Oxford Applicants 2016 Entry & Interview chat

Thank you very much for this data. I'm an EU student from Italy and was wondering, what sort of predicted grade would be ideal (other then the minimum required of 95 at our Esame di Stato) for PPE at Brasenose? Is there anywhere I could gather some information on Italian PPEists at Oxford?

As repeatedly said at the Open Day by the tutors, the differences between colleges were far less then the similarities so I based my choice solely on personal preferences. Both colleges present a balance between green areas, history and central setting: all the characteristics that I am looking for (yes, Balliol's bag was very nice, but the Brasenose prospectus was by far the best among all the colleges I visited).

We would discuss with the PPE Admissions Coordinator and University's Undergraduate Admissions Office whether to set minimum requirements for specific subjects as well as an overall minimum of 95/100 in the Dipoma di Esame di Stato. Since we have not had to administer an Italian application recently, we would suggest contacting the UAO directly for more guidance. In addition, if you are not being taught in English you will be asked to meet a proficiency requirement.

Our tip would be to make sure your UCAS reference is written by someone who has taught you or who is in a position to provide a well informed commentary on your educational studies. The selectors may be particularly interested in the referee's appraisal of your abilities in essay writing subjects and Maths is also always useful.

We are not aware of any information on Italian applicants for PPE and doubt this has been collected.

The Tutors' advice was spot on! We wondered whether you liked the alternative prospectus or the official prospectus? The latter is due a for a redesign soon whereas the alternative prospectus was designed more recently.

Anyone out there? Most students on this website seem to apply to central colleges, Balliol, Brasenose, New, Magdalen etc. In reality are there any serious drawbacks to the colleges further afield - St aAne's, cATZ, LMH etc -- aside from a bit of a longer walk into town, and slightly less pretty architecture? Does anyone have any insights, advice? They are harder to reach on Open Days, but probably just as nice?

Anyone out there? Most students on this website seem to apply to central colleges, Balliol, Brasenose, New, Magdalen etc. In reality are there any serious drawbacks to the colleges further afield - St aAne's, cATZ, LMH etc -- aside from a bit of a longer walk into town, and slightly less pretty architecture? Does anyone have any insights, advice? They are harder to reach on Open Days, but probably just as nice?

Anyone out there? Most students on this website seem to apply to central colleges, Balliol, Brasenose, New, Magdalen etc. In reality are there any serious drawbacks to the colleges further afield - St aAne's, cATZ, LMH etc -- aside from a bit of a longer walk into town, and slightly less pretty architecture? Does anyone have any insights, advice? They are harder to reach on Open Days, but probably just as nice?

LMH and St Catz have some lovely architecture (in my opinion…), just not gothic!

I think it's worth pointing out though, for perspective, a college like LMH would be in a pretty perfect location at almost any other uni - 15 minutes to the centre/5 minutes cycling isn't exactly much of a disaster!

We would discuss with the PPE Admissions Coordinator and University's Undergraduate Admissions Office whether to set minimum requirements for specific subjects as well as an overall minimum of 95/100 in the Dipoma di Esame di Stato. Since we have not had to administer an Italian application recently, we would suggest contacting the UAO directly for more guidance. In addition, if you are not being taught in English you will be asked to meet a proficiency requirement.

Our tip would be to make sure your UCAS reference is written by someone who has taught you or who is in a position to provide a well informed commentary on your educational studies. The selectors may be particularly interested in the referee's appraisal of your abilities in essay writing subjects and Maths is also always useful.

We are not aware of any information on Italian applicants for PPE and doubt this has been collected.

I'm a medicine applicant and I was wondering if you had any tips on what kind of person I should use for my reference and what I should include i in personal a statement?

Some overseas applicants apply from locations where the culture of reference writing differs from the UK: for example, a local mayor or dignitary may be approached. For UCAS purposes, the status of the referee is immaterial: what counts is his or her capacity to provide an informed commentary on the applicant's studies. In nearly all cases, the referee should be the teacher or 6th form coordinator of the candidate. The chief exceptions are mature applicants (applying some years after leaving school) or home-educated students - in these cases, our advice is to approach a teacher or other education provider and ask for a reference based on an interview with the candidate and/or a sample of work.

Personal statements should foremost explain why an applicant wishes to study a degree subject for 3,4, 5, or 6 years. The selectors need to make an assessment of whether interest will be sustained for the duration of the programme and the personal statement is one piece of evidence used for this. Selectors also use the PS to whether the applicant has the capacity/curiosity to look beyond the demands of an exam question. Evidence of interest in X beyond the classroom and syllabus is advantageous - this can take many different forms eg an EPQ or informal project, work/lab placement, visits to galleries/museums/theatre & similar.

Thank you so much!
Is it better if the referee comments on my extracurricular involvement like "so and so does this and this and this" or about things related to me personally like my work ethic, general behavior in class etc?

It completely depends on what you want from your college. I found the older colleges quite intimidating so wanted to go for the most normal looking place I could find that offered my course, which is why I applied to St. Anne's.

Exactly; I expected the 'far out' colleges to be really remote, but in fact they are just less 'really close' to the centre.

I'd have any of them!

Hey

I have a question about the UCAS reference letter.
Namely, I am from a small European country and would have the possibility to get the letter of recommendation from the president.
In this letter of recommendation he would refer to references from my teachers and people close to me. (For example: the candidate's English teacher tells me that he is...)
In addition the president would explain how important it would be for the country if I were to be accepted to the university.

Perhaps the fact that I will be applying to PPE would justify the choice of recommender? Or would it just be an useless waste of time and perhaps even hurt my application?

LOL - looking to name drop your way into a place? Thinking that knowing a president makes you more qualified for PPE is like thinking that being able to see Russia from your house prepares you for international relations.

The Brasenose person just posted what they want and why they want it. Plenty of international applicants have fancy friends, but if the fancy friend hasn't been in a position to know your work- including relative to your peers, the situation, how you are in an academic environment, etc, then it's no use to the people making the choice.

And in the meantime I am trying to figure out what country in Europe is so tiny and how you could be so special that the very future of the country hinges on you getting a PPE degree from Oxford.

Hey

I have a question about the UCAS reference letter.
Namely, I am from a small European country and would have the possibility to get the letter of recommendation from the president.
In this letter of recommendation he would refer to references from my teachers and people close to me. (For example: the candidate's English teacher tells me that he is...)
In addition the president would explain how important it would be for the country if I were to be accepted to the university.

Perhaps the fact that I will be applying to PPE would justify the choice of recommender? Or would it just be an useless waste of time and perhaps even hurt my application?