Urgent - need advice on ppe application

Hi All! I would like some feedback on my application! I am particularly worried that my gcses may hold me back and warrant immediate rejections.

PPE: KCL, UCL, Warwick, not sure on 4th or 5th choice yet.

GCSEs 8s: Religious Studies, History, Spanish
GCSEs 7s: Maths, Chemistry, Biology, English Language
GCSEs 6s: English Literature, Physics

Predicted A-Level grades 4 A*: Spanish, Maths, Religious Studies, History

School: Grammar School

Super curricular:
1 - 2 Spring Pod Law Virtual Work Experiences
2 - Spring Pod Politics Virtual Work Experiences
3 - 2 day Crown Court placement
4 - 3 day asylum law firm placement
5 - Essay competitions like Think (philosophy), John Locke (economics) and LSE
6 - Read 'Why nations fail', 'The art of thinking clearly', ‘Justice’
7 - listened to BBC In Our Time podcast
8 - part of a selected team for a debating competition
9 - TEFL Course (dont know if it is totally relevant)

How realistic are my chances?
How competitive is my application?
What more can I do to improve it?

Thank youuu!

(edited 3 weeks ago)

Reply 1

wily-sunflower

14

The universities you've chosen place a strong emphasis on the personal statement, so your chances will depend heavily on that. Even some of my friends with top stats got rejected because of their personal statement. No one can predict your chances for a competitive course like PPE.

Reply 2

kiyokomoon

OP

11

Original post by wily-sunflower

The universities you've chosen place a strong emphasis on the personal statement, so your chances will depend heavily on that. Even some of my friends with top stats got rejected because of their personal statement. No one can predict your chances for a competitive course like PPE.

So would u say that if i have a strong personal statement, my gcse grades shouldn’t be too much of a concern?

Reply 3

wily-sunflower

14

Not necessarily. It’s a case-by-case situation since applications are looked at holistically. Ideally, you’ll want strong grades and a stellar personal statement, but factors like your school context or whether you were eligible for free school meals can also play a role.

Reply 4

kiyokomoon

OP

11

Thank you, if you could offer any advice on how to make a personal statement stand out, and be strong, given the new personal stamens format, I would be so grateful. thank you

Reply 5

wily-sunflower

14

I’m not too familiar with the new format, but I believe it’s structured around three questions. It’s best to focus on showcasing your thought process - for example, instead of listing activities, highlight moments where you engaged deeply with an idea. You could say something like, 'While working on X project, I realised Y, which made me question how this concept might apply in different contexts.' Universities prefer to see how you think and approach problems, rather than just a list of essay competitions or books you’ve read, since many applicants have done those.

Reply 6

kiyokomoon

OP

11

okay, i will make sure to talk about the process each super curricular took me through. thank you!

Reply 7

sophtsr

1

Maybe make your 5th choice an insurance choice just in case. Have you already achieved 4A* at A-level?

Reply 8

kiyokomoon

OP

11

No, I’m in year 12, and am predicted those grades.
Are there any unis you woudl recommend that are maybe a lower ranking russel group, or not one at all that are good for PPE?

Reply 9

Blobfish12345

12

Original post by Sparxz

No, I’m in year 12, and am predicted those grades.
Are there any unis you woudl recommend that are maybe a lower ranking russel group, or not one at all that are good for PPE?

York?

Reply 10

m222rw

4

Original post by Sparxz

No, I’m in year 12, and am predicted those grades.
Are there any unis you woudl recommend that are maybe a lower ranking russel group, or not one at all that are good for PPE?

Bath is a good safety

Reply 11

bumba123

11

@Sparxz you have great A-level predicted and some good super-curriculars. I'm not sure about LSE, but you should get into at least one of your choices. Pick a solid safety, though (a lower russell group sounds like a good idea) as there is a chance you won't make it in to any, even if it is quite low. I'm probably really unqualified to give advice (I'm in year 12 rn aswell) but just based off what I've seen and heard you should be a pretty competitive applicant. Good luck!

Reply 12

kiyokomoon

OP

11

thank you, i will take that into consideration!

Reply 13

bumba123

11

Take part in some more PPE-focused extracurriculars aswell

Reply 14

kiyokomoon

OP

11

Original post by bumba123

Take part in some more PPE-focused extracurriculars aswell

do you have any examples?

(edited 3 weeks ago)

Reply 15

Ellie-mentary

8

Hey, I’m a current PPE student at Durham. My advice for personal statements would be that it matters more how you write about any supercurriculars/experiences, what you learnt from it, your personal take on any reading/issues related to PPE and how this inspired you to pursue PPE further, than the amount/specific type of super curricular you talk about in your application.

That being said I would always recommend brainstorming what specifically interests you about the subject areas then doing some further reading into those (this doesn’t just have to be books, but articles, essays, even listening to podcasts) - google scholar and past university reading lists may be a good resource for this. It also may help if you try and find links between supercurriculars/books/experiences you’ve done in the different strands of Philosophy, Politics and Economics, as this can help show and develop enthusiasm for finding the intersection between the three subjects. So far your supercurriculars look strong!

Reply 16

kiyokomoon

OP

11

Original post by Ellie-mentary

Hey, I’m a current PPE student at Durham. My advice for personal statements would be that it matters more how you write about any supercurriculars/experiences, what you learnt from it, your personal take on any reading/issues related to PPE and how this inspired you to pursue PPE further, than the amount/specific type of super curricular you talk about in your application.
That being said I would always recommend brainstorming what specifically interests you about the subject areas then doing some further reading into those (this doesn’t just have to be books, but articles, essays, even listening to podcasts) - google scholar and past university reading lists may be a good resource for this. It also may help if you try and find links between supercurriculars/books/experiences you’ve done in the different strands of Philosophy, Politics and Economics, as this can help show and develop enthusiasm for finding the intersection between the three subjects. So far your supercurriculars look strong!

thank you so much for the advice, i’ll defo take that on board. would you be able to ease my mind about my gcse grades at all, and if they will hinder me and make me less likely to be able to aim for a higher russell group?

Reply 17

Ellie-mentary

8

Original post by Sparxz

thank you so much for the advice, i’ll defo take that on board. would you be able to ease my mind about my gcse grades at all, and if they will hinder me and make me less likely to be able to aim for a higher russell group?

I think your 4A* predicted A Levels will certainly outweigh your GCSE grades, just remember that unis take into account your whole application. For example, I applied to uni with a strong set of GCSEs but AAA predicted, I thought this would hinder my application but I still ended up getting 4/5 offers including an A*AA offer from Durham, I think my personal statement definitely helped in this.

At the end of the day, you’re set on PPE and can’t change your grades (although they’re certainly not bad anyway), so all you can do is try your best and see what happens.

Reply 18

bumba123

11

Original post by Sparxz

thank you so much for the advice, i’ll defo take that on board. would you be able to ease my mind about my gcse grades at all, and if they will hinder me and make me less likely to be able to aim for a higher russell group?

Your GCSE's will hinder you, though not significantly. Anyways, your 4A* more than compensate - you've shown your motivated and hardworking and can succeed at A-level. Does depend on how lightly your school gives out A* predicted though

Reply 19

kiyokomoon

OP

11

thank youu

Urgent - need advice on ppe application

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