Prospects for English graduates

I received AAB at A-level and, from looking at the requirements for courses for 2015 entry, I've realised that my original intention of studying Law (LLB) may not be an option because I would need AAA to be accepted.

After having a 'false start' in 2014, my biggest concern is attending a 'top' university, and I think that, by studying English instead, this would be much more achievable. I am very interested in English as a subject, so this in itself is not the issue. My worries are:

Is it worth studying law at a less prestigious university? Will my prospects be as good, or better, than If I were to study English at a 10-20 ranked university instead? Are the prospects for English graduates good?

I have researched myself, but I'm still very confused. Thanks for any advice.

Reply 1

SlowlorisIncognito

Original post by Fraudaccio

The problem with asking questions like this is that your prospects depend a lot more on just the course you did and the uni you went to. It also depends on what you mean by "prospects".

For law, uni ranking is important, especially if you want to work at a top firm. However, a law degree is not vocational training to be a lawyer, and lots of people with law degrees go on to have successful careers both within and outside the law- for example working in related professions where knowledge of the law is useful, such as HR.

English is still a very competitive/popular course, and I'm surprised you think that you can get into a higher ranked university for English than you can for law. Are you sure this is the case?

English at a top university will still give you good employment prospects- however, unlike law, it doesn't lead so easily into a specific career. What would you want to do with an English degree? Also, for a lot of these jobs, your university ranking will be considered less important than your final grade- are you passionate enough about English to be able to achieve a 2.1 or a first? It's very hard to do well in a degree when you don't enjoy the subject that much.

Also, it's worth bearing in mind that each graduate is individual. Work experience is very important now for getting your first graduate job, and the days when people from high ranking universities just walked into good jobs are totally gone. Instead of focusing on university ranking, it's best to think about all the things you can do to make yourself a more employable individual, regardless of the university you've gone to, or the subject you've studied.

Reply 2

chem@uni

Do decide on what job you want then try to work back to figure out which degree to do

Reply 3

Fraudaccio

Original post by SlowlorisIncognito

English is still a very competitive/popular course, and I'm surprised you think that you can get into a higher ranked university for English than you can for law. Are you sure this is the case?

I'm basing this on the universities' own entry requirements. For instance, The University of Manchester requires AAB for their English Language course, whereas the typical offer for Law is AAA, which I do not fulfil.

Reply 4

SlowlorisIncognito

Original post by chem@uni

Do decide on what job you want then try to work back to figure out which degree to do

But OP can do an English language degree and then potentially do a law conversion if they decide they wanted. This is a fairly common route into law, still.

Original post by Fraudaccio

Ah, fair enough. I assumed you meant lit, which I believe is more popular/competitive.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do :smile:

Reply 5

Fraudaccio

Original post by SlowlorisIncognito

Good luck, whatever you decide to do :smile:

Thanks

Reply 6

username1042689

English Lit, in most good places, is just as competitive as law. Lang is less competitive. If you're worried about not going to a prestigious uni you can always do law conversion :smile: