Personal Statements

When applying through UCAS for PPE at Oxford, you'll need to make sure that you're personal statement is word perfect. Though not all tutors give it equal weight in the whole interview process, you never know whether your interviewing tutor might, so best to get it right.

The essential things to remember are:

• You must display a good grasp of written English - perfect spelling and grammar are critical
• Don't lie about what you have read - if you get asked about it, they will realise
• Do have an opinion, but don't say things you can't defend - it'll make you look thoughtless
• Read 'around the subject' and talk about. Why not read about Venezuelan politics or Chinese inflation? It'll show the tutors you're genuinely interested
• Structure the whole thing logically and make sure it flows - this is a proxy for what your essays will look like, so make it good
• Extra curricular activities are admirable, but ultimately, the tutors' main concern is that you will be a top student - try to link non academic achievements to how they have helped you develop personally - demonstrate that it will make you a more dedicated and hardworking student
• Express an understanding of how the disciplines impact and interrelate to each other: ultimately, PPE is about how society works, so try not to view the three disciplines as completely separate.