Yeah this normally = personal statement unless you are applying for a dphil or a research masters. In that case, you need to submit both the personal statement and the research proposal.

Yeah this normally = personal statement unless you are applying for a dphil or a research masters. In that case, you need to submit both the personal statement and the research proposal.

yeah 300 words it not much (but going over the limit by 30 words is fine). What they are looking for in the personal statement is your motivation for applying, i.e. why did you choose this course (the quality of teaching, the unique ways in which the course is taught, for instance, through the tutorial system, etc. What is also worth doing is showcasing that you have an interest in a certain area of law that is taught during the MJur (or an interest in MJur in general). In sum, the personal statement is basically a cover letter; they are assessing your motivation and your interest in the course. That being said, the PS is likely one of the least relevant documents, so don't worry too much about it. 

PS PM me with your email address if you want to see my (successful) personal statements

Regarding references for the BCL: I understand that the stated preference is for three academic references. But if I have worked for a number of years, and my work is directly related to the modules I wish to study, is it a good idea to submit a professional reference in addition to two academic ones? I can arrange for a third acad reference if it's always preferred to a professional one, but it would be dated and not as relevant to my areas of interest. 

I did read that they may not look at your professional experience when making a decision, but I am more on the point of being able to make a good case overall for why and what I want to study. 

Any thoughts would be helpful. 

Regarding references for the BCL: I understand that the stated preference is for three academic references. But if I have worked for a number of years, and my work is directly related to the modules I wish to study, is it a good idea to submit a professional reference in addition to two academic ones? I can arrange for a third acad reference if it's always preferred to a professional one, but it would be dated and not as relevant to my areas of interest. 

I did read that they may not look at your professional experience when making a decision, but I am more on the point of being able to make a good case overall for why and what I want to study. 

Any thoughts would be helpful. 

Hi all, I have a JD 2:2 and an LLM 1st. Does anyone know how Oxford will calculate my grade point average? 

Thank you

Regarding references for the BCL: I understand that the stated preference is for three academic references. But if I have worked for a number of years, and my work is directly related to the modules I wish to study, is it a good idea to submit a professional reference in addition to two academic ones? I can arrange for a third acad reference if it's always preferred to a professional one, but it would be dated and not as relevant to my areas of interest. 

I did read that they may not look at your professional experience when making a decision, but I am more on the point of being able to make a good case overall for why and what I want to study. 

Any thoughts would be helpful. 

Here I would go with your gut, because you know better which approach is more suitable. Personally, I would go for three academic references, as the references are supposed to elaborate on your academic performance and ability (they do not have to be related to the modules at all), but because you are saying that your 3rd reference would be fairly dated, perhaps, in your case, it would be better to submit a professional one instead. Remember also that the referees must know your (ideally academic) work very well, because otherwise the references will be fairly generic and having such references is pointless.

Yeah this normally = personal statement unless you are applying for a dphil or a research masters. In that case, you need to submit both the personal statement and the research proposal.

Has anyone been having problems with accessing eVision lately? After logging in, I get this error message: ‘No Active Content. You are not currently configured to receive any portal content.’ Have emailed for support but still no luck. Am feeling a little worried since I’m using the same account as I did last year, but I’d like to complete as much of my MPhil application over the Christmas break and now I can’t even access the portal. Would greatly appreciate any suggestions or if anyone else has gone through the same issue, that’d be a relief to know I’m not the only one.

Have you tried reloading the page or closing your browser? These systems are not super up to date and sometimes simple things screw them up :D

Has anyone been having problems with accessing eVision lately? After logging in, I get this error message: ‘No Active Content. You are not currently configured to receive any portal content.’ Have emailed for support but still no luck. Am feeling a little worried since I’m using the same account as I did last year, but I’d like to complete as much of my MPhil application over the Christmas break and now I can’t even access the portal. Would greatly appreciate any suggestions or if anyone else has gone through the same issue, that’d be a relief to know I’m not the only one.

Hi all,

Has anyone tried getting an English language waiver for the BCL application? I'm from India and I graduated recently. I wanted to know if they accept waivers for BCL applications too, considering its a law degree (some unis that normally take waivers, don't accept it for law programmes due to the nature of the course).

Yeah they do, there is a number of requirements that you have to meet somewhere on the law faculty's website (must have an UG degree from an English-speaking country, etc.)

Hi all,

Has anyone tried getting an English language waiver for the BCL application? I'm from India and I graduated recently. I wanted to know if they accept waivers for BCL applications too, considering its a law degree (some unis that normally take waivers, don't accept it for law programmes due to the nature of the course).

I submitted my application in the beginning of December. The self service portal says, "Your application can be or has been considered by the relevant academic department." I wonder whether the fate of my application has been decided already or they assess the applications all at once. I kind of regret submitting the application too early. 

No it hasn't been; no one will look at the apps until after the deadline. What the portal says is just that the app has been submitted successfully.

I submitted my application in the beginning of December. The self service portal says, "Your application can be or has been considered by the relevant academic department." I wonder whether the fate of my application has been decided already or they assess the applications all at once. I kind of regret submitting the application too early. 

Hey!

Also looking to apply to the BCL for 22/23.

For my evidence of written work,

 I want to include an essay I wrote on moral rights and legal right of unborn individuals to sustainable policies. This is a strong essay but isn't a strictly legal topic and leans towards philosophical discussion although I do think it is related and a part of legal and political philosophy which I know are subjects taught within the BCL. This essay shows my skills of analysis and expression the best I think

Is it ok to submit a strong not so legal essay such as this or would I be better off submitting a slightly weaker essay on a strictly legal topic? 

Thanks for all your help!

In this case, I would check whether the essay aligns with the requirements, i.e. whether it shows strong legal analysis, whether it is well written, etc. If it has no legal elements at
all (but in my view legal philosophy constitutes a legal topic, I would not submit it, because I have no idea how the admission team will approach it. Email the law faculty and ask! They are usually very helpful. If they are not helpful, go with your guts and check whether the assay aligns with the requirements.

[Edited by miki3999 on Dec 27, 2021]

I’m also wondering about this aspect - Oxford doesn’t stipulate whether it assesses a gathered field for the BCL. I am still to submit, so am hoping that a later submission does not disadvantage an applicant! 

No it hasn't been; no one will look at the apps until after the deadline. What the portal says is just that the app has been submitted successfully.

I submitted my application in the beginning of December. The self service portal says, "Your application can be or has been considered by the relevant academic department." I wonder whether the fate of my application has been decided already or they assess the applications all at once. I kind of regret submitting the application too early. 

It will be fine; I applied one day before the deadline and got two offers :)

I’m also wondering about this aspect - Oxford doesn’t stipulate whether it assesses a gathered field for the BCL. I am still to submit, so am hoping that a later submission does not disadvantage an applicant! 

No it hasn't been; no one will look at the apps until after the deadline. What the portal says is just that the app has been submitted successfully.

I submitted my application in the beginning of December. The self service portal says, "Your application can be or has been considered by the relevant academic department." I wonder whether the fate of my application has been decided already or they assess the applications all at once. I kind of regret submitting the application too early. 

Guys, do you know if scholarships are usually granted to MJur/BLC admitted students and what is the average amount? I would need some kind of funding to be able to accept an offer. Thanks

Guys, do you know if scholarships are usually granted to MJur/BLC admitted students and what is the average amount? I would need some kind of funding to be able to accept an offer. Thanks