LNAT + Personal Statement advice
The first thing I recommend you do is look at the general undergraduate admissions page for law for the universities you are interested in AND then go to the universities' law faculties websites. The law departments' web pages are a treasure trove of advice for applications and MUCH more detailed and informative than the general admissions pages.
LNAT ADVICE
General information:-
• It is not difficult
• It requires basic deduction by using common sense and logic in order to make inferences.
• You don't need to do much prep
How to prep for the LNAT:-
[ MCQ ]:
• Try the practise exam on the LNAT website at least twice.
• The first time, do it without any prep. Then check your answers and their answers, try and understand why your answer was wrong/why the right one is right, and try again.
[ ESSAY QUESTIONS ]
What they are looking for:
a) Focus on the particular question;
b) Clarity of expression and fluency of prose;
c) A logical progression and structure;
d) Reference(s) to relevant evidence;
e) An ability to recognise, and address, counter-arguments;
f) A concise and effective conclusion.
(The above is from Durham Law Faculty's website)
You must be able to give both sides of the argument, but come to a decision and clearly explain how you arrived at this conclusion.
[ PREPARATION ]
• NECESSARY:
Keep abreast of any current affairs issues with an ethical dilemma which has a legal and political slant and an impact on society.
• HELPFUL, BUT NOT NECESSARY:
Get an LNAT book - you don't need to complete even a quarter of the book. There are way more questions than necessary. It helps to just select a few that vary in difficulty and then compare your answers. *
PERSONAL STATEMENT ADVICE
I found Durham Law faculty's web-page extremely helpful to break down my Personal Statement. READ THIS: https://www.dur.ac.uk/undergraduate/study/apply/ucas/personalstatement
They also have two documents on the above link featuring notes from their admissions tutors + what they want to see in a statement and what kind of questions you should answer.
Summary below:
1. WHY LAW?
a) Your knowledge of the subject area
b) What does the programme entail?
c) Why does it interest you?
d) What interests you the most?
e) Where could studying the programme lead?
2. WHY YOU?
a) Your academic studies
b) Any voluntary work
c) Your hobbies and interests
d) Things you have learned from books, newspapers, TV programmes and so on
e) Experiences in your year out (if you are having one)
f) Any relevant work experience (e.g. medicine, physiotherapy)
g) Particular project work in your studies
3. ARE YOU INTERESTING AND UNIQUE?
a) What do you enjoy doing outside of school
b) Your hobbies, leisure activities
c) Sports you participate in
d) Other sorts of extra-curricular activities
e) Significant responsibilities you hold, at home or in clubs or societies
f) Special achievements
g) What you have learned if you have had a job
The above is a good way to structure your PS into three parts whilst acting as a checklist to make sure you've got most areas covered.
MY ADVICE:
• You must explain why you want to study law in as straight-forward a way possible. It should be like hitting the admissions tutor with a hammer on the head - there should be no ambiguity or lack of clarity!
• You could link any work experience, work responsibilities, extra-curricular activities of your A-Level subjects to law or transferable study skills:
a) For example, in history: if civil rights in the USA or Nazi Germany and the use of law to enact these things interests you, if you researched it, debated it and what your position on it is.*
**b) Think about what other things your teachers and these subjects encourage, i.e. debate.
*c) Time management, working under pressure, etc. Shows that you can work part time or have other interests whilst keeping up with your studies.
Hope this helps!
LNAT ADVICE
General information:-
• It is not difficult
• It requires basic deduction by using common sense and logic in order to make inferences.
• You don't need to do much prep
How to prep for the LNAT:-
[ MCQ ]:
• Try the practise exam on the LNAT website at least twice.
• The first time, do it without any prep. Then check your answers and their answers, try and understand why your answer was wrong/why the right one is right, and try again.
[ ESSAY QUESTIONS ]
What they are looking for:
a) Focus on the particular question;
b) Clarity of expression and fluency of prose;
c) A logical progression and structure;
d) Reference(s) to relevant evidence;
e) An ability to recognise, and address, counter-arguments;
f) A concise and effective conclusion.
(The above is from Durham Law Faculty's website)
You must be able to give both sides of the argument, but come to a decision and clearly explain how you arrived at this conclusion.
[ PREPARATION ]
• NECESSARY:
Keep abreast of any current affairs issues with an ethical dilemma which has a legal and political slant and an impact on society.
• HELPFUL, BUT NOT NECESSARY:
Get an LNAT book - you don't need to complete even a quarter of the book. There are way more questions than necessary. It helps to just select a few that vary in difficulty and then compare your answers. *
PERSONAL STATEMENT ADVICE
I found Durham Law faculty's web-page extremely helpful to break down my Personal Statement. READ THIS: https://www.dur.ac.uk/undergraduate/study/apply/ucas/personalstatement
They also have two documents on the above link featuring notes from their admissions tutors + what they want to see in a statement and what kind of questions you should answer.
Summary below:
1. WHY LAW?
a) Your knowledge of the subject area
b) What does the programme entail?
c) Why does it interest you?
d) What interests you the most?
e) Where could studying the programme lead?
2. WHY YOU?
a) Your academic studies
b) Any voluntary work
c) Your hobbies and interests
d) Things you have learned from books, newspapers, TV programmes and so on
e) Experiences in your year out (if you are having one)
f) Any relevant work experience (e.g. medicine, physiotherapy)
g) Particular project work in your studies
3. ARE YOU INTERESTING AND UNIQUE?
a) What do you enjoy doing outside of school
b) Your hobbies, leisure activities
c) Sports you participate in
d) Other sorts of extra-curricular activities
e) Significant responsibilities you hold, at home or in clubs or societies
f) Special achievements
g) What you have learned if you have had a job
The above is a good way to structure your PS into three parts whilst acting as a checklist to make sure you've got most areas covered.
MY ADVICE:
• You must explain why you want to study law in as straight-forward a way possible. It should be like hitting the admissions tutor with a hammer on the head - there should be no ambiguity or lack of clarity!
• You could link any work experience, work responsibilities, extra-curricular activities of your A-Level subjects to law or transferable study skills:
a) For example, in history: if civil rights in the USA or Nazi Germany and the use of law to enact these things interests you, if you researched it, debated it and what your position on it is.*
**b) Think about what other things your teachers and these subjects encourage, i.e. debate.
*c) Time management, working under pressure, etc. Shows that you can work part time or have other interests whilst keeping up with your studies.
Hope this helps!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by stratagems
The first thing I recommend you do is look at the general undergraduate admissions page for law for the universities you are interested in AND then go to the universities' law faculties websites. The law departments' web pages are a treasure trove of advice for applications and MUCH more detailed and informative than the general admissions pages.
LNAT ADVICE
General information:-
• It is not difficult
• It requires basic deduction by using common sense and logic in order to make inferences.
• You don't need to do much prep
How to prep for the LNAT:-
[ MCQ ]:
• Try the practise exam on the LNAT website at least twice.
• The first time, do it without any prep. Then check your answers and their answers, try and understand why your answer was wrong/why the right one is right, and try again.
[ ESSAY QUESTIONS ]
What they are looking for:
a) Focus on the particular question;
b) Clarity of expression and fluency of prose;
c) A logical progression and structure;
d) Reference(s) to relevant evidence;
e) An ability to recognise, and address, counter-arguments;
f) A concise and effective conclusion.
(The above is from Durham Law Faculty's website)
You must be able to give both sides of the argument, but come to a decision and clearly explain how you arrived at this conclusion.
[ PREPARATION ]
• NECESSARY:
Keep abreast of any current affairs issues with an ethical dilemma which has a legal and political slant and an impact on society.
• HELPFUL, BUT NOT NECESSARY:
Get an LNAT book - you don't need to complete even a quarter of the book. There are way more questions than necessary. It helps to just select a few that vary in difficulty and then compare your answers. *
PERSONAL STATEMENT ADVICE
I found Durham Law faculty's web-page extremely helpful to break down my Personal Statement. READ THIS: https://www.dur.ac.uk/undergraduate/study/apply/ucas/personalstatement
They also have two documents on the above link featuring notes from their admissions tutors + what they want to see in a statement and what kind of questions you should answer.
Summary below:
1. WHY LAW?
a) Your knowledge of the subject area
b) What does the programme entail?
c) Why does it interest you?
d) What interests you the most?
e) Where could studying the programme lead?
2. WHY YOU?
a) Your academic studies
b) Any voluntary work
c) Your hobbies and interests
d) Things you have learned from books, newspapers, TV programmes and so on
e) Experiences in your year out (if you are having one)
f) Any relevant work experience (e.g. medicine, physiotherapy)
g) Particular project work in your studies
3. ARE YOU INTERESTING AND UNIQUE?
a) What do you enjoy doing outside of school
b) Your hobbies, leisure activities
c) Sports you participate in
d) Other sorts of extra-curricular activities
e) Significant responsibilities you hold, at home or in clubs or societies
f) Special achievements
g) What you have learned if you have had a job
The above is a good way to structure your PS into three parts whilst acting as a checklist to make sure you've got most areas covered.
MY ADVICE:
• You must explain why you want to study law in as straight-forward a way possible. It should be like hitting the admissions tutor with a hammer on the head - there should be no ambiguity or lack of clarity!
• You must link any work experience, work responsibilities, or extra-curricular activities - with either how it connects to the law OR transferable study skills, ie. time management, working under pressure, etc.
• Link your A-Level subjects to law OR transferable study skills:
a) For example, in History, I studied civil rights, but also Nazi Germany. The statesmen/political parties enacted their power through legal measures, but also have wider resonance with human rights, civil rights, and constitutional law. I also did this for Politics and English Literature and Language.
b) Think about what other things your teachers and these subjects encourage, i.e. debate, analysing and summarising information, writing with clarity. *
Hope this helps!
LNAT ADVICE
General information:-
• It is not difficult
• It requires basic deduction by using common sense and logic in order to make inferences.
• You don't need to do much prep
How to prep for the LNAT:-
[ MCQ ]:
• Try the practise exam on the LNAT website at least twice.
• The first time, do it without any prep. Then check your answers and their answers, try and understand why your answer was wrong/why the right one is right, and try again.
[ ESSAY QUESTIONS ]
What they are looking for:
a) Focus on the particular question;
b) Clarity of expression and fluency of prose;
c) A logical progression and structure;
d) Reference(s) to relevant evidence;
e) An ability to recognise, and address, counter-arguments;
f) A concise and effective conclusion.
(The above is from Durham Law Faculty's website)
You must be able to give both sides of the argument, but come to a decision and clearly explain how you arrived at this conclusion.
[ PREPARATION ]
• NECESSARY:
Keep abreast of any current affairs issues with an ethical dilemma which has a legal and political slant and an impact on society.
• HELPFUL, BUT NOT NECESSARY:
Get an LNAT book - you don't need to complete even a quarter of the book. There are way more questions than necessary. It helps to just select a few that vary in difficulty and then compare your answers. *
PERSONAL STATEMENT ADVICE
I found Durham Law faculty's web-page extremely helpful to break down my Personal Statement. READ THIS: https://www.dur.ac.uk/undergraduate/study/apply/ucas/personalstatement
They also have two documents on the above link featuring notes from their admissions tutors + what they want to see in a statement and what kind of questions you should answer.
Summary below:
1. WHY LAW?
a) Your knowledge of the subject area
b) What does the programme entail?
c) Why does it interest you?
d) What interests you the most?
e) Where could studying the programme lead?
2. WHY YOU?
a) Your academic studies
b) Any voluntary work
c) Your hobbies and interests
d) Things you have learned from books, newspapers, TV programmes and so on
e) Experiences in your year out (if you are having one)
f) Any relevant work experience (e.g. medicine, physiotherapy)
g) Particular project work in your studies
3. ARE YOU INTERESTING AND UNIQUE?
a) What do you enjoy doing outside of school
b) Your hobbies, leisure activities
c) Sports you participate in
d) Other sorts of extra-curricular activities
e) Significant responsibilities you hold, at home or in clubs or societies
f) Special achievements
g) What you have learned if you have had a job
The above is a good way to structure your PS into three parts whilst acting as a checklist to make sure you've got most areas covered.
MY ADVICE:
• You must explain why you want to study law in as straight-forward a way possible. It should be like hitting the admissions tutor with a hammer on the head - there should be no ambiguity or lack of clarity!
• You must link any work experience, work responsibilities, or extra-curricular activities - with either how it connects to the law OR transferable study skills, ie. time management, working under pressure, etc.
• Link your A-Level subjects to law OR transferable study skills:
a) For example, in History, I studied civil rights, but also Nazi Germany. The statesmen/political parties enacted their power through legal measures, but also have wider resonance with human rights, civil rights, and constitutional law. I also did this for Politics and English Literature and Language.
b) Think about what other things your teachers and these subjects encourage, i.e. debate, analysing and summarising information, writing with clarity. *
Hope this helps!
That's interesting advice - are you an admissions tutor? or an LNAT tutor?
Original post by PQ
That's interesting advice - are you an admissions tutor? or an LNAT tutor?
Neither. I'm about to go to law at a top 10 RG university and went through the process - including admissions interviews - this year. I read extensively from the departments' websites of the universities I wanted to attend & not just the generic course admissions page. *Most of this is from admissions tutors, such as the one I linked to from Durham.
I got offers from top 10 RG universities + a LNAT score of 27 (average was 23) despite not finishing the multiple choice questions. Most of it is common sense - just thought it may be useful to have it all in one place instead of the 100s of LNAT & PS threads that inevitably arise.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by stratagems
Neither. I'm about to go to law at a top 10 RG university and went through the process - including admissions interviews - this year. I read extensively from the departments' websites of the universities I wanted to attend & not just the generic course admissions page. *Most of this is from admissions tutors, such as the one I linked to from Durham.
I got offers from top 10 RG universities + a LNAT score of 27 (average was 23) despite not finishing the multiple choice questions. Most of it is common sense - just thought it may be useful to have it all in one place instead of the 100s of LNAT & PS threads that inevitably arise.
I got offers from top 10 RG universities + a LNAT score of 27 (average was 23) despite not finishing the multiple choice questions. Most of it is common sense - just thought it may be useful to have it all in one place instead of the 100s of LNAT & PS threads that inevitably arise.
Have you posted your PS to the PS library?
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Add_your_PS_to_the_library
I'd be wary of your final recommendation about relating your A level subjects back to law...that's generally either extremely tenuous or pointing out the obvious - much better to use the space to talk about something super-curricular or a specific topic in more detail.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=26175-Writing-a-law-personal-statement-what-admissions-staff-want-to-see
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Writing_a_Personal_Statement_for_Law
and
http://university.which.co.uk/advice/personal-statements/personal-statement-advice-law-students
(and http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/undergraduate/admissions-statements/2017/law.pdf - although they place a lot more emphasis on hobbies than most universities)
Are worth reading for anyone writing a law PS.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Writing_a_Personal_Statement_for_Law
and
http://university.which.co.uk/advice/personal-statements/personal-statement-advice-law-students
(and http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/undergraduate/admissions-statements/2017/law.pdf - although they place a lot more emphasis on hobbies than most universities)
Are worth reading for anyone writing a law PS.
Original post by PQ
Have you posted your PS to the PS library?
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Add_your_PS_to_the_library
I'd be wary of your final recommendation about relating your A level subjects back to law...that's generally either extremely tenuous or pointing out the obvious - much better to use the space to talk about something super-curricular or a specific topic in more detail.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Add_your_PS_to_the_library
I'd be wary of your final recommendation about relating your A level subjects back to law...that's generally either extremely tenuous or pointing out the obvious - much better to use the space to talk about something super-curricular or a specific topic in more detail.
*Agree it can be tenuous and it's not necessary to list each subject (think my orig post was a bad case of C&P only phone, but have amended). Point being that it is possible to link how a specific topic in a subject you're studying increased your interest in law or utilised a skill that law encourages, like debate. If you don't have a debate club or Model UN in your school, but say, you did politics, researched something like referendums/constitutional law, and debated it, you can state your position on it. So there's a specific topic & link to law & a transferable skill (debating).
That's also good to do with any wider reading. If one does STEM subjects, such as biology, it can raise legal and ethical questions too - so it's a way to highlight, if say, you've written an extended essay on it. Essentially, it shows that you've considered what studying law may entail.
The second link you've posted says, "Instead, talk about what in your A Levels (related to law) has interested you and why." Precisely.
Many law PS in the TSR library go into that detail. Besides, I managed to fit all of that in + extra curriculars (which are also often linked to show transferable skills) & so it doesn't have to be either/or.
Also, those links you've posted are really helpful - they should be posted into a sticky.*
(edited 7 years ago)
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