U-turn! can i do law with science a levels?

I did 5 AS level's which were chem/bio/law/bus/critical thinking and got strong A's in them all. I dropped business and critical thinking this year and took up AS maths because i thought I wanted to do a science degree. However i am finding 2nd year science very dull and after prolonged research i've realised that most science degrees are very difficult,boring and don't guarantee a well paid job apart from medicine!

I've really lost interest in science and miss the argumentative nature of critcal thinking, now its time to choose a degree path im very very confused and was wondering how i would fair as a law applicant with A level Law Chem and Bio and AS maths.

I know the usual is histroy, eng lit ect but do law schools value sciences too?
Basically will i get into a good uni with AAA and 3 A's in AS in the subjects i've mentioned. Gcse's were 5A 6B.

Should i continue down the boring science road or take a chance on law?!

Thanks, Polarman! :confused:

Reply 1

Lewisy-boy

11

yup, i have chem, phys, maths and history ... and there are ppl (although they are fewer) who did pure science.

no problems whatsoever.

Reply 2

fungirl1234

13

it doesnt matter wot subjects u do. u shud be fine. good luck

It doesn't matter.

Seriously you should look at some uni websites they ALL say it doesnt matter what subjects you do

Reply 5

Xx Tomásíona - Mháire xX

14

And just to add a note to this - Most universities like to see science subjects as well :smile:

Reply 6

Lady Narcissus

14

It does nt matter French, German and Spainish are n't much use for law either

Reply 7

chriswhit

1

Shouldnt be a problem, though worth checking out some websites in advance to see what the situation is for yourself...

Reply 8

Lewisy-boy

11

im not aware of any uni which specifies subjects for law beyond being "academic" and having a blacklist such as LSE, but these are all fine.

Reply 9

kait

It's no problem at all. I did mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology, which is as science-based as you can get.

Reply 10

polarman

OP

oh ok that sounds good, but i've been looking at the competiton for the course and its huge! 2500 for 150 places at most places whereas science is less than a quarter as competative. Would a science degree from a better university stand me in better stead than a law degree from a lesser one? If I did could i just go on and do the LPC anyway with only a years extra study then i have law and science open to me?

Damm i wish this was easier i've got to aplly to UCAS soon and i have no idea what to do!! I don't feel I've got a particualr passion for anything it's all got its boring downsides lab work for the rest of my life or sorting out divorces ..???? I also heard that 50% of law grads don't get a training contract and have therefore wasted 3 years is this true?

Reply 11

temptasyon

polarman

Damm i wish this was easier i've got to aplly to UCAS soon and i have no idea what to do!! I don't feel I've got a particualr passion for anything it's all got its boring downsides lab work for the rest of my life or sorting out divorces ..???? I also heard that 50% of law grads don't get a training contract and have therefore wasted 3 years is this true?

I feel exactly the same.. dont know what to do! Im applying for a mix of maths and law courses.. will do law if i get an offer otherwise its maths for me :biggrin:

Reply 12

spark911

polarman

oh ok that sounds good, but i've been looking at the competiton for the course and its huge! 2500 for 150 places at most places whereas science is less than a quarter as competative. Would a science degree from a better university stand me in better stead than a law degree from a lesser one? If I did could i just go on and do the LPC anyway with only a years extra study then i have law and science open to me?

Damm i wish this was easier i've got to aplly to UCAS soon and i have no idea what to do!! I don't feel I've got a particualr passion for anything it's all got its boring downsides lab work for the rest of my life or sorting out divorces ..???? I also heard that 50% of law grads don't get a training contract and have therefore wasted 3 years is this true?

Firstly, my rule when applying was not to even look at the numbers (as such). If you satisfy the criteria, have a good academic background and results, have a good personal statement and a good reference and will likely meet their offer - then you have a good chance and can't really do anything else.

If you get caught up too much in the numbers, then you'll feel bad about your chances. Don't forget, you can apply for up to 6, and I imagine a lot of the 2500 who apply aren't that keen on the uni, just as for other places people applying would rather go elsewhere. So although so many apply, and a small percentage wont meet the criteria at all and so many probably will have it as their reserve, whether for personal or reputation reasons. Most people get an offer somewhere, so you should be okay.

I know it's hard, and you should (but only to a small extent) consider the numbers, as you don't want to apply to all the top competitive unis, as you want one where you can have a greater chance. But I think the vast majoirity of unis are over applied for, so you shouldn't get caught up in it all.

I think you should consider which you want to do though. Either you want to do Law or Science. Your A-Levels would be good for a science application, but they wouldn't be bad either for a law application. You can always do a conversion course from Science afterwards to allow you to go on to do the LPC and carry on down the legal road - but I'm not sure if this method is considered as a lesser route by employers.

As for your figure, well I'm not sure on the exact amounts, but yes - a certain percent each year will not get a training contract as there are more graduates than there are spaces for them. Of course, you could (I think) easily (except for financial restraints) go into private practice by yourself or with others you know - but if you wanted to work for someone as an employee then there are only so many places, with too many applicants.

As for the suggestion they have wasted 3 years doing a degree, well there are more than just the Solicitor/Barrister route to go down. Of course, if you wanted to become a Solicitor and nothing else, and you didn't get a training contract you may feel as if you have wasted your time. But you can always apply when more spaces come up, and the skills are relevant to many other jobs. A lot of people (again no idea of numbers) don't actually ever go on to directly use their legal knowledge (but some would consider this a waste).

Eitherway, like I said, I think you need to decide what you want to do. It's hard, and unless you're considering applying for Oxford/Cambridge then you have a little bit more thinking time. You have the experience of science from your a-levels, can you see yourself doing it at a higher level for 3 more years?

As for Law, well why do you want to do it? There must be a reason you did the U-Turn? If you want a challenge and to do something thought provoking, then Law is apparently a good choice for that.

Reply 13

Lewisy-boy

11

I know a guy who did biochem at bristol, hated it and scraped a 2:1 but had 2 TC offers in London ... a science degree can certainly help you but it wouldnt look good if they said "so why did you do science" and you said "because law was too hard, so I did it as a backup"... provided you had a gd reason for applying, such as having known lawyers and gone along to law firm events (even if you didnt do it!!) it could even act to ur advantage as ur from a diverse background.

Reply 14

polarman

OP

Thanks for the advice guys, main reason for changing my mind about a science degree is the intensity of the course, maths, the impersonal nature of the work afterwards and when i look at my science teachers I cringe at the thought of being like them! I've only realised recently that science however 'interesting' it may be jobs relating to it tend to be soul destroying. After doing a year of simple AS science i have found myself becoming more anti-social and critcal of all the non science people im around, it's like they don't see the bigger picture.

I want to change because i want a fun enjoyable life without thinking about the endless complexities of everything, i enjoyed critcal thinking and law at AS and i miss my old witty, confident self. Science has turned me into a boring person i want to revert!

Although if im good at it should i do a degree in it because i can? i've never been so confused in my life!

Reply 15

spark911

polarman

Thanks for the advice guys, main reason for changing my mind about a science degree is the intensity of the course, maths, the impersonal nature of the work afterwards and when i look at my science teachers I cringe at the thought of being like them! I've only realised recently that science however 'interesting' it may be jobs relating to it tend to be soul destroying. After doing a year of simple AS science i have found myself becoming more anti-social and critcal of all the non science people im around, it's like they don't see the bigger picture.

I want to change because i want a fun enjoyable life without thinking about the endless complexities of everything, i enjoyed critcal thinking and law at AS and i miss my old witty, confident self. Science has turned me into a boring person i want to revert!

Although if im good at it should i do a degree in it because i can? i've never been so confused in my life!

If you are pretty sure you'd hate any job related to science, then unless you can think of another way to use the skills/knowledge you will get from your degree then I don't think you should do it just because you can - as you may end up in a job you don't like just because it's all you see as an option to you.

Law, however, so they say is not a breeze. It's intensive, often with more work needed to be done outside lectures/seminars/tutor interactions, so you shouldn't just pick Law as Science is seen as too intense, as Law will be quite intense too.

But there are many jobs that 'lawyers' can do that interact with people and help people, so if you want that interaction it has that option if you qualify and get that far.

A critical mind will help with Law though, so that's a good thing.

U-turn! can i do law with science a levels?

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you