<p>I am planning on applying to Oxford for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, and LSE for International Relations. I will be applying with the first year of an undergraduate degree from the US. I scored a 32 on the ACT(35 in english, 34's in science and reading, and a lowly 26 in math) and on the SAT I got a 760 in Critical reasoning, 680 in writing, and 560 in mathematics. However, I only took one AP test and no SAT subject tests. </p>
<p>This year I'll be attending Southern Methodist University, studying towards a double-major in Business and Markets & Culture. Do you think my current qualifications, a strong personal statement, good performance on the TSA test for Oxford, in addition to a high GPA from SMU this year will receive strong consideration from either of those universities. Will strong performance in college make up for the AP/SAT II deficiencies?</p>
<p>2 other questions. I would also consider applying for History and Politics at oxford, or Economics at LSE. How would you go about applying to two courses(I would choose only one if accepted though) and would it hurt my chances?</p>
<p>Also, how should I structure my Personal Statement so as to be applicable to two different universities and two different courses? It seems you can’t use UCAS to submit different personal statements to each university, like you can with the Common Application here in the US.</p>
<p>You can only write one Personal Statement for all courses, and it will be difficult to fit in P, P, E and IR or H, P and E all in one PS without coming off as uncommitted to all of them, which hurts a lot. The people reading your application are subject tutors who will be teaching you if they take you (as opposed to career adcoms as in the US) so they want people who are dedicated to the course. I would choose one course (either PPE/H&P/Econ) before applying. You don’t have to tailor the PS to unis; they know you’re going to apply to >1 university and your academic side is way more important. The math score will hurt for Econ (I think both either strongly recommend or require A Level Maths) - are you taking any math classes this year and getting good marks in them? What was the AP in?</p>
<p>It may also be beneficial to email a few admissions secretaries at LSE + a few Oxford colleges you like the look of to ask about what qualifications they will want from you so if say they insist on SAT subject tests (hypothetically) you can plan ahead of time.</p>
<p>I have emailed both of them, LSE replied that a gpa of 3.5 or higher this year would be considered. My math scores are largely due to simply not having been taught the material on the test. I changed from private to public schools at the beginning of my junior year, so I ended up taking the ACT before I had finished a geometry course. This year I’ll be taking pre-calculus first semester, and business calculus and possibly statistics in the second semester. I expect I will do quite well as long as I work hard, I have always received A’s in math. </p>
<p>The AP test was English 3, which I think is called English Language and Composition.</p>
<p>My first semester this year I will be taking: Economics, Honors Rhetoric, Chinese, Pre-calculus, Intro to International Relations, and Wellness. Second semester I will take Business Calculus, Honors Rhetoric, Chinese, Macro or Microeconomics, and a course or two in history or political science. I’m pretty confident that if I work hard, I can achieve a GPA between 3.7 or so and 4.0</p>
<p>Would applying to PPE from Oxford and Government & Economics from LSE work well? Here is what I am thinking for the statement- Focus on my strengths in analytical thinking and reasoning, and tie that to an interest in philosophy, then talk about my interest in politics and experiences I’ve had with other governments(studying in China for 2 months). Then, on economics, talk about the important role it plays in the world, then address my shortcomings in math, and what I am doing to correct that. I will also talk about why I am interested in attending a university in a foreign country.</p>
<p>Lastly, about choosing a referee, would it be best take wait until mid-september, or so, after I have had a few weeks at SMU, and then choose a professor to act as a referee?</p>
<p>Here is another question- I think I do have a chance at getting in to Oxford or LSE as long as I impress with the personal statement and interview, but are there any other universities in the UK I should consider applying to? I am primarily interested in business, economics, international affairs, and government. Obviously Cambridge is out because you can’t apply to both Oxford and Cambridge, and UCL and ICL seem to focus on sciences and literature, but are there any other notable schools, that would be recognized for employment or grad school in the US, that I should consider applying to?</p>
<p>LSE doesn’t interview, as an FYI. I think PPE and G/E is possible. Interest in politics/econs/philos with reading, work experience, classes etc. are good. Don’t sacrifice subject-related content for the studying abroad part - they really don’t care as much about the non-academic stuff. Putting</p>