Oxford PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) Students and Applicants
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THIS IS THE REFERENCE
---Education system in the Republic of Croatia General Programme Secondary School, attained
and estimated grades
After eight years of primary school, the candidate attended secondary school in the 4-year
programme of general programme secondary school. The curriculum of the general programme
secondary school encompasses four-year studying of Croatian, English (as continuation of
earlier eight-year studying), Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics),
History, Geography, Physical Education, Visual Arts, Music, and obligatory foreign language
(German) as well as optional foreign languages (Spanish and Chinese). The candidate has
studied Latin for two years and Politics and Economics, Philosophy, Logic, Sociology and
Psychology for one year. The general scholastic ability of the student at the end of each
school year was graded with the highest possible grade (Excellent-5). The grading system in
the Republic of Croatia is as follows: Fail (1), Pass (2), Good (3), Very Good (4) and
Excellent (5). Since the student has been graded with the highest possible grade at all
examinations in the course of his education and taking into consideration that the candidate
possesses excellent working habits, high motivation for education and clear goals for his
future education, his grades until the end of his final year will undoubtedly be as excellent
as they have been so far. It is very important to mention that the candidate is highly fluent
in English which he studied in the Republic of Croatia in the most advanced programmes and has
had the opportunity, on several occasions, to improve it in areas in which it is the first
language (USA), of which he can produce certificates.
The education of the student has covered all major fields in the mathematical sciences
necessary for further studies (algebra, polynomials, first, second and third level equations,
complex numbers, planimetry plane geometry and stereometry solid geometry, trigonometry,
exponential and logarithm functions, Euclidian and analytic geometry, vectors, theory of
functions, set theory, foundations of infinitesimal calculus) in which he accomplished
excellent results owing to his capability to acquire mathematical regularities in a very
functional manner, his sense to associate concepts and their practical application as well as
his exceptionally high persistence in individual work. I would like to point out that the
candidate is highly literate. Furthermore, he has published works in this field. He has
demonstrated great interest in reading, literature and historical texts. The school-leaving
examination system enables the student to be exempt from sitting for the school-leaving
examination on account of excellent grades attained throughout his entire education and the
obtainment of the Certificate of School-leaving Examination with grade Excellent.
---Personal Qualities
The candidate is the person who leaves you with the permanent conviction that every task you
set before him will be carried out conscientiously and even to a greater extent than required.
His extreme sense of responsibility and self-discipline pushes him to try to attain the
maximum of his abilities in every field, and it is a pleasure to be the Advisor to a student
with such an approach to life. Such an approach eliminates, very quickly, all eventual
obstacles in the student-advisor relationship, leaving the professional relationship open for
his continuous pursuit of new knowledge and experience in his areas of study. The candidate is
very persistent and demanding in realization of the gaols he has set for himself, which I
consider to be a remarkably positive quality of this exceptional young man.
---Overall Reference
I highly recommend this candidate to your faculty as a person of high moral standards,
extremely developed sense of environment in which he lives, self-disciplined, valuable,
diligent and possessing quality education, with sincere belief in his future success.
---Education system in the Republic of Croatia General Programme Secondary School, attained
and estimated grades
After eight years of primary school, the candidate attended secondary school in the 4-year
programme of general programme secondary school. The curriculum of the general programme
secondary school encompasses four-year studying of Croatian, English (as continuation of
earlier eight-year studying), Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics),
History, Geography, Physical Education, Visual Arts, Music, and obligatory foreign language
(German) as well as optional foreign languages (Spanish and Chinese). The candidate has
studied Latin for two years and Politics and Economics, Philosophy, Logic, Sociology and
Psychology for one year. The general scholastic ability of the student at the end of each
school year was graded with the highest possible grade (Excellent-5). The grading system in
the Republic of Croatia is as follows: Fail (1), Pass (2), Good (3), Very Good (4) and
Excellent (5). Since the student has been graded with the highest possible grade at all
examinations in the course of his education and taking into consideration that the candidate
possesses excellent working habits, high motivation for education and clear goals for his
future education, his grades until the end of his final year will undoubtedly be as excellent
as they have been so far. It is very important to mention that the candidate is highly fluent
in English which he studied in the Republic of Croatia in the most advanced programmes and has
had the opportunity, on several occasions, to improve it in areas in which it is the first
language (USA), of which he can produce certificates.
The education of the student has covered all major fields in the mathematical sciences
necessary for further studies (algebra, polynomials, first, second and third level equations,
complex numbers, planimetry plane geometry and stereometry solid geometry, trigonometry,
exponential and logarithm functions, Euclidian and analytic geometry, vectors, theory of
functions, set theory, foundations of infinitesimal calculus) in which he accomplished
excellent results owing to his capability to acquire mathematical regularities in a very
functional manner, his sense to associate concepts and their practical application as well as
his exceptionally high persistence in individual work. I would like to point out that the
candidate is highly literate. Furthermore, he has published works in this field. He has
demonstrated great interest in reading, literature and historical texts. The school-leaving
examination system enables the student to be exempt from sitting for the school-leaving
examination on account of excellent grades attained throughout his entire education and the
obtainment of the Certificate of School-leaving Examination with grade Excellent.
---Personal Qualities
The candidate is the person who leaves you with the permanent conviction that every task you
set before him will be carried out conscientiously and even to a greater extent than required.
His extreme sense of responsibility and self-discipline pushes him to try to attain the
maximum of his abilities in every field, and it is a pleasure to be the Advisor to a student
with such an approach to life. Such an approach eliminates, very quickly, all eventual
obstacles in the student-advisor relationship, leaving the professional relationship open for
his continuous pursuit of new knowledge and experience in his areas of study. The candidate is
very persistent and demanding in realization of the gaols he has set for himself, which I
consider to be a remarkably positive quality of this exceptional young man.
---Overall Reference
I highly recommend this candidate to your faculty as a person of high moral standards,
extremely developed sense of environment in which he lives, self-disciplined, valuable,
diligent and possessing quality education, with sincere belief in his future success.
The only advice I can give is to ask for feedback. Out of interest, what college did you apply to?
CroatUndergrad, your reference is fabulous, without any doubts. You almost sound like a genius 
The part with "The candidate is the person who leaves you with the permanent conviction that every task you set before him will be carried out conscientiously and even to a greater extent than required." is a little arrogant, isn't it? And a little vague, maybe. But still, no reason to reject you.
So I'm saying it again, try to calm down and email them tomorrow.
The part with "The candidate is the person who leaves you with the permanent conviction that every task you set before him will be carried out conscientiously and even to a greater extent than required." is a little arrogant, isn't it?
And a little vague, maybe. But still, no reason to reject you.So I'm saying it again, try to calm down and email them tomorrow.
Did I miss a trick, or was there no mention of philosophy in the PS? If this is the case, then that is certainly the reason, which is a shame (you are obviously intelligent, very talented, dedicated etc.)
andy87
PS is an important element of your oxford application. they dont want you to talk abt ECs. they are looking only for academic potential.
Mm I doubt that's true, actually. I rambled about my (course-related) extracurriculars for about 75% of my PS, didn't mention any books (my referee advised against 'name-dropping'), barely even mentioned philosophy, and still got invited to interview...
My condolences about the rejection, CroatUndergrad...
It's quite ridiculous, you seem perfect goddammit! My guess is that Oxford doesn't trust foreign qualifications; another Univ applicant from Finland got rejected without interview, and I honestly thought I didn't stand a chance against him. He has a far better academic record than me, and seems to have more impressive extracurriculars too - the only thing is that he did the national system, whereas I do IB.Of course it doesn't seem fair at all. I hope everything works out for you...
Well the PS states that he wants to study Politics and Economics. That's not just not talking about Philosophy much, it's almost implying that he applied for the wrong course.
well, if it was a well balanced and and academically focused PS I don't think they would care that much. At least not so much that they would overlook the rest of his almost ideal application. I think Oxford do understand that most people are not equally interested in each branch of PPE - most people will be specialising in the second year anyway. And lots of candidates will be applying for joint courses elsewhere, but applying for PPE because it's the only Oxbridge course in which you can do combinations of its three subejcts.
edit: this is all conjecture and might be totally wrong
edit: this is all conjecture and might be totally wrong
Engelbert
Well the PS states that he wants to study Politics and Economics. That's not just not talking about Philosophy much, it's almost implying that he applied for the wrong course.
I haven't read the PS (care to PM it to me, CroatUndergrad?), but I assume that I did the same thing, actually. I stated that I wanted to study politics and economics, and only mentioned philosophy in my long list of extracurricular interests. (Then again, my referee teaches philosophy, so he might have mentioned my enthusiasm for the subject in the reference.) My friend applied to international relations everywhere save Oxford and still got invited to Merton with an IR personal statement. Of course, it does depend on the college.
CroatU.,what college did you apply to?
Balliol
You should really email them and ask for feedback. I would also like to know why they have rejected you, though it's not really much of my business.
I only got an automated message about "we are so sorry, but unfortunately..." NO SPECIFIC REASONS. in fact, NOT A SINGLE REASON....
Hey man, i can understand your upset completely, but my advice is just get over it man. Life moves on, you have an amazing record and are destined for great things. Just put it behind you, and say ce la vie. I know its easier said than done, but coming on here questioning why you didnt get an interview will only make you more upset. You're too good for that mate .
croatundergrad,
your record is amazing. i do not believe that a slight emphasis on pol/ econ would place you in the bottom 10-20% of applicants. for one thing, i focused my ps on phil/ econ since that was what i was applying for at LSE and my academic record is far less impressive than yours!!
id phone them up to get a more detailed response. oxford are in the habit of giving out detailed feedback, in fact at my school all applicants whether successful or un- get feedback.
your record is amazing. i do not believe that a slight emphasis on pol/ econ would place you in the bottom 10-20% of applicants. for one thing, i focused my ps on phil/ econ since that was what i was applying for at LSE and my academic record is far less impressive than yours!!
id phone them up to get a more detailed response. oxford are in the habit of giving out detailed feedback, in fact at my school all applicants whether successful or un- get feedback.
Thank you all...
It just came as a huge disappointment. I felt as if I were just plain stupid when I was reading the e-mail. Will phone them tomorrow.
Phone or e-mail?
It just came as a huge disappointment. I felt as if I were just plain stupid when I was reading the e-mail. Will phone them tomorrow.
Phone or e-mail?
I am sorry to hear about the rejection, CroatUndergrad. I think I know how you feel, I too was rejected before interview. Swedish student with top grades (20.0 out of 20.0), a balanced PS (I think) and a good reference (a bit short though). E-mailed the college (Magdalen) and asked if I could get any further feedback. Only through my referee and not until January, was the answer.
I asked if this year's application process was different from that of earlier years. The college answered:
"The only difference from
previous years was the introduction of the PPE admissions test. This
test is used as an additional tool to help tutors select
candidates for interview, but it is used alongside the other admission
components, not on its own."
Got quite surprised, since I (and I think, most other applicants) was under the impression that the college wouldn't look at the admissions test until after the interviews. Didn't have enough presence of mind to write again and ask about it, though.
I have thought quite a bit about my application now, and either I screwed up the test (felt like it went well, though) or the English in one of the essays was simply too bad (a few grammatical errors). I wrote it for geography at school and unfortunately didn't think sufficiently about proof-reading it.
Well. That's my story. It was very difficult for a couple of days, but now I'm beginning to calm down a little. Keep telling myself that Oxford only has been able to look at a small part of what I'm capable of. Having read what you've written and how excellent a student you seem to be, CroatUndergrad, I know you'll be able to move on and conquer the world from another university.
Update 26/11: The admissions secretary later wrote that the information I had received regarding the PPE test was incorrect. The test was not used for short-listing.
I asked if this year's application process was different from that of earlier years. The college answered:
"The only difference from
previous years was the introduction of the PPE admissions test. This
test is used as an additional tool to help tutors select
candidates for interview, but it is used alongside the other admission
components, not on its own."
Got quite surprised, since I (and I think, most other applicants) was under the impression that the college wouldn't look at the admissions test until after the interviews. Didn't have enough presence of mind to write again and ask about it, though.
I have thought quite a bit about my application now, and either I screwed up the test (felt like it went well, though) or the English in one of the essays was simply too bad (a few grammatical errors). I wrote it for geography at school and unfortunately didn't think sufficiently about proof-reading it.
Well. That's my story. It was very difficult for a couple of days, but now I'm beginning to calm down a little. Keep telling myself that Oxford only has been able to look at a small part of what I'm capable of. Having read what you've written and how excellent a student you seem to be, CroatUndergrad, I know you'll be able to move on and conquer the world from another university.
Update 26/11: The admissions secretary later wrote that the information I had received regarding the PPE test was incorrect. The test was not used for short-listing.
phone... then let us know. If I was in any other position I'd give them a hard time for you when I went down to interview. Unfortunately selfishness demands otherwise... :-(
KEconomist
Hey man, i can understand your upset completely, but my advice is just get over it man. Life moves on, you have an amazing record and are destined for great things. Just put it behind you, and say ce la vie. I know its easier said than done, but coming on here questioning why you didnt get an interview will only make you more upset. You're too good for that mate .
Very nice and wise words. Totally agree.
No problem sally 
Chebab, thank you for sharing it. The resemblance is indeed striking.
Chebab, thank you for sharing it. The resemblance is indeed striking.
Chebab
I am sorry to hear about the rejection, CroatUndergrad. I think I know how you feel, I too was rejected before interview. Swedish student with top grades (20.0 out of 20.0), a balanced PS (I think) and a good reference (a bit short though). E-mailed the college (Magdalen) and asked if I could get any further feedback. Only through my referee and not until January, was the answer.
I asked if this year's application process was different from that of earlier years. The college answered:
"The only difference from
previous years was the introduction of the PPE admissions test. This
test is used as an additional tool to help tutors select
candidates for interview, but it is used alongside the other admission
components, not on its own."
Got quite surprised, since I (and I think, most other applicants) was under the impression that the college wouldn't look at the admissions test until after the interviews. Didn't have enough presence of mind to write again and ask about it, though.
I have thought quite a bit about my application now, and either I screwed up the test (felt like it went well, though) or the English in one of the essays was simply too bad (a few grammatical errors). I wrote it for geography at school and unfortunately didn't think sufficiently about proof-reading it.
Well. That's my story. It was very difficult for a couple of days, but now I'm beginning to calm down a little. Keep telling myself that Oxford only has been able to look at a small part of what I'm capable of. Having read what you've written and how excellent a student you seem to be, CroatUndergrad, I know you'll be able to move on and conquer the world from another university.
I asked if this year's application process was different from that of earlier years. The college answered:
"The only difference from
previous years was the introduction of the PPE admissions test. This
test is used as an additional tool to help tutors select
candidates for interview, but it is used alongside the other admission
components, not on its own."
Got quite surprised, since I (and I think, most other applicants) was under the impression that the college wouldn't look at the admissions test until after the interviews. Didn't have enough presence of mind to write again and ask about it, though.
I have thought quite a bit about my application now, and either I screwed up the test (felt like it went well, though) or the English in one of the essays was simply too bad (a few grammatical errors). I wrote it for geography at school and unfortunately didn't think sufficiently about proof-reading it.
Well. That's my story. It was very difficult for a couple of days, but now I'm beginning to calm down a little. Keep telling myself that Oxford only has been able to look at a small part of what I'm capable of. Having read what you've written and how excellent a student you seem to be, CroatUndergrad, I know you'll be able to move on and conquer the world from another university.
WHAT????
They did use the test for short-listing?
Please ask them again ! I mean on the website of TSA was clearly written that this test is not used for short-listing candidates.
And hey- to cheer you up a little:
Did you know that Einstein failed the test of the university of zuerich and didn't get an offer then???
John Nash didn't win the maths-competition of his university?
Isn't that funny?
Give your best, you are both excellent students, I believe, and one day I hope you are able to look back and say: "Isn't that funny?"
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