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PPL at Oxford

Hi everyone. I'm currently in year 12 thinking of applying to Oxford for philosophy and psychology, I was wondering if anyone had any tips for applying for this combo. I'm currently doing bio (but i'm going to drop after AS), chem, RS and psych :smile:

Reply 1

bjones025

I didn't apply for PPL specifically (Law instead), but was rejected from Oxford this year and have some notes that might help you find out what not to do:

You'll have some kind of subject-specific entrance exam, and if they consider your scores in the same way as the LNAT, this will be what differentiates you from other candidates. Ensure that you treat this like another A level, it can go leaps and bounds in providing you the best possible chance for an interview/offer. I scored below-average (for Oxford) in my LNAT, decent GCSEs (not all 9s but all 7-9), and predicted A*A*A* (as most who apply are as well), and still managed to get an interview, but I would assume this would have been an easier decision for them if I had gotten a higher LNAT score - high scores can mean high chances.

Do interview prep the second you get an interview (if you get one). Being able to ace the interview is the last piece of the Oxford admissions puzzle, so it's important that you do well. I missed out on the opportunity to have mock interviews, and did notice that candidates that had mocks were the ones that ended up getting offers. If you can't get a mock interview, there are plenty of resources both on Oxford's website and elsewhere of mock interviews for your subject, so thats also a good option.

To extend on that other point, knowing your personal statement and anything you've put into it as well as you can, so if asked about it you won't stumble or be inaccurate. This was a part that I (surprisingly) did quite well on; I hadn't totally read all of the books i put into my PS, but did ensure I knew the important parts of each incase I was asked (I was asked about the book I knew the least on in front of the people that put that same book on their recommended reading list). This goes for anything else you may have applied with; subjects, essays (if applicable), statement etc.

All these things are points I wish I had properly addressed when I applied, so don't necessarily take it as Bible but there may be some valuable insights to be found.

All the best!