PPE Personal Statement - Wish I'd Known (Expert Oxford Application Advice)
In addition to more general personal statement tips, there are certain dos and don’ts for PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics). Let’s start with where students commonly go wrong. The first step is to be aware that your personal statement is not university specific. Therefore, unless you are applying only to PPE, you should avoid mentioning the subject or each of the individual disciplines explicitly; other universities can be put off making you an offer if they believe you will turn them down.
Another common mistake students make is using the personal statement to list off all their achievements since the age of 5. This is not what a personal statement is for.
While your achievements are useful, they should always be used in the context of demonstrating the academic skills and abilities you have cultivated, as well as your passion for the subject.
Instead of simply stating you were the editor of your school newspaper, talk about how this helped develop your ability to communicate arguments to a wider audience.
In the context of PPE, students often fall into the trap of listing when it comes to past reading they have completed. An admissions tutor does not care that you have read the whole dialogues of Plato, they are interested in why you did this and what you may have learnt from them.
Just like your achievements, you should only mention reading in the context of demonstrating skills, a critical understanding and passion for the subject.
A personal statement is severely limited by the character limit. Usually students find themselves having to cut large sections, often because they spend large sections of the personal statement repeating themselves. There is no need to dive into detail on your grades and the knowledge you have gained from GCSE and A levels. The admissions tutors already have most of this information from your wider UCAS application.
Remember your personal statement should always be structured around the skills and passions you have, making sure to demonstrate an ability to think critically and communicate through writing.
If you have experience analysing data, mention this and use an example that demonstrates this skill. In a similar manner, if you have developed a passion of Chinese politics, explain where this came from and what you have done to cultivate this passion; perhaps you became enthralled with the re-election of Xi Jinping and have since read several books on Chinese history and politics, understanding a deep relationship between the two.
The focus of every paragraph in your personal statement should be to demonstrate a skill or passion, supporting with evidence.
Finally, it is worth being aware that Oxbridge do not pay much attention to your non-academic achievements such as music and sport. Unless you are highly accomplished and can link an activity to demonstrating determination, time management or another skill they are looking for, there is no need to mention much about your hobbies.
Let us know if you have any questions about this article or anything related to PPE at Oxbridge at all.
This article was written by Emrys (Oxford - PPE).
If you find this content useful, please visit Emrys' profile for further information on applying to Oxbridge. Alternatively, book support now with Emrys, using the form below or contact us at: support@doxa.co.uk
Author: Emrys - Oxford
BA Philosophy, Politics & Economics
I have provided tuition internationally to students from Dubai, China and Pakistan. Through this I have a wealth of experience offering support for Oxford applicants, providing help with interviews and the TSA, where I managed to achieve a score of 80+ which is considered exceptional.
