Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Alice is a third-year student reading PPE.

What A Levels (or equivalent) did you take?

Mathematics, Chemistry and Economics, (and EPQ).

What inspired you to study at Oxford?

I came on a one-night residential trip with my sixth form to Brasenose College. It was the first time I had ever been to Oxford and I remember it was such good weather and I thought it was the most beautiful place I had every been! I met and spoke to lots of students on the trip and everyone was so kind and interesting that I instantly felt like this was a place I would enjoy studying.

What do you like about studying at St John's?

My favouite part of studying at St John's that I wasn't really expecting is the collaboration among students. I thought there might be a competitve feeling within my PPE year group but that couldn't be further from the truth. Everyone is so willing to help each other out whether that be with notes, essays, or even just taking the time to explain concepts that others don't understand, and it makes for a really friendly learning environment.

What aspects of your degree do you find particularly enjoyable or fulfilling?

My favourite thing about PPE is the variation in subjects I get to cover. Within the same week I can have tutorials on a particuarly maths heavy part of economics and then a philosophy tutorial on something like Time or Ethics. Personally, I find mixing up between writing essays, reading, coding, and doing maths-based problems keeps me engaged in my degree and prevents any feeling of ever getting bored.

How does life in College compare to what you originally envisioned?

In my experience I have found college to be way more homely than I had expected. To say that we're only there for 8 weeks at a time, eating, sleeping, studying and drinking in the same place really makes it feel like a home away from home. John’s is a large college with a big student community, which felt a bit daunting at first. But because everyone lives on-site throughout their time here, there’s always a friendly face around whenever I walk through college which makes the place feel warm and familiar.

What do you do in your spare time?

In my spare time I like to get outisde and play some sport, particularly university hockey but also college netball. I have taken up running since starting Oxford as there are so many pretty routes to explore around the city. I ran the Oxford Half Marathon this year with one of my course friends which I found to be a really nice goal to work towards outside of studying.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to study at Oxford?

The application process can feel long and confusing, but my advice would be to focus on the parts where you think you can make the biggest impact and really put your energy into those. For me, I wasn’t sure my personal statement would stand out, but there was an admissions test with lots of past papers available and I knew that if I could keep practising that then I might get an interview.

Joseph is a second-year student reading PPE.

What A Levels (or equivalent) did you take?

French Equivalent - Option Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB)

What inspired you to study at Oxford?

The opportunity to meet many interesting people and be in old buildings.

What do you like about studying at St John's?

There is a nice and well-stocked library, printing is free, college staff are helpful and the PPE tutors are all great. Also there is a big garden that you can go on walks in when you need a break.

What aspects of your degree do you find particularly enjoyable or fulfilling?

The tutors for PPE at St John's know exactly what they're doing, are agreeable, and want to see you succeed. You have a great amount of freedom in your second and third year to pick the modules you want to study (and potentially drop one of the three subjects).

How does life in College compare to what you originally envisioned?

It's pretty cheap which is great - there are also quite a few events put on by the College which usually involve free stuff, there's two free gyms and lots of grants. I really like the location of the college, it feels close to everywhere.

Life in St John's is what you make of it - I think it's very nice.

What do you do in your spare time?

When I have free time, I'll go on walks, hang out with friends or play badminton, basketball or poker.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to study at Oxford?

Make sure to revise for the TSA (at least a little bit). In general, be curious and kind.

Lili is a second-year student reading PPE.

What A Levels (or equivalent) did you take?

Hungarian Matura: Mathematics (advanced level), History (advanced level), English Language (advanced level), Hungarian Literature and Grammar (standard level), French Language (standard level)

What inspired you to study at Oxford?

What initially drew me to studying in the UK was the option of choosing from a number of multidisciplinary degrees like PPE. I really liked the idea of learning multiple different subjects at the same time and being able to explore my different interests.
Obviously, Oxford has a very strong reputation internationally, but one of the main reasons I chose to apply to Oxford in particular was because of the tutorial system. Since we learn in really small groups, we receive a lot of specific feedback every week. I think this is really helpful because we always know what we can improve on and how.

What do you like about studying at St John's?

I have had a really positive experience with the teaching at St John’s. I specifically chose to apply to St John’s because it had tutors whose areas of expertise aligned with my interests, which has been great because there are subjects where there is some flexibility in what topics are focused on. All of the tutors are very helpful and there are also Academic Skills Seminars in College where you can learn useful study techniques and get personalized tips on how to work more efficiently.

What aspects of your degree do you find particularly enjoyable or fulfilling?

I really like the versatility of the PPE degree. In the first year, you learn all of the subjects which means that you get a really good base of knowledge in them and you switch between the subjects each week. Starting from second year, there are a lot of options papers you can choose from in each subject area. This means that you can choose to learn about variety of different topics at the same time, or narrow-down your options and really specialize in the areas you are interested in.

How does life in College compare to what you originally envisioned?

Before starting at Oxford, I could not have imagined how I would be able to research and write two essays a week. However, while the workload is high, my tutors did a wonderful job at slowly increasing the amount of work during the first year. This meant that we could figure out how to become more efficient so that the workload would always be manageable. Furthermore, there are even more social and cultural events than I imagined. I really enjoy going to plays held at St John’s.

What do you do in your spare time?

At Oxford, there is always some interesting society event that you can take part in whenever you have free time. In particular, I like to go to the sessions of the St John’s Fibre Arts Society, the University’s Hungarian Society, the International Relations Society and the Oxford Human Rights Student Society.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to study at Oxford?

I think the most important thing, both when thinking about applying and when you start your degree is pursuing what you are most interested in and what you already spend your free time learning more about.