Why not send them in by normal mail, and if they don't arrive nearing the deadline, send in by e-mail?

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I reckon that there would be many more...........

there are bound to be problems and they are all welcome as long as we are in contention ...

Well, if I get an offer, any problem is not a problem :)

Regarding the scholarships, am I correct in thinking that the additional supporting information is taken from the application (the required statement of proposal, references and the statement of available funding)?

Yes, that is correct. The Law Faculty has expressed so in reply to my query.

I am also under an impression that they take the supporting material from the centralised application (the website states so). Hopefully, there is no catch in there.

That's good to know. I had a reply a while ago saying:

"Candidates should submit:

i) two references; ( please note new applicants , references will be taken from your graduate application. Current Law postgraduates will need to submit two references to support your funding application).
ii) a 2,000 word statement of the proposed research.
iii) a full statement of the candidate's available funding, including any outstanding applications"

As it only specifically mentioned the application material in the reference section, I was a little concerned as to whether the other two pieces were additional to the central application. I have sent another email today (awaiting a reply) to confirm this and I will let you know.

I find it quite odd to be honest. Who wouldn't wish to be considered for a scholarship? If everything is taken from your central application, bar the brief form where you request to be considered, then why even go to the trouble of requesting further application forms and deadlines etc.? Seems to throw an unnecessary complication into an already complicated process.

How are you two getting on with other applications? Well, I hope.

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For Cambridge's application, i think, there is even a box for people who do not want to be considered for scholarships to tick, haha.

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For Cambridge's application, i think, there is even a box for people who do not want to be considered for scholarships to tick, haha.

And what is the magic wand that allows one to address the "item" appropriately. Could you elaborate on the specifics?

I found the scholarship opportunities at Cambridge to be relatively sparse. Whilst there appears to be a broad range of funding available to overseas students (Gates' Trust etc) there is little available for home students. I have since discovered some rather meagre college bursaries etc (in the smaller hundreds). I don't know if anyone here has heard of any substantial scholarship opportunities for UK students?

It's interesting to hear of the initial 'Cambridge cull' of applicants, I hope I have at least made it past that stage!

I'm in the middle of writing an assessed essay for submission in a couple of weeks and I think it is far better than the written work I submitted for Oxford - c'est la vie, non?

Although the comment was meant to be a satirical reference consistent with AlvinSees good humour (which should really be viewed in this light), there may be a modicum of truth to what has been stated above.

Items placed on an application form have a purpose, or else they would not be included in the first place.

Scholarship in the context of this comment contemplates the complete funding of a postgraduate education. The smaller bursaries and awards are usually available, albeit in smaller quantities. The current reality is that most P/Gs have difficulty in obtaining a full scholarship for one year, which requires a substantial amount.

Universities often indicate in their graduate prospectus that scholarships are limited, and that prospective students are encouraged to seek outside sources to finance their postgraduate education.

By making that policy clear at the onset, a university now has leeway to reject an application by providing another criterion/layer to assess the fitness of an applicant: financial need. With the prohibitive costs of a postgraduate education spiraling over the years, schools have no other recourse but to turn away otherwise well-qualified graduates not only on the basis of academic achievement, but also on the plain and simple reason that schools cannot afford to accept more than a certain percentage due to limitations in internal funds. Competition for these scholarships have grown more intense over the years. Thats the economics of obtaining a quality education.

Unless they see the potential of a Stephen Hawking, a Sir Hersch Lauterpacht or a Dr. Ian Brownlie in an applicant, they will not in the ordinary course extend a full scholarship. Hence, scholarship (if there are any available) is the exception, rather than the general rule. In other words, they would rather err on the side of prudence.

Consider two individuals: Applicant A and Applicant B in a pool of applicants numbering 1,000. Both have law degrees with first class honours from foreign universities. Applicant A ticks the box stating that no application for scholarship will be made. Applicant B does not tick the box and indicates that he or she will seek funding from the school. Ceteris paribus, both will be evaluated differently.

Applicant A will be evaluated with the group of those who do not seek funding from the school, or those who may have outside sources of funds. Applicant A would have the advantage because on the basis of academic achievement alone, he or she has a greater than average chance in obtaining an offer of admission. If there are 150 first class honours graduates who did not seek financial aid, the only criterion by which to judge them is scholastic performance. If there are 200 places in the LLM class, a higher percentage of these first class honours graduates, including Applicant A, will probably merit an offer of admission (with an estimated statistical margin of error of + or 5%).

Applicant B, on the other hand, will be evaluated with the group seeking scholarship from the university. If there are only 20 scholarship grants available for the programme (and thats being generous, to say the least), and there are, say, 150 first class honours graduates who are applying for scholarship, only 20 applicants will be awarded grants, regardless of the number of applicants. The criteria for acceptance in this second group are two-fold: first, financial need, then, scholastic performance. The added criterion of financial need gives another ground for an application to end up in the bin. That is the practical reality of seeking outside sources of funds. Thus, the policy stands: scholarships are limited, and prospective students are encouraged to seek outside sources to finance their education.

Admission to a postgraduate programme in an educational institution is one hurdle. Being awarded a scholarship by the same institution is another. Usually those who are recommended for these awards are those who took their baccalaureate degrees from the same school by distinguished professors familiar with their academic work. In such cases, they are offered a scholarship. They dont even need to apply for one.

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Even for foreign students, i think it depends very much on countries or regions. Scholarships for Malaysians are pathetically scarce for LLM.

And for Jags, I believe GOnville is your first choice college?

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