Oxford PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) Students and Applicants

eh? are you agreeing or criticizing?

do you know the answers for these?

I haven't seen a 'crikey' in ages.
But whoo , good choice. It seems like a lovely college.

loool, anything interesting?

I would certainly hope so: Road to Serfdom, Hayek; Think, Blackburn; Political Philosophy, Swift; The Problems of Philosophy, Russel and a few short introductions (Hume, Nietzsche, Locke and British Politics). The 3 for 2 offer meant I just had to keep adding books, really saved me money...

Most of them are short, so shouldn't actually take too long (i.e. pre-interview reading ).

hi,

i am currently in year 12, studying art, english, chemistry and physics and am wondering about the significance of having both maths and history a-levels?

i have read a couple of threads in which it is mentioned that these subjects are helpful/desirable, and am curious to know if i will be at a considerable disadvantage against other aplicants.

thanks,

seb.

do the practice paper on the website.

Dude, you should have just joined a library! I joined leeds library on saturday and they have all the books I'll ever need. Got Albert Camus's Myth of Sisyphus out and its pretty interesting so far.

Out of those, the only one i have read is Think (and of course a few short intoductions, which are obligatory)

i tried reading Hayek's road to sefdom, but it really doesn't apply to today anymore, he was writting around 1944 before the dangers of socialism were known... nowdays Hayek's comments just don't seem relevant anymore since that old form of socialism no longer exists in europe.

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7. My Personal Statement
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For the past four years I have developed a strong interest in philosophy and politics and greatly enjoyed debates on these topics. Upon studying economics in the sixth form I found it to be a fascinating topic, especially since it complemented many of the political issues I had been interested in, such as the economic problems facing Nazi Germany for much of the inter-war period.
Politics has been a hobby outside school for the past few years. I have spent much time debating politics with friends and I find myself continually re-evaluating my own views, especially with regards to political theory. I am especially interested in the politics of Germany during the Nazi era. On that particular topic I have found ‘Rise and fall of the Third Reich” by William Shirer to be of particular interest. I find Hitler’s use of effective propaganda, especially with regards to the indoctrination of the Hitler youth truly incredible, as well as how it relates to modern propaganda techniques suggested by Noam Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent.
During my time doing Economics I have found many aspects of the course that interest me, such as the debate on whether or not Britain should join the Euro, and I personally agree with Gordon Brown that in economic terms, joining the Euro is a bad idea at present, however at the same time I believe that as a political decision, joining the Euro would be beneficial, both to Britain and the rest of Europe. I believe the decision to commit Britain’s control over interest rates to a European body is dangerous at a time when Britain is relatively thriving when compared to Germany, who are trying to struggle out of a recession.
I believe Philosophy is one of the fundamental components of political theory. Political Philosophy will ask such questions as, “Are certain Political theories better adapted to human nature than others”. This comes down the question of human nature and idea’s such as nature vs. nurture as to whether man’s behaviour is primarily dependent on ones genes, and hence biological ancestry, or is affected throughout ones life by the actions of others around them, especially during childhood when most people are most impressionable.
My Economics was also furthered by my participation in the Young Enterprise competition. I was Marketing Director and learnt the importance of good communication skills both within the company and to clients. I also took the Young Enterprise exam and managed to attain a Distinction. Within the Perse School I have attained both music and drama colours, the latter being for doing sound for various school drama events.
I enjoy sports, especially racket sports like squash and badminton. I have a strong love of music, both listening and playing. I have played the drums for 7 years and am presently working towards my Grade 8 drums. I play in the school Wind Band and Swing Band as well in my own band, Xeoro, and I hope that I will be able to further myself during my university years by actively participating in the Musical activities the University has to offer.
The balance of schoolwork, musical activities and keeping a social life while still keeping time to pursue other hobbies has meant that I learnt to cope with a busy lifestyle. I believe this will help me cope with the hard work needed to succeed in university life and that in doing this course I can combine and further enhance my interests in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

Indeed, 3 other people are applying there from my school

None for PPE though


Well if I get an interview then I'm sure you'll hear many more strange things I say, crikey, wench, harlot and fiend are just a few....


On the plus side I think I'm finally finished with my personal statement (at last)


On a serious note, can anyone offer and advice on preparing for the test at all?

-Guy

Why is London Prophet's PS there?