What's more important - university or subject ranking?

Yeah, basically the above question. I'm trying to decide between Leeds and Birmingham as my fifth university for Law. Birmingham is ranked more highly than Leeds as a university but Leeds is better for Law. In terms of trying to get a job for the future, which is more important (bearing in mind that I might not necessarily become a lawyer)?

Reply 1

Kollarrunt

I think it depends. I can't answer for your specific case, but I think that the higher up the general rankings go, your subject will not be so relevant for a future job.
E.g.
Oxbridge is the #1 Uni, Cambridge is #2, but Cambridge law (i dont know if they even have it just an example) is #1 and Oxford #3. In that case I would just pick the one I like more.

Reply 2

Hedger

Ranking... pft. Ignore that **** right off, you go to a University because you like the subject and you want to learn it. Where you go is just a matter of how convenient you want it or how far away you want to live. Only other variable to consider is the course content...

Sorry if I come off as if i'm pised off or anything, I just don't like it when you rank a school/college/university better than another.

Reply 3

Paranoid Kid

Kollarrunt

E.g.
Oxbridge is the #1 Uni, Cambridge is #2, but Cambridge law (i dont know if they even have it just an example) is #1 and Oxford #3. In that case I would just pick the one I like more.

I don't think any employer would actually look into things in that detail. Uni rankings change year on year, so you need to look at the overall reputation that universities maintain over a sustained period of time.

To the OP, I don't think there is a significant enough gap between Leeds and Birmingham for it to matter too much (perhaps Birmingham has the edge though). Just go with where you'd be happier to attend, no point in putting somewhere down that you know you'd never go to.

Reply 4

Purple

There isn't much difference between them. Apply to the place you think you would most like to live and study for 3 years.

Reply 5

Chess Piece Face

Also keep in mind that the rankings for each subjects fluctuate wildly year by year and depending on which criteria you use, so if, for example, you picked Leeds because it was better in law, you might regret your decision if Birmingham overtakes it the following year, which is far from unlikely. Go for the university, the location and the course content - subject rankings are always suspect.

Reply 6

kellywood_5

I personally trust overall rankings a lot more than subject rankings and I think Birmingham has a better reputation than Leeds overall, but they're both good, so as others have said, choose the one you prefer.

Reply 7

DimiTheBrave

Because you want to get into law, you need abit of a mix of both if possible. Despite this Birmingham and Leeds aren't "wildly" different from each other in terms of reputation. Don't forget rankings aren't "the end all, be all".

Reply 8

WokSz

Neither. Rankings aren't the be all of rankings. For Law, KCL is higher ranked than Bristol; yet Bristol, in terms of reputation at the Inns, is equivalent to KCL.