The Student Room Group

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Why did you want to do PPE?

I was always good at maths and essay writing, so this seemed like the perfect way to combine my strengths! I am also more of a generalist then a specialist when it comes to my academic work, so the versatility of the course was a big bonus.

In terms of the individual disciplines, Economics A-level was my favourite, and I was certain that I wanted to take it beyond sixth form. Oxford did not offer a pure economics degree, so I had to choose between E&M (Economics and Management) and PPE. I tried reading a couple of management books, but could not make it past the first chapter before getting bored, so I knew E&M was not for me.

On the other hand, I found philosophy incredibly interesting, especially philosophy of science.

I had been debating Brexit at lunchtime with my friends since the coverage started in Year 10, and I was an active member in the regional team of my political party. Therefore, PPE seemed like the obvious choice.

Contrary to the stereotype, I do not actually fancy myself as a prime minister! Of course, lots of people doing PPE will want to go into politics, but equally, there are many who want to go into a huge variety of other sectors including finance, economic policy, law, or stay in academia. The breadth of the PPE course means that lots of career paths will stay open to PPE graduates personally, I would like to work in international development.

Why Oxford?

I never wanted to apply to Oxford when I was younger (which was surprising, as I was a big Harry Potter fan!). In Year 10, I went on a trip to Oxford that completely changed my mind. The trip was just a tour around the city and a visit to some museums, but I thought that Oxford was one of the most beautiful places I had ever visited. The college system was described by the tour guide as an extension of the house system that we had at school, which was my favourite part of school life, so I thought that the social atmosphere might be something I would quite enjoy too. Of course, as with every Oxford applicant, the reputation of the university was also a pull factor!
Reply 2
Did any teachers inspire you?

Yes! I was so lucky to have lots of fantastic teachers during my school life, and they were really helpful in supporting my application. In particular, my economics teachers were so encouraging and would always go out of their way to help me whenever I needed it. They exuded passion for economics and never stopped believing in me, even when I wrote a fair few dreadful essays!

What resources did you use? What did they teach you?

Applying for PPE felt a bit different to other courses. Scientists seemed to be learning lots of advanced theory and doing all of the A-level ‘extension’ questions. Arts students seemed to be reading lots of books, and developing a specialist area which they were almost guaranteed to be asked about at interview.

However, the PPE interviews and course assume no prior knowledge on the subjects! Therefore, I thought it would be best to do some very general reading I read introductory books/watched videos on each of the three subjects, which taught me how to think through problems and follow a chain of reasoning.

My favourite introductory resources were:

- ‘The Art of Strategy’ by Dixit and Nalebuff (for game theory)
- ‘Economics: The User’s Guide’ by Ha-Joon Chang (for economics)
- ‘Poor Economics’ by Banerjee and Duflo (for economics)
- ‘Why Nations Fail’ by Acemoglu and Robinson (for politics)
- ‘What is Politics?’ by Leftwich (for politics)
- ‘Crash Course Philosophy’ videos on YouTube (for philosophy)

After reading these general texts, I explored specific areas within subjects using the ‘A Very Short Introduction to …’ books they have these books on every topic you could want! (e.g. ‘A Very Short Introduction to Political Philosophy’ by Miller).

MOOCs (massive online open courses) are also amazing resources.
https://www.classcentral.com/help/moocs/

Do not be tempted to pay the extortionate fees to join some of them, as there will almost always be a free one on the same topic!
Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/
EdX: https://www.edx.org/


Did you attend any lectures or enter competitions?

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend any lectures. However, as the subjects in PPE are at the forefront of the media, it was easy to learn about a topic just by watching an opinion show on the TV. The economics and politics shows are obvious and always on, but for philosophy, ‘The Big Questions’ on BBC One on a Sunday morning is great! I did write an essay for the Marshall Society Competition (summer holidays after Year 12), but it was rushed and I did not win anything. I did not mention it in my application, but I enjoyed the process of researching and writing it, and it reassured me that I would be comfortable with the essay writing element of Oxford (perhaps, doing the reading and essay within 24 hours made the experience even more authentic!).

These are some essay competitions that may be of interest:

- Marshall Society Essay Competition
http://marshallsociety.com/essay-competition/

- LSESU Essay Competition
https://lsesueconsoc.org/economics-essay-competition-2019/

- John Locke Essay Competition
https://www.johnlockeinstitute.com/2020-essay-competition

- The Economist ‘Open Future’ Essay Competition
https://www.economist.com/open-future/2019/08/05/writing-to-right-climate-change

- RES Essay Competition
https://www.res.org.uk/education/young-economist-of-the-year.html

- IEA Essay Competition
https://iea.org.uk/essay-competition/

- Quite a few Cambridge colleges have essay competitions, although these vary each year

(Oxford Mum hint: look on college individual websites for these essay competitions)
Reply 3
Did you have any work experience?

I did some work experience with my MP, which was really fun I got to visit Parliament too! I got the placement through calling my MP’s office, and they were very happy to help. Although it was a great experience, I would not say it necessarily helped my application. In fact, I did not mention my work experience on my personal statement or at interview, and I would like to stress that for PPE, the tutors do not check for your work experience in the same way that they might do for medicine. Not everyone has the opportunity to do some work experience, and not doing it will not impede your application at all.

Did you have a specialist subject/EPQ?

I did not do an EPQ, but I enjoyed the introductory game theory book, so I did more work on this topic. I completed a MOOC which was great, as you were able to interact with other students from all over the world who were completing the same course. The Game Theory 101 videos on William Spaniel’s YouTube channel were also a lot of fun to watch. This ‘specialism’ that I developed was useful during the interviews although they did not directly ask about it, it gave me more confidence when tackling problem solving questions.

Game theory MOOC: https://www.coursera.org/learn/game-theory-1
William Spaniel’s videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/JimBobJenkins/playlists

What did you mention on your personal statement?

I mentioned the MOOC and a few books I had read (from the above list), but it really was not anything extravagant. I focused on my own opinions to make it feel more personal, and it was interesting to make links between the books. I did not actually mention politics in my personal statement (you do not need to mention all three subjects), and I discussed about four contrasting topics in economics/philosophy. At the end, I had a fairly large paragraph about my hobbies, as these were a big part of my life and the personal statement felt incomplete without referencing them. I think it is a nice idea to at least mention your other interests, as they could end up being a fun icebreaker question to ease you into the interview!
Reply 4
What techniques did you use for the entrance exam?
Preparing for the TSA was strange, as the exam did not test any content and required no prior knowledge. It felt similar to the UKMT Maths Challenges that I had done the problem solving questions used a similar thought process. I did about four TSA Section 1 past papers, but my score was not improving. I had a quick flick through a TSA preparation book, but some of the processes they used to solve questions seemed unnatural to me, and I did not want to disturb my existing thought processes in case this caused my scores to plummet. Therefore, I did a couple more past papers, until I was comfortable with the styles of question and the timings, and then focused on making sure I was in the correct mindset for the exam. In my opinion, the TSA Section 1 is a test of stamina and innate thinking skills, the latter of which cannot really be taught, so please do not worry about doing lots of preparation for the exam. For Section 2, I watched the Jesus College video on YouTube - this was concise and incredibly helpful.

Jesus College Section 2 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buxa40ahGV4

How did you choose your college?
I knew that I wanted a central college (I’m a last minute person…) , that was old (I really wanted this if I was going to the oldest university in the country!), relatively small (a homely vibe) and offered accommodation for all three years of the course (minimal stress). This narrowed it down to a handful, which I then visited on an open day at the end of September. I spoke to the tutors from all of the colleges, and decided to go for the one in which the tutors seemed the most helpful, encouraging and transparent about the process.
Reply 5
How did you find the interview process?

I LOVED it! The interviews made me fall in love with my subject and Oxford even more. I was terrified beforehand, but after my first interview, I was so excited for the rest of them there is such a thrill to thinking on your feet and sparring with an esteemed academic about the most bizarre questions. I could not really have prepared for any of the questions as soon as the interviewers thought I had read about a topic before, they moved onto something else. Therefore, the interviews were mostly based on problem solving and thinking skills, but my preparation did help me feel relaxed and confident in that I had done all I could to succeed.

I knew that whether or not I got an offer, my interview experience had confirmed that PPE was the right degree choice for me. The socialising at interview was as good as the actual interview itself. You are surrounded by a group of interesting and diverse individuals, all with no commitments (apart from less than two hours each sitting in interviews) for four days. We explored Oxford, went to cafes and pubs, joined in with the quiz nights in the JCR, and talked until the early hours of morning. We have all stayed friends, regardless of whether people received Oxford offers or not, and it is nice to have a network of people doing PPE the other top universities!

Where were you when you got your offer?

I was in bed! I had been madly refreshing UCAS on my phone from about 7:30am onwards, and it finally updated with my offer at 9:20am. After so long waiting, it surprisingly took me a few minutes to work up the courage to scroll down and view the decision, but as soon as I did, I screamed and ran downstairs to tell my family. They were ecstatic and I was so glad to make them proud.

Are you looking forward to going up to Oxford?

YES! I cannot wait! I am very excited to see my friends from interview again, and am really looking forward to starting my course. I hope that matriculation, formal hall, balls and all of the other Oxford traditions will be great fun too.
Reply 6
So, another brilliant chapter there, by Anon!

What really struck me here is the sheer volume of essay competitions available. With the lockdown on and time on your hands, it may be a good idea to look at some of these in future. It will give you good research and essay practice.

Or have a read of some of the books Anon used.

Maybe in this current crisis it's worth following the news and thinking if you could have handled the coronavirus better/differently if you were Boris Johnson or Rishi Sunak... There is really no shortage of both economics and politics articles around at the moment.

Mona123456, has written a chapter about Economics and Management, and if I remember rightly, she recommended reading The Economist. I would imagine this would be a good call.
Hi all! I am the anon who wrote this chapter (have made a new TSR account to stay anon on this thread). Please feel free to tag me in any questions you may have or drop me a PM!
Reply 9
I can confirm that the above user is indeed the op of this thread. Thanks so much @utilitarianism for all your hard work!
Original post by utilitarianism
Hi all! I am the anon who wrote this chapter (have made a new TSR account to stay anon on this thread). Please feel free to tag me in any questions you may have or drop me a PM!

I think that's really nice of you to give up your time to write this chapter.

I will try and remember to direct people to this thread who may be interested in PPE at Oxford
Original post by harrysbar
I think that's really nice of you to give up your time to write this chapter.

I will try and remember to direct people to this thread who may be interested in PPE at Oxford

Thank you! I enjoyed writing it - it was a great way to reflect of my experiences. The Oxford application process is very much a mystery for most people until they have actually been through it, so I really hope I can provide clarity for prospective applicants.

Prospective applicants should feel free to ask me anything at all about the process - whether they want reading recommendations, personal statement advice, TSA help, or interview tips, it would be a pleasure to answer their questions. No question is too silly, and they are welcome to PM me if they do not want to ask on this thread!
Original post by utilitarianism
Thank you! I enjoyed writing it - it was a great way to reflect of my experiences. The Oxford application process is very much a mystery for most people until they have actually been through it, so I really hope I can provide clarity for prospective applicants.

Prospective applicants should feel free to ask me anything at all about the process - whether they want reading recommendations, personal statement advice, TSA help, or interview tips, it would be a pleasure to answer their questions. No question is too silly, and they are welcome to PM me if they do not want to ask on this thread!

It's only been a few hours, but your chapter has already been viewed 80 times!
It’s been great to have so many PMs from everyone! Keep them coming/ask on this thread - very happy to answer qs!
Original post by utilitarianism
It’s been great to have so many PMs from everyone! Keep them coming/ask on this thread - very happy to answer qs!


Not a question, but great job on this chapter! It’s been interesting to read and I definitely agree lots of those book recommendations (I’m an E&M offer holder so at least we have a love for economics in common!). Best wishes and hopefully see you in Oxford! :smile:
It’s great that you and mona are answering questions, as I would normally get them and would be like a chocolate teapot trying to answer them!!
@Oxford Mum can you link me to the EandM chapter please?
Original post by Mona123456
Not a question, but great job on this chapter! It’s been interesting to read and I definitely agree lots of those book recommendations (I’m an E&M offer holder so at least we have a love for economics in common!). Best wishes and hopefully see you in Oxford! :smile:


Sorry! Only just seen this!

thanks for your kind words and I thought your chapter was fab too - very informative. It’s interesting to hear that we read lots of the same books!
Nice to see economics offer holders networking on this thread! Would not be surprised if your paths crossed at some point...