PPE At Oxford??

Hey people i was just wondering how hard is it to get into ppe at oxford, and if you need to be like pure genius ie like 7+ A* at Gcse, to get in. my Gcses are Decent 3 A* 6 A's 2 B's C , Im hoping to get/ been Predicted four 4 A's for my AS level, and i have done decent amount of work experience and voluntary work. Any chance of me getting in for the course, or do GCSE's not matter and really i just have to get a good personal statement and get the 4 A's at As?

Thank you

a) You don't need to be a genius to achieve 7A*s. (No source needed)

b) With regards to your GCSEs:

There is no absolute requirement for particular grades at GCSE, as there are no fixed examination results that must be attained for admission. Each application is considered carefully on its individual merits. However, competition for places is strong and many applicants have all A* and A grades at GCSE. Unless there are particular extenuating circumstances, we could not be optimistic about your chances of gaining a place at Oxford if you do not have a high percentage for A* and A grades at GCSE.

Tutors are looking for evidence of academic ability as well as commitment and motivation for your chosen degree course. They will use GCSE results as one indicator of your abilities, along with predicted grades at A-level, your personal statement, your academic reference, any written work or written test that are required and, if your application is shortlisted, your performance at interview.

Candidates who feel that they under-performed at GCSE may be able to compensate for this by demonstrating clear upward progression at AS level as well as in predicted or achieved A-level scores. You may wish to refer to this in your personal statement and it could also be useful if your tutors comment in your academic reference.

c) With regards to irrelevant extra-curriculars (work experience and voluntary work):

Mr Nicholson said students would be better off devoting more time to their studies than trying to bolster their personal statements through charity work or Duke of Edinburgh awards.

His remarks came a week after David Willetts, the universities minister, advised pupils that volunteering could improve their chances of being accepted onto courses.

The advice will have come too late for tens of thousands of students who are still chasing the few remaining university places through the clearing process, having failed to secure a spot with their A-level results.

Mr Nicholson told the Times Educational Supplement: "It really doesn't matter if you haven't got any friends or hobbies or if you don't do any charitable work ...[Acceptance] is a purely academic judgement."

He said universities were only interested in "enthused, engaged and excellent" candidates, rather than "second-rate historians who happen to play the flute".

d) Ideally you should fulfil the subject-specific criteria:

PPE tutors are looking for evidence of the following qualities in applicants:

Application and interest: capacity for sustained study, motivation and interest, an independent and reflective approach to learning;

Reasoning ability: ability to analyse and solve problems using logical and critical approaches, ability to assess relevance, capacity to construct and critically assess arguments, flexibility and willingness to consider alternative views;

Communication: willingness and ability to express ideas clearly and effectively on paper and orally; ability to listen; ability to give considered responses.

Throughout the admissions process, tutors will be seeking to detect the candidate's future potential as a PPE student. Existing achievement (as revealed in official examinations, predicted examination results, and school reports), as well as performance in the pre-interview test and interview, is relied upon mainly as evidence of future potential.

Candidates are not expected to have studied any philosophy, politics or economics at school, but should be interested and be prepared to put their minds to problems of philosophy, politics and economics presented to them.

In the case of candidates whose first language is not English, competence in the English language is also a criterion of admission.

Final decisions about offers of places will use the full range of evidence available, including past and predicted exam results, the school report, the personal statement, the pre-interview test and the interviews. Entry is competitive, which means that not all candidates who satisfy the admissions criteria will receive offers.