<p>I want to study PPE (philosophy politics and economics) at Oxford and I've been in the American school system but I'm doing IB now so i don't need to worry about AP and SAT for the UK. </p>
<p>Ok so I know that most ECs don't matter and its mostly academics so I'll just put that stuff down</p>
<p>Predicted Grades
Higher Levels
English a1- 6
History -7
Economics- 7</p>
<p>Standard Levels
Maths-7
Spanish a2-6
Environmental Systems and societies-6
Total (39)- that's the required for the course, so I'm just right there</p>
<p>Relevant ECs
MUN
Amnesty International
Manager of the Campus Store (boarding school)
Philosophy CAS</p>
<p>There is a standardised Test and they say that 70 is in the 15th percentile and I'm getting around low 90s</p>
<p>If is do have a chance, any advice on my personal statement?</p>
<p>Your last comment doesn’t help because 15th percentile means that 85% of other test takers score more than you. If, however, you mean that 70 is the 85th percentile, then it would be easier to determine where you stand. A 39 out of 42 predicted is good but for a competitive course such as the one you’re applying to, you would want 41 or 42. </p>
<p>What happens with Oxford and Cambridge is the following: once they determine you are qualified to handle the work and you are at or above their requirements for the course, they do an interview, which is unlike those used by American universities. Their interviews are focused around academic materials that they asked you to do some background reading on prior. The interviews are what make or break an applicant. Once the interview process is complete, they have weeded out most of the applicants but they still have a larger number of applicants left than the number of spots available. That’s when the standardized test comes in (I know it is the STEP for Cambridge, not sure about Oxford).</p>
<p>It doesn’t really matter what percentile you’re in as long as it’s above the cutoff (which is 15-20 for most courses at Oxford, 30-40 for PPE, 50-60 if your grades/PS aren’t up to par). Also, a score of 70 on the TSA would put you in the 75th percentile, not the 15th, so don’t worry. (However, most people score lower on the actual TSA than they do on practice tests, so bear that in mind.)</p>
<p>Your ECs matter not at all. You can mention those that are relevant to PPE in your personal statement, but don’t fill it with information about your ECs because no one cares. The tutors are only interested in your PS as long as it provides them with some talking points for the interview (and shows genuine interest in the subject, which is not necessarily achieved by listing your ECs).</p>
<p>Your grades are also unimportant as long as they meet the minimal requirements, which they do.</p>
<p>Basically. Unless you bomb the TSA, you’ll be invited for interview. You’re American, which makes travelling problematic, but it’s highly advisable that you go to Oxford to attend the interview in person. Once there, everything will depend on how well you present yourself in the interview. Everything.</p>
<p>Ergo, you have a chance in the sense that you’re likely to get an interview. Nobody can tell you more than that at this point.</p>
<p>@HKToUS, this holds true for Cambridge, but at Oxford the standardised test for PPE is administered one month before the interviews. It is used to weed out applicants and the interview is the only deciding factor.</p>
<p>No, I checked the website, they want 39 INCLUDING the core points, so if i get the extra 3 i would have 41 out of 45 and their requirements are out of 45. I was really confused as well, but i checked the UCAS tariff thing which is filled with wierd explanations but yeah the minimum is 39 out of 45 for PPE but that being said the offers are often much higher</p>
<p>Well, 41 out of 45 isn’t really all that hard when compared to a 41 out of 42.</p>
<p>With your 39, you will get at least 2 bonus points if your school uses the core points formula but you could possibly get 3 if your TOK/EE teacher believes you can. That will put you between 41 and 42 out of 45.</p>
<p>If they want 39 out of 45 then you are definitely meeting the requirements either way. You should aim to push your IB to around 40 or 41 out of 42, so as to get between 41 and 43 out of 45. That is if the score posted above is a current grade and not a predicted grade (our school has only given us a current grade… predicted is yet to come out but it’s generally higher - yay 44 current! :D).</p>