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McGill vs Manchester Law

Hi everyone
I am currently an IB student and I have gotten offers from McGill and u of Manchester. My problem is that I want to study law - so I'm facing a huge issue. If I go to McGill, I have to complete 60 credits or an undergrad degree (probably psychology or Econ) before entering law school, but for Manc I can directly go to law school (LLB) and have more time to get a masters and so on. The thing is, I don't know which is more appealing to employers - the Canadian option (having some background on psych or Econ and a law degree) or the UK option (a bachelors in law and then a masters and a doctorate). The location isn't a huge deal to me since I haven't lived in either country, the issue is which is better as a law school and as a career in the future. The decision deadline is very soon and I'm completely lost - please help.
Where do you want to practise Law? Canadian law is unlikely to be useful anywhere other than Canada/USA and a British law degree isnt much use outside the UK. Equally, if you want to do 'further study' in Law at postgrad level, you can't just 'switch codes' between countries. You therefore need to work out where you want to study and where you want to work - and btw, a British degree doesnt give an International student any settlement rights in the UK.

The only purpose of doing a PhD in law is if you want to teach at Uni level - and you will need *substantial* work experience on top of a first degree/Masters to be even considered for a PhD/lecturing post. You don't need a PhD to practice Law and no employer is going to be impressed by a 20-something with a PhD but no relevant work experience.

You really do need to think out the reality of studying Law a bit more carefully than you are at the moment.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by marinamilad
Hi everyone
I am currently an IB student and I have gotten offers from McGill and u of Manchester. My problem is that I want to study law - so I'm facing a huge issue. If I go to McGill, I have to complete 60 credits or an undergrad degree (probably psychology or Econ) before entering law school, but for Manc I can directly go to law school (LLB) and have more time to get a masters and so on. The thing is, I don't know which is more appealing to employers - the Canadian option (having some background on psych or Econ and a law degree) or the UK option (a bachelors in law and then a masters and a doctorate). The location isn't a huge deal to me since I haven't lived in either country, the issue is which is better as a law school and as a career in the future. The decision deadline is very soon and I'm completely lost - please help.


IM SO GLAD I FOUND YOU! I'm also an IB student! and I've received offers from both manchester and mcgill (law for manch and political science for mcgill) I know you posted this about a year ago but I'd like to know which uni did you end up going for?
Original post by clarissa175
IM SO GLAD I FOUND YOU! I'm also an IB student! and I've received offers from both manchester and mcgill (law for manch and political science for mcgill) I know you posted this about a year ago but I'd like to know which uni did you end up going for?


About 2 years ago lol

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Original post by wolfmoon88
About 2 years ago lol

Posted from TSR Mobile


yeah so what was ur decision?
Reply 5
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marinamilad
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This was ages ago hahaha. I ended up going to Manchester and I love it. If you're sure you want to do law then just do the three years in the U.K. Bummed I'm graduating so soon but a lot of people do their masters after like a fourth year of uni. Sorry I didn't see your reply in time clarissa175!
Original post by marinamilad
This was ages ago hahaha. I ended up going to Manchester and I love it. If you're sure you want to do law then just do the three years in the U.K. Bummed I'm graduating so soon but a lot of people do their masters after like a fourth year of uni. Sorry I didn't see your reply in time clarissa175!


Omg hahaha glad you came back to reply and is happy in Manchester! :tongue:

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by marinamilad
This was ages ago hahaha. I ended up going to Manchester and I love it. If you're sure you want to do law then just do the three years in the U.K. Bummed I'm graduating so soon but a lot of people do their masters after like a fourth year of uni. Sorry I didn't see your reply in time clarissa175!


That's awesome!! I'm glad to hear :biggrin:
Original post by clarissa175
IM SO GLAD I FOUND YOU! I'm also an IB student! and I've received offers from both manchester and mcgill (law for manch and political science for mcgill) I know you posted this about a year ago but I'd like to know which uni did you end up going for?


I'm an international student who was faced with a similar dilemma 3 years ago (Law at Bristol/UCL vs. Economics at McGill/Toronto/British Columbia). I ended up going to Bristol and now I'm on track for a good 2.1 degree. From an objective point of view, I think McGill might be the better choice unless you are completely sure that you want to study law. Canadian universities are more flexible than British universities, and I think you also get more individual care from lecturers and tutors. Additionally, Canada seems to be a more comfortable environment than the UK for immigrants - this is particularly important if you are considering to settle in the country.

With that said, I wouldn't trade my university experience here for the world. I've met so many wonderful people here in the UK, and had some life changing events that simply wouldn't have happened if I chose to go to Canada instead. Would I say the same thing if I went to Canada? Probably. Would I choose to go to the UK again if I were to go back in time? Absolutely!

My point is you will be happy no matter what you choose, since you can never know life has to offer. Plus both Canada and UK are great places to study for international students. :smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Ratach
I'm an international student who was faced with a similar dilemma 3 years ago (Law at Bristol/UCL vs. Economics at McGill/Toronto/British Columbia). I ended up going to Bristol and now I'm on track for a good 2.1 degree. From an objective point of view, I think McGill might be the better choice unless you are completely sure that you want to study law. Canadian universities are more flexible than British universities, and I think you also get more individual care from lecturers and tutors. Additionally, Canada seems to be a more comfortable environment than the UK for immigrants - this is particularly important if you are considering to settle in the country.

With that said, I wouldn't trade my university experience here for the world. I've met so many wonderful people here in the UK, and had some life changing events that simply wouldn't have happened if I chose to go to Canada instead. Would I say the same thing if I went to Canada? Probably. Would I choose to go to the UK again if I were to go back in time? Absolutely!

My point is you will be happy no matter what you choose, since you can never know life has to offer. Plus both Canada and UK are great places to study for international students. :smile:


Awesome advice thank you so much!! :wink: Really appreciate it. And yeah you're right I probably will be happy no matter what I choose in the end :smile:
Original post by clarissa175
Awesome advice thank you so much!! :wink: Really appreciate it. And yeah you're right I probably will be happy no matter what I choose in the end :smile:


Hi! I know this is a bit late lol but I'm in a similar boat to all of you!! I've received an offer to study law at Manchester, but I'm also applying to UBC/UToronto/Mcgill for either Econ or PoliSci. What did you end up doing, and do you have any advice? Hope all is well:smile:

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