Top 10 universities for Law

Keele gets 5*. How much Keele graduates do you know at A&O?

I think I've made my point.

Yea, somewhere in the top 20

Have you any words of advice, in regards to making a success out of an LLB course, right from the word go?

Oxbridge are perceived as inhabiting a "class of their own", in terms of the workload and level of dedication required by the course; merely to have survived three years of intensive legal study at Cambridge (even to have left with only a 2:1) would be held in higher esteem than to have achieved a First virtually anywhere else. However, this is an outmoded consideration, given as the standard of your degree is generally perceived as reflecting your knowledge and comprehension of the Law; ultimately - like an 'A' at AS - where a First indicates a score in your Final exams which could theoretically be infinitely high, the distinction becomes quite marked between this and the ceiling imposed by a 2:1 (of approx. 70%). It's perhaps unjust that Oxbridge candidates should be favoured in this way, but it is nonetheless the prerogative of the employer.

Where is the actual evidence for the idea that Oxbridge people work harder than others? Is doing 24 weeks a year instead of 30 ( like most other universities) evidence of working harder, for instance? I appreciate that there is a proper level of scepticism in your post, but has anybody ever produced any real research into the comparative workload at different universities,and would it be possible to quantify it adequately anyway?

Good point. Many people think that with all the essay writing and extra work they have to do compared to everywhere else, it is harder to achieve the same standard at Oxbridge. I think this is untrue. Any extra work they have to do merely results in it becoming more likely that they'll meet a certain threshold standard. Indeed, this would explain the high number of firsts in Oxbridge compared to everywhere else.

On a tangent, I have a friend at Oxbridge who, despite having to write more essays to write than I do, doesn't seem to have to work any harder, in terms of hours per week. Perhaps his education is of a better quality and a student there will be more likely to achieve a high standard, but I don't think an Oxbridge degree is harder to achieve than at other places. After all, law schools all mark one another's exams, suggesting that standards are the same across the board.

Good point. Many people think that with all the essay writing and extra work they have to do compared to everywhere else, it is harder to achieve the same standard at Oxbridge. I think this is untrue. Any extra work they have to do merely results in it becoming more likely that they'll meet a certain threshold standard. Indeed, this would explain the high number of firsts in Oxbridge compared to everywhere else.

On a tangent, I have a friend at Oxbridge who, despite having to write more essays to write than I do, doesn't seem to have to work any harder, in terms of hours per week. Perhaps his education is of a better quality and a student there will be more likely to achieve a high standard, but I don't think an Oxbridge degree is harder to achieve than at other places. After all, law schools all mark one another's exams, suggesting that standards are the same across the board.

The total workload is the same, but the scheduling is more intensive; hence the shorter semesters. I always presumed this to be a widely acknowledged fact.

And you know this for a fact do you? This is considering that you are a school student. I think someones voicing his opinion as fact yet again .......

I was informed by a Cambridge tutor, on the Cambridge open day, that this was the rationale behind the eight-week semester. Prove me wrong.

I think it is normal behaviour to prove yourself right first.

To accept anything as fact, certain premises must be taken for granted. I take for granted the premise that Oxbridge undergraduates are required to digest the same quantity of data within a narrower time frame. Ergo, the workload is, technically, more demanding, and the schedule, more intensive. Of course, whether or not they work harder, per sé, is a different matter entirely. Perhaps they don't need to.

What you seem to forget is that most law students work through the holidays at a level just as intense as they do during term time. Its really quite irrelevant whether the topics covered are done in 8 weeks, or 10; in the end students have to cover the same amount of work... whether they do so during "official" term periods, or not fails to effect the amount of work they have to do overall.

What you seem to forget is that most law students work through the holidays at a level just as intense as they do during term time. Its really quite irrelevant whether the topics covered are done in 8 weeks, or 10; in the end students have to cover the same amount of work... whether they do so during "official" term periods, or not fails to effect the amount of work they have to do overall.

I fully agree. What most people also seem to forget, is that at Oxford and Cambridge, the students have THREE 8-week terms, whereas some other universities (e.g. all the London colleges) have only TWO 10-week terms. Eg. UCL, King's College and QMUL have 12 weeks in first term (minus one week each for beginning of term and Reading Week) and 11 weeks in second term (again minus one week for Reading Week). The third term is reserved exclusively for exams and nothing else. So in total, the London students face 20 teaching weeks in one academic year. At Oxford and Cambridge, teaching is done throughout the first two terms AND halfway through the third term, reaching a total of about 20 weeks also (8+8+4).

I think the main point about Oxbridge undergraduates having to work harder during term time is the supervisions and essays. At Oxford and Cambridge, the students have small group supervisions (i.e. one tutor to 1-4 students) every week. Trust me - when you have a tutor talking to you and maybe one other person for the whole hour, there really is no chance of getting away without doing the reading. Essays are also set every week, so this further compels students to keep up the reading.

There is probably not much difference in the actual content and substance of the syllabus at Oxbridge as compared to some of the top universities.