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TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > University of Oxford > PPE at Oxford

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Originally posted by Tom Holder here

Contents 1 Should I Apply? 1.1 What is PPE? 1.2 Why PPE at Oxford? 1.3 So is Oxford right for me? 1.4 Do I have the requirements for PPE? 2 The PPE Course 2.1 First Year Course 2.1.1 Philosophy 2.1.2 Politics 2.1.3 Economics 2.2 Second and Third Year Course 3 Personal Statement: What Should I Show? 4 Interviews 4.1 PPE Test 4.2 Interviews 4.2.1 Preparation 4.2.2 Subject Preparation 4.2.3 Going to the Interview and How to Dress 4.2.4 The Interview 4.2.5 After Interview 4.2.6 Urban Myths 5 Disclaimer and Final Notes 6 PPE 1st Year Reading List 6.1 Economics 6.2 Philosophy 6.3 Politics 7 My Personal Statement

Should I Apply?

First, here is what Oxford say about the PPE Course 1.

What is PPE?

PPE brings together some of the most important approaches to understanding the social and human world around us, developing skills useful for a whole range of future careers and activities. Studying philosophy, you will develop analytical rigour and the ability to criticise and reason logically, and be able to apply these skills to questions concerning how we acquire knowledge or how we make ethical judgements. The study of politics will acquaint you with the institutions that make crucial decisions which govern our lives as members of nations, states and other political groupings. You will also learn how to evaluate the choices which political systems must regularly make, and about the processes that maintain or change those systems. An appreciation of economics and the general workings of the economy has become increasingly necessary to make sense of governmental policy-making, the conduct of businesses and the enormous changes in economic systems occurring throughout the world. Economics focuses both on individual units and on the aggregate behaviour of groups, societies and international markets.

Does this sound interesting? If not turn around now - This may be one of Oxford University's most prolific courses, with some fo the best job prospects in the country (Many Prime Ministers have had PPE) BUT do not do it unless you are truly interested. Those who do the course for the job prospects tend to hate it, and through hating it tend to come out with a substandard degree. This course will take up a large portion of three years of your life so make sure you know what it's all about before you apply

Why PPE at Oxford?

Oxford University's PPE course is generally thought to be superior to that of other universities offering the course. Oxford does not offer any of Philosophy, Politics and Economics as single subjects, but instead they are offered in such courses as PPE, Economics and Management (E&M), Modern History and Economics (MHE), Philosophy and Theology and Modern History and Politics (MHP) to name a few. The Times Online latest league tables put Oxford top university for Politics and Philosophy with 24/24 for teaching in both. It came 9th for Economics with 23/24 for teaching times league table. Oxford University has one of the three Copyright libraries in the UK meaning it has a copy of every research paper published in the UK. PPEists spend most fo their time in the Social Sciences Library, The Philosophy Faculty Library and the Bodleian Library. With Oxford you also gain from the one on one tutorial system that everyone gains from.

Despite its facilities, Oxford University is not for everyone and there are many other universities which offer the course, some of these are: University of East Anglia (UEA), University of Durham, University of Essex,University of Hull, Lancaster University, London Metropolitan University, University of Manchester, University of Stirling, University of Warwick and University of York (all offering PPE courses in 2006).

So is Oxford right for me?

Well here are the yes no questions...

• Would I be happy in a medium sized city? Yes/No
• Would I be happy being taught in 1on1 or 2on1* tutorials? Yes/No
• Would I be happy writing two 2000 word essays a week? Yes/No
• 2 maybe even 3 students to 1 tutor

If the answer to any of the above is no then i strongly suggest you don't apply. Here are some other questions to think about (although answering no isn't such a bad thing as with above):

• Could i cope with the possibility of being average?

- You may have been top in your school or 6th form, but PPE at Oxford brings about some of the brightest students in this country and others

• Could I cope with the possibility of rejection?

- The success rate for applicants is 24.8% and all most of those applying are very bright, can you cope with the idea you may be rejected

• Could I motivate myself to work on my own?

- PPEists are expected to work at 40 hour week, around 10 hours is likely to be lectures,classes and tutorials, the other 30 or so is reading and writing for essays on your own

• Could I cope with doing exams at the beginning of nearly every term?

- "Collection" exams are set at the beginning of most terms, a few days before the first lectures Have a good think about these questions.

Do I have the requirements for PPE?

The typical Oxford offer for PPE is AAA at A-level, although some people are offered AAB. Many applicants will be applying with predicted grades of AAA or better, so straight A's help. IB is accepted with equivalent to AAA/AAB A-level grades. GCSE's may be looked at but many students will not have straight A's and A*s so don't feel you need it. PPE has no required subjects, you do not need to have previously studied any of the composite subjects individually, but the university does say History and Maths is helpful. You will have to write essays so if you haven't in the past you will have to learn in your first term at Oxford, there is also a compulsory maths question in your 1st year economics paper, but don't worry if you have only got GCSE maths since they will teach you, it is just a lot harder for non-maths people. Most PPEists i know would highly suggest having done at least AS-level maths before applying.

Well all of this considered, if you still want to apply then read on!

The PPE Course

The PPE Course is 3 years and is split into the first year where you build up a basic knowledge of all three diciplines in preperation for first year exams (called prelims or mods), and the second two years where you focus on elements of two or three diciplines in order to take final exams.

A detailed guide to the PPE course can be found in the PPE handbook provided by the university: http://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/handb..._Economics.pdf

First Year Course

In your first year you will study all three subjects. In exams you have 3 hours to answer 4 questions.

You must also complete a statistical coursework in either Politics or Economics, this must be around 10 pages long and you are provided with statistics on a question you choose from a list (or you may pick your own based onthe available data). If you do the politics coursework you must use SPSS, if you do the economics coursework you must use Excel. You must pass this coursework in order to pass the first year (around 4% students fail prelims due to the coursework). It is a piece of work where you can get distinction, pass or fail.

Philosophy

The course is split into 3 sections. In your exams you have to answer at least one question in two different sections so you may only be taught 2 of the following sections or you may be taught all 3. I believe all 3 is most common across most colleges.

1. Logic - This is usually taught in larger classes and is based around the teaching of 'W. Hodges - Logic'. You will be taught propositional logic and basic predicate logic. - Example Exam questions are: "Explain the difference between semantic and syntactic entailment in the propositional calculus" (Q6.(a) of 2005 Philosophy Prelims paper) "Find counter-examples to '|=[[[[P->Q]->[Q^P]]->R]<->[R->¬P]]'"(Q2.(b)(i) of 2005 Philosophy Prelims Paper)

2. General Philosophy - This is likely to be taught in tutorials and is an introduction to some of the important topics in epistemology and metaphysics. You will be introduced to philosophers such as Locke, Descartes and Hume - The General Philosophy topics are: Knowledge, Identity, Primary and Secondary Qualities, Mind and Body, Free Will, Scepticism, Induction and Perception. - Example Exam questions are/l "Does induction's track record bear on its future prospects?" (Q11 of 2005 Philosophy Prelims paper) "Are you the same person as you were when you were six years old?" (Q14. of 2005 Philosophy Prelims paper)

3, Moral Philosophy - This is also likely to be taught in tutorials and studies moral philosophy in conjunction with 'J.S. Mill's - Utilitarianism'. It covers such areas as "higher and lower pleasures" and "Act and Rule Utilitarianism". - Example Exam questions are: "Does Utilitarianism treat people as mere containers for happiness, with no value of their own?" (Q16. of 2005 Philosophy Prelims paper) "Is Mill's proof of utilitarianism so patently fallacious that it should be used as a warning example in textbooks of logic?" (Q20. of 2005 Philosophy Prelims paper)

Politics

This course is split into 2 sections. In the prelims exam you must answer at least one question from each section.

1. Theorizing the democratic state - You will learn about some of the main concepts involved in Democracy such as Liberty and Justice as well as frameworks of power such as Pluralism and Marxism. You may not be taught all of these areas, depending whether your tutor puts more focus into section 2 rather than section 1. - You will meet philosophers such as Mill (On Liberty), Marx, Tocqueville and Rousseau (The Social Contract) - Example Exam questions: "Can it ever be Democratic to place constraints on majority rule?" (Q2. on 2005 Politics Prelims Paper) "Why does Marx think that capitalism will be overthrown by a proletariat revolution?" (Q3. on 2005 Politics Prelims Paper)

2. Analysis of Democratic Institutions - You will learn about the political institutios of France, Germany, UK and USA although not necessarily all four. You will learn about the various branches of government, the constituions, the party system to name but a few areas. You will learn about controversies arising in these areas. - Example Exam questions: "Why are some legislatures more party-dominated than others?" (Q13. on 2005 Politics Prelims Paper) "What constrains the power of the US Supreme Court?" (Q22. on 2005 Politics Prelims Paper)

Economics

This course is split into Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and maths. In prelims you must do at least one math question and at least two micro/macro questions. You are likely to be taught Microeconomics one term and Macroeconomics the next this will usually be done in both tutorials and classes, whereas maths is likely to be done over two terms in large classes (5-10 students).

1. Macroeconomics/Microeconomics - Microeconomics gives a rought overview of microeconomics so as to bring everyone up to a similar standard including those with no previous economics experience. The exam could almost completely be revised for using 'Hal. Varian - Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach, i strongly suggest you buy this book. Microeconomics also includes a section on trade. - Macroeconomics gives a rought overview of macroeconmics so as to bring everyone up to a similar standard including those with no previous economics experience. More textobooks are needed but many people choose 'Mankiw - Macroeconomics'. - Example Exam questions: "Patents are a form of monopoly. How would you assess the optimal duration of a patent? What would the limitations on the use of your analysis in practise?" (QA4. on 2005 Economics Prelims Paper) "Compare the GDP deflator and the Consumer Price Index as measures of the cost of living across countries." (QA16. on 2005 Economics Prelims Paper)

2. Maths - You will be taught a math course that involves elements of p1-p3 including differentiation and intergration. It will be taught in classes. You must do one compulsory but fairly easy question in prelims, although you can optionally also do one harder question. -Example Exam questions: "Consider the function f(x) = x + 1/x, final all possible maxima and minima of the function" (QC(b)(i). on 2005 Economics Prelims Paper) "Two firms are in duopoly (with equations), What assumption is needed in order to estimate consumer surplus?" (QB2(ii). on 2005 Economics Prelims Paper)

Second and Third Year Course

You have the choice of the staying with all subjects or droping one and continuing bi-partite, this latter option is more common. In your chosen two of three subjects you must do 2 core papers. bold means you must take this course as one of your core papers if you choose to continue this dicipline. Philosophy - Ethics, History of Philosophy, Plato:Republic, Aritotle:Nichomacean Ethics Economics - Microeconomics, Macroeconomics (no choice on core papers) Politics - Comparative Governments, Political Sociology, International Relations, 20th Century British Politics and Government, Theory of Politics

You can then take a number of extra modules to bring the total number of modules to 8 on which you will be examined in finals. Some examples of these modules are below Philosophy - Formal Logic, The Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein, Intermediate Philosophy of Physics Economics - Public Economics, Classical Economic thought, Econometrics Politics - Russian Government and Politics, International Relations in the era of the Cold War, Marxism

For a full list of courses read the PPE handbook: http://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/handb..._Economics.pdf

Personal Statement: What Should I Show?

1. Interest in PPE - You must show that you are genuinely interested in spending 3 years of your life studying politics, philosophy and economics. I would strongly suggest that you include elements of all 3 in your PS. 2. Personal Drive - You must show that you can motivate yourself. Many people do this by showing extracurricular interests in the both related and unrelated subjects and activities. 3. Academic Ingenuity - Your UCAS forum will mention your grades. Most applicants will be applying to Oxford with decent GCSE's (an A average), decent AS-Levels (AABB or better) and excellent predicted A-levels (AAA or better). Your UCAS form is a chance to show that despite similar grades to the other applicants you've got that little extra creative spark that will make you more interesting to teach than the other 3 people fighting for your place.

Interviews

Firstly, here is what Oxford say about interviews: http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/interviews/

You'll be down in your college for 2-3 days for interview, so have a little fun and don't work too hard (or better still don't work).

Your interview time will consist of: - Welcoming Talk - PPE test - Interviews - Interviews at other colleges (maybe)

You may also have a small class with some undergraduates on a topic like game theory to give you a taster of Oxford.

The welcoming talk needs no further explanation so let's move to the next section.

PPE Test

Here's a specimen paper: http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/interviews/tests/PPE.pdf

All follow the same pattern:

Part 1: Read a passage - comment on passage Basically this is like advanced comprehension. Try and keep within your time frame (20 minutes per section). Answer as best AND AS COHERENTLY as you can. There is no right or wrong but they willl be looking for someone who can express themselves well.

Part 2: Define and Differentiate 5 questions (4 mins per question). Define each word CONCISELY (one line, maybe two), then briefly (two lines) differentiate between. Repeat with different words. Don't worry if you're not sure, have a guess on the difference, it is usually to do with different strengths of the word, so say so! e.g. Define and Differentiate: Exploit, Dominate, Oppress

Part 3: Applied Maths Due to not everyone doing maths, these questions can be done with trial and error (to an extent, your going to have to write some maths) or often with more advanced maths. Most questions involve finding some kind of optimum, so calculus can be used. Whatever you do BE CLEAR and state all assumptions you make!

Overall, keep your head, think clearly, it's not that hard! Keep an eye on the time and aim to allocate 1/3 of your time to each question.

Other advice - brings pens and pencils, arrive to your test on time, and most of all get a good night's sleep before hand, your test will be early in the morning.

Interviews

This is what they say about interviews: http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/interviews/

Preparation

Know what's on your course: http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/courses/ppec.shtml - course structure

Many people were asked about what they thought was on your course, and it doesn't reflect to well on you if you don't know. You don't need to know much about the individual topics, but know what topics are in the FIRST YEAR!

Anything that is on your personal statement - know well!

Some interviewers will not talk to you about personal statement things because they want to test you with new idea's. Others will want to make sure you really know what you said you knew and will ask you on your personal statement. It looks very bad if you say you read something and haven't! Read your personal statement before you go in.

Subject Preparation

Politics: Read the paper, have a loose idea of what some of the more important words mean (make sure you could answer "What is Democracy/Politics/Oppresion/Tyranny ... etc?").

Philosophy: Know some of the broad idea's of who said what. They won't mark you down for not knowing, but knowing a little helps. A quick flick through a basic "intro to philosophy book" wouldn't harm your chances.

Economics: READ THE PAPER (broadsheet equivalent), maybe even buy that weeks "economist" magazine. They will almost certainly ask you about a current issue, and it rflects well on you if you know about it.

Going to the Interview and How to Dress

ARRIVE ON TIME

BE ALERT AND AWAKE (no big booze up the night before)

How to dress:

"The best rule to follow is to wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Casual clothes are fine. Most tutors will not dress up for you, so it is not necessary to dress formally. Remember that you are not being assessed on your clothes or haircut! On the other hand, it is inadvisable to look deliberately scruffy; it is hardly an indication of your commitment to the whole process."

Wear what you feel comfortable in, I'd guess over half the people in pembroke DIDN'T wear a suit, but chose to go for an informal attire. I personally wore jeans and a zippy jumper. Football Kit is NOT advised .... keep it reasonable. The advantage of casual clothes is it can make the interview feel slightly less like an interrogation and more like a discussion to see if you are the right person for your subject in the college.

Some people like to relax with a pint before interviews, this is nto always a bad idea and can calm nerves, but i wouldn't buy any more than a pint (and leave an hour before drinking and talking) whatever you think your tolerance is! I might also mention that Hobgoblin ale is one of the best ales in the country. Remember - dont' drink too much! A century of vodka shots is not only likely to mess up your interview, but may also kill you (unless your russian).

The Interview

Politics: You may talk about Current Issues, Political Theory or Course Structure. Try and show a little interest, try and move the conversation forward.

Philosophy: You may be asked on Philosophical Theory, you are unlikely to be be asked on particular philosophers unless you wrote about them in your personal statement. If you don't understand the questions - ASK! Also in philosophy you can ask your tutors rhetorical questions if it helps you answer.

Economics: You will probably be asked about a current issue, answer intelligently. You may also be asked a maths problem, think before answering. An example i was given was: "There is a game with two players, You may guess numbers between 1-100. The object is to guess half the opponents number. What do you guess?"

General Interview Advice: 1. Think before you speak, stop, have a minute of silence to yourself before replying .... obviously don't wait this long every uestion, but do think, stop for a few seconds before any question. 2. If you don't understand the question, ask them to clarify it for you. 3. They may ask you unanswerable questions, especially in moral philosophy or political theory. There may be no right answer, you can say your not sure yourself what answer you'd give. 4. Move the conversation along, if you see a link up with another topic, then talk about it. Still ensure you answer the original question. 5. Don't be arrogant. The interviewers aren't there to decide if your clever enough, they are there to decide whether they would like to teach you. No-one wants to teach a know-it-all 6. Give longer answers, quick, concise answers are great for the test, but will prolong the feel of the interview. They want a conversation which flows and has direction and they can only do that if you give them opportunities to ask linked questions. At the same time make sure your not just waffling on about nothing. 7. Remember that the interviewer is trying to help get the best out of you.

After Interview

Don't worry. If you feel your interview went badly it often means they just grilled you harder, and can often help your chances of getting a place over someone who found their interview easy but wasn't really grilled. Every person who got in for PPE at Pembroke (my college) in 2003 interviews, thought they'd messed up the interview. Anyone who said their interview went very well failed to get in.. Don't feel to hard done .... if the interview went badly then you have an excuse to go down the pub (not that you need an excuse), if it went well then you also have an excuse (this should read "After interview - Go down pub").

Some colleges will allow you the chance of re-doing your interview if you felt it went badly. I advise you against it, i very nearly did, as did many others because we all felt our interviews went badly, and we all got in. I know one person who did redo her interview and failed to get in. Unless you were actually so ill that you couldn't speak at the time i would advise you against it!

If your interview went well, don't go around saying how easy it was. Many people will feel their interview went very badly and the last thing they want to hear about was how well one individual did!

Urban Myths

"There was an interview where the interviewer asked the student to surprise him, the student set the table on fire and got in!" "A friend of a friend had an interview and when he got in the interviewer had his back to the student and they conducted the interview like that, and he got in!" "My mother's best friend's imaginary friend bob's cousin, had an interview where he set a banana on the table, had the interview and when the interviewer asked him about the banana he said "now you'll remember me"!

These are urban myths, they will not happen, the interviewers are there to make your life easy, they want your full potential and they'll only get it in a normal interview.

Disclaimer and Final Notes

All writings in these posts about PPE are my opinion, following any advice will not guarentee you will get into Oxford and I do not hold myself liable for anything written.. Baically you follow my advice at your own risk.

Good Luck

Have Fun

Cheers

Tom Holder - Pembroke Colege - PPE

PPE 1st Year Reading List

Economics

1. Microeconomics

CORE TEXTBOOKS - BUY ONE OR BOTH OF THE TOP TWO - Varian, H. R. (2003), Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach 6th Edition, Norton. - Katz, M. L. and Rosen, H. S. (1998), Microeconomics 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill

FOR THOSE WITHOUT PRIOR MICROECONOMIC KNOWLEDGE - Begg, D., Fischer, S. and Dornbusch, R. (2003), Economics 7th Edition, McGraw-Hill. - Lipsey, R. G. and Chrystal, K. A. (2004), Principles of Economics 10th Edition, OUP.

2. Macroeconomics

CORE TEXTBOOKS - I SUGGEST PURCHASING MANKIW - Mankiw, Macroeconomics, 5th edn, Worth, 2003 - Burda & Wyplosz, Macroeconomics: A European Approach, 3rd edn, OUP, 2001 - Lipsey & Chrystal, Principles of Economics, 9th edn, OUP, 1999

SOME EXTRA MATERIAL TO SUPPLEMENT THE ABOVE READING - Abel & Bernanke, Macroeconomics, 2nd edn, Addison Wesley, 1995 - Barro and Grilli, European Macroeconomics, Macmillan, 1994 - Blanchard, Macroeconomics, Prentice Hall, 1997 - De Long, Macroeconomics, Wiley, 2002 - Dornbusch, Fischer & Startz, Macroeconomics, 7th edn, McGraw Hill, 1997 - Miles & Scott, Macroeconomics, McGraw Hill, 2002 - Stiglitz, Economics, 2nd edn, Norton 1997 - Sachs & Larrain, Macroeconomics in the Global Economy, Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993

3. Maths

CORE MATHS TEXT - Maths Workbook - available as 10 pdf files, unofrtunately only to those in Oxford (ask me nicely and i'll send them)

SUPPLEMENTARY MATHS BOOKS FOR THOSE WITHOUT FULL A-LEVEL - Anthony, M. & N. Biggs (1996), Mathematics for Economics and Finance. Cambridge University Press. - Jacques, I. (1999), Mathematics for Economics and Business, 3rd ed. Addison Wesley Longman.

Philosophy

1. General Philosophy

COMPLETE READING LIST http://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/readi...Philosophy.pdf

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME IMPORTANT BOOKS: - Sven Bernecker and Fred Dretske (eds.) Knowledge: Readings in Contemporary Epistemology (OUP 2000) (Covers Knowledge, Scepticism, Perception) - Michael Huemer (ed.) Epistemology: Contemporary Readings (Routledge 2002) (Covers Knowledge, Scepticism, Induction) - R. Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy (trans. J. Cottingham), Meditation I-VI (Covers Scepticism, Mind and Body) - A. J. Ayer, The Problem of Knowledge (Covers Knowledge, Perception ) - D. Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, sects. IV-V (Covers Induction) - J. Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book II, Chapter viii & xxvii (Covers Primary & Secondary Qualities, Free Will, Personal Identity)

2. Moral Philosophy (Mill)

COMPLETE READING LIST [urlhttp://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/reading_lists/mods_prelims/2000_Mill_(Moral_Philosophy).pdf[/url]

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME IMPORTANT BOOKS:

• • Mill, J.S. Utilitarianism ed Crisp, R. (OUP, 1998) (first published 1861; 4th and final edition published 1871) (BUY THIS BOOK)

- Crisp, R. Mill on Utilitarianism (Routledge, 1997) - Berger, F. Happiness, Justice and Freedom (Univ. California Press, 1984) - Smart, J.J.C. & Williams, B. Utilitarianism: For and Against (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1973)

3. Logic

'COMPLETE' READING LIST http://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/readi...003_Logic.html

WHAT YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO KNOW - Wilfred Hodges, Logic, 2nd edition (Penguin Books), sections 1-11 and 16-40 (BUY THIS BPPK) You can happily get a 1st in Logic with a good knowledge of the above book

Politics

http://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/teachin...ms/prelims.pdf (too many books to write - but you can access the above link from anywhere)

My Personal Statement

For the past four years I have developed a strong interest in philosophy and politics and greatly enjoyed debates on these topics. Upon studying economics in the sixth form I found it to be a fascinating topic, especially since it complemented many of the political issues I had been interested in, such as the economic problems facing Nazi Germany for much of the inter-war period. Politics has been a hobby outside school for the past few years. I have spent much time debating politics with friends and I find myself continually re-evaluating my own views, especially with regards to political theory. I am especially interested in the politics of Germany during the Nazi era. On that particular topic I have found ‘Rise and fall of the Third Reich” by William Shirer to be of particular interest. I find Hitler’s use of effective propaganda, especially with regards to the indoctrination of the Hitler youth truly incredible, as well as how it relates to modern propaganda techniques suggested by Noam Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent. During my time doing Economics I have found many aspects of the course that interest me, such as the debate on whether or not Britain should join the Euro, and I personally agree with Gordon Brown that in economic terms, joining the Euro is a bad idea at present, however at the same time I believe that as a political decision, joining the Euro would be beneficial, both to Britain and the rest of Europe. I believe the decision to commit Britain’s control over interest rates to a European body is dangerous at a time when Britain is relatively thriving when compared to Germany, who are trying to struggle out of a recession. I believe Philosophy is one of the fundamental components of political theory. Political Philosophy will ask such questions as, “Are certain Political theories better adapted to human nature than others”. This comes down the question of human nature and idea’s such as nature vs. nurture as to whether man’s behaviour is primarily dependent on ones genes, and hence biological ancestry, or is affected throughout ones life by the actions of others around them, especially during childhood when most people are most impressionable. My Economics was also furthered by my participation in the Young Enterprise competition. I was Marketing Director and learnt the importance of good communication skills both within the company and to clients. I also took the Young Enterprise exam and managed to attain a Distinction. Within the Perse School I have attained both music and drama colours, the latter being for doing sound for various school drama events. I enjoy sports, especially racket sports like squash and badminton. I have a strong love of music, both listening and playing. I have played the drums for 7 years and am presently working towards my Grade 8 drums. I play in the school Wind Band and Swing Band as well in my own band, Xeoro, and I hope that I will be able to further myself during my university years by actively participating in the Musical activities the University has to offer. The balance of schoolwork, musical activities and keeping a social life while still keeping time to pursue other hobbies has meant that I learnt to cope with a busy lifestyle. I believe this will help me cope with the hard work needed to succeed in university life and that in doing this course I can combine and further enhance my interests in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.