Somerville, PPE and/or Reading lists. Help needed.

]Oxford should send you a confirmation pack with loads of lovely form for you to fill in; I imagine because you're abroad it will take a bit longer to get to you than if you were a based here. UCAS will be contacted to tell them they have accepted you, it's their responsibility. Relax.

Hey If I get in, I'll be coming to Somerville too. It's not one of the most famous colleges in Oxford, but it's generally known for being very laid back and friendly. When I went for my interview, I loved it.. it just felt so natural and unpretentious. The students there all seemed really nice, and keen to help us get around. I am hoping and praying I get my grades because I loved it there! Don't worry about negative opinions- apart from the fact that it has a really ugly accomodation block, I personally saw nothing that put me off!!

First of all I wish you the best of luck with all your exam results and getting in. I'm sure I'll see you there in October.

Just wondering, was Somerville your first choice college and if it was, why did you chose it? When I was looking at the prospectus and the websites, the colleges all seemed rather similar to me. But I'm v. glad to hear that Somerville is rather relaxed, friendly and so on. However, I don't think that all other colleges are full of arrogant and hostile students.

As for the accomodation block, where is it located? I might have seen it when I was visiting.

Thank you Somerville was my first choice I picked it because it's sympathetic to state schoolers, emphasises a friendly attitude, has a good library, a relatively large number of English students.. on paper it looked like it'd suit me, and then when I went there, I realised that it really did

The accomodation block was the one on the left side near the back, it was really ugly and looked a bit like a waffle!

Thank you Somerville was my first choice I picked it because it's sympathetic to state schoolers, emphasises a friendly attitude, has a good library, a relatively large number of English students.. on paper it looked like it'd suit me, and then when I went there, I realised that it really did

The accomodation block was the one on the left side near the back, it was really ugly and looked a bit like a waffle!

I got my PPE reading list thru from st hildas - ill try and remember most of the books!
(some books).

Wow, yours is really different to mine. I think it suggests that it's mostly stuff that we should have a go at reading, rather than stuff which we'll need for the first term.

(Except Begg Economics, apparently that's pretty much vital)

As you may remember, I'm hopefully going to read Mod Hist & Eco, a course which I'm told includes as much Eco as do PPE and E&M in the first year. Therefore I assume my preparation for Economics should be the same as yours. I'm therefore very interested to hear Begg described as vital, because I have the book and have read a bit of it, but am currently undecided about going further because of the impression the likes of Baz have given that Eco is taught from scracth and prior knowledge isn't really necessary. This issue is particularly relevant to me as I didn't do Eco A2 or AS.

You paid for it? I've been working at a chapter a day in Borders, although I've only bothered to try this five times.

It seems that, while Economics is basically taught from scratch, you're in classes with people who've done A-level, and they'll be able to go through things incredibly quickly. So while they'll go over the stuff you've read in Begg, you won't be spending long on it. You might be able to get away without it (and realistically, the more complicated maths will be covered in tutorials) but it's probably worth reading so you don't get horribly lost.

Hi! Basically I'm an international student from Latvia, and I've just received a confirmation of my place to read PPE in Somerville. (YAY!) Frankly, I'm very, very unseasy about this all, because I feel I'm too stupid to succeed in any university at all, not to speak of Oxford. I don't even feel that I know Englsih well enough to understand everything I'm supposed to study.

Basically, I'm absoulutely clueless in the application process, so I have no idea what am I expected to do now. Wait for another letter? Just show up in Oxford in October, looking all lost and confused? I probably need to get a final letter from UCAS, but since my results were sent directly to my college, I don't know how will UCAS even know that I'm accepted. Will Somerville notify them, or is this my own responsibility?

Also many people have been taliking about the reading lists. Was I supposed to receive one already, or will it be sent to me some time later? Does anyone know whether there is a reading list for PPE at Somerville at all?

And all general information about Someriville would be very helpful. Many people on this board seem to have rather negative opinions about it, and it seems from the discussions that it's not the richest or the most academic college in Oxford (which is fine with me). And it has been yo-yoing in the Norrington table over the past years, so I can't even judge from that. (Not that you can ever judge a college by that table, but at least it offers some information).
So what is the atmosphere in Somerville? What is it known for, what are the advantages/disadvantages of being there, et cetera.

I know that I have asked a lot of questions, but this really reflects how confused I am. So help me, please.

Wow.. I'll be an international student too, PPE Somerville this October... have been facing lots of problems with the package too.

Basically, the whole fees thing is confusing the hell out of me, can some kind soul explain it all to me?

The problem is that my college + university fees will be sponsored; the rest is paid by me. The bigger problem is that I have not received any bills for either college or univ fees, so how will I go about arranging payment before I arrive (in 1 month time!!)

As I live eight time zones away, the mail system is very iffy, which compounds the problem somewhat.

Aster: Looking forward to meeting you in Oct! I'm reading of the horribly designed accommodation block, and is it called 'Penrose'? Cos that's where I've been assigned to..

I'll PM you the addresses of some Somerville PPEists I know.

Thanks! By the way, I think, somewhere on this forum you mentioned that Somerville finalists had disaterous (by Oxbridge standards) exam results this year. It this true or am I confusing something? (As usual.) As if that's true do you know why that happened?

Thanks! By the way, I think, somewhere on this forum you mentioned that Somerville finalists had disaterous (by Oxbridge standards) exam results this year. It this true or am I confusing something? (As usual.) As if that's true do you know why that happened?