Has anyone got a DC considering PPE?

VikingLundyMalin · 2022-01-27T09:16:56+00:00

DS (Year 12) wants to apply for PPE. He’s keen to apply to Oxford but knows the chances of a place are slim. He’s started to look at other Universities to build up a short list - he’s doesn’t want a huge university although he randomly threw Manchester into the mix last week. Seems to prefer campus / college based – so York, Lancaster and Durham are on his list. A smaller city, so London is out and preferably wants somewhere within 3 hours of home, which throws out most southern universities for us. The lack of a lower grade back-up concerns me, I appreciate he has plenty of time, but open days will be here before we know it. Just wondering if anyone else is in the same position. I knew very little about PPE until recently so pretty much starting from scratch.

CaliforniaDrumming · 27/01/2022 10:15

Warwick is good for PPE.

Whatstheweatherlike · 27/01/2022 18:56

DS recently got an offer from Oxford to do PPE. His other choices were Durham, Manchester, Warwick and Edinburgh. He didn't attend any open days face-to-face due to Covid, so did the virtual tours instead. He did attend a summer school for Oxford however. He was also keen on the campus/college set up but was very impressed with the Manchester course, which is why he included it on his list.

Feel free to pm if you want to ask any questions

chopc · 27/01/2022 19:40

@Whatstheweatherlike sorry to jump on the thread. Congrats to your DS. Could I please ask what he did for AL/ IB and what kind of things he put in his PS? Thank you in advance!

HewasH2O · 27/01/2022 19:42

DD is a second year studying PPE at Oxford (AAA). She also applied to Warwick (AAA), Edinburgh (the computer said no), Durham (ABB if firm or AAA if insurance) and York (ABB). The standard offers for Durham & Warwick were AAA and the other 3 all had a standard offer of AAA, but DD met some contextual criteria.

All 5 courses were very different, so my advice would be to go to as many open days as possible and see where he thinks he would enjoy himself. I know DD was torn between York & Lancaster and her friends at Lancaster love it there.

HasaDigaEebowai · 27/01/2022 19:42

Lancaster is a much lower grade requirement for ppe. I think it’s AAB

Whatstheweatherlike · 27/01/2022 19:47

No problem at all chopc. He's doing Maths, Economics & Law A'levels as well as having a further maths AS level. His personal statement was really focused on his interest in all 3 subjects, especially the wider reading he'd done & related research projects. He's done loads of other extracurricular stuff but in the end those things were barely mentioned - it was all about his passion for PPE!

HewasH2O · 27/01/2022 19:49

DD took history, maths and English Language, with an EPQ on quite a niche IR topic. The majority of her peer group have history and maths A levels, as they are the two standard preferred subjects. You definitely don't need perfect predicted gradesA levels or GCSEs, but you do need to do well in the TSA and be able to think on your feet at interview.

HewasH2O · 27/01/2022 20:03

Viking if your DS is at a state school, applications are currently open for UNIQ. It's a opportunity to explore your interests and see if PPE & Oxford is for him. Most of the people who went with DD are studying PPE or similar at unis like LSE or UCL now. It certainly doesn't guarantee an interview or offer from Oxford, but it's a great chance to spend a week finding out if think you will enjoy the Oxbridge experience.

Last year DD was writing two essays a week alongside submitting two worksheets for economics and stats, then having each piece of work torn apart in weekly tutorials. The pressure is huge, but so are the opportunities. DD is captain of a university sports team and a college boat crew after taking up rowing at Easter.

Original poster

VikingLundyMalin · 27/01/2022 20:13

@Whatstheweatherlike

DS recently got an offer from Oxford to do PPE. His other choices were Durham, Manchester, Warwick and Edinburgh. He didn't attend any open days face-to-face due to Covid, so did the virtual tours instead. He did attend a summer school for Oxford however. He was also keen on the campus/college set up but was very impressed with the Manchester course, which is why he included it on his list.

Feel free to pm if you want to ask any questions

Congratulations to your DS you must be so proud of him.

I'm starting to add dates to my diary so I can visit. This is why I'm keen for him to get a long short-list as I need to be able to book time off work well in advance.

How did he find the Oxford Summer School - I've had a brief look, but can't find the costs. I suspect my DH will faint, but will definitely consider if it was worthwhile.

I'm not sure why bit he's not keen on Warwick - I think I need to check that as it seems a popular choice.

Manchester is fairly local to us and until this week he's not been interested, he has got a couple of older friends who have started this year so they have had some influence.

OP posts:

Original poster

VikingLundyMalin · 27/01/2022 20:27

DS is doing History, Economics and Maths A-Level and an EPQ. He has a good set of GCSEs and his teachers say he is capable of getting top grades if he puts the work in. He has dyslexia and dyspraxia which is a worry for him - he mainly struggles with the timing in exams and says that he could do better on every exam if he had more time.

Because of the dyslexia he's always been in a small private school which has been a squeeze financially, we are by no means well-off, but that does mean he can't access some of the Oxford Programmes which would really help him. With the school being small they aren't known for Oxbridge applications - we've been there for 7 years and I have never known anyone to be offered a place or even apply and so he need to get a decent plan in place, as I suspect the school support won't be what he needs.

So far he's done a couple of MOOCHs, attends virtual lectures, joined the Labour Party and attends local meetings and is reading (or listening on Audible) to the recommended books. He loves politics and economics, but really needs to do more with philosophy. It would be great to hear if he's on the right track compared to those that have been through the process or if he's miles off.

OP posts:

Whatstheweatherlike · 27/01/2022 20:28

Just realising now that 'summer school' makes it sound like more than it was! He attended a residential at one of the colleges as part of an opportunity that arose through his sixth form. We would never have been able to afford a full on summer school. Whilst it was only a couple of days, he came back absolutely bursting with enthusiasm and determined to go through the whole application process. If your DS is at a state school they could look at UNIQ or see if their college has links with any Oxford colleges that might offer the opportunity of a visit.

Original poster

VikingLundyMalin · 27/01/2022 20:30

@HasaDigaEebowai

Lancaster is a much lower grade requirement for ppe. I think it’s AAB

Lancaster is definitely one he's considering and Reading too for the same reason.

The issue is that once you drop down to lower A-Level offers, BBB for example the universities drop massively down the league tables and he isn't interested. He's think he knows best so I need to treat carefully with any advice I give!

OP posts:

Original poster

VikingLundyMalin · 27/01/2022 20:35

@Whatstheweatherlike

Just realising now that 'summer school' makes it sound like more than it was! He attended a residential at one of the colleges as part of an opportunity that arose through his sixth form. We would never have been able to afford a full on summer school. Whilst it was only a couple of days, he came back absolutely bursting with enthusiasm and determined to go through the whole application process. If your DS is at a state school they could look at UNIQ or see if their college has links with any Oxford colleges that might offer the opportunity of a visit.

Unfortunately he can't attend - I've just posted as to why. It's sounds like it was a great opportunity for your DS. We did try and persuade him to move to the local 6th form - great dyslexia support, Oxbridge programme and opportunities, but he was adamant he didn't want to move and is standing by that decision.

Which College has your DS been offered - DS has his heart set on Lincoln, I'm trying my best to keep him realistic.

OP posts:

HewasH2O · 27/01/2022 20:36

Take a look at the OUP A Short Introduction to ....books on P P & E. These were sent to the UNIQ students as their reading list for the week.

The [https://myheplus.com/] website is good for ideas for activities for Oxbridge applications.

Original poster

VikingLundyMalin · 27/01/2022 20:39

@HewasH2O

DD took history, maths and English Language, with an EPQ on quite a niche IR topic. The majority of her peer group have history and maths A levels, as they are the two standard preferred subjects. You definitely don't need perfect predicted gradesA levels or GCSEs, but you do need to do well in the TSA and be able to think on your feet at interview.

He's pretty good at thinking on his feet and has started to have a look at TSAs although not really started to practice them yet - how far in advance did your DD start the TSA prep?

OP posts:

HewasH2O · 27/01/2022 20:41

We tend not to say which Colleges our DC are at as it's very outing, with many only offering 2 or 3 places each year. However, I know DD said that she would have been happy with an offer from Lincoln if she had been pooled. Pick a College they like the look of, but don't get too fixated on it. Around 30% of applicants for PPE get interviewed for PPE and only 10% receive an offer., with several being pooled.

A friend applied for music at one college, was selected by another for interview and has received an offer from a third.

Original poster

VikingLundyMalin · 27/01/2022 20:45

@HewasH2O

Take a look at the OUP A Short Introduction to ....books on P P & E. These were sent to the UNIQ students as their reading list for the week.

The [https://myheplus.com/] website is good for ideas for activities for Oxbridge applications.

Thank you - I'll let DS know to look at those. I've looked at loads of websites but I don't think I've seen that one - I'll pass it on.

OP posts:

Original poster

VikingLundyMalin · 27/01/2022 20:46

@HewasH2O

We tend not to say which Colleges our DC are at as it's very outing, with many only offering 2 or 3 places each year. However, I know DD said that she would have been happy with an offer from Lincoln if she had been pooled. Pick a College they like the look of, but don't get too fixated on it. Around 30% of applicants for PPE get interviewed for PPE and only 10% receive an offer., with several being pooled.

A friend applied for music at one college, was selected by another for interview and has received an offer from a third.

That makes sense - he likes the look of of few others too, they tend to be the smaller ones.

OP posts:

HewasH2O · 27/01/2022 20:47

Sorry my HE+ link failed. I think I recommended a practice book for TSA to Whatstheweatherlike called Think you can Think, which someone on MN recommended to us. You can definitely get it more cheaply than the price shown on Amazon. She worked her way through that, but not until after her UCAS application was in.

Original poster

VikingLundyMalin · 27/01/2022 20:49

@HewasH2O

Viking if your DS is at a state school, applications are currently open for UNIQ. It's a opportunity to explore your interests and see if PPE & Oxford is for him. Most of the people who went with DD are studying PPE or similar at unis like LSE or UCL now. It certainly doesn't guarantee an interview or offer from Oxford, but it's a great chance to spend a week finding out if think you will enjoy the Oxbridge experience.

Last year DD was writing two essays a week alongside submitting two worksheets for economics and stats, then having each piece of work torn apart in weekly tutorials. The pressure is huge, but so are the opportunities. DD is captain of a university sports team and a college boat crew after taking up rowing at Easter.

It sounds like your DD is making the most of her time. DS generally copes well under pressure, he doesn't tend to get stressed or worry about things- which is the exact opposite of me! But he can be a bit disorganised...

OP posts:

HewasH2O · 27/01/2022 20:52

HE+ is the Cambridge widening access scheme, which tries to bust all the myths about the application process and the need for essay prizes, work shadowing of government ministers and a crypto currency trading business on the side!

HewasH2O · 27/01/2022 20:55

But he can be a bit disorganised... DD was diagnosed with ADHD a couple of months ago. We just thought she was Captain Calamity.

LadyLazarus40 · 27/01/2022 21:01

I have a child with a confirmed place (applied deferred last year) for the P&P part of PPE at Manchester and they have a friend their doing Economics so that sort of makes PPE.

The course offers a lot of flexibility. Despite the bad press that Manchester had re blended learning it has pretty much all been f2f.

Original poster

VikingLundyMalin · 27/01/2022 21:01

@HewasH2O

But he can be a bit disorganised... DD was diagnosed with ADHD a couple of months ago. We just thought she was Captain Calamity.

That's a pretty good description for all my children!

OP posts:

chopc · 27/01/2022 21:16

Thanks for the response @Whatstheweatherlike and all others for the info as well