<p>How hard is oxford to get into really? Is it harder than the American Ivies? I've heard that in a recent year only 3 americans got in for undergrad.
Also, how does LSE compare to oxford?? Is it easier or harder in terms of admissions?
(By the way, I'm talking about PPE program here, which Ive heard is harder to get into overall).</p>
<p>My dad is an alumnus and I briefly considered applying before I decided it was too much of a stretch. However, I as well would be curious if anyone can enlighten us as to how difficult it is to get into. (And which American universities it is superior to.)</p>
<p>Actually LSE isn't easier in terms of admissions. Because there are too many applicants applying there, they use computer based random lotteries to choose the spots for the first around. I was also shocked when I first heard this. But this info is from my teacher who studied in the UK. So the admission to LSE attributes part to your luck.</p>
<p>Oxford IS really hard to get into. Because OxBridge are super stats-based. If you don't have 2300ish SAT scores and a 4.0 GPA or you aren't super smart, then just forget about it. And PPE is one of the most competitive majors in Oxford.</p>
<p>What about a 3.85 UW and a score from 2370-2400 for Oxford?? I go to a school that sends 25% of the class to top 20 schools so I hope they would consider my gpa in the proper context.</p>
<p>^_^ but u do have a composite SAT of 2370.</p>
<p>Your GPA won't matter at all, OP. Oxford looks at
a) standardized test scores (esp. APs but also SATI and II)
b) your written work if you're applying for a humanities subject - my subject, Theology, required two school essays
c) your interview - I'd advise you to interview in Oxford, rather than overseas, if possible, so that the people interviewing you will be both the people making the admissions decisions and the people who will be hopefully tutoring you for the next three years.
d) your talent in your specific subject, as gauged by above</p>
<p>Oxford does NOT look at
personality, race, extracurriculars, volunteer work, sports...
Oxford doesn't look at your transcript, as they see GPA and other internal grading systems as too variable. I didn't realize my school hadn't sent in my transcript at all until long after I got my offer.</p>
<p>FYI, I'm sitting in my room at Oxford, looking out over a rare sunny day, enjoying the calm of being finished with termtime work, and I think it's worth noting that my time here is really the happiest of my life - I cannot recommend it highly enough.</p>
<p>PS: Also on the subject of GPA - Oxford doesn't expect you to be well-rounded. You could be failing math and science, but if you're brilliant at Latin, Greek, and History, you will get in for Classics - you only study one subject (or two in joint schools), and generally only your skills in related areas are relevant.</p>
<p>^^ Yes, and of those four things listed, c) and d) are by far the most important. </p>
<p>Your grades and written work will really not count for anything once you've been offered an interview; they are used more for initial weeding out of applicants than anything else. </p>
<p>By the way, the kind of personal statement expected by Oxford and by US universities is very different. Oxford does not care about your hobbies, interests or anything else unless they are directly relevant to your course of study. 'Well-rounded' is absolutely not what they're looking for.</p>
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[QUOTE]
By the way, the kind of personal statement expected by Oxford and by US universities is very different. Oxford does not care about your hobbies, interests or anything else unless they are directly relevant to your course of study. 'Well-rounded' is absolutely not what they're looking for.
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</p>
<p>ITA with Laylah. Sometimes people from this board have e-mailed me with their personal statements and they're quite often insane! I'd highly recommend you begin the statement with !I would like to study subject X because...." and continue on that theme. Only mention and EC if it has direct relevance to the course of study you are applying for eg if you are applying for English, you could mention that you have acted in a school play.</p>
<p>There is a UK board similar to this at</p>
<p><a href="http://www">www</a>. the student room .co.uk</p>
<p>remove the spaces</p>
<p>Yes, it's hard, but the PPE program is not necessarily the hardest to get into as an american-- in fact, it's a very smart option for u.s. people because it's less obviously concentrated than the other subjects (americans applying for, eg, chemistry, are sometimes at a disadvantage since u.s. high school aren't as specialized). it's also apparently an amazing course. i'm at oxford now (first year) and i found that applying as an american, even though the process was very different from u.s. apps, really leads into what your time there will be like-- if you think you'll do well in the tutorial system, chances are you'll do well in the interview. anyway, i also applied to a bunch of ivies last year, so if you have specific comparison questions, i'd be happy to answer them. good luck!</p>
<p>Also relatively few British applicants will have studied philosophy, politics or economics at (high) school, so the focus in interviews will be very heavily on your intellectual skills, not what you know. Evidence of strong maths ability is advisable as the economics is very maths-based.</p>