Question: What was phys/phil like at Oxford bro??? xx

Scott Melville answered on 23 Sep 2018:

Thanks for your question!
Phys/Phil at Oxford is really super – Philosophy used to be a compulsory part of EVERY degree at Oxford, so their philosophy department is big and full of interesting people.

‘Science’ actually started out as ‘natural philosophy’, and there’s loads of cool overlaps between the kinds of logical arguments you see in philosophy lectures and the kinds of calculations you see in physics lectures. I especially enjoyed doing ‘Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics’ and ‘Philosophy of Relativity’, which are amazing fusions of cutting edge physics with cutting edge philosophy!

Even if you find yourself doing a pure science degree, I’d always recommend reading some philosophy on the side 🙂 It won’t help you pass the exams, but it will help you understand things on a much deeper level, and equip you with so many useful skills for later life (not to mention give you some mind-blowing topics of conservation for dinner parties).

Of course Oxford is fab, but I have many friends and colleagues who studied Physics and Philosophy combinations at other universities, and all report similar experiences – physics/philosophy for the win!