How to Prepare for Your Oxford PPE Application (Besides Reading Books)

It goes without saying that reading about philosophy, politics, and economics should make up the majority of your Oxford PPE application. Besides the obvious points, it's also most similar to the type of study you will be doing at Oxford (independent reading), and so is a great way to prepare for the course. If you haven't already done so, you can have a look at our PPE reading list here.

However, finding other resources can be a great way to break up the sequence of books, gives you ways to prepare when you might not be able to read, and demonstrates to tutors a more real interest in the subjects. For this reason, we have created this list of top resources to prepare for your Oxford PPE application, besides reading books.

Reading

Newspapers and Magazines

The Times; The Guardian; The Daily Telegraph; Financial Times; The Economist; The Spectator; New Statesman

Newspapers and magazines are a great way to keep up with current events, and pick up knowledge that you get to bring up in your personal statement or interview. While there is no assumed subject knowledge to apply for PPE, basic knowledge of modern politics and economics is expected as a byproduct of interest in the subjects, and reading periodicals is a great way to pick that up.

Academic Journals

Philosophy

The Philosophical Review; Mind; Analysis

Politics

British Journal of Political Science; The American Political Science Review; International Affairs

Economics

The Economic Journal; The American Economic Review; Economica

Interdisciplinary

Politics, Philosophy & Economics

Reading academic journals is the best way to learn about the latest developments in a field, and learn some of the names shaping the discourse. It is also useful preparation for Oxford, as you may find yourself reading journal articles to learn about a topic for an essay.

Blogs

Philosophy

Daily Nous; PEA Soup; Aeon

Politics

The Monkey Cage; Lawfare; FiveThirtyEight

Economics

Marginal Revolution; Conversable Economist; Money Illusion

If you don't have time for a book, these blogs are a great way to read more about philosophy, politics, and economics in manageable chunks, whilst staying up-to-date with current events.

Listening

Podcasts

Philosophy

Philosophize This!; The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps; Philosophy Bites

Politics

The Rest Is Politics (UK); The Ezra Klein Show; Political Economy with Jim Pethokoukis

Economics

EconTalk; Planet Money; Odd Lots; Freakonomics Radio

With the rise of the podcast medium, there is now a plethora of philosophy, politics, and economics content, offering an accessible way to stay up to date with a subject or delve into a topic of interest.

Watching

Films

Philosophy

The Tree of Life; Ex Machina; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; The Matrix; The Truman Show; Memento

Politics

Brexit: The Uncivil War; All the President's Men; Lincoln; Thirteen Days; Vice; Darkest Hour; Frost/Nixon; The Death of Stalin

Economics

The Big Short; Margin Call; Inside Job; A Beautiful Mind; Moneyball; Freakonomics

Over the years, a number of films, from dramas to documentaries, have been produced which cover philosophical, political, or economic issues, and these can be a great way to develop your subject knowledge whilst unwinding, or learn about a new topic in an accessible way.

TV Shows

Philosophy

The Good Place; Black Mirror; Severance; West World

Politics

House of Cards; The Thick of It; Veep; The West Wing; Yes Minister; The Crown; Borgen

Economics

Succession; Billions; Industry

There's a number of TV shows which contain themes related to philosophy, politics, and economics. Most obviously, there's several great TV shows which are set in explicitly political contexts, and provide some insight into how government works.

Lecture Series

Philosophy

Justice with Michael Sandel (Harvard University); Critical Reasoning for Beginners (University of Oxford); General Philosophy - Peter Millican (University of Oxford)

Politics

Introduction to Political Philosophy (Yale University); Power and Politics in Today's World (Yale University)

Economics

Economics for People (University of Cambridge); Financial Markets with Robert Shiller (Yale University); Principles of Microeconomics (MIT)

These are just a small selection of the amazing lecture series available for free on YouTube. Another great resource is https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk, where you can search for different subjects and find content that hasn't been uploaded anywhere else.

Debates

The Oxford Union; Intelligence Squared; The Munk Debates

For free on YouTube, you can watch debates on pressing issues from some of today's greatest minds. Great for learning more about a topic, and how to make convincing arguments in the face of opposition.

Participating

Societies and Clubs

Many schools have societies and clubs for philosophy, politics, and economics, or similar societies, such as debating, business, or Model United Nations. Joining these is a great way to really engage with a subject, and takes you out of the tedium of independent study.

We've covered a lot of ground in this list, offering a number of options for each subject across a range of mediums. However, it's just a starting point. Don't feel like you need to look at everything on this list, or that you shouldn't look anywhere else. But hopefully, you now have a good idea of where to go when you don't feel like reading!

Bookmark this list so you can keep coming back to it, and when you're ready, get in touch with us to begin working with our tutors and put what you have learnt into practice.