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

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bodybuilder22
Read the response to the thread you started 2 weeks ago that asked the same question, ditsy cow.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=19829092#post19829092


Haha. To be fair on her though, this question is a little different.

Now I'm going to try and answer from the awkward position of someone who only holds an offer, and thus all the details I provide are based on second-hand accounts from friends who study there / what I gleaned when up at interview

a) Close to Bodleian Library

I believe, as the library is pretty centrally located, that a lot of colleges are close by. Brasenose and Hertford are the most obvious, but Balliol/Trinity and the Turl Street colleges aren't exactly far.

b) Good bar/JCR etc.

I can't answer this, it's better for current or ex-students to tell you. All I know is that LMH is completing renovation of their JCR, but they're unfortunately far out from the centre.

c) Not too fussed about food, but preferrably decent kitchen facilities

As per b), I can't really help. In fact, I realise I'm not very helpful at all, so I've skipped to g) :biggrin:

g) I don't mind it big, in size or population so long as there's a friendly atmosphere

St. Anne's is one of the biggest colleges, but is also considered one of the most laid back and friendly. I kind of wish I'd applied there actually, as much as I love my (hopefully) future college. On the other hand, there are some that are considered, purely by stereotype, to be less friendly (Christ Church, Merton etc.), though I don't know how true these stereotypes are.

h) somewhere kids aren't TOO uptight over academics.. ie people who can take studying seriously, but still have fun.

There will surely be people like this in almost every college?

Basically, as you can see from the more general questions (i.e. the only type I'm at all able to answer :p:), you may find a lot of colleges fit your criteria. The best bet is to wait for actual students to narrow down your choices through the more specific questions (kitchen facilities, sports and music), and then make a shortlist, after which you MUST visit the university. I believe this is the only way of truly deciding on the best college for you. The college I ended up applying to wasn't even on my shortlist, in fact, I just turned up and loved it, it really does happen like that.

Best of luck. The only other advice I can give is to not post too many topics like this in the coming months, I'm sure it's annoying for the current students to have to answer.
MC REN
Geology has essays, but they are quite easy to write (nothing like english essays, etc) - and you have to write essays/brief notes in physics as well

MMS has no essays, it is just a branch of physics really


Essays in physics :eek:
girlodnyu
It was 12 for £1 at christmas and I can't believe I didn't take it up!
I thought it was monthly because I've only ever found it in two shops!
Where I live doesn't help this process much. Its so annoying! - library has shut down,nowhere sells the stuff I need to read and I go to a college with very poor grades! One of the other guys on the oxbride list has a D and a good few Cs out of only about 7 Gcse s.

Amazon Marketplace! Books for £3!

Graphix
I just became a subscriber!

I thought it was very expensive too, but I decided that the best value for money subscription is the annual student one - £1.70 per issue. It's not bad...

Hey, maybe after you're done with one issue, you could send it to me? :p: . I know it's the stereotype for a PPE candidate/student to read The Economist, but I don't think I'll bother. I read a bit of current affairs/opinion stuff online, and get the paper every now and then...
Disregard the previous post



:awesome:

(6 issues for £1? It'd be rude not to!)
Kneechuh
Disregard the previous post



:awesome:

(6 issues for £1? It'd be rude not to!)

Haha...

Before I got my subscription, I had the same view you had, but then I just couldn't resist...I felt like I was missing out on something...So far my subscription seems to have been worth it!
I'm a grades-permitting physnatsci starting next year, and I was wondering if any current students had any opinions on the reading list. I'm going to buy a few of the books off amazon just to have a read; are there any that are particularly useful or that I should avoid? I'm thinking of taking maths, physics, chemistry and possibly geology. Thanks in advance :smile:

http://www.cam.ac.uk/about/natscitripos/prospectus/reading.html
Reply 4286
Avatar for MC REN
MC REN
14
NoPurposeTortoise
I'm a grades-permitting physnatsci starting next year, and I was wondering if any current students had any opinions on the reading list. I'm going to buy a few of the books off amazon just to have a read; are there any that are particularly useful or that I should avoid? I'm thinking of taking maths, physics, chemistry and possibly geology. Thanks in advance :smile:

http://www.cam.ac.uk/about/natscitripos/prospectus/reading.html


Riley, Hobson and Bence (Maths book) is probably worthwhile (but probably cheaper when you arrive, and not really much point 'having a read' of it, more of a reference book)

Wouldn't bother with any physics books

'Why Chemical Reactions Happen' is a nice book, but the notes you get in first year are basically the same, so might be fun to read it beforehand, but not really essential

I had a Geology book called 'Exploring Earth' or something which was quite nice, I read it over one of the holidays. Since Geology is essay based, and you will get marks for anything relevant (whether it has been taught or not) and the lecture notes aren't massively comprehensive then maybe a geology book would be a good idea
MC REN
Riley, Hobson and Bence (Maths book) is probably worthwhile (but probably cheaper when you arrive, and not really much point 'having a read' of it, more of a reference book)

Wouldn't bother with any physics books

'Why Chemical Reactions Happen' is a nice book, but the notes you get in first year are basically the same, so might be fun to read it beforehand, but not really essential

I had a Geology book called 'Exploring Earth' or something which was quite nice, I read it over one of the holidays. Since Geology is essay based, and you will get marks for anything relevant (whether it has been taught or not) and the lecture notes aren't massively comprehensive then maybe a geology book would be a good idea


Thanks a lot :smile: I'll definately be getting a geology book then - I figure it will at least give me an indication of whether I might like it or not!
so far i have bought 2 issues, generally its a very interesting read, but in my opinion isn't that economics heavy, its actually good for politics side as well! i'm going to subscribe soon :smile:
Reply 4289
Avatar for MC REN
MC REN
14
NoPurposeTortoise


stuff



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exploring-Earth-Introduction-Physical-Geology/dp/0134639367/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248114379&sr=8-3

is only £3.31 and is the one I have - it is on the reading list (pg 22) and is highly recommended apparently

http://www.esc.cam.ac.uk/esc/files/Department/teaching/ia-geology-course-guide-2008.pdf
tom gavin
so far i have bought 2 issues, generally its a very interesting read, but in my opinion isn't that economics heavy, its actually good for politics side as well! i'm going to subscribe soon :smile:

Yeah - although it's called The Economist, there is more focus on the politics side. You can really get a sense, though, of the link between the two subjects.
Reply 4291
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Gaia90
Any comments on the reading lists of Cells, Evolution and behavior and Physiology? (I'll read "Why Geese don't get obese" just because of the title though :tongue:). And about "statistics without tears"?
Gaia90
Any comments on the reading lists of Cells, Evolution and behavior and Physiology? (I'll read "Why Geese don't get obese" just because of the title though :tongue:). And about "statistics without tears"?


Not sure about the reading lists but this is what I found most useful this year...

Cells - Molecular biology of the cell (although this is expensive so I wouldn't buy it till you see if you really need it), Molecular biology - instant notes (useful for Welch lectures in Lent term)

E&B - Evolution (Barton), Evolution for dummies (lol - but actually really good if you haven't done much evolution before, it covers Mich term well and is good for light reading).

Physiology - Eckert animal physiology (This is the "core" textbook), Hill wyse and anderson (A lot of people in my college preferred this to Eckert), Taiz and Zeiger (for the plants part of the course), Raven et al (also good and more simple for the plants stuff), Reaching for the sun (another plants book, good for a general overview and quite a nice read)

QB - I personally wouldn't bother reading around because it isn't necessary and there are a lot more interesting things you could be doing. Statistics is only part of the QB course and to be honest it is enough to do practice questions. Might be a useful book for biologists who don't want to do QB though as a sort of statistical introduction.

Hope this helps.
yes especially as it is split into sections which have similar stories. Im a bit underprepared on the economics side but im going to buy an AS textbook and read a few novels to get up to scratch
I'm hoping to apply in September, depending on what happens on results day, for Natural Sciences. Looking at the Cambridge website, it lists which colleges do tests at interviews and which don't.

But what is actually involved in the tests? Does it mean that you get sat in another room with an exam paper for an hour or is it just a quick question given to you in the interview itself? Also, if a college is listed as "interview only" does that mean there definitely will be no tests whatsoever or that they could still ask you the odd question in the interview itself if they felt like it.
As far as I'm aware, you'll always be asked academic questions in your interview, and if you perceive that as a 'test'... well, I guess some might. But I think where 'test at interview' is specified, it means a written test in another room as you suggest.
For NatSci I think the only test is the TSA which is a bit like a dodgy IQ test which they don't really put much weighting on. However don't quote me on that, I might be being an idiot.

phil.
The only test I had was the TSA, which wasn't really science-related at all - but most of the interview(s) consisted of science questions so those were essentially oral tests.
Could the questions asked cover any of the sciences? Because I'm particularly interested in physics and I didn't take any science A/S levels other than physics, so could I be asked chemistry or biology questions?

And thanks for all the replies by the way. Any information is much appreciated.
SuperNinja09
I'm hoping to apply in September, depending on what happens on results day, for Natural Sciences. Looking at the Cambridge website, it lists which colleges do tests at interviews and which don't.

But what is actually involved in the tests? Does it mean that you get sat in another room with an exam paper for an hour or is it just a quick question given to you in the interview itself? Also, if a college is listed as "interview only" does that mean there definitely will be no tests whatsoever or that they could still ask you the odd question in the interview itself if they felt like it.


Check both the prospectus for NatSci and what the college says. It may be that you'll sit the TSA or a specific test for that college.

For my college, I sat two tests. the hour long one was non-subject specific and was to check our essay writing ability. the hour and half long one was a subject one to check our knowledge and essay writing skills. for one of the tests we also had to write a 100 word summary of the essay we'd just written (which took about 30 mins), this was to check how concise we were and our ability to summarise.

but if you have a couple of colleges in mind to apply to, then send an email to the admissions secretary to clarify what they require from applicants (i had to send in two referrences, sit the two tests, take two exams; for the other college i looked at, i would have had to send in an academic CV, a college essay, sat an exam and attended an interview)... so it's different for different colleges.

hope that helps to clear things up some!

Pixie.

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