American student interested in PPE Oxford, needs alot of info/advice

I am an American student who will probably apply to Oxford PPE next year. I love Oxford's intensive specialized education. However, part of the reason I will be applying to Oxford is because my chances at top US universities (Harvard,Princeton,etc.) are not very good becaues of my GPA (Grade Point Average), which is basically my grades throughout the years. My test scores, SAT's, AP's, IB's, are very good and I know that Oxford only looks at these, and the interview, for admissions, and not GPA.

Anyways, I want to go to Oxford PPE for undergraduate and then go to Harvard's Kennedy School of Government for graduate school. What is the feasibility of this? Have any of you heard anyone going to Oxford for B.A and going to an American grad school? Would it be tougher for me coming from Oxford, as opposed to an American university, for admissions at Harvard KSG?

What is a good college in Oxford for PPE? Especially one that has alot of foriegn students and is in the center of the university.

Would you guys recommend for someone who wants a future job as a top diplomat or someone in government to go to Oxford PPE for B.A as opposed to a qualified US university for B.A?

Reply 1

forpolarbears

17

This would probably belong in the Oxford subforum :smile:

edit: nvm, you've discovered that.lol

Anyways, I'm a current applicant to Cambridge, but I'll get back to you on it. :smile:

Welcome to TSR!

Reply 2

zoraster

thebuddhistguy

I am an American student who will probably apply to Oxford PPE next year. I love Oxford's intensive specialized education. However, part of the reason I will be applying to Oxford is because my chances at top US universities (Harvard,Princeton,etc.) are not very good becaues of my GPA (Grade Point Average), which is basically my grades throughout the years. My test scores, SAT's, AP's, IB's, are very good and I know that Oxford only looks at these, and the interview, for admissions, and not GPA.

Anyways, I want to go to Oxford PPE for undergraduate and then go to Harvard's Kennedy School of Government for graduate school. What is the feasibility of this? Have any of you heard anyone going to Oxford for B.A and going to an American grad school? Would it be tougher for me coming from Oxford, as opposed to an American university, for admissions at Harvard KSG?

What is a good college in Oxford for PPE? Especially one that has alot of foriegn students and is in the center of the university.

Would you guys recommend for someone who wants a future job as a top diplomat or someone in government to go to Oxford PPE for B.A as opposed to a qualified US university for B.A?

First, take a few deep breaths and stop trying to specifically plan your life out quite so much.

Done? Good, let's get down to it.

1. PPE is very good, so good choice.

2. You're delusional if you think GPA doesn't matter. It does.

http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/int/usa/quals.shtml

Though there are no formal requirements, successful candidates would generally have an excellent High School record, supplemented by:

That being said, if you get an interview, you might be able to overcome these difficulties if you're strong. Having a great SAT, SAT IIs and APs will definitely help negate a lot of the negative aspects of your high school transcript, but it's not going away no matter what you do.

3. There are a lot of Americans at Oxford. Most of them are graduate students, but while I was there, I knew about 8 full time American students (two in PPE). Pretty much any college will do fine in terms of international students. Pick one that sounds like the best pick for your mentality, not whether they have lots of international students. You're not going to be hazed too much for being an American.

4. People go from Oxford to US Grad schools all the time. You'll take the GRE just like everyone else, and you're going to a world famous university. You'll be just fine. You should really get over the idea that only certain schools can get into grad schools though. People from subaverage state schools get into places like Harvard with some regularity.

5. Honestly, if you want to be a "top diplomat" you may be better off at a US university. FSOs usually have fluency in one or more languages (and are further taught a number of languages) and this is pretty hard to do at Oxford. As a PPE student, you're not going abroad for a year like you can at many US universities.

Furthermore, FSOs take a LONG time to work up the ladder. Seniority and an up-or-out policy like the military uses make it so that you generally will have to wait about 20 years before you're really at the top, and then only if you've been highly successful. Your quality of education will matter little at this point.

---

My advice? Certainly apply if you think the tutorial system is right for you, and you are certain it's what you want to do. But be careful. Adjusting to university life is hard enough. Adjusting to a different culture at your age will be even harder.

But don't get caught up in the prestige game. Don't treat Oxford like a backup to Ivy league schools, and don't assume that you aren't going to get into KSG without a Ivy League pedigre.

And again, take a few more deep breaths.

Reply 3

andy_cole2

14

the only US uni better than oxford is harvard :biggrin:

Reply 4

thebuddhistguy

OP

Hmm, well I actually knew someone who applied to Oxford last year for some science course, and was accepted, but chose to go Princeton instead. He told me that Oxford does not look at grades because they do not trust the variability that occurs among high schools, and they only go by standardized test scores, such as AP's and IB's. And he said that an "excellent high school record" is your record of test scores, not your GPA.

And I'm only asking this question because I once saw a page where it showed the colleges from which accepted applicants to Harvard Law School came from and saw that only 1 person was from Oxford, which I found quite suprising.

Reply 5

Autocrat

3

That's because Law in this country is an undergraduate degree, so most people doing Law will have done it at Oxford - so they would have less need to go to Harvard Law School...Sure, they could be doing a doctorate or something but Law to some degree is much dependant on individual countries so I am not surprised...Why not look at the statistics for Harvard Business School or some such?

Reply 6

Jerby

thebuddhistguy

Have any of you heard anyone going to Oxford for B.A and going to an American grad school?

To be honest, I doubt that's ever happened.

Reply 7

Jerby

That was sarcasm, in case you didn't notice.

Reply 8

zoraster

thebuddhistguy

Hmm, well I actually knew someone who applied to Oxford last year for some science course, and was accepted, but chose to go Princeton instead. He told me that Oxford does not look at grades because they do not trust the variability that occurs among high schools, and they only go by standardized test scores, such as AP's and IB's. And he said that an "excellent high school record" is your record of test scores, not your GPA.

And I'm only asking this question because I once saw a page where it showed the colleges from which accepted applicants to Harvard Law School came from and saw that only 1 person was from Oxford, which I found quite suprising.

1. Harvard Law creates a lot of debt (on average, $92,758 upon graduation). You can escape Oxford with a very small fraction of that and start working much sooner as a lawyer. Of course, you can't practice in the US, but i don't think that's a concern for the majority of Oxford students.

2. You'll need a first to go to HLS since a 2.1 figures into a 3.25.

3. Taking the LSAT can take a fair amount of work in England. You pretty much have to travel to London and take it there.

---

You'll find a lot more Oxford students at the graduate schools than you will in the law school.

Reply 9

scfn

Exeter is a gd college to go to as it takes a certain no. of US ppl every year. Also Univ is a gd choice since its where Bill Clinton went.

American student interested in PPE Oxford, needs alot of info/advice

Related discussions

Articles for you