Law leniency

I very much doubt a university such as Birmingham, a solid Russell Group and redbrick with a good (of not elite) law department will accept a student who misses their offer by two grades. Even one grade would be unlikely (but there are rare exceptional circumstances).

I can't speak for Exeter but I would still doubt it. Law is very competitive and over subsribed, even at unis outside the elite. By all means apply for Exeter and, if succesful, put it as your firm but make sure you have a realistic insurance (one that you know you will make the grades for).

Reply 2

cdeu12

OP

River85

I very much doubt a university such as Birmingham, a solid Russell Group and redbrick with a good (of not elite) law department will accept a student who misses their offer by two grades. Even one grade would be unlikely (but there are rare exceptional circumstances).

I can't speak for Exeter but I would still doubt it. Law is very competitive and over subsribed, even at unis outside the elite. By all means apply for Exeter and, if succesful, put it as your firm but make sure you have a realistic insurance (one that you know you will make the grades for).

This is good advice, thanks - it is what I am intending to do.

Reply 3

I don't think Russell Group/redbrick counts for much in this context tbh.

Every uni (from Oxford to TVU) will give offers on the basis that:
x% will not take them up as their firm choice,
y% will take them up as their firm choice, but not get the grades,
leaving z% who get the grades and come to that uni.

If the number of people fulfilling the z% is quite high, then this doesn't leave much room for the y%. However, if a lot of people fall into the y%, with relatively few in the z%, then it's anyone's game, and nobody can tell how it's going to go until results day. I know a girl who dropped a grade on her Geography offer at Exeter and wasn't let in, but I know another girl who dropped a grade on her English offer at Oxford and was still allowed to come. Reputation of the uni really doesn't mean anything here.

Reply 4

The Law School is one of the most stringent at Exeter, but I wouldn't say there is a definite formula and rule. I dropped a few grades, but after many letters, an interview, and showing how much I really wanted to be here, here I am now :smile:

I wouldn't want to get your hopes up though, the Law School here is notorious for just how unaccessible it is, even to us current Law students.

Reply 5

*inaccessible :wink:

You still wouldn't have got your place if there weren't the places available, lmcorr. It is as I said - the year you could in, there would have been a higher number of people in the y% than in the z%.

Reply 6

Angelil

I don't think Russell Group/redbrick counts for much in this context tbh.

It's rare that, in a discussion about law I'll bring up the terms Russell Group and especially red brick. None of the top ten law schools are redbricks.

Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL, Durham, KCL Nottingham - the core elite English law schools. None of those are redbricks and one (Durham) isn't even in the Russell Group. Manchester, Bristol and Warwick aren't far behind. Warwick not being a redbrick.

Angelil

I know a girl who dropped a grade on her Geography offer at Exeter and wasn't let in, but I know another girl who dropped a grade on her English offer at Oxford and was still allowed to come. Reputation of the uni really doesn't mean anything here.

Of course it does to some extent! The better unis (in law especially) will be oversubsribed. I agree that, even in a top uni, there will be variations by course. You can't really compare law to English and geography. I missed my offer for philosophy at Durham by one grade. However, after a twenty minute phonecall and providing medical evidence (I had mitigating ctrcumstances) they allowed me on. They may not have for law and they certainly wouldn't have had I been two grades short.

But I can tell you know that a student who misses their offer for law at Birmingham or Exeter, without extreme mitigating circumstances will find it almost impossible to get in. If they do they are very, very lucky.

OP do you really think the grades they are asking for are realistic targets to aim it? Do you think it's likely that you'll get, say, AAB or at least be predicted that?

Reply 7

Why can you not compare law to English when entry to the two courses is equally competitive?

Reply 8

Angelil

Why can you not compare law to English when entry to the two courses is equally competitive?

Equally competitive? How? As in applicants per place?

Yeah.

The amount of threads like this always frustrates me as no one really knows the answer.
We can speculate forever about the competition for getting onto a Law course at Exeter or Birmingham, or the similarity between applicant numbers for English or Law, but the truth of the matter is that no one really knows who is going to be let in or not for missing grades until the results day arrives.

There should be a sticky thread for people asking "will they get in to X university if they miss their Y offer for Z subject"
At least they'd all be in one clearly obvious thread and we wouldn't necessarily have to look at it :biggrin:

Reply 11

Why would there be more applicants per place for a place at Oxford to study English as there is to study law. Everyone knows that Oxford isn't the top English school :p:

I'm being mischeavious there. Don't take it seriously :smile:

As for Exeter do you know anyone who missed their offer for English there and still got in (English, not geography)?

The bottom line is law is competitive and that it's hard to provide generalisations. It's unlikely that someone will fall short of their offer and still get in (I know of someone who fell short at a far more modest school than Exeter and failed to get in, a very good candidate she was too). Then again there have been people who have applied to Exeter, fallen short and still got in.

It should never be assumed that just because Exeter is a good law school, but not one of the best and that they may have been slightly flexible in the past then they will with you. Of course there's no guarente and, for all you know, those applicants may have had serious mitigating circumstances. To not have mitigating circumstances and still get into a university of Exeter's quality you'd need to be exceptionally lucky (and, I would assume, a good candidate with otherwise good and consistent UMS scores) applying in possibly a year where demand is slightly down.

If you feel the grades are realistic OP then sure, go ahead. If you fall short of your offer there's always either 1. plead, plead and plead and 2. go to your insurance.

Reply 12

sophisticated

The amount of threads like this always frustrates me as no one really knows the answer.
We can speculate forever about the competition for getting onto a Law course at Exeter or Birmingham, or the similarity between applicant numbers for English or Law, but the truth of the matter is that no one really knows who is going to be let in or not for missing grades until the results day arrives.

There should be a sticky thread for people asking "will they get in to X university if they miss their Y offer for Z subject"
At least they'd all be in one clearly obvious thread and we wouldn't necessarily have to look at it :biggrin:

Exactly. No one can really say and you can't draw generalisations from a few exceptions. You may get in but, if you do, you'd be lucky. That's all that can really be said.

Just make sure you have a good insurance as a back up.

Reply 13

This is true. Even though luckily for me last year as I was told by admissions, it was the lowest intake of applications the Law School have had for many years, so I suppose the deities were looking favourably upon me!

I think it is a little luck of the draw when it comes down to it, too.

Reply 14

No, I don't know anyone who missed their offer for English at Exeter and still got in. The vast majority of people on the English course have AAA, so they have no reason to let in anyone with less if that's what they can pick from.

Reply 15

I know someone who tried to change to English, but was told they wouldn't even be considered without an A in English A-Level.

Reply 16

cdeu12

OP

River85

Exactly. No one can really say and you can't draw generalisations from a few exceptions. You may get in but, if you do, you'd be lucky. That's all that can really be said.

Just make sure you have a good insurance as a back up.

I'm also considering reapplying and resitting. But then I'm worried unis won't consider me if I take an extra year to do my A levels, so it's a lose-lose situation. :frown:

Reply 17

Taking an extra year to do your A Levels is not a discriminatory factor, don't worry. I know someone at SOAS and another girl at Royal Holloway who both took 3 years doing their A Levels.

Reply 18