Oxford PPE Application Advice for Scottish Student

Hi, apologies if this isn't the right place for this. I go to secondary school in Scotland and hope to study PPE at Oxford, but my school don't offer any help for English Universities and I'm pretty lost.
Here are my grades for context:
National 5 (GCSE) -
9 1s (equivalent to 9 9s or 9 A*s) in Maths, Applications of Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, French, and D&M (D&T equivalent).
Higher (not sure what this is equivalent to) -
6 1s (or 6 A*s) in Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, History, and D&M (D&T).
I am now studying Advanced Highers (A - Level equivalent?) in Maths, English, and History, as well as an additional Higher in RMPS (for some academic background in Philosophy).
It would be very helpful if anyone could answer the following questions:
1. How do my Scottish grades convert to English ones? The PPE course page says I require 2 As at Advanced Higher instead of 3 As at A - Level, but I can't see anything about National 5s or Highers. Will my Highers count at all, given they don't really have an English equivalent?
2. What expectation is there for extra/supercurricular activities? I have won a public speaking competition in Glasgow, received several UKMT Golds, led assemblies at school regarding how to do well in exams, attended several debating events at Edinburgh University, and tutored/mentored other students in Maths/Public Speaking among other things. This isn't really an extracurricular, but I taught myself the entirety of the Higher Maths course without attending any classes.
3. How do I structure my personal statement? Since there are 3 components to this course, should I tackle each of them in a serial fashion and then try to tie them together at the end?
4. What expectation do they have of my knowledge of each component of the degree? My school has never offered courses in Philosophy, Politics, or Economics even though the SQA offer them.
5. Are my chosen Advanced Highers a good pick for PPE? And are my previous subjects studied also a good fit?
Thank you very much.

Hi, apologies if this isn't the right place for this. I go to secondary school in Scotland and hope to study PPE at Oxford, but my school don't offer any help for English Universities and I'm pretty lost.
Here are my grades for context:
National 5 (GCSE) -
9 1s (equivalent to 9 9s or 9 A*s) in Maths, Applications of Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, French, and D&M (D&T equivalent).
Higher (not sure what this is equivalent to) -
6 1s (or 6 A*s) in Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, History, and D&M (D&T).
I am now studying Advanced Highers (A - Level equivalent?) in Maths, English, and History, as well as an additional Higher in RMPS (for some academic background in Philosophy).
It would be very helpful if anyone could answer the following questions:
1. How do my Scottish grades convert to English ones? The PPE course page says I require 2 As at Advanced Higher instead of 3 As at A - Level, but I can't see anything about National 5s or Highers. Will my Highers count at all, given they don't really have an English equivalent?
2. What expectation is there for extra/supercurricular activities? I have won a public speaking competition in Glasgow, received several UKMT Golds, led assemblies at school regarding how to do well in exams, attended several debating events at Edinburgh University, and tutored/mentored other students in Maths/Public Speaking among other things. This isn't really an extracurricular, but I taught myself the entirety of the Higher Maths course without attending any classes.
3. How do I structure my personal statement? Since there are 3 components to this course, should I tackle each of them in a serial fashion and then try to tie them together at the end?
4. What expectation do they have of my knowledge of each component of the degree? My school has never offered courses in Philosophy, Politics, or Economics even though the SQA offer them.
5. Are my chosen Advanced Highers a good pick for PPE? And are my previous subjects studied also a good fit?
Thank you very much.

1) Your Highers definitely count, even if the offer is based on Advanced Highers. Strong grades at Higher level will support your application, showing overall academic ability. I think they ask for 5 A's at higher for literally any course there anyways.
2) Your extracurriculars are impressive and relevant. Winning a public speaking competition, UKMT Golds, and tutoring show leadership and intellectual curiosity, which are great for PPE.
3) Focus on why you're interested in each component of PPE—Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Discuss your experiences related to each, then tie them together, explaining why PPE as a combined course appeals to you etcc. Link your extracurriculars to skills relevant to PPE.
4) They don’t expect deep knowledge of all three subjects but look for genuine interest and engagement. Show that you’ve explored each subject through reading, lectures, or current events.
5) If your Advanced Highers involve analytical, writing, or critical thinking skills (like Maths, Economics, or History), you're on the right track. Your Highers also contribute to showing a solid academic foundation.
Goodluck on your application, I'm from Glasgow, also applying to Oxford this year! <3

1) The admissions tutors will be very familiar with the Scottish system — it’s hardly some exotic, obscure country! You’ve achieved the highest grades possible so far, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about on that front.
2) Very little. The only extra/supercurricular that is really of any importance is wider reading, and even then, not mainly because it will directly impress admissions tutors; rather, it will develop the kinds of skills and interests which are likely to help you perform more strongly at interview. Of course, as the post above me said, your other extracurriculars will certainly do you no harm.
3) Oxford themselves say that the personal statement is of ‘low importance’ for PPE admissions, so in a sense it doesn’t matter a great deal how you structure it. Just do whatever feels most natural to you and highlights your genuine interests. One thing I will say is that there’s no explicitly interdisciplinary element to the Oxford PPE course; you simply study (more-or-less) the same discrete options in each of the three subjects that those doing the other joint schools involving them do. Still, there are a lot of natural links between the three, so there’s no harm talking about them if they interest you.
4) In any substantial sense, none at all. I didn’t do any of the three subjects at school, and I don’t feel like that’s disadvantaged me at all. Now, as I mentioned you should be doing some reading in each of the three subjects, and have something that interests you in each of them that you can talk about at interview if needs be, but there’s absolutely no expectation that you’ll have tried to systematically teach yourself an overview of them. The interviews will certainly not rely on any specific knowledge (beyond perhaps a general awareness of current affairs of the kind that you can simply get from regularly reading the news).
5) Yes, they’re completely fine. History and, above all, maths are ideal.
Edit: something you didn’t mention in your post is the TSA. This is the most important factor used in shortlisting for interview, so practicing past papers is definitely one of the best things you can be doing to maximise your chances!

Thanks a lot for your detailed reply. I am roughly halfway through “Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy” and plan to read “The Undercover Economist” afterwards. I have completed a few past papers for section 1 of the TSA and have scored 41 - 44/50, but hopefully will improve that by the time I sit the test on the 24th. Do you have any tips for the TSA - particularly the essay section?

Sounds like you’re on the right track with reading. Those are also really good TSA scores, especially if you’ve only recently started practicing! The essay section is much less important than Section 1, but basically just generic analytical essay-writing tips — a clear argument, well-supported by reasons and which fairly considers other viewpoints, and which has good organisation and structure.

Thanks for your advice. Sorry to ask a million questions, but I was just wondering one last thing. Is it relevant whether I study 3 or 4 subjects? I had the option to study AH Physics but chose against it as I didn’t love the subject and thought it wasn’t particularly relevant.

No, it almost certainly doesn’t matter, especially if the offer only consists of two AHs.

Thanks a lot for your detailed reply. I am roughly halfway through “Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy” and plan to read “The Undercover Economist” afterwards. I have completed a few past papers for section 1 of the TSA and have scored 41 - 44/50, but hopefully will improve that by the time I sit the test on the 24th. Do you have any tips for the TSA - particularly the essay section?

Hi, apologies if this isn't the right place for this. I go to secondary school in Scotland and hope to study PPE at Oxford, but my school don't offer any help for English Universities and I'm pretty lost.
Here are my grades for context:
National 5 (GCSE) -
9 1s (equivalent to 9 9s or 9 A*s) in Maths, Applications of Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, French, and D&M (D&T equivalent).
Higher (not sure what this is equivalent to) -
6 1s (or 6 A*s) in Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, History, and D&M (D&T).
I am now studying Advanced Highers (A - Level equivalent?) in Maths, English, and History, as well as an additional Higher in RMPS (for some academic background in Philosophy).
It would be very helpful if anyone could answer the following questions:
1. How do my Scottish grades convert to English ones? The PPE course page says I require 2 As at Advanced Higher instead of 3 As at A - Level, but I can't see anything about National 5s or Highers. Will my Highers count at all, given they don't really have an English equivalent?
2. What expectation is there for extra/supercurricular activities? I have won a public speaking competition in Glasgow, received several UKMT Golds, led assemblies at school regarding how to do well in exams, attended several debating events at Edinburgh University, and tutored/mentored other students in Maths/Public Speaking among other things. This isn't really an extracurricular, but I taught myself the entirety of the Higher Maths course without attending any classes.
3. How do I structure my personal statement? Since there are 3 components to this course, should I tackle each of them in a serial fashion and then try to tie them together at the end?
4. What expectation do they have of my knowledge of each component of the degree? My school has never offered courses in Philosophy, Politics, or Economics even though the SQA offer them.
5. Are my chosen Advanced Highers a good pick for PPE? And are my previous subjects studied also a good fit?
Thank you very much.

English Glasgow uni student here, with an Oxford research internship from last summer.
Very best of luck!

Thanks for all of the responses. I have attempted more TSA past papers as many of you suggested and have tried completing an essay under timed conditions. I was wondering if anyone could advise me as to how well I did and where I need to improve in my first essay:
Would society be better if there were more scientists in positions of political power?

Society would not be better if there were more scientists in positions of political power. This is considering that a “better” society is one in which the government more effectively delivers on the needs of the general populace. While the common narrative is that politicians are detached from “real” people’s lives, this essay will argue that they provide the relevant management skills required to consider the needs of all people, rather than becoming fixated on a single issue as scientists often are.
Crucially, positions of power do not require expertise in science. The Health Secretary would not be expected to carry out an operation or administer medicine – but he certainly would be expected to allocate funding appropriately to different hospitals and clinics. This is a skill for which a scientist presumably has no training. Though they do have greater scientific acumen, this is irrelevant to this post. A politician, who most likely would have a degree in Politics, Economics and Management, or PPE, would have the necessary management skills required to allocate funding. This decision would be aided by a team of specialists in the minister’s department, ensuring that a range of views are considered – not just a scientist’s highly specialised one. It is eminently clear that a lower-ranking post, which contributes to a lesser but not insignificant degree, is best suited for scientists.
This leads into another key point – that scientists are too fixated on a specific field of study to make a decision that is to the benefit of the masses. Suppose a Physicist – who has devoted all his life to the study of Physics – is pushed to divert funds away from a research facility to provide greater funding for pensioners. Is it likely that he will be able to overcome his axiomatic bias towards scientific inquiry? No – it is likely that he, like many scientists, will believe that inquiry and research in his field is of the utmost importance and value to society. While this may indeed lead to advancements in Physics, it will also leave pensioners without adequate heating, or food. A politician, without having devoted their life to any one field of expertise, could offer a more balanced decision – one that is likely to please most people to boost their re-election chances. This would be better as it would more effectively meet the needs of the populace.
Proponents of this argue that scientists have knowledge and expertise that politicians cannot replicate, which would lead to wiser decisions being made regarding health for example. This is spurious: politicians have a team of experts around them. We have no deficiency in knowledge in government. Hence, we need people in power who can evaluate that knowledge and makes a decision to the benefit of the masses. Their experience in management and leadership makes politicians best-suited.
Ultimately, it is clear that the far more pertinent management skills of politicians – which scientists lack – make them much better-suited for powerful posts, leading to a society where policies benefit the masses.
Timing: 24:41.
(I have typed this up after having handwritten it on two sides of lined A4).