Applying for law...but also other things?

I have just finished my A levels and this year i am thinking of applying to Law, but also international relations and government and politics.
A part of this is because I know that Law is very very competitive, but it is also because I am interested in working in the wider context, before going into law. (i.e. I can do International relations or politics at uni and then further my interest in law if i wish by doing a CPE or something right?)

But how difficult will this make my UCAS application? i.e. making my personal statement fit all the subjects? And will the admission tutors also be discouraged by the fact that I dont seem to show full commitment to either one subject or the other?

Any advice will be greatly appreiciated, thanks.

P.S If I want to apply for Law at some of the top universities, I heard having work experience under your belt is a must. But if I only do work experience placements related to Law, would that not be a disadvantage with the other subjects? I have already had a placement at a crown court last year, but to study law, I think I should have one more placement at a solicitors office or barristers.

Reply 1

Sami C

Work experience is not necessary. It is only a sign of motivation and a good way to show why you are interested in studying law. If you have the opportunity do it, if not, don't worry, as not everyone will have it. Universities recognise that not everyone can get work experience. Remember, they are there to teach law not teach you how to become a solicitor or a barrister, so be more concerned with showing an interest in law, not just in using it in a career. A passion for the subject is going to be far more appealing to universities.

Reply 2

Onearmedbandit

I think it may be tough to show a commitment to the subject in your personal statement if you apply for other courses. The admissions tutors don't get to see where else/what else you've applied for... and though the two subjects you want to apply for are not completely unrelated, fitting it all into the personal statement would be difficult and some admissions tutors would probably be a bit discouraged (especially at Oxbridge where you'd probably be quizzed about it at interview).

If I were you I'd probably choose one course or the other and apply for it to all 6 choices.

Work experience is useful but not essential. It's more important to have a good personal statement :wink:

Reply 3

Dreama

Onearmedbandit

If I were you I'd probably choose one course or the other and apply for it to all 6 choices.

Mm me too

It's a pain because I know exactly what you mean - And it's down to *you* if you have an interest in other legally-related fields.

Your PS will have to be very sharp and cleverly written if you're going to proceed with different courses. In theory there's nothing stopping you... :smile:

Good luck to you..
Dreama xx

Reply 4

domjohn

One guy I went to college with applied to just 3 Universities because he wanted to focus on cricket as well as studies. This meant he could only apply to Durham, Oxford and Loughbrough. As Loughbrough don't offer law degrees, he decided to apply for a sports related subject, which meant he couldn't focus his personal statement on his interest in the law.

Although he got a score of 17 on the LNAT, very good GCSEs and AS grades, he was rejected by both Oxford and Durham because his personal statement didn't say why he wanted to do law!! He's now going to Loughbrough to do the sports-subject.

Moral of the story...... focus on one subject!!

Reply 5

Sleep

You only have 6 choices. You really should decide on what you want to study at Uni. Studying Law and Politics/Int rel are hugely different fields- decide what you want to study before filling in your UCAS form would be my advice. Being with the top Law Unis being so competitive; you can't afford to give space to the other subjects and thus seriously disadvantage your app for those other subjects. Besides, you will have to decide at one point anyway: you might as well do the research and decide now.

Reply 6

jurisprudence

While not many of the top 15 schools offer you the option, have you considered a joint degree in Law & Politics or Law & Internation Relations? That's what I'm studying now and its hugely enjoyable. I could never imagine studying law by itself. The joint honours programme gives you more breadth of study and is valuable if you're interested in public law.

You can study this at several top law schools including Glasgow, Belfast, Manchester, London, Edinburgh...

http://search.ucas.co.uk/cgi-bin/hsrun/search/search/StateId/CusKnw0ItVEDoIwacQSc5D9qTGQZC-Uvzc/HAHTpage/search.HsSearch.submitForm?txtSubject=politics+law&cmbQual=&cmbAttend=&cmbInst=&button1.x=30&button1.y=5

Reply 7

Not a Lawyer

If you're undecided between Law and Politics then I would say to go for the conversion route. Law can be incredibly tedious and you don't want to be deciding half way through your course that you would have enjoyed Politics more. Combined courses, as mentioned above, certainly can take the edge off studying Law but they aren't widely available.

Not that Politics is all fun and giggles.

Public policy formulation = :banghead: