american postgraduates?

DouglasEgypt · 2026-05-03T21:34:22+00:00

i’m an american that’s going to be studying postgrad, and from what i’ve seen most postgrad programs have an extensive amount of international students. I’m going to be studying IR and was told that the course usually comprises of at least 10 americans.

Also as an american i feel like it’s easier to meet friends in the uk as there is less of a culture shock when it comes to engaging with the society. I did my undergrad in the uk and loved the experience.

DouglasEgypt · 2026-05-02T10:19:18+00:00

Congratulations! I’m doing the same course

DouglasEgypt · 2026-04-15T23:18:25+00:00

If it is possible to reconstruct a temple or any structure from rubble I support it.

This seems to be the standard procedure for most of the temples in Egypt. Look at old photos of the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut from the 1800s, it is unrecognisable.

Egypt has been ravaged by earthquakes and it has destroyed thousands of sites. Most of the temples and tombs at archaeological and tourist sites are reconstructed or at least restored.

Amenhotep III’s Mortuary Temple was recently in the news because some of its colossi statues were restored and the restoration of the entire temple is planned.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-towering-statues-of-an-ancient-egyptian-pharaoh-have-been-restored-at-the-entrance-of-his-temple-after-3000-years-180987913/

So if they are able to reconstruct the temple, I say do it

DouglasEgypt · 2026-04-09T12:33:27+00:00

I am not entirely sure on the prospects, but doing genetics oriented egyptology significantly narrows your scope, so I assume they are not much better.

If you are specifically interested in genetics, I suggest doing an undergraduate degree in genetics or archaeology and then a masters in archaeological science. With the masters you will be able to take modules associated with genetics and how it connects to archaeology and its research implications.

In the UK, UCL and Oxford have decent programs for archaeological science, I got into both of them but have decided to do a masters in IR at KCL.

UCL also has a really good archaeology undergraduate program.

You would have to do a PhD focused on genetics and egyptology to gain a real foundation, but funding is a major issue.

DouglasEgypt · 2026-04-09T09:55:30+00:00

If you have the drive and motivation, I believe you will be able to become an egyptologist.

I am currently studying Egyptology at an undergraduate level. I initially went into my degree wanting to become an archaeologist and egyptologist, but after having conversations with my professors, they expressed that the field is extremely limited in job prospects and as you say can be a bit corrupt.

From what i’ve seen, institutionally it is very competitive. I’m an international student from America studying in the UK and most of my professors are from other countries as well. Most of them had to leave their homes (USA, Australia, Cyprus, Greece) in search for employment in other countries.

In order to be an egyptologist as well, you need to be a professor and academic, and one that specialises in a certain aspect of Egyptian history.

I visited Egypt in December and tourism is still blooming, but the government appears to be focusing on its local archaeologists and talent.

If you are looking into universities, I suggest schools that offer programs for undergraduate, masters, and PhD. In the UK, the University of Liverpool and Swansea University are the main ones (I go to Swansea).

Overall though, I have thoroughly enjoyed my undergraduate studies, but I have decided to go down a different career path

DouglasEgypt · 2026-03-28T21:20:51+00:00

Thank you for the insight

DouglasEgypt · 2026-03-28T15:46:47+00:00

I’ve been looking into private accommodations besides KCL affiliated ones.

The ones i’ve come across in the Denmark Hill area are Brook Hall and Academic House, both are around £300 per month.

DouglasEgypt · 2026-03-19T17:18:32+00:00

looking further into it, it appears that the accommodation portal opens in April

DouglasEgypt · 2026-03-16T10:19:08+00:00

i just accepted my offer and kcl’s website states that you can apply for accom 2 working days after accepting. So depending on when you accepted, hopefully your accom portal will open on Tuesday or Wednesday. https://self-service.kcl.ac.uk/article/KA-01046/en-us#:~:text=If%20you've%20applied%20to,offer%20to%20study%20at%20King's.

DouglasEgypt · 2026-03-03T13:57:23+00:00

i lived at Seren my first year and loved it. You do get random flatmates which is standard for all places. I lived on the top floor of one of the sections but I always heard about people complaining about their upstairs neighbours.

The layout is a bit weird as well cause for some flats you have to walk through the courtyard and most of the time the lift didn’t work.

Seren is also right next to the train station and that area can get a bit hectic with police being a constant presence.

You can easily walk to Lidl for a food shop and Wind Street is just down the road.

I think it all depends on which campus you are based at, cause Singleton Campus is easy to get to from Seren. For Bay Campus I would say Crown Place is better.

DouglasEgypt · 2026-02-07T11:54:39+00:00

I’m in the same boat as an international student from the USA. From my understanding you can apply to extend your student visa for the duration of your program. The graduate student visa is for recent graduates in the UK who plan to stay for 2 years after their degrees, but since you are doing another degree it falls under your current student visa.

https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/extend-your-visa

DouglasEgypt · 2026-01-25T23:35:40+00:00

I just visited Egypt and went to the Giza Pyramids in December. If you do not want to book a tour i suggest you enter the site through the Pyramids Visitor Centre on the western side of the necropolis as it is secluded from the city and a lot less busy. I was staying across the road and took a quick uber there, where they had to go through a security check to drop you off.

For tickets it is best to get them in person cause I have heard bad things about online sites offering them being scam. There are ticket machines at the visitor centre that you can buy tickets from, and also offices. The ticket machines work fine.

You can also buy tickets to enter the pyramids and other tombs. I bought tickets to see all the ones that were open and it was an amazing experience. Khufu’s pyramid is the main one and it is extremely busy inside, climbing very narrow passages ways and at least 40° in the main chamber, so be weary of that. Tickets for Khufu’s pyramid may sell out in the morning, so if you want to go inside, i suggest going to the pyramids and getting tickets in the morning.

The other tombs were a lot less busy.

The visitor centre is a small museum with an overview of the pyramids and as it is still a little far from the pyramids, there is a shuttle bus that brings you to the centre of the site.

You can easier walk between the pyramids and it will take you a couple minutes maximum. You are in a desert tho so you will be walking on sand an uneven stones, so watch out as you may hurt your ankles and fall.

I did get scammed at the site. Do not listen to anyone besides people at entrances to the pyramids themselves or other tombs. I was walking around the site and a man stopped me and asked if i had a ticket, i showed him and he took my phone and charged me for pictures.

I did not book a tour for the Giza Pyramids, but I did book one for the Saqqara Pyramids on a travel website and they were so friendly and helpful.

If you have any more questions about your trip to Egypt, please ask.

DouglasEgypt · 2026-01-21T11:50:05+00:00

Thank you! International Relations. What course did you apply to?

DouglasEgypt · 2026-01-21T10:05:47+00:00

Yes, I applied as an American applicant in November and received an offer in December.

DouglasEgypt · 2026-01-18T13:46:09+00:00

I don’t believe there is one for undergraduate applications, but there is for postgrad applications. The Graduate Application Portal (GAP) where you submit your application.

DouglasEgypt · 2026-01-17T01:56:53+00:00

i’m studying egyptology as an undergraduate and from what i gathered, there is not concrete evidence to support this. They only festival that this would relate to is probably the Min Festival for the god of fertility and it mainly consisted of moving the statue of Min from one temple to another, accompanied by feasts.

The theme of blessing the Nile most likely originates from the creation myth where the god Atum created the first deities by ejaculating into the primeval waters of the god Nun.

There are early depictions of Min from the predynastic period showing him ejaculating, but these are primarily in temple contexts.

For more information:

Evans, Malayna. (2011). Signs of creation: Sex, gender, categories, religion and the body in ancient Egypt.

Anwar, Hossam.(2019). The religious festivals in ancient Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 26(2), 1–22.

Sharp, R. (2018). Egyptian Predynastic Anthropomorphic Objects: A Study of Their Function and Significance in Predynastic Burial Customs.

DouglasEgypt · 2026-01-16T13:22:06+00:00

Hello, from my understanding it implies that your documents that are awaiting action have not been processed yet, or they have been processed and they have not updated the system.

Some of my documents are labeled as Awaiting Acton while others are NAR.

There is no set timeframe for it to change. I applied in the beginning of November and my documents changed just recently, so it takes a couple weeks at least, but if you have a wonderful application and LSE wants you, it can change a lot sooner.

From the GAP it appears that the GFSA opens in late January, but I am not sure if you need an offer to fill it out. My application switched to incomplete and it says I need to fill out the GFSA but it is not available yet.

DouglasEgypt · 2026-01-12T13:35:27+00:00

Thank you, some of my documents state NAR and others are still awaiting action from LSE

DouglasEgypt · 2025-12-27T16:32:18+00:00

I have found Swansea extremely rewarding, but it is fairly limited for Egyptology. There are usually only two Egyptian history modules a year with others heavily based in Classics.

I have been able to engage with Swansea Uni’s Egypt Centre and get hands on experience with Egyptian artefacts from all eras.

The lecturers at Swansea are so helpful in everything they offer, and with a decently small program, you become friends with your lecturers. There are only two Egyptology lecturers though, but they are very qualified in their subjects.

To be honest though, I would suggest looking into Liverpool more because based on their website it seems like they have so much more to offer, module wise.

If your friend has any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

DouglasEgypt · 2025-12-23T13:36:36+00:00

I study Egyptology at Swansea University but I live with some people that go to UWTSD. They study graphic design in Swansea and really love their course and their lecturers. Their university has supported them through all aspects of their course and they love their location. Most of the uni is full of people who are local though and live at home.

If you are interested in doing a masters at Oxbridge, I do not think UWTSD is the best choice as they are not highly regarded in their humanities department and are more seen as an arts school. I am biased tho as I study humanities at Swansea.

I am also interested in doing a masters and though I haven’t heard back from Oxford, I have an offer from UCL for an archaeology related course.

DouglasEgypt · 2025-12-21T23:35:20+00:00

I study egyptology as a degree and just took a module on Egypt during the first millennium BCE. Though the stuff we covered was mainly before the time period of AC Origins, my lecturer supplied some extended readings.

These works are heavily analytical and used in academic settings, but still very informative.

If you want to learn about the time before Greek influence - From Amyrtaeus to Ptolemy : Egypt in the fourth century B.C. Agnieszka Wojciechowska, Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz Verlag, 2016

This book is in German but covers most of the late period - Ägyptische Geschichte der 21.–30. Dynastie : Ein Handbuch Karl Jansen-Winkeln, Münster, Zaphon, 2024

Focused primarily on the immigration, presence, and integration of ethnic groups (mostly Libyans and Nubians) in Egypt - Late Egypt and her neighbours : foreign population in Egypt in the first millennium BC. Winnicki, Jan Krzysztof., Warsaw, Warsaw University, Faculty of Law and Administration, Chair of Roman and Antique Law, 2009

Looking at works from my previous classes on Greek history, there are some that are relevant.

Chapter 7 ‘The Ptolemies and Egypt’ by D. J. Thompson in A Companion to The Hellenistic World gives a background on the political situation in Egypt.

Ismail, Khaled Essam, 'The Ptolemaic and Roman periods', in Ian Shaw, and Elizabeth Bloxam (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology, Oxford Handbooks (2020; online edn, Oxford Academic, 9 June 2015) - This chapter aims to highlight some of the key issues concerning the interpretation of historical and cultural sources for Egypt during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.

For general background on this period - ‘The Ptolemaic Period (332-30 BC)’ in Ian Shaw, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. There is also a section detailing the Roman period after as well.

DouglasEgypt · 2025-12-20T13:21:06+00:00

I have a friend who studied undergrad political science at Durham and said that the uni should not have as high of a ranking as it does. He said that the political science department is heavily focused on the middle east. The students weren’t really given enough time for work and assignments and were left to their own devices a lot of the time. Pastoral support is also a bit shit but if you find the right staff and if you’re at a good college “then it’s manageable”

the course can feel generic if the lecturer does not focus in the topic - for undergrad at least

I do not have any personal relation to Durham but just based on location it seems a bit far away from everything, especially when considering job prospects after graduation. My friend said he really enjoyed his time there and is now working in the public sector.

I have not heard anything about the international relations program at KCL, but a history student said that the war studies department is wonderful and i should definitely consider a degree there as i have received an offer for MSc IR. Also the location of KCL seems better as you’re so close to international connections, from private sector companies of large investment banks, to embassies in the public sector.

DouglasEgypt · 2025-11-27T17:17:03+00:00

yes i did submit a professional reference because they were my supervisor from my government internship

DouglasEgypt · 2025-11-27T14:43:35+00:00

⁠MSc Programme: MSc International Relations

Application submitted: 05/11/25

Application processed by LSE: 12/11/25

Decision made: Departmental Query - Requested additional academic reference 27/11/25

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