[mamoi]

Hey !

I hold offers from Birmingham uni & City Uni for the graduate LLB programme.

I'm hesitating, I know that Birmingham is a red brick uni and that it is in the Russel Group ... And you will probably say that City Uni is ranked 50th or so .

But I really do not want to live in Birmingham, I just don't feel it. And London is so great but really pricey.

Do you really think that if I go to City, then I should not even consider becoming a sollicitor in an international commercial law firm in London ?

Thanks

[roh]

(Original post by mamoi)
Hey !

I hold offers from Birmingham uni & City Uni for the graduate LLB programme.

I'm hesitating, I know that Birmingham is a red brick uni and that it is in the Russel Group ... And you will probably say that City Uni is ranked 50th or so .

But I really do not want to live in Birmingham, I just don't feel it. And London is so great but really pricey.

Do you really think that if I go to City, then I should not even consider becoming a sollicitor in an international commercial law firm in London ?

Thanks

What is it that doesn't appeal about Birmingham? If you're just not keen on the city to be honest the way Birmingham Uni is laid out you can pretty much live in the 'bubble' of the university and ignore the city itself, other than the occasional trip into town for nights out and so on.

If you go to City obviously you could still get an MC/SC/American or other international firm's TC, but it may well be a bit harder.

Is your first degree from a more high end uni? It may be less important if you've already got say an LSE degree and have proven you can do a degree at a 'top' uni.

[mamoi]

(Original post by roh)
What is it that doesn't appeal about Birmingham? If you're just not keen on the city to be honest the way Birmingham Uni is laid out you can pretty much live in the 'bubble' of the university and ignore the city itself, other than the occasional trip into town for nights out and so on.

If you go to City obviously you could still get an MC/SC/American or other international firm's TC, but it may well be a bit harder.

Is your first degree from a more high end uni? It may be less important if you've already got say an LSE degree and have proven you can do a degree at a 'top' uni.

Hey !

Well I do not really like Birmingham and I love London so that's why.

Actually I'm French and I my undergraduate degree is french law. As for my grades, I've the equivalent of a high 2:1.
What would you advise me to do ?

[roh]

(Original post by mamoi)
Hey !

Well I do not really like Birmingham and I love London so that's why.

Actually I'm French and I my undergraduate degree is french law. As for my grades, I've the equivalent of a high 2:1.
What would you advise me to do ?

Ah salut, which fac? I'm not sure how well known French universities are in Britain, other than the Sorbonne maybe, as they don't have the quite extreme ranking system we do.

OK, I'd say if you can get across for a day or 2 to visit them definitely do that. The university and the city can be quite separate and you may love a university and be indifferent about the city it's in. My girlfriend is at Birmingham so I can confirm that in their case it is very easy to live in the student 'bubble' of Selly Oak and campus, which you can love whilst still not being keen on the wider city. Not sure about City.

Also, remember living in and visiting London are different things. It can be very expensive, I know some friends say there are so many things they'd love to do but just can't afford to, and if you want to do international commercial law you'll likely end up in London for the rest of your life anyway. However, if you think you really would love living in London in spite of the cost thing then it's a big tick in City's favour.

In terms of rep, maybe post on this website, which is full of lawyers, to ask how much difference the reputation would make, but it's fairly safe to say Birmingham is the more highly regarded of the 2 by firms, possibly by a significant margin.

But if you much prefer City and think you'd be happier there then you'll likely get a better grade, and a 1st always looks better than a 2.2.

If you want any of that translating just let me know

[mamoi]

(Original post by roh)
Ah salut, which fac? I'm not sure how well known French universities are in Britain, other than the Sorbonne maybe, as they don't have the quite extreme ranking system we do.

OK, I'd say if you can get across for a day or 2 to visit them definitely do that. The university and the city can be quite separate and you may love a university and be indifferent about the city it's in. My girlfriend is at Birmingham so I can confirm that in their case it is very easy to live in the student 'bubble' of Selly Oak and campus, which you can love whilst still not being keen on the wider city. Not sure about City.

Also, remember living in and visiting London are different things. It can be very expensive, I know some friends say there are so many things they'd love to do but just can't afford to, and if you want to do international commercial law you'll likely end up in London for the rest of your life anyway. However, if you think you really would love living in London in spite of the cost thing then it's a big tick in City's favour.

In terms of rep, maybe post on this website, which is full of lawyers, to ask how much difference the reputation would make, but it's fairly safe to say Birmingham is the more highly regarded of the 2 by firms, possibly by a significant margin.

But if you much prefer City and think you'd be happier there then you'll likely get a better grade, and a 1st always looks better than a 2.2.

If you want any of that translating just let me know

Thank you very much, you're being very helpful.
I guess I just have to weight the pros & cons of City.. I'm maybe more likely to choose Birmingham now.

I come from the University of Lille, north of France Yes, we do not have rankings, every law school is pretty much the same apart from the 2 Parisian ones.

Thanks

[roh]

(Original post by mamoi)
Thank you very much, you're being very helpful.
I guess I just have to weight the pros & cons of City.. I'm maybe more likely to choose Birmingham now.

I come from the University of Lille, north of France Yes, we do not have rankings, every law school is pretty much the same apart from the 2 Parisian ones.

Thanks

Ah cool.

Yeah, my best recommendation is still probably to just visit them if at all possible (cheapest way across I guess is Eurostar and once you're in Britain you can go from London to Birmingham dirt cheap on London Midland trains). Just contact the student recruitment or admissions offices and they can probably arrange for a campus tour.

You could also maybe ask for a list of exhibitors from the law fair last year, which will give you an idea of who targets each uni.