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

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Reply 4480
Avatar for Mia:x
Mia:x
10
Mrs Carrothead
I didn't sit AS maths, and only got an A at GCSE, and I still got in. Only Oriel though, it's no Magdalen :tongue:.



Well, Oriel is where I want to apply :P I think I'll drop it and give PPE a shot, hopefully i'll get in somewhere, maths can't play that much of a big part in the course, only in the economics I can imagine?
x
Reply 4481
Avatar for JXPES
JXPES
http://www.cam.ac.uk/about/natscitripos/prospectus/reading.html :smile:
Reply 4482
Avatar for sTucker
sTucker
Quick question - to anyone that did Evolution and Behaviour in first year: I didn't do Biology A level, will this put me at a huge disadvantage?
Reply 4483
Avatar for JXPES
JXPES
I'm stuck choosing between biology of cells, MMS or Geology. What's your experience of them? I also have no experience in A level Biology :/
Other than the obvious (Balliol, Merton, Magdalen, and Christ Church), are there any other colleges that are particularly competitive for PPE? I'm trying to decide between New and Oriel....
JXPES
I'm stuck choosing between biology of cells, MMS or Geology. What's your experience of them? I also have no experience in A level Biology :/

I've got a friend who did Cell's without Biology at A-level she found it alright, most of the things you do you end up surpassing what you would learn at A-level pretty quickly, grab an A-level textbook/the recommended book to familiarise yourself with some stuff though.

I did geology having never studied it before, to begin with you feel like you're being bombarded with all this new terminology which you never feel like you would be able to know, however by the end of the year it all sinks in (by osmosis almost!) Plus you do get the trip at the end of Lent to Arran which was one of the most fun parts of the year.

I cant really comment on Materials, other than you do get free Silly Putty from the practicals!
marlowe92
Other than the obvious (Balliol, Merton, Magdalen, and Christ Church), are there any other colleges that are particularly competitive for PPE? I'm trying to decide between New and Oriel....

Univ - but don't apply there... :P
Graphix
Univ - but don't apply there... :P


Why not, surely every Oxford College is excellent?
sTucker
Quick question - to anyone that did Evolution and Behaviour in first year: I didn't do Biology A level, will this put me at a huge disadvantage?


It won't be a huge disadvantage...actually very little of my A level course had anything relevant. I found some people had an AEA in biology so they had covered a bit of evolution. Maybe get hold of a revision guide (or my personal fav - Evolution for dummies lol) as these will make you more confident. I don't see it being a problem though and lots of physics/chemistry people take it!
JXPES
I'm stuck choosing between biology of cells, MMS or Geology. What's your experience of them? I also have no experience in A level Biology :/


I only did cells out of the choice above. I had done biology for A level but I know a few people who hadn't. The people I knew definitely had to put more work in than me so if you have a more physics background you might find yourself on more level-footing if you stick to the physical sciences. If however you don't mind a challenge then cells is quite a good course!

Friends who did geology really liked it (apparently physics is more useful than geography for it). People I know who did MMS seemed to like the course but don't plan to keep it on for 1B. I think the exam is a bit different to what most physical scientists are used to. I may be wrong but I think the exam questions require more prose than the other physical options. This is all I know about these 2 choices. Good luck with your decision.

p.s. I think you probably can change your mind in the first few weeks!
dorian gray
Why not, surely every Oxford College is excellent?


I think she meant that she was applying there as well and doesn't want me to apply because the more people who apply the more competitive admissions are for the college:smile:

GRAPHIX

:p: Hehe, Graphix, no worries, I'm very much set on New. It seems to be awfully popular this year, though :eek3:
marlowe92
I think she meant that she was applying there as well and doesn't want me to apply because the more people who apply the more competitive admissions are for the college:smile:


:p: Hehe, Graphix, no worries, I'm very much set on New. It seems to be awfully popular this year, though :eek3:

Yes, that's what I meant :p:

New is a lovely college - good luck with your application.

How are things going with your prep? Reading, PS...?
Reply 4492
Avatar for JXPES
JXPES
Thanks for the replies. From what I read about MMS so far, it's can be boring but there are a few people who enjoy it.
Fun is all I hear about Geology but is the workload really that intense?
What kind of work do you do eg any essays per week?
And how about MMS, what kind of work are you expected to produce? Again is it just essays?
Reply 4493
Avatar for Caerus
Caerus
marlowe92


:p: Hehe, Graphix, no worries, I'm very much set on New. It seems to be awfully popular this year, though :eek3:


Good choice :smile:

I don't think it makes too much difference where you apply as admission is done through one massive database, so college choice doesn't affect overall chances; although I think there are more than a proportionate amount of people applying to New.

Anyway, hope to see you at interview
Caerus
Good choice :smile:

I don't think it makes too much difference where you apply as admission is done through one massive database, so college choice doesn't affect overall chances; although I think there are more than a proportionate amount of people applying to New.

Anyway, hope to see you at interview


I'm going to do the same A-Levels as you :yep:! How did you find AS Mathematics?

From what I've read, the amount of PPE students accepted by colleges that offer the course hovers around the dozen mark. Is that correct?
JXPES
Thanks for the replies. From what I read about MMS so far, it's can be boring but there are a few people who enjoy it.
Fun is all I hear about Geology but is the workload really that intense?
What kind of work do you do eg any essays per week?
And how about MMS, what kind of work are you expected to produce? Again is it just essays?

For Geology (this depends on your supervisor!) you generally have one essay/a couple of maps/a couple of thin sections (looking down a microscope of a slide of a rock to identify it) a week to do for them (they really weren't too bad they generally just took an afternoon to research and write, not like a real History/English essay!), on top of that you then have 3 (1 hour) practicals a week which are unassessed but prepare you for the practical exam and three lectures.
The average is 7 - http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/colleges/undergraduate_numbers_by_college/index.html, brought down slightly by some colleges that only have about 2/year. [remember to divide the numbers by 3, since it's a 3 yr course]
Reply 4497
Avatar for Gaia90
Gaia90
I'm reading "Reaching for the sun" and "The Ancestor's Tale", but I've also bought "Why elephants have big ears" (couldn't find "why geese don't get obese" on amazon :frown: )...
The first two are really good, especially the "reaching for the sun" :smile:
Reply 4498
Avatar for hslt
hslt
12
I'm actually at cambridge so don't know anything about specific colleges in oxford HOWEVER I would say that whichever college you go to will be essentially the same experience as far as your course goes. Most people choose based on accomodation, area, architecture, sporting/musical prowess, facilities, number of people doing the course there, size of college etc.

My friend is at Corpus Christi Oxford doing PPE and he loves it there, but the college really effects social life a lot more than work/degree I would say. Also he didn't even do maths at A level, just did physics, so corpus doesn't care too much about the maths side - no idea about other colleges.

If you are particularly academic you may want to google supervisors at individual colleges to see what they're into - though the accomoplishments of a supervisor (or i think they're tutors in oxford) don't mean too much in how good they'll be for you!
Christelle19
Hey,

I'll be applying for PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) this autumn, but I'm hesitating between many colleges at Oxford. The colleges I enjoyed visiting where Balliol, University, New, Hertford and Wadham.
I know that Balliol is famous for its PPE course, but why is that ? Is there really a difference between Balliol and, say, Herford?

Besides this, due to course/hour limitations in my European Baccalaureate, I was only able to choose standard maths instead of advanced maths which I had originally wanted to take. Will this be a problem? and are certain colleges softer on the maths side ? or will it make no difference since I do take standard maths and higher economics ?

Thanks :smile:


No college is "softer on the maths side" once you're in, as the course is set centrally, and you'll take the same exams (give or take the odd option between, say, Logic and Ethics) as all other PPE students at the end of your first year.

Balliol's reputation possibly stems from its alumni, which in turn attracts a certain type of tutor... but after you graduate, no-one is going to care which college you went to - they're just going to care that you went to Oxford and got a PPE degree. Seriously, apply to whichever college you like best.

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