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

I find it highly unlikely you'll fully understand/be able to talk about Kant, Hegel or Nietzsche without reading a *lot* of books about it. I'd recommend Descartes and Hume, some Plato would be good, and then modern epistemology and metaphysics things (e.g. Gettier). Oh, and some ethics, they love that in interviews - Mill's Utilitarianism? They'll be much more useful for the interview and for the first year, should you get in.

Can't comment on the other P or E.

yeah you won't be able to understand hegel. to be honest even if you think you understand kant you probably don't (unless you're just reading ethics).

tbh i don't understand why everyone gets so excited by the idea of reading primary texts for this sort of thing, unless you think it's just a signalling effect. you will not be asked about a list of books you have provided, so it is much better to read more contemporary stuff which will make you better at answering questions (especially if your intention is to do well in the interview, rather than just get smarter)

almost everything you've referred to is really old, anyway.

The key thing with Oxbridge admissions is that expect you to have all the background knowledge intact, and they will quiz you on it. But they also want you to go t he extra mile, assert and define your own beliefs and then reinforce them with your own reasoning. They are looking for independent thinkers, not ones who just spend hours buried in a book and are able to parrot off a list of names and dates.

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I'm also quite interesting about computer science and its place in Philosophy. I find Alan Turning to be extremely interesting.. But I guess reading about him wouldn't really help my interview.

Did you know that Oxford are introducing a new Computer Science and Philosophy joint degree?

Not having four AS will make your application a lot less competitive against others, and so will your lack of A-Level History.

Maybe I should consider adding up history, at least for AS.

Thanks. I feel a lot better now. My GCSE results are 4A*s 3As and 1B for additional mathematics. I suppose being actively involved in the school magazine/winning some essay competitions throughout my schooling years would give them the same idea too, no?

I doubt you would be given an interview as you only have done 8 GCSEs and they aren't brilliant, but are good.

The admission tutors tend not to like extra curricular activities such as sport/volunteering but prefer commitment to your chosen subject.

hmm maybe I should reconsider my options. thanks for the hindsight anyways. and oh, I actually did 9 GCSEs. typo there, 4A* 4A 1B.