Has anyone got a DC considering PPE?

[VikingLundyMalin]

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.

I agree with Chopc - this has been so helpful. Thank you everyone.

@VikingLundyMalin sorry for butting in on your thread. DS is doing IB and claims to have no idea what he wants to do. He is very interested in Politics and Economics, History and Chemistry so I was exploring PPE for him.

The more the merrier Chopc!

Hi @VikingLundyMalin, I'm sorry I'd missed your update when I responded earlier. Yes, I see some of those avenues of support won't be available through your DS's college. It's worth looking directly at the support/information on Oxford's website, especially the access section. There might not be links available through his college, but maybe there's an alternative way of accessing guidance independently. The part which probably needs most support is having someone read through the personal statement.

If your DS gets extra time in exams because of his dyslexia and dyspraxia then he'll be able to apply for extra time in the TSA. It sounds like he's already doing lots of relevant things which is great. My DS was the same in that he loved politics and economics but didn't know as much about philosophy. He chose to do a philosophy project which helped a lot, especially all the reading around it. One of the most helpful things he's done is to talk to people who have studied the subjects themselves (family members, family friends, basically any contacts we could find!). Not just about how they found the subjects, but actually getting stuck into some really interesting political and philosophical debates.

@chopc - if doing IB then you have the dilemma of HL or SL maths. I think for PPE you probably need to go for HL as SL wouldn't be high enough a standard.

PPE students generally have A Level maths and I think SL maths is below that. DD is just finishing HL maths and it's a hard course, not for the faint hearted.

That's just my guess though.

Thanks @HoneyMobster I have persuaded him to pick HL maths. Which HL did your DD do? Analytics or the other?

Watching this keenly as DS also very interested in Oxford PPE. He's doing Maths, Further Maths, Politics and Religious Studies A Levels.

Hello everyone - just checking in to see how many DCs have decided on PPE, what universities are they considering and how many are going to apply to Oxford PPE.

DS still convinced about PPE.

Ds has just gone up to Manchester to start his PPE degree. He also had offers from York, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham which apparently were highly ranked for that subject.

My ds has just moved into Manchester to do Philosophy & Politics.

Bristol also highly regarded.

My son is in Whitworth Park. Not met many people yet and it all seems v quiet in his flat so I'm hoping things will liven up for him!

im sure it will once his flat all move in. Ds is in Oak House - 6 (incl ds) moved in on Thursday so they’re waiting for 2 more. He’s been very fortunate they all went to the Uni bar on the first night and then the last 2 have been clubbing in the city with their flat and another and just hanging out in their (very grotty) kitchen the rest of the time.

Good luck to those dc starting their uni experience.
My ds is in yr13, definitely wants to study PPE, but not so keen on applying to Oxford. We were at the open day on Friday, he did like it there, but is a bit daunted by the intense tutorial style of teaching (suspected ASD, very poor social communication skills and he finds talking to 'adults' particularly hard). Also not wildly impressed with the accommodation we saw. He has also been to open days at Manchester, Durham, York & Exeter and is considering applying to all of those, with Lancaster, UEA and Sussex as other options (slightly lower grade requirements at those). I think he should keep his options open and apply to Oxford, but he doesn't think the benefits are enough to justify the 'extra' he would have to do to apply, e.g. getting his UCAS application in asap (he hasn't even written his personal statement yet), taking the TSA (which he hasn't yet done any prep for) and potentially having an interview (which given his social communication issues could be a real challenge). I do understand all of this - but just feel like he could be missing out on a huge opportunity...

@pinkpip100 interesting we were also at the Open Day on Friday. DS had been back in June on his own identified colleges he was interested in and we just went on Friday out of curiosity. Oxford PPE is very competitive so he is keeping an open mind. He's also looking at Durham and Manchester and a different course for UCL.

Fingers crossed for all our DC wherever they end up applying and getting into.

@Bonkus
the college thing baffled both me and ds a bit, I think we were a bit unprepared for the 'feel' of each one being so different, along with the style and quality of accommodation. It felt like a bit of a minefield in terms of choosing, which I think is another thing that put him off. That said, he really liked the collegiate system at Durham & York - maybe fewer colleges made it feel a bit easier to navigate!

Sheffield has an excellent PPE course and it's a great city. I think that the offer is AAA

I started watching Sisterhood last night and it has Ilmur Kristjansdottir who played Hinrika in Trapped in it and also Halldora Geirharosdottir who starred in Woman at War (I love this film) and had a small part in S1 of Trapped.

Obviously wrong thread although would recommend for any fans of Scandi Noir!

If he enjoys politics and economics and has a social conscience, he could look at Birmingham's' PPE course, which is Policy, Politics and Economics. ABB with the EPQ.