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Original post by Bearbert
Maths contests for a maths application. Mostly national, but some international ones


I think they should be highlighted strongly, maybe in a paragraph of their own. :smile:
Original post by Bearbert
Maths contests for a maths application. Mostly national, but some international ones


Definitely not EC - would look good for a Maths application.

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Original post by hedwig8
I want to apply for Chinese :smile: I'm doing French, History, Maths and English Lit. How about you? Where else are you looking at?


I'm also applying for Chinese:-). I do German, maths, lit, and politics. Probs applying to Durham, SOAS, Nottingham, and Edinburgh. How about you?
Original post by aasvogel
The main bit of my statement would have been about politics&economics, yes.
Read what interests you - don't just read a book on politics for the sake of saying you read it - if you're more in to political philosophy then that's fine.
Owen Jones' new book 'Establishment' is a good read, as are 'Why Nations Fail' and 'The Price of Inequality' which are more recently published.
You might also like Kofi Annan's book 'Interventions' which details his life in diplomacy and international conflict. It could be tied in with political philosophy (authority, government protection, international relations etc) & morality in a contemporary, real world context.

These are, of course, just suggestions based on my own tastes. Go to bookstores and find books that'll interest you.

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Thank you very much :smile:

I've done a couple of national completions (representing my school) in math and philosophy (and other sciences like biology, chemistry and neuroscience), do you think any of that would be relevant in a PPE PS?


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Original post by adynaton
Thank you very much :smile:

I've done a couple of national completions (representing my school) in math and philosophy (and other sciences like biology, chemistry and neuroscience), do you think any of that would be relevant in a PPE PS?


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Maths and Philoosphy certainly! Even the other competitions you could use by mentioning what skills you needed which would be useful for a PPE degree; I assume there was a level of argument and analysis needed with these?

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Original post by enaayrah
I think they should be highlighted strongly, maybe in a paragraph of their own. :smile:

Thank you very much for the response.
Original post by aasvogel
Maths and Philoosphy certainly! Even the other competitions you could use by mentioning what skills you needed which would be useful for a PPE degree; I assume there was a level of argument and analysis needed with these?

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Analysis mostly and math skills since they were real life problems.

I'm also my school's contact with the local and regional newspapers, would that be relevant as well?


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Original post by adynaton
Analysis mostly and math skills since they were real life problems.

I'm also my school's contact with the local and regional newspapers, would that be relevant as well?


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The newspaper bit maybe not so much - media is crucial to politics but at a smaller scale there isn't much you can do to make it flow well without being quite contrived and tenuous.
Tutors will be looking more at your level of critical thinking and analysis of what you've read than maybe roles you have at school.
That said, it would still bode well as a mention with your ECs and would help in an application to unis who factor in the ECs.

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This isnt specific for Oxford, but its for my other choices, I was wondering there's two courses for some unis: Spanish and Portuguese, and then theres Spanish and latin american studies. for latin american studies you still get to do Portuguese, and i can see that theres lots of similarities looking at the prospectus points. but i still don't understand what are the differences? because both courses have so much in common according to the course structures.
Original post by aasvogel
The newspaper bit maybe not so much - media is crucial to politics but at a smaller scale there isn't much you can do to make it flow well without being quite contrived and tenuous.
Tutors will be looking more at your level of critical thinking and analysis of what you've read than maybe roles you have at school.
That said, it would still bode well as a mention with your ECs and would help in an application to unis who factor in the ECs.

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Right, thank you very much for your advise :smile:
So which college are you guys looking at? Cant make my mind up! Although I know that there is a possibility you could end up going to a completely different one
Original post by adynaton
Right, thank you very much for your advise :smile:


No problem - give me a shout if you've anything else to ask. :smile:

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Original post by politicalmind
So which college are you guys looking at? Cant make my mind up! Although I know that there is a possibility you could end up going to a completely different one


Don't get too bogged down on a college - I was interviewed at my first choice but got an Open Offer so still don't know to which one I'm going!
(Also my college choice was based on which one I stayed at for Open Day, which was chosen on the basis of free breakfast.)

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Original post by aasvogel
Don't get too bogged down on a college - I was interviewed at my first choice but got an Open Offer so still don't know to which one I'm going!
(Also my college choice was based on which one I stayed at for Open Day, which was chosen on the basis of free breakfast.)

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Haha that sounds like good criteria to base your decision!! So what does an open offer mean? You can chose or you will only find out after your results come through?
Also what are you planning to study?
Original post by politicalmind
Haha that sounds like good criteria to base your decision!! So what does an open offer mean? You can chose or you will only find out after your results come through?
Also what are you planning to study?


I find out once results are through. Places become available either through people missing offers or choosing another uni. If no spaces are available then my original college can accept me. :smile:
I've an offer for PPE.

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Original post by aasvogel
I find out once results are through. Places become available either through people missing offers or choosing another uni. If no spaces are available then my original college can accept me. :smile:
I've an offer for PPE.

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Ah ok awesome, well done! Would you say that personal statements were really important or aptitude tests are more so?
Original post by BrasenoseAdm
Candidates applying to Brasenose for PPE and who were invited to interview last year (either with us or at another college) scored as follows (rounding up to 2 sf):

problem solving: minimum 53, median 64, maximum 83
critical thinking: minimum 58, median 72, maximum 83
essay: minimum 54, median 65, maximum 72
overall: minimum 60, median 68, maximum 76

We think these scores are in line with the rest of Oxford. All sections count. If you are reading this, would like to read PPE, and think you can post a competitive test score ... the closing date for applications is October 15th!


Hi,

How did this statistic vary for E&M?

Also do you have figures for the GCSE range of applicants admitted/interviewed?


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Original post by politicalmind
Ah ok awesome, well done! Would you say that personal statements were really important or aptitude tests are more so?


Aptitude tests by far! A lot of people will have strong personal statements (in fact there is no guarantee the student wrote them.) Aptitude tests are the first real differentiator between candidates and if you do well in it you have a really good shot at getting an offer.

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Reply 1258
Hi everyone!
GCSE: 7A*, 3A, 1B
Predicted IB: 777777
Course: Exp Psychology
College: New
Anyone else doing psych or New??
Also I was wondering if anyone knows anything about 'good' TSA scores for this course?

Thanks in advance!
Bradenose Adm is on vacation this week - we will get back to you after monday 10th.