How it feels to study History & Politics (Expert Oxford Application Advice)
Most joint honours schools at Oxford are relatively small and History & Politics is no exception. The university usually admits between 40 and 50 students per year which works out as an average of between 1 and 2 students in every college. That makes your life a little bit more isolated in comparison to your History/PPE peers.
Since you’re also more likely to be taking your papers in a different order than they are, you face higher chances of having 1 on 1 tutorials. This is both exhilarating and scary.
There is nothing that makes the Oxford experience more worthwhile than a weekly grilling by your tutor. On the other hand, going through that experience by yourself means that you have nowhere to hide when it comes to any gaps in your reading or deficiencies in your work.
Another issue that many of His&Pols (as they are colloquially known) raise, is that they often feel a little left-aside by both the History and the Politics Departments.
Since you’re not part of the large cohort of PPE-ist or Historians, you might feel that you’re not receiving as much attention. There are also fewer opportunities to socialise with those doing the same degree as you tend to be spread out across many colleges. It’s worth noting however, that your experience of the academic and the social side of your degree will vary tremendously depending on your college.
It is the college that provides most of your teaching (bar the lectures which are organised by the department), and most people tend to do most of their socialising within its walls.
For those seeking more information on the character and atmosphere in individual colleges, I would encourage you to take advantage of the resources on this website and seek out mentors from colleges you’re interested in applying to.
Let us know if you have any questions about this article or anything related to History and Politics at Oxford at all.
This article was written by Wojciech (Oxford - History & Politics).
If you find this content useful, please visit Wojciech's profile for further information on applying to Oxbridge. Alternatively, book support now with Wojciech, using the form below.
Author: Wojciech - Oxford
BA History & Politics
Since graduating I have acquired extensive experience in Mentoring for Oxbridge admissions. I have worked in person with students in London, Hong Kong and Budapest and taught A-level History and Politics at Akademeia High School in Warsaw.
