give you as advise on the technical side
but i have faced rejection and i can absolutely understand what you might be going under

i can just say look at the bigger picture, may be u were made for bigger things
and finally this too shall pass...!!

hold on

7654