uni - a levels for PPE

[radon10101]

sorry i saw a lot of helpful uni advice on here so thought a parent could help with this too!

also sorry this is so long bear with😔

I’m in jan of year 12 and I do Maths, English Literature, Geography and Politics A level (and EPQ) I really want to drop to 3 mainly because of the workload, but I want to have the best chances of getting into Oxford PPE.

I have the option of keeping 4 and an EPQ, but Idk how much the uni cares about the number of A levels so long as you get good grades.

I would drop one of either Geography and English Literature, but i’m not sure which - i think keeping maths and politics is a non negotiable for that degree.

I initially chose to keep geography because I thought it would be a good supplement for economics a level, but I don’t know how much of a difference it makes, as either way, i plan on getting a good understanding of economics through learning about it in my own time.

I feel like if i drop english it’ll be like letting go of the creative side, as I really enjoy the lessons and we learn about a lot of history, culture and philosophy through our discussions. My teachers say i’m really good at english and I guess it’s more of a skill than learning geography content is, so i’m not sure i should be letting that go. I’m finding the coursework side of the lessons quite boring but i’m hoping that gets better. Also since i don’t do philosophy i thought that doing english would help with it, line articulation and essay structure etc.

I do enjoy geography too, and im really interested in international relations but not that much of the course is about it, so i’m not sure if there’s much of a point continuing, but i do rly enjoy physical geography too i’m not sure i’d miss it though. I like the lessons but yk it’s not as great as the english ones but it doesn’t make that bit of a difference. Also in terms of grades currently i’m doing well, like not as good at english but fine, and i aim to get A* in all either way so im not sure if that makes a difference.

Also on another note does anyone have any tips or advice for getting into PPE? (at oxford or anywhere), i got 9999999998 at gcse but my school did extremely well so that would be considered average or a bit above average.advice

My son is doing PPE at Birmingham. From his experience, Maths is a must, Politics will be a big help and English as there is a fair amount of essay writing. So I would drop Geography if you are dropping a subject. Unis don’t tend to care about 4 subjects. Offers will be based on 3 subjects. Good luck!

I'd be inclined to drop Geography. Oxford won't care about a fourth A level so better not to divide your focus four ways. Maths I think is the non-negotiable here. English will be useful with the caveat that grade boundaries are very high so the A is hard to attain. The prediction is the key- Oxford will off at 3 × A if they want you but you'll probably need 3 x A and a strong personal statement* *to get an interview.