Gokotta

How far have you gone in mathematics? Really, that's the key criteria you should be considering if you're serious about an Econ PhD. How did you do in those courses? What were your marks in the more quantitative courses, including econometrics? Unless they were quite strong, I think you'd find it easier to gain admission to a PhD program in Religion. I don't think the MA helps or hurts you, and I think it would be of marginal importance to most committees. Your GPA is okay, but you'd need to have strong GRE scores (especially Q) and would have to convincingly articulate why you're interested in an Econ PhD now. This: "whereas drawing graphs, putting formulas on the board, etc could be much easier do" is absolutely not the way to approach it. Getting paid more is another topic to avoid. You're going to be working with, and applying against, folks who are passionate about this subject-- if you only like it, that'll stand out.

This is probably a stupid question, but seeing as Google has failed me: Can Oxford students visit colleges other than the one to which they've been admitted? Can they visit only within the posted visiting times? Do they have to pay the suggested fees (usually a couple quid, but still)?