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What is law actually like to study at university?

I've wanted to study law at uni for a very long time now, but I would like to hear from a law student what it is actually like.

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Read a fair amount. Lot of exams. Quite a broad range of subjects. Very interesting if you get into it, some people never do.
Very boring and not really worth it. Most people, even those who go to Russel Groups, won't be able to find pupilage so they go onto fields that are unrelated to Law. Unless you go to a top 10 university don't bother doing Law. My Law teacher who went to Bristol couldn't get a contract despite getting a 2:1 and having a strong academic track record.
Original post by Le Nombre
Read a fair amount. Lot of exams. Quite a broad range of subjects. Very interesting if you get into it, some people never do.


This.

You could substitute 'fair' to 'more words than you could ever read', depending on how hard-working/ not so smart working you are.
personally i'd only do law if you intend on trying to get a training contract. i've just done year one, and you have to do a lot of the work and research yourself, you don't get many hours of lectures / classes.

its harder than other humanities, so if you intend on getting into alternative graduate schemes you might as well opt for a degree that you will get a 2:1 in.

it takes a while to 'get' law. it took me until about march before it all clicked, later in some modules :biggrin:
Original post by Fairytail
Very boring and not really worth it. Most people, even those who go to Russel Groups, won't be able to find pupilage so they go onto fields that are unrelated to Law. Unless you go to a top 10 university don't bother doing Law. My Law teacher who went to Bristol couldn't get a contract despite getting a 2:1 and having a strong academic track record.


Babelfish: 'I am in the unfortunate position of having an embittered Bristol alumnus as a Law teacher, who fails to disclose a presumably fatal flaw in his TC applications'.

Getting a TC is hard, but a 2.1 from Bristol is something plenty of people registering their TC on Monday will have.

Boredom is subjective.
Reply 6
Avatar for Wattsy
Wattsy
19
I enjoy parts of the course. The course is varied enough that unless you hate reading you'll probably like a module or two every year. You have to read more than pretty much anyone not doing English Lit (and their reading is way less heavy going unless it's like a Chaucer module). If your seminar prep is anything like mine you might well spend 6-8 hours preparing for a 2 hour seminar but if you don't mind the module then this is fine; if the module is European Law (my personal worst) then this may feel like running into a wall for 6-8 hours and you may want to tidy your room more than do the prep but you will do it or you will bomb your exams. You get a massive range of people too so you'll never be devoid of course mates. Sleep may slowly eek out of your life if you try and keep the social schedule of a Sports Coaching (my flatmate) student but if you survive, and I believe that with good time management, work life balance and the smarts enough to get onto the course that you will survive. Then when you have survived you can go on to further solicitor or barrister training or use your shiny new law degree to open doors in the business world, because law degrees have lots of transferable skills and a old fashioned respect you will find many doors open to you.
Original post by Le Nombre
Babelfish: 'I am in the unfortunate position of having an embittered Bristol alumnus as a Law teacher, who fails to disclose a presumably fatal flaw in his TC applications'.

Getting a TC is hard, but a 2.1 from Bristol is something plenty of people registering their TC on Monday will have.

Boredom is subjective.


Did I mention it doesn't pay as well as people like to think? Most people only go on to do Law in university because they don't know what else to do.

I would never recommend Law; literally most people have a Law degree now because they think it looks good on their resume due to its 'prestige' or whatever (what most people like to say to compensate the fact that they couldn't do a truly prestigious degree like Medicine)

Go do a STEM subject as they're much more applicable, much more stimulating and generally much more useful in getting a job. Law is a saturated market now and any average Joe can get a degree in it if they work hard enough. Can any average Joe get a degree in Engineering? No.
Original post by Fairytail
Did I mention it doesn't pay as well as people like to think? Most people only go on to do Law in university because they don't know what else to do.

I would never recommend Law; literally most people have a Law degree now because they think it looks good on their resume due to its 'prestige' or whatever (what most people like to say to compensate the fact that they couldn't do a truly prestigious degree like Medicine)

Go do a STEM subject as they're much more applicable, much more stimulating and generally much more useful in getting a job. Law is a saturated market now and any average Joe can get a degree in it if they work hard enough. Can any average Joe get a degree in Engineering? No.


Define pay well? My boss hauled in 1.2m last year, that's pretty tasty, all but the most junior members of the department earn 6 figures.

You do know we all do Law because we're **** at STEM?

How interesting a degree is depends on you, I'd find any STEM subject horrendous, but acknowledge for most people tracing is like having their pubes pulled out one by one.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Fairytail
Did I mention it doesn't pay as well as people like to think? Most people only go on to do Law in university because they don't know what else to do.

I would never recommend Law; literally most people have a Law degree now because they think it looks good on their resume due to its 'prestige' or whatever (what most people like to say to compensate the fact that they couldn't do a truly prestigious degree like Medicine)

Go do a STEM subject as they're much more applicable, much more stimulating and generally much more useful in getting a job. Law is a saturated market now and any average Joe can get a degree in it if they work hard enough. Can any average Joe get a degree in Engineering? No.


Look what we have here.

A typical STEM keyboard warrior who thinks Law is somehow for 'average joes'.

brb
Nearly universal AAA-A*AA entry requirements for any uni in the top 50.

For comparison, Warwick law - AAA, Warwick Engineering AAB, and even ABB for those in clearing.
Reply 10
Avatar for aisdug
aisdug
OP
Please can someone just give me a success story from taking law? :frown:
Original post by Le Nombre
Define pay well? My boss hauled in 1.2m last year, that's pretty tasty, all but the most junior members of the department earn 6 figures.

You do know we all do Law because we're **** at STEM?


Most lawyers don't get paid anywhere near that. Maybe if you're lucky enough to work for a celebrity or if you've built up a reputation over years of experience.

It's better to do something like Engineering or Finance in a lower ranked university than Law at a top university. I know someone who studied Accounting and Finance in a low ranked university (Anglia Ruskin I think) who is now a chartered accountant who makes over 100k a year.

A Law degree and going to Law school is not worth it at all.

Original post by tehforum
Look what we have here.

A typical STEM keyboard warrior who thinks Law is somehow for 'average joes'.

brb
Nearly universal AAA-A*AA entry requirements for any uni in the top 50.

For comparison, Warwick law - AAA, Warwick Engineering AAB, and even ABB for those in clearing.


I'm really not. In fact my strengths lie in the humanities and at one point I wanted to do Law but then I realized I was being stupid.

Because it's competitive (just like most subjects) - people buy into the rubbish of Law being prestigious and the idyllic notion of being this proud Lawyer who battles for justice. It's stupid and just a typical example of the sheep mentality society breeds.

And so what? Like grade requirements mean anything when most graduates from the STEM fields go onto earning a lot more than Law graduates with less stressful jobs with a lot more happiness.
Original post by aisdug
Please can someone just give me a success story from taking law? :frown:


I did Law, got a TC, did the LPC, start work on Monday. :thumbsup:

The point about the difficulty of getting a 2.1 is a good one though. It is harder to get a 2.1, so if you're not certain on Law but 50:50 with, say, History, then it's probably better to do History, as it's less likely you'll get a 2.2. If you wanted to be a lawyer still you could always convert.
Original post by Le Nombre
I did Law, got a TC, did the LPC, start work on Monday. :thumbsup:

The point about the difficulty of getting a 2.1 is a good one though. It is harder to get a 2.1, so if you're not certain on Law but 50:50 with, say, History, then it's probably better to do History, as it's less likely you'll get a 2.2. If you wanted to be a lawyer still you could always convert.


Congrats btw :wink:

NQ party?
Original post by Fairytail
Most lawyers don't get paid anywhere near that. Maybe if you're lucky enough to work for a celebrity or if you've built up a reputation over years of experience.

It's better to do something like Engineering or Finance in a lower ranked university than Law at a top university. I know someone who studied Accounting and Finance in a low ranked university (Anglia Ruskin I think) who is now a chartered accountant who makes over 100k a year.

A Law degree and going to Law school is not worth it at all.


I'll be 26 when I first earn 100k if I stay at the same firm... Most lawyers don't no, but do you intend to be average at what you do? No, you intend to be one of the best, I assume. Work for a celebroity, what the actual **** are you taling about, most high earning lawyers are commercial ones, not Schilling.

Cool, great anecdote.
Original post by tehforum
Congrats btw :wink:

NQ party?


Ta. Yeah, we're taking 4 bottles of Russian Standard down to the doc review room and quite literally knocking ourselves out :tongue:
Original post by Le Nombre
Ta. Yeah, we're taking 4 bottles of Russian Standard down to the doc review room and quite literally knocking ourselves out :tongue:


Russian Standard?

ruavinagiglem8

Who am I kidding? It's on par with good old Smirnoff, right?
Original post by tehforum
Russian Standard?

ruavinagiglem8

Who am I kidding? It's on par with good old Smirnoff, right?


We don't get paid until the end of the month!

Might upgrade to Grey Goose after that. Though odds are we'll think we're balling on pay day, crash a magnum of it somewhere, then realise it's cost half the rent and resort back to the student standard of Glen's.
Original post by Le Nombre
We don't get paid until the end of the month!

Might upgrade to Grey Goose after that. Though odds are we'll think we're balling on pay day, crash a magnum of it somewhere, then realise it's cost half the rent and resort back to the student standard of Glen's.


If you're a thrifty shopper, I suggest that you don't upgrade for the 'taste' of grey goose though.

I assume that you have to keep up the appearances though.

I remember reading some scientific journals which said that people could not discern the taste between bog standard cheapo vodka and premium vodka.
Original post by tehforum
If you're a thrifty shopper, I suggest that you don't upgrade for the 'taste' of grey goose though.

I assume that you have to keep up the appearances though.

I remember reading some scientific journals which said that people could not discern the taste between bog standard cheapo vodka and premium vodka.


I think I've had it once, but I was in no state to be doing a taste test!

Yeah, let's be honest you're not having vodka because it tastes good, no one ever sat down and requested a quaddie instead of the steak.

On the topic of law booze, my gf's Dad is a criminal barrister and was asking us what a Jagerbomb was after it cropped up in a case. We eventually got him to understand what it consisted of, but he's still totally baffled as to why anyone would ever drink it!

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