York is my second choice for PPE, although they haven’t replied to my application yet…
It’s 10th or so for economics, I think. The whole university system is the UK is messed up though. The predicted grades stuff is such nonsense.
Yeah, I’d agree - but I’d say that it’s because they all over-estimate what people actually get. Or they do at my school…
Oh and also, it’s just so complicated and ridiculous - I could go on.
The fact they want to put 50% of the population into uni, regardless of the quality or the actual use of any of the degreed people they’re churning out is ridiculous. A third or 2:2 is worth nothing these days, and to be honest a 2:1 is as devalued as the dollar in the 1920s. At least there are quality private unis in the US.
But then we can’t really complain. Compare our system to the rest of Europe, or pretty much the rest of the world (except the US) and we come out on top.
Yeah, next they’re going to be trying to get everybody to have a PhD, the whole grading system is too complicated also. And grades not counting in the first year makes the whole thing a joke.
As for the predicted grades, the whole optimism thing is what screwed me over. Teachers are meant to be optimistic about the grades, except mine all basically said to me “I know you’re definately capable of getting higher than this, but as you haven’t been working I don’t want to give it to you”. So then when I still managed to get decent predicted grades I was being rejected by universities asking for 4 - 5 points (I did IB, which puts me at a disadvantage agaisnt A Levels to begin with) lower than what I was being predicted, which left me with Exeter, my last choice.
Or perhaps I shouldn’t have said that I think global warming is a myth in my personal statement.
As for the international rankings, they have to be off. I don’t know how they do them but judging by the rankings of England universities something is off. For example Leeds is ranked above Bath, which is ranked above SOAS. Edinburgh and Manchester are both somehow above LSE. Sheffield is above St Andrews somehow. Glawgow is above Nottingham, and somehow Southhampton comes above Durham.
Is this going on in England or the USA??
UK, I don’t know about rankings in th USA.
Did you hear from Oxford yet (I recall you mentioning you applied there)?
And I agree with Giles, predicted grades are idiotic. As for everyone getting a 2:1 these days, it does depend on which subject you attain it in… getting a 2:1 in Philosophy is not the same as getting it in say, Sports Management…
Yeah I got in!
Well, I have to get three As at A level, but I’ve got two already and I only need to get one more out of Further Maths, History and Economics. I got 33% in a recent economics module exam - probably because I completely disregarded what they wanted me to write, taking a “third path” on almost every question. Damn system… [:)]
I hope you’re not even contemplating turning Oxford down. They even have a libertarian society! Are you waiting for York then as a “safe” option? Congrats on the grades by the way.
Where else did you apply out of interest?
No don’t worry - I even talked to an Oxford economics don who was part-Austrian (economically rather than nationally) and who had read Human Action and Man, Economy and State. I will dominate their libertarian society haha.
Yeah York is my “safe” option if I fuck up badly on the grades - I already have AAA for them, as they count general studies (for some reason, and we are forced to do it at my school - a pub quiz if you ask me). Saying that, I have had no reply from York yet.
I also applied to Warwick, Lancaster and Durham. Durham and Lancaster gave me offers but Warwick rejected me. All for PPE.
Where else did you apply Giles?
Ah. Whar offers did they make you if you dont mind my asking? I’m hoping I get into Cambridge for graduate studies (and they too have a libertarian society), but I’ve been made offers by York, LSE, UCL, Birkbeck, Sussex and a number of other schools (not Oxford, second time they’ve passed me down. [:P]) I wouldn’t worry much about Warwick, from what I’ve heard it seems rather scientistic in its course’s design.
Warwick also, St Andrews and Edinburgh were my other choices, I was going to apply for Durham also. There’s an Austrian at Lancaster is there not?
You did your UG at Lancaster right?
I’m still doing it there, yes. And yes, one of the economics professors is a Hayekian, but it’s not his wont to discuss Austrian economics at much length, given how dull, dry and restricted the main course material is, which is what he’s obliged to teach.
Durham is another university I got an offer from and am contemplating. Cambridge is simply delaying giving an answer to what seems like infinity.
Oxford: AAA [obviously]
Warwick: Rejection, but it would have been AAA
Durham: AAB [and general studies is included!]
York: No reply, but AAA or AAB from what I’ve heard
Lancaster: ABB, but if I got AAB they offered me a £1,000 a year scholarship!
Cambridge economics is supposed to be incredibly maths-y, so I didn’t apply, plus I want the philosophy/politics side as well.
Wherever you go would recommend you join the post autistic economic network. Would also recommend the Adam Smith Institute under Dr Eamonn Butler as they hold various events (free boat trip up the Thames for students) and believe in the free market.
James
I studied neo-classical economics…avoid. PPE at Oxford is a good combination otherwise go for Philospohy or Social Anthropology
I happen to be doing an economics degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; it makes me want to loose all hope for the academia.