Finally, I am "under consideration by Degree Committee". I thought I was never going to join the rest of you.

I do wonder, though, what it means that I saw movement to the Committee stage a couple of days later than others on this thread.

Could it signify a rejection? Or could it really be that Brits were being processed after overseas applicants?

[Edited by Vari57 on Jan 09, 2017]

Finally, I am "under consideration by Degree Committee". I thought I was never going to join the rest of you.

I do wonder, though, what it means that I saw movement to the Committee stage a couple of days later than others on this thread.

Could it signify a rejection? Or could it really be that Brits were being processed after overseas applicants?

Finally, I am "under consideration by Degree Committee". I thought I was never going to join the rest of you.

I do wonder, though, what it means that I saw movement to the Committee stage a couple of days later than others on this thread.

Could it signify a rejection? Or could it really be that Brits were being processed after overseas applicants?

Finally, I am "under consideration by Degree Committee". I thought I was never going to join the rest of you.

I do wonder, though, what it means that I saw movement to the Committee stage a couple of days later than others on this thread.

Could it signify a rejection? Or could it really be that Brits were being processed after overseas applicants?

Finally, I am "under consideration by Degree Committee". I thought I was never going to join the rest of you.

I do wonder, though, what it means that I saw movement to the Committee stage a couple of days later than others on this thread.

Could it signify a rejection? Or could it really be that Brits were being processed after overseas applicants?

Could it signify a rejection?

Seriously, you're such a special snowflake.

Nobody cares about your neurotic musings.

[Edited by idn4ihl on Jan 10, 2017]

@LLMglory23, Why so much negativity? Vari57 was simply asking a question - we are all nervous about our applications! You're wrong, because I do care about his/her question, I do care about his/her "neurotic musings" (although I wouldn't call it such), and I'm sure I'm not the only one here willing to help and support each other in one way or another. We're here to help each other so if you're just here to troll and spread negativity, thank you very much for your time but your intervention is not needed.

[Edited by Vari57 on Jan 10, 2017]

@LLMglory23, Why so much negativity? Vari57 was simply asking a question - we are all nervous about our applications! You're wrong, because I do care about his/her question, I do care about his/her "neurotic musings" (although I wouldn't call it such), and I'm sure I'm not the only one here willing to help and support each other in one way or another. We're here to help each other so if you're just here to troll and spread negativity, thank you very much for your time but your intervention is not needed.

Thanks idn, I do appreciate this post! Very well said.

And I second your sentiments, we are all in this together and are here to help one another throughout the process. I don't think anybody is acting, or intending to act, like a "special snowflake " more a case of being nervous about applications we devoted a not insignificant amount of time too and have had to wait for a long while to see any progress with.

The other poster is indeed trolling and being obnoxious without any apparent justification, so I am very politely going to just ignore him/her. Again, it was nice of you to call them out for being unnecessarily rude.

Maybe they had trouble with your application because of your poor command of the English language.

Maybe you should have dedicated more time 'too' it.

I read that last year they considered foreign applicants first! But I don't know if this is true or if they are doing the same thing this year.
Anyway, I don't think you're out! Last year some people were under consideration by DC since december, while others were under consideration by department until late january, when their status finally changed.

That's interesting Jcm, many thanks for the info!

Ok, I thought I would help out here a bit.

Your application will practically go through 3 major steps:
a. Graduate Admissions. This is after you submit and their job is to ensure that you have all your documents in place and that your file is complete.
b. Faculty consideration (a.k.a department a.k.a degree committee. Note that some Faculties also have departments hence the dual terminology) The Faculty is tasked with review of the over 2000 applications received for the 100-150 available places on the LLM. The Faculty then reviews everything from references to resume to PS to academics etc. Remember that the Faculty of Law does not make rolling admissions so everyone is considered in the same period. After the Faculty has reviewed, it sorts out the ones who must get admitted and the ones who must be rejected.
c. BOGS. The Faculty then sends its decision to BOGS for approval. BOGS goes through summarily and either agrees to make an offer or in unusual circumstances, rejects the decision of the Faculty to make an offer. BOGS will also send out rejections.

In the past, decisions come out in the same period. In a space of 2 weeks, almost everyone knows their fate.

So in the circumstances, "Under Consideration by Department" simply means that now, the Faculty is actually reviewing your application, together with those of others to see if you should be recommended for an offer or rejected.

You will most probably hear back in February.

Finally, I am "under consideration by Degree Committee". I thought I was never going to join the rest of you.

I do wonder, though, what it means that I saw movement to the Committee stage a couple of days later than others on this thread.

Could it signify a rejection? Or could it really be that Brits were being processed after overseas applicants?

Based on what I read from last year's thread and the one for the year before, there is a theory that they BoGS and give offers to applicants in a certain order - depending on where they are based (I think in last year's thread, an applicant from Australia or NZ was one of the first applicants to get BoGS-ed). But then it's just a theory, and I don't know whether they apply the same policy (if the theory is true) for the Faculty->Degree stage.

Don't get discouraged! :) Nothing is sure until your status changes explicitly. Fingers crossed!

Ok, I thought I would help out here a bit.

Your application will practically go through 3 major steps:
a. Graduate Admissions. This is after you submit and their job is to ensure that you have all your documents in place and that your file is complete.
b. Faculty consideration (a.k.a department a.k.a degree committee. Note that some Faculties also have departments hence the dual terminology) The Faculty is tasked with review of the over 2000 applications received for the 100-150 available places on the LLM. The Faculty then reviews everything from references to resume to PS to academics etc. Remember that the Faculty of Law does not make rolling admissions so everyone is considered in the same period. After the Faculty has reviewed, it sorts out the ones who must get admitted and the ones who must be rejected.
c. BOGS. The Faculty then sends its decision to BOGS for approval. BOGS goes through summarily and either agrees to make an offer or in unusual circumstances, rejects the decision of the Faculty to make an offer. BOGS will also send out rejections.

In the past, decisions come out in the same period. In a space of 2 weeks, almost everyone knows their fate.

So in the circumstances, "Under Consideration by Department" simply means that now, the Faculty is actually reviewing your application, together with those of others to see if you should be recommended for an offer or rejected.

You will most probably hear back in February.

Congratulations on the progress of the application :)

I found the following information, maybe will be helpful.

http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/after-applying/timescales

Congratulations on the progress of the application :)

I found the following information, maybe will be helpful.

http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/after-applying/timescales

Thanks! Your link states, that:

"Degree committees

It may take up to seven days from Departmental approval for your application to be considered by the Degree Committee.

Board of Graduate Studies

It may take up to seven days from Degree Committee approval for your application to be considered by the Board of Graduate Studies.

The Graduate Admissions Office makes the official offer of admission to the applicant, by email."

However, this doesn't add up with the application process from the previous years (if you look at the Cambridge LLM-group from last year or the year before that). Even though I would hope so, I don't think we are so lucky to get a respons before late February to mid March.

http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/after-applying/selection-process

There is a 'Processing Your Application' pdf file on this address shared above (being the obvious source of info on the 'After Applying' part of the admissions process).

The pdf and all the rest of the information available online (e. g. respective roles and duties of each body (the department's role being dominant in my view) and the approximate length of each stage) adds up, in my opinion, to this: the Degree Committee only considers your application once the Department has recommended to admit you (to make a conditional offer in most cases) with the Department being responsible for the most important aspect of the decision - the academic aspect.

It seems, then, that those now under consideration by the Degree Committee have jumped through the most significant hurdle in the process (subject to funding issues).

Sounds about right?

It seems to me that if one is under consideration at the moment their likelihood of receiving an offer is quite high.

Most of the degree committee's work right now involves ranking the applicants that they plan to make an offer to. This process critical in deciding how funding (including college funding) will be allocated.

Former LLM Student here.

It is not true that the Faculty considers foreign applicants first.

http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/after-applying/selection-process

There is a 'Processing Your Application' pdf file on this address shared above (being the obvious source of info on the 'After Applying' part of the admissions process).

The pdf and all the rest of the information available online (e. g. respective roles and duties of each body (the department's role being dominant in my view) and the approximate length of each stage) adds up, in my opinion, to this: the Degree Committee only considers your application once the Department has recommended to admit you (to make a conditional offer in most cases) with the Department being responsible for the most important aspect of the decision - the academic aspect.

It seems, then, that those now under consideration by the Degree Committee have jumped through the most significant hurdle in the process (subject to funding issues).

Sounds about right?

[Edited by Vari57 on Jan 11, 2017]

http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/after-applying/selection-process

There is a 'Processing Your Application' pdf file on this address shared above (being the obvious source of info on the 'After Applying' part of the admissions process).

The pdf and all the rest of the information available online (e. g. respective roles and duties of each body (the department's role being dominant in my view) and the approximate length of each stage) adds up, in my opinion, to this: the Degree Committee only considers your application once the Department has recommended to admit you (to make a conditional offer in most cases) with the Department being responsible for the most important aspect of the decision - the academic aspect.

It seems, then, that those now under consideration by the Degree Committee have jumped through the most significant hurdle in the process (subject to funding issues).

Sounds about right?

The PDF to which you provided a link definitely supports the idea that the Degree Committee stage is only reached after an applicant has been made an "initial" recommendation of admission by the Faculty/Department.

Nevertheless, the actual stages as set out on the website are far more vague on this point: I read them as indicating that the first task of the Degree Committee is simply to make sure that the Faculty has "discharged its duties properly" in terms of applications, whether or not the Faculty decided to grant them an initial offer or a rejection. On this score, all applicants would pretty much progress to the DC.

However the PDF does make it look like those who have reached the Degree Committee stage have been given an initial recommendation of admission by the Faculty (since the Department can decide not to pass an application to the degree committee and render it thereby unsuccessful) that the Degree Committee can overrule.

It states as follows:


"Offer recommended by Department/faculty?


NO - Application declined

YES - Degree Committee reviews application


Offer recommended by Degree Committee?


NO - Application declined

YES - Graduate Admissions Office reviews application" [BoGS]


That seems simple enough and yet I read earlier in the thread a poster indicate that he/she had never heard of an LLM student "not" getting to the D.C. - so one must conclude either that the process has changed this year or that it is somewhat different for the LLM compared with other degrees.

I am not entirely sure I understand the function of the D.C. in all of this in relation to the Department.

I started out writing a long post to argue what I think the move to DC means. But there's really no point. Let's just wait and see :-)