Applying to Study Law 2016

Hi! I've very recently discovered that Oxford ask for AAA for law, so I'm thinking of applying there, but I'd really appreciate an honest opinion. I got AABC at as, decent a's in French and Spanish, 4 marks off an A in maths and I've dropped history. Got 5a*s, 8a's and a c at GCSE, and I've done experience for a law firm and been to court a few times too. Do I have any chance of getting an Oxford offer, and does anyone have any advice for the LNAT, because I wasn't thinking of taking it till January but obviously Oxford needs it for October?

Reply 62

liviward36

13

Original post by CJaneH

Hi! I've very recently discovered that Oxford ask for AAA for law, so I'm thinking of applying there, but I'd really appreciate an honest opinion. I got AABC at as, decent a's in French and Spanish, 4 marks off an A in maths and I've dropped history. Got 5a*s, 8a's and a c at GCSE, and I've done experience for a law firm and been to court a few times too. Do I have any chance of getting an Oxford offer, and does anyone have any advice for the LNAT, because I wasn't thinking of taking it till January but obviously Oxford needs it for October?

hey, I've just discovered the same! Always wanted to go to Cambridge but only have 83% UMS and just assumed Oxford would want the same grades...

From what I've heard/seen Oxford take into account your GCSE's, AS and LNAT, so because you're GCSE's are fairly high if you do well in the LNAT they will pribably still consider you as long as your predicted are at least 3A's.

Tbh technically the LNAT doesnt actually require practise (although obviously it does help) and you have a month still to go. If you do a practise every few days you should have more than enough time to do well. That's what I'm doing! I booked almost the last possible test just to make sure I would pass, but my friend is taking it tomorrow and hasnt done a crazy amount of practise.

Reply 63

Original post by CJaneH

Hi! I've very recently discovered that Oxford ask for AAA for law, so I'm thinking of applying there, but I'd really appreciate an honest opinion. I got AABC at as, decent a's in French and Spanish, 4 marks off an A in maths and I've dropped history. Got 5a*s, 8a's and a c at GCSE, and I've done experience for a law firm and been to court a few times too. Do I have any chance of getting an Oxford offer, and does anyone have any advice for the LNAT, because I wasn't thinking of taking it till January but obviously Oxford needs it for October?

You won't be considered a strong applicant (unless you post a very strong LNAT score & essay) but at the same time you will definitely be a viable applicant. If you want to go to Oxford I'd really recommend making an application, just because people told me I shouldn't bother applying last year yet I still managed to get a place. The LNAT and the interview are definitely the more important aspects of the process, and so you should view these as opportunities to show off rather than another daunting obstacle. Your work experience is not really relevant for Oxford's law course, and instead I think you should focus on reading around the subject to make yourself stand out between now and the Oxford UCAS deadline

Good luck, plenty of people have gotten in with lower grades than yourself at both AS and GCSE

Reply 64

Original post by liviward36

hey, I've just discovered the same! Always wanted to go to Cambridge but only have 83% UMS and just assumed Oxford would want the same grades...

From what I've heard/seen Oxford take into account your GCSE's, AS and LNAT, so because you're GCSE's are fairly high if you do well in the LNAT they will pribably still consider you as long as your predicted are at least 3A's.

Tbh technically the LNAT doesnt actually require practise (although obviously it does help) and you have a month still to go. If you do a practise every few days you should have more than enough time to do well. That's what I'm doing! I booked almost the last possible test just to make sure I would pass, but my friend is taking it tomorrow and hasnt done a crazy amount of practise.

Okay thanks, yeah I'm going to try and book a test for as late as possible haha

Reply 65

Original post by anonlad

You won't be considered a strong applicant (unless you post a very strong LNAT score & essay) but at the same time you will definitely be a viable applicant. If you want to go to Oxford I'd really recommend making an application, just because people told me I shouldn't bother applying last year yet I still managed to get a place. The LNAT and the interview are definitely the more important aspects of the process, and so you should view these as opportunities to show off rather than another daunting obstacle. Your work experience is not really relevant for Oxford's law course, and instead I think you should focus on reading around the subject to make yourself stand out between now and the Oxford UCAS deadline

Good luck, plenty of people have gotten in with lower grades than yourself at both AS and GCSE

Thanks, are you starting this year then? And which books did you find the most useful for wider reading?

Reply 66

Original post by CJaneH

Thanks, are you starting this year then? And which books did you find the most useful for wider reading?

I am yes, and I think Letters To a Law Student is a really really good read, although it's quite cliché and won't necessarily stand out in your personal statement. I went for books from reputable law academics, such as Richard Posner - I'd recommend searching the internet for a book of his which appeals to you and your interests

Reply 67

Original post by esj

Which unis are considered 'good' but don't ask for LNAT? I'm taking it pretty soon and I'm not particularly confident.. primarily bc of the essay. If you have already done yours how did you find the timing (for both parts)? Also, if you took it last year, did you come out with an accurate impression of how it went?

LSE, Cambridge (ask for the Cambridge Law Test instead which is, in my opinion, far more difficult), Exeter, York to name a few.

Make sure you do plenty of essay practice questions on sample LNAT titles - I think I did around 10 before I was completely comfortable with the structure I was going for. The key is to make your essay convince the reader (and should therefore be relatively one-sided rather than completely balanced) that your viewpoint is optimum, whilst discussing the opposite side of the argument (to add some balance) and taking care to mention who would hold this opposite view and most importantly, why you think that their view is incorrect.

For the essay the timing should not be a problem given the word-limit, and you should spend around 5-7 minutes planning while leaving a minute or two to look over your answer at the end to check for any mistakes. Timing is really essential in the MCQ's and you should develop a strategy to ensure that you leave yourself sufficient time to answer all of the questions to the best of your ability; having a timing strategy will also make you way less stressed during the exam.

And to be honest I thought my exam went horribly last year, yet it turned out I got 28 (with the average being 21) alongside all of my LNAT offers. So if you feel like it's going really badly, try not to feel demoralised because a) this may hurt your performance and b) it is very difficult to judge your own performance and it could actually be going very well.

Good luck

Reply 68

Original post by anonlad

I am yes, and I think Letters To a Law Student is a really really good read, although it's quite cliché and won't necessarily stand out in your personal statement. I went for books from reputable law academics, such as Richard Posner - I'd recommend searching the internet for a book of his which appeals to you and your interests

That's great thanks, a few people have recommended that book so I'll definitely look into it. Would you mind saying which college you're going to be attending, and why you chose that one, as I'm really struggling to choose one

Reply 69

liviward36

13

Original post by anonlad

You won't be considered a strong applicant (unless you post a very strong LNAT score & essay) but at the same time you will definitely be a viable applicant. If you want to go to Oxford I'd really recommend making an application, just because people told me I shouldn't bother applying last year yet I still managed to get a place. The LNAT and the interview are definitely the more important aspects of the process, and so you should view these as opportunities to show off rather than another daunting obstacle. Your work experience is not really relevant for Oxford's law course, and instead I think you should focus on reading around the subject to make yourself stand out between now and the Oxford UCAS deadline

Good luck, plenty of people have gotten in with lower grades than yourself at both AS and GCSE

hey, what sort of grades did you have? and what was your LNAT score?

Reply 70

Original post by liviward36

hey, what sort of grades did you have? and what was your LNAT score?

10A* at GCSE, AAAC at AS level, predicted A*A*A*

I got 28 in my LNAT MCQ

Reply 71

Original post by esj

Mhmm I've had a look at Cambridge but due to my UMS I think an application would be wasteful, erring on stupid. But yeah I think I will have a look at York, have heard good things.

Ah okay lack of essay practice is looking like a problem for me at the moment. In your opinion ( I appreciate that it will differ for others ) do you think it's easier to structure your essay as For and Against or to write your supporting paragraphs and then evaluate each one as you go? Thanks for the advice about putting qn into context as I aways forget to do that.

I've done 6 MC papers (to distract myself from absence of essay prep) so not feeling too bad as scores are looking okay.. although now I'm not sure if that's enough. Oo nice, well done. Did you feel the essay went horribly as well as the MC?

I'd avoid going down the easy route of styling your essay as a conventional for and against (Intro; for; against; conclusion); this style is too simplistic and doesn't allow for a great deal of flexibility, and naturally will struggle to be convincing (which is the goal of your essay). That said, it is important to not be completely one sided and totally ignore the opposing viewpoint to the one you have taken; in fact this is probably the worst thing you can do. I would advise you to take a stance and convince the reader that your stance is best, and then bring in a paragraph or two discussing the other side of the argument, who holds this view and why you think that this viewpoint is incorrect (i.e. inferior to your viewpoint/solution). In your conclusion, round up the arguments you have made, make a clear judgement and do not bring in any new points.

It is important to recognise that there are multiple types of essay that will be asked, (e.g. should ____ ?; what is the best solution to *problem?*; is ______ ?) and you should prepare for each of these. I think this is covered in the Mark Shepherd book.

Hmm I actually felt like my essay went well as I had a really nice question: 'Is taxation theft?'.

Reply 72

LoveToArgue

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice.

In my GCSEs I got 11A*s and 1A, in my AS 6As (history, french, maths, bio, eng lang, general studies) and am predicted 5A*s at A2, so i've done really well in my exams up to now and have lots of law-related extracurriculars, but I'm worrying about which unis to apply to.
I've chosen Oxford, Durham, Bristol, LSE and Warwick, but my head of sixth form terrified me the other day by saying that I might get loads of rejections because the unis will assume I'll get into Oxford (but I'm not so sure- I'm worried about the LNAT and interview) so won't bother offering me a place.
Now I'm thinking that I should apply for a uni which is deemed 'easier' to get in to as a safer option in case I do end up getting all these rejections. However I've visited all these unis bar LSE and I really like all of them, so I don't want to swap one of the 5 for a uni I don't actually like, just for the sake of being more likely to get in. Any thoughts?

Reply 73

ParisInc.

I've got 4a*s and 7as at gcse along with aaab in as (the As are in maths, eng lit., and economics with a b in french). I'm predicted A*AA, what do you guys think of my chances of getting into law and business at Warwick which asks for aab?

Reply 74

Original post by LoveToArgue

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice.

In my GCSEs I got 11A*s and 1A, in my AS 6As (history, french, maths, bio, eng lang, general studies) and am predicted 5A*s at A2, so i've done really well in my exams up to now and have lots of law-related extracurriculars, but I'm worrying about which unis to apply to.
I've chosen Oxford, Durham, Bristol, LSE and Warwick, but my head of sixth form terrified me the other day by saying that I might get loads of rejections because the unis will assume I'll get into Oxford (but I'm not so sure- I'm worried about the LNAT and interview) so won't bother offering me a place.
Now I'm thinking that I should apply for a uni which is deemed 'easier' to get in to as a safer option in case I do end up getting all these rejections. However I've visited all these unis bar LSE and I really like all of them, so I don't want to swap one of the 5 for a uni I don't actually like, just for the sake of being more likely to get in. Any thoughts?

Definitely apply to these places, pretty much all universities except Oxbridge hand out more offers than available places, partly because they anticipate that people will choose to go somewhere else over them (and partly because some may miss their offers although that's not relevant here). Because of this, they should have no problem handing you an offer, even if they have doubts over whether you'll accept it. Besides, they will also understand that there is a possibility that Oxford may not take you, and thus may want to make you an offer so that they will be your back-up; so in theory you may even find yourself getting some fast responses.

Reply 75

LoveToArgue

Original post by anonlad

Definitely apply to these places, pretty much all universities except Oxbridge hand out more offers than available places, partly because they anticipate that people will choose to go somewhere else over them (and partly because some may miss their offers although that's not relevant here). Because of this, they should have no problem handing you an offer, even if they have doubts over whether you'll accept it. Besides, they will also understand that there is a possibility that Oxford may not take you, and thus may want to make you an offer so that they will be your back-up; so in theory you may even find yourself getting some fast responses.

Thanks for the response! So do you think I need to apply to somewhere with a lower offer than AAA, or not bother? And am I at a disadvantage for applying to 5 really competitive universities? I'm just terrified I'll get 5 rejections!

Reply 76

Original post by LoveToArgue

Thanks for the response! So do you think I need to apply to somewhere with a lower offer than AAA, or not bother? And am I at a disadvantage for applying to 5 really competitive universities? I'm just terrified I'll get 5 rejections!

Provided you are confident in achieving AAA (if you got over 90% in at least three AS subjects you will only need CCC at A2 - I assume you did as you are predicted A*s) then there's not much point in applying for a lower university, particularly if you don't actually want to go there. I think you are overestimating the level of competition and underestimating the strength of your application - I think you'll have no problem getting at least 4 offers, and besides, you'll only really need one or two seeing as all of your choices are very strong unis.

Reply 77

EmpireofRome

Are Exeter and Leeds good for Law? And which is the better of the two and how do they rank in regards to other Uni's/RG Uni'?

Thanks

Reply 78

aubergine7