Law at Swansea: Any good for magic circle?

I have the potential to go to Birmingham or Exeter to study law; both popular with top London law firms however I really like the University of Swansea.
I love the setting by the beach, the building, course and facilities but as it is 38 in the law league tables, is not in the Russell group and its requirements are ABB (Lowered from AAB I believe) I feel it will massively lower any chance I have of working in a top law firm in London or one in the magic circle.

What are my chances of getting into a top law firm if I graduate from Swansea or am I better off in Exeter where I won't be as happy with my environment?

Reply 1

arty

Go to Exeter!! Law is sooooo competitive at the moment especially after you graduate (training contracts etc) it would be massively to your advantage to get a degree from Exeter or a top russell group type uni, you'd be silly to pick Swansea. I know someone who started studying law at Swansea with BBD grades at A Level. They were offered ABB I think but they still let them in. Exeter is in a different league.

Exeter has a very good reputation for Law (Birmingham less so), it is a fantastic opportunity especially if you're thinking of working in London :smile:

Some say only second to Oxbridge.

Also you may change your opinion of the university once you arrive! Why won't you like Exeter? Exeter is an amazing city, beautiful, not too big, only 2Hours from London on the train, great transport links. Really safe. 30 Minutes from the sea. Centrally located, good nightlife and societies. Lots of opportunities and on the edge of the countryside. The campus has amazing facilities everyone I know loves it.

Have you applied yet? I assume this is all hypothetical? With your high grades why don't you find a university that you like and has a respectable reputation?

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 2

katetaylor

Original post by GraceD

I was in the same situation as you a few months ago. I had an offer from Uni. of Nottingham - a prestigious Russell Group University - but preferred the University of Huddersfield which has no reputation at all! Despite my teachers telling me otherwise I firmed Huddersfield because I would be studying there and it's my degree, not theirs. If you're that concerned about the reputation then I'd advise going to Exeter but it's your degree and you don't want to go somewhere that you won't be happy living because that could cause you some personal issues - ultimately dragging your grades down.

University is what you make it and, despite the elitist TSR users who will argue that "if it isn't Top 10 then it isn't worth it", you can succeed from somewhere that isn't in the Russell Group. If you work hard, gain relevant work experience and ensure that you graduate with at least a 2:1 you will not be screened out for any of the decent firms, A level grades permitting. If it feels right then chances are it probably is. Despite Huddersfield's lack of reputation I'm currently heading up the Law Society and have arranged Q&As with very interested firms who have taken students from the University before. I'm sure the situation will be the same for you.

To sum up my long rant:
Go where you feel you can be happy; you're obviously intelligent enough to attend Birmingham and Exeter and can therefore compete with students at those Universities.
Reputation isn't everything! In TSR-land of course that's what we're led to believe but it really isn't the case. As long as the reputation isn't awful they won't mind too much. Obviously a name carries some weight but if you make up for that in a strong application then there's no reason why you, or I for that matter, won't graduate with a strong chance of getting a Training Contract.

Good luck!

EDIT: I realised I was going to get negged for this but an explanation would be nice? University is a personal choice.

Also, take chelseafan's advice with a pinch of salt because he isn't a graduate or at University.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

chelseafan

Please take above post with a pinch of salt.

Reply 4

hardy_4_paws

I know from experience that there is no point going somewhere you don't like for university. However, there are many more universities you can choose from that will have better reputations than Swansea (for law) and hopefully also fulfil your wants from a university. I think that to an extent where you go to uni is important, particularly in law but it is not unheard of for london firms to recruit from outside of the top unis. It would mean, however, that you would need incredibly strong grades, extra curriculars and legal work experience and would need to be really on the ball as far as first year VS and open days go. Have you looked at universities like Kent, Reading, Liverpool etc? So many places offer law that there must be somewhere that you would like that would also have a fairly strong reputation.