Postgrad at top 20 universities

I've just got a couple of questions about doing postgraduate study at the top 20 universities, in general.

- Most of them say a 2:1 for their entry requirements, does this mean if you have a 2:1 you'll be given an offer and/or interview?

- Do they look at A-level grades?

- Do they look at where you did your undergraduate degree, and could that be a deciding factor?

By top 20 universities I'm talking about places like LSE, UCL, KCL, Durham, York, Leeds, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Edinburgh, Dundee etc etc...

Dundee?

From my experience, if you've got a 2:1 (or have marks in the range of a 2:1 for your first and second years if you haven't yet completed your degree) and the entry requirements state that you need a 2:1, it's likely you'll at least get an interview, if not an offer. There are exceptions such as with particularly competitive courses, but I found that even when managing to get an offer from such a course, I was still offered a conditional offer of a 2:1, so they do seem to stick to their entry requirements.

In all of my applications I had to tell them my A-level grades, but I don't think they were actually really considered much (otherwise I wouldn't have gotten the offers I did, haha). Your degree transcript will be much more important.

My undergrad uni wasn't especially prestigious but that didn't seem to make too much of a difference. The department I was a student of, however, was a very good one and well known in the field, so that might have helped. It's difficult to say.

Reply 3

LukeyJB

OP

16

Original post by llacerta

From my experience, if you've got a 2:1 (or have marks in the range of a 2:1 for your first and second years if you haven't yet completed your degree) and the entry requirements state that you need a 2:1, it's likely you'll at least get an interview, if not an offer. There are exceptions such as with particularly competitive courses, but I found that even when managing to get an offer from such a course, I was still offered a conditional offer of a 2:1, so they do seem to stick to their entry requirements.

In all of my applications I had to tell them my A-level grades, but I don't think they were actually really considered much (otherwise I wouldn't have gotten the offers I did, haha). Your degree transcript will be much more important.

My undergrad uni wasn't especially prestigious but that didn't seem to make too much of a difference. The department I was a student of, however, was a very good one and well known in the field, so that might have helped. It's difficult to say.

Thanks for the reply! I royally f'ed up my A-levels and so I didn't get in a university people would consider to be the best, however it's within the top 40 so it could be much, much worse. I was predicted highly for my A-levels, I just don't know what happened; I am aiming for a first (law) and then moving onto an LLM at a better established university. I have always had a great aptitude in law, I scored highly on the LNAT and my highest A-level grade was in law, so I guess I just need to put my all into the next 3 years.

Reply 4

Klix88

17

At postgrad, you really need to be looking at the top 20 departments for your subject, rather than the top 20 unis. They aren't necessarily the same thing, so if perceived prestige is a priority for you, make sure you do the research. Not sure I'd have Dundee or Lancaster on the list but then I don't know Law.

A 2:1 will give you a decent shout at most unis, although some may be more competitive depending on the course. For example, my Masters stated a 2:1 as the basic requirement for application, but the current prospectus still quotes 5 applicants per offered place. My colleagues and I all had a First. A 2:1 doesn't guarantee you an offer or a place, but excellent references and an idea of your research direction will certainly help.

Where you did your undergrad is of no consequence in my experience. I went from a former poly to a Masters at a Russell Group uni (top five for my subject in the UK).

Reply 5

_Fergo

19

Original post by Klix88

At postgrad, you really need to be looking at the top 20 departments for your subject, rather than the top 20 unis. They aren't necessarily the same thing, so if perceived prestige is a priority for you, make sure you do the research. Not sure I'd have Dundee or Lancaster on the list but then I don't know Law.

A 2:1 will give you a decent shout at most unis, although some may be more competitive depending on the course. For example, my Masters stated a 2:1 as the basic requirement for application, but the current prospectus still quotes 5 applicants per offered place. My colleagues and I all had a First. A 2:1 doesn't guarantee you an offer or a place, but excellent references and an idea of your research direction will certainly help.

Where you did your undergrad is of no consequence in my experience. I went from a former poly to a Masters at a Russell Group uni (top five for my subject in the UK).

He should aim for the top 20 universities and not the top 20 in that specific subject. Even if, for instance, Durham's Law department was not as good as, say, Dundee, Durham would still be the winner and the university employers would be looking up to.

By the way, if you take it on your rankings, which you really should NOT(!), Lancaster is near 10 in most of them. Why does it not qualify as a top 20 university for you?

Reply 6

Klix88

17

Original post by *Stefan*

He should aim for the top 20 universities and not the top 20 in that specific subject. Even if, for instance, Durham's Law department was not as good as, say, Dundee, Durham would still be the winner and the university employers would be looking up to.

I disagree. At postgrad level, employers are more aware of where the best departments and staff are based. Postgrad recruiters will be looking for those, and not just a "named" university with a generally high profile. This would be particularly so with Law, which will have very well-known departmental pecking order with outside organisations.

A good example would be the (admittedly small and not Law) department at Oxford where I had my first unsuccessful stab at uni. They have the same teaching staff now as they did when I went there in the early 80s. The only new lecturers they've recruited in the last thirty years, have been taught by those staff. Whilst completing postgrad in that department pretty much guarantees you a job there if you hang on long enough, other unis don't like to recruit from those postgrads. Oxford has a world class reputation. That department, less so - the subject has stagnated and it produces postgrads who aren't much use other than as employees of that department.

(edited 10 years ago)

Postgrad at top 20 universities

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