University of Oxford offer-holders' thread 2015

Hello.

I am new to this forum but I really really need HELP!

I hold offers from Oxford University for PPE and from LSE for Philosophy and Economics and I am having trouble to decide which one of them to select as my firm choice.

My school teachers are pushing me towards Oxford I think because it will look good for Ofsted and I feel like I have gone through a lot of trouble (TSA, interviews, etc) only for Oxford. Also when I was there the town felt enchanted.

But I feel that my heart lies with LSE. These are my reasons:

-The job prospects seem to be much better - the course, despite lacking compulsory politics, looks more interesting and applicable to today.
-Despite Oxford's magical aura, I think London may be more advantageous at the end of the day - there is more to do on a daily basis and I can find a job more easily, both during my studies if I need to and afterwards.
-Also I feel that LSE will provide me with a better student experience. Oxford's education from what I heard is overwhelming and you do not have time to enjoy yourself during your studies. The traditional aspect of Oxford (formal hall etc) looks appealing but I have been told that this is only interesting in the beginning.
-The reputation of LSE is improving and of Oxford diminishing slowly from what I can see. I want to be ahead in life and so maybe LSE will be better for this.

As you can see, I personally prefer LSE but I am having trouble declining Oxford because of the "excitement" created around it. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much.

Martin

The only think I can really add (although I'm an oxford firmer Im a scientist so am not sure about your area) is I know 2 people at LSE and they both find that they are not given enough feedback through out the year. 1 nearly left in April of her 1st year because she was convinced she was failing and there was no one for her to discuss it with. She actually got a 1st at the end of that year. Also, there are a lot of students who are there just to work and they found it difficult to find like minded people who wanted to have bait more fun. They have now settled into friendship groups but at the start found it hard. There is also the financial side to consider, although their biggest complain id the prices of London nights out!

Even so, I'm sure there are equally as many things you wouldn't like about Oxford as no uni is perfect, but if LSE is perfect for you thats all that matters. Go with whats right for you, not your school!

Thank you for your opinion.

Unfortunately I do not know anyone who studies in LSE but the girl I know at Oxford said she absolutely hated it... On the financial side, both universities give equal financial support and you receive a larger maintenance grant in London and you can find employment during term time so I think LSE will actually be more affordable. In addition, there is also all the free London entertainment (museums etc) and actually good nightlife so I don't think I'll mind paying a few pounds extra to go to a great jazz club rather than a generic club with a DJ in Oxford.

And congratulations on your offer!

Thank you very much for this.

So the tutoring schemes are only on a voluntary basis - not paid? I feel like I have a lot to offer to children but I don't think I would want to do this without a remuneration.

Just to clarify - the only way you can enjoy yourself is if you don't do all your work? I would definitely want to do my very best and get a first class honours degree, I don't think I would want it all to rest on the basis of how I feel the few days of exams...

Thanks again.

My extrapolation is that if people can find the time to tutor for free, you could certainly find the time to tutor (for money). The key question is whether you could find a tutee, but there are a fair few schools in Oxford, so it sounds possible.

All I'm saying is, I think it's borderline unrealistic to read everything on the reading list (our tutors normally indicate which are the more important ones, and I tend to finish those), at least for Law (don't know about PPE). Can it be done? Probably, if you had the discipline and time. Is it necessary to do well? No.

I decided that on balance, it wasn't worth that much time and effort, so I read enough, but not everything. I did get a Distinction in my first set of exams and graduated with a First Class degree, so I suppose whatever I did worked ...

The exam system is the way it is unfortunately, and I think even at LSE it will be predominantly exam-based (or maybe I'm wrong, but my friends in LSE certainly took exams). The only difference is that you have two/ three sets of exams that all count to your classification, as opposed to just one. Either way, it will be down to how you feel the few days of exam.

Seriously though, you sound like you already have your heart set on LSE. If it feels right to you, just go for it. You don't need external validation to make your opinion correct for you.

Edit: Also, while I'm sorry that your Oxonian friend hated it, I can assure you that's not the case for most people. The majority do have a good time in Oxford, including myself.

Thank you for your input! I feel that all this is actually convincing me to choose LSE in the end - it seems like a much better choice for life. I would like to be able to do all my work and stress less while achieving better prospects for my future.

Sounds like you're all set then Best of luck at LSE!

Hello.

I am new to this forum but I really really need HELP!

I hold offers from Oxford University for PPE and from LSE for Philosophy and Economics and I am having trouble to decide which one of them to select as my firm choice.

My school teachers are pushing me towards Oxford I think because it will look good for Ofsted and I feel like I have gone through a lot of trouble (TSA, interviews, etc) only for Oxford. Also when I was there the town felt enchanted.

But I feel that my heart lies with LSE. These are my reasons:

-The job prospects seem to be much better - the course, despite lacking compulsory politics, looks more interesting and applicable to today.
-Despite Oxford's magical aura, I think London may be more advantageous at the end of the day - there is more to do on a daily basis and I can find a job more easily, both during my studies if I need to and afterwards.
-Also I feel that LSE will provide me with a better student experience. Oxford's education from what I heard is overwhelming and you do not have time to enjoy yourself during your studies. The traditional aspect of Oxford (formal hall etc) looks appealing but I have been told that this is only interesting in the beginning.
-The reputation of LSE is improving and of Oxford diminishing slowly from what I can see. I want to be ahead in life and so maybe LSE will be better for this.

As you can see, I personally prefer LSE but I am having trouble declining Oxford because of the "excitement" created around it. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much.

Martin

Hello.


But I feel that my heart lies with LSE. These are my reasons:

-The job prospects seem to be much better - the course, despite lacking compulsory politics, looks more interesting and applicable to today.
-Despite Oxford's magical aura, I think London may be more advantageous at the end of the day - there is more to do on a daily basis and I can find a job more easily, both during my studies if I need to and afterwards.
-Also I feel that LSE will provide me with a better student experience. Oxford's education from what I heard is overwhelming and you do not have time to enjoy yourself during your studies. The traditional aspect of Oxford (formal hall etc) looks appealing but I have been told that this is only interesting in the beginning.
-The reputation of LSE is improving and of Oxford diminishing slowly from what I can see. I want to be ahead in life and so maybe LSE will be better for this.
Martin

I'm in exactly the same position, holding offers for both courses and torn between the two!

I think overall the job prospects will be around the same for both, with LSE catching up with Oxford's reputation with its London base and practical approach to current affairs.

What is really holding me back from being sure about Oxford is the reputation it has for completely burning out the students there. I've heard that PPE graduates know very little about very much and although they can write 5000 word essays in 24hours, they lack any real world skills.
I'm also sceptical about the fun that you can have in such a tiny place, compared to the excitement & opportunity of central London.

Also, as a mathematical person, should I be going for LSE where their approach to Economics appears to focus far more around mathematical/statistical methods? Does anyone at Oxford know if it is possible to tailor your PPE degree to be more mathematical?

But on the other hand, the Philosophy at Oxford is miles better than LSE although I'm pretty terrified about the intensity of the workload associated with it.

I think overall, both universities probably equal each other and so the decision between them has to be based pretty entirely on personal taste with no choice independently better than the other

I'm in exactly the same position, holding offers for both courses and torn between the two!

I think overall the job prospects will be around the same for both, with LSE catching up with Oxford's reputation with its London base and practical approach to current affairs.

What is really holding me back from being sure about Oxford is the reputation it has for completely burning out the students there. I've heard that PPE graduates know very little about very much and although they can write 5000 word essays in 24hours, they lack any real world skills.
I'm also sceptical about the fun that you can have in such a tiny place, compared to the excitement & opportunity of central London.

Also, as a mathematical person, should I be going for LSE where their approach to Economics appears to focus far more around mathematical/statistical methods? Does anyone at Oxford know if it is possible to tailor your PPE degree to be more mathematical?

But on the other hand, the Philosophy at Oxford is miles better than LSE although I'm pretty terrified about the intensity of the workload associated with it.

I think overall, both universities probably equal each other and so the decision between them has to be based pretty entirely on personal taste with no choice independently better than the other

Thanks for the input! I only want the philosophy as a diluter to be honest, so the strength of the economics part of the courses matter to me most. And I think quite obviously the London School of Economics is the absolute winner as far as economics goes. I'm not a particular fan of essay writing either, I would rather tackle problems I believe.

This is a personal decision at a very important stage of your life - so only you can make it. My thoughts (if they are helpful) are these.

Firstly, if you reject Oxford bear in mind that it is almost certain that you won't be able to reverse the decision later on - so hold off until you are decided and once you press the button look forward and not back.

Secondly, if the career issue is important then it would be worth discussing the concerns you have with the careers service at each University. The Oxford link is
http://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/

Thirdly, you don't mention accommodation perhaps because you have the option of staying with family in London. There is a big difference between a guarantee of accommodation in all years (made by nearly all of Oxford's colleges) and LSE's guarantee of one year in a hall of residence.

Lastly, hours of study have been audited by Which and HEPI http://www.hepi.ac.uk/2013/05/15/2013-student-academic-experience-survey/. I would recommend consulting this to see whether in fact Oxford and LSE are positioned similarly in terms of the hours students study in order to obtain a good degree (2.1 or better).

It sounds like your mind is pretty made up - if you really prefer LSE that much then just go there.

It might be worth going to open days at both again before you make a firm decision though, and also worth bearing in mind that LSE only admits science students which to me is a massive put-off (but that might not bother you!).

I can't decide which university I want as my insurance. Such a hard decision.

I am in the same position, but I also cannot decide on my firm choice!

What are your options?

Ooh that's a dilemma I wouldn't like to be stuck in!

St. Andrews, Durham, Warwick and Manchester to read Chemistry. I really liked Warwick on the open day, and haven't been to St. Andrews or Durham. While I want to ensure my degree is from a prestigious institution, I also want to enjoy my time studying there. Oxford seems great for my first choice, but I'm stuck on the insurance.

What about you?