Human Sciences is arguably the most diverse course in Oxford, involved with both biology and social sciences, giving students understanding in a wide range of disciplines.
Here are some general resources related to Human Sciences.
Overview 🔗 Most information about the subject can be found on its course page.
Faculty website 🔗 🌟 There is also a lot of information on the faculty site, including links to introductory reading on the right, but also real handbooks which contain more detail on the lecture content of recent years.
Alternative Prospectus 🔗 This is an unofficial prospectus put together by the Oxford Student Union; it’s written based on students’ perspectives and gives a better sense of what the day-to-day experience as an Human Sciences student is like, compared to official materials.
Blog post 🔗 A blog post from That Oxford Girl on what it’s like to study Human Sciences at Oxford.
Course handbook 🔗 🌟 Can be found on the right-hand side of this page. This contains more information about the optional modules within the course and opportunities for specialisation.
Introductory reading 🔗 Don’t be intimidated by how long this list is - you don't need to read everything, but you might find a few of these interesting!
Admissions information 🔗 🌟 Some useful answers to common questions about the application process.
Thinking Skills Assessment information 🔗 Human sciences has an admissions test, the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA), which is non-subject specific. It is worth knowing that the TSA is especially hard to prepare for, and your score is unlikely to change over practising. However, it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the test format and the type of questions, as well as practising this to time (on the ‘How do I prepare’ section there are papers to do this.) Furthermore, the essay section of the TSA has been deemed less important than the question section. The Human Sciences department have said they do not consider the essays when deciding who to invite to interview.
Interview advice 🔗 The interview for Human Sciences is much more about how you think, rather than expecting any previous knowledge. Due to there being no compulsory A Level subjects, the questions that are asked do not require you to already know something, but for you to talk through your thought process. It is quite likely, however, to be asked questions about things you mentioned in your personal statement, so it is worth familiarising yourself with anything you discussed before.
InsideUni Human Sciences interview experiences 🔗 🌟 Current students talk about their interview experience, as well as sharing some tips. We’re biased, but we think they’re useful!