I was accepted to Oxford to study Philosophy, Politics, and Economics but I also received the Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship.
Pros of Vandy: Large music extracurriculars (singer/songwriter) and would like to continue to pursue this, Vandy is 3 hours from home, can take a breadth of classes, it’s cheap and I’m in the honors program because of the CV scholarship.
Pros of Oxford: New experience, beautiful campus and beautiful buildings, will certainly make me more worldly, perhaps smarter company, more prestige. The main con is that I’m not entirely sure I want to study Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
Money isn’t really an issue. Which one should I choose?
Oxford PPE is one of the very few finest and most impressive undergraduate degrees in the world. Very, very few other programs can compare. It should be a no-brainer.
(I have three former students who have done PPE at Oxford)
Does anyone know if its possible to change your Oxford course (before the start of the term)?
You can’t change. You have to re-apply to a different course.
Unlike some people here, I would ask what your potential goals are. If you want to retain the option of majoring in CS (or any STEM field), for instance, I think even Oxford PPE isn’t a great choice.
Oxford. New country, amazing academics, worldwide reputation. I am sure you will find ample musical opportunities at Oxford.
If you don’t want to study the individual modules of PPE do not go to Oxford.
PPE is a great course and Oxford is a fantastic experience. It is hard to believe that I would be saying to an American who got into the course (for reference, about 30 Americans / year get into Oxford UG, and the single most popular course to apply to is PPE) and who enjoyed the interview should consider walking away from the offer.
BUT…few people on CC will get how intense Oxford is, and how limited your choices are in what you actually study- even in what is arguably the broadest course at Oxford. If you don’t look at that list of modules and think ‘I can’t wait to do this’, really don’t. You can do a year abroad at Oxford easily enough, and get most of the things on your “pros” list.
Thanks for the help. I will be attending Oxford University next year. Worst comes to worst I can change courses or transfer out, shouldn’t be impossible.
Congrats! it is an amazing experience- you won’t believe how hard you work or how much fun you have doing it. Don’t go planning to change courses- you really can’t- go planning to make the most of it. You enjoyed the interview- you should really enjoy tutorials!