Staying in London for university or moving out?

I am currently in Year 12 studying psychology, philosophy and politics. I want to study law at university, and I'm having trouble deciding on whether I should move outside of London or stay.
The biggest reasons I'd want to stay in London is for the diversity and the opportunities. I'm originally from London and I grew up in a pretty non-diverse environment on the outskirts, but after coming to college, I realised that I definitely do need the diversity around me to make me feel truly comfortable. Another big reason for staying is that the opportunities for law in this city are endless, and I feel that staying in London may help me network more easily and attend more events whilst still being a student. The negative of staying in London is that the only universities I would want to apply to (KCL or UCL) both require the LNAT, and I'm not sure I'd want to sit it if I'm not 100% sure I want to go to either of them. I feel like it's quite pointless and draining to take the LNAT if KCL & UCL aren't my dream, and they aren't. As well as this, I'll be doing my EPQ, my personal statement and condensing all my knowledge from this year into flashcards over the summer and potentially going abroad, so preparing for the LNAT as well seems like a lot. I know others have done it easily, but I don't think I'll be able to achieve what I need to get in, especially since some of my other stats are already weighing me down. The other problem I have is that London is expensive. I know most people from here will tend to live at home for university, but this isn't an option for me as much as I'd love to. This means I'll be spending more money to match the living expenses here and I'll have more debt to repay (since I'm entitled to the maximum maintenance SFE of £13k) than if I were to go elsewhere. My only worries about going elsewhere is potentially a lack of diversity in the universities that I'm interested in (York, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield) and having less opportunities career-wise. Law is an extremely competitive field and I worry that London is really where I need to be if I want to secure a training contract at top commercial law firms, since I want to go into competition law or real estate. If there's any fellow POC who have gone outside of London or stayed in London and can share your experiences, I'd really appreciate it as it would help me make a decision.
Also, I am going to open days for Birmingham, York, UCL and KCL in June and then attending a virtual open day for Manchester in July. Any others I attend will be in September - October time and I will be submitting my UCAS application by late October, since my school is really big and around the deadline it gets really busy, so I'd rather ask for help earlier on and decide on my universities by that time.

@bibachu
It's a tough decision to make, but if you don't want to sit the LNAT and you're not interested in attending UCL or KCL, and you want to save money, then perhaps it's best to look outside of London.
London is incredibly diverse, but most cities tend to be so I don't think you have to worry too much about this, though each city will vary in the size of different communities. It would be worthwhile to attend some of the open days of the places you are interested in, so that you can get a feel of the city and university. It might also help you think about whether you can imagine yourself there as a student.
All the best,
Oluwatosin – 3rd year student – University of Huddersfield

I am currently in Year 12 studying psychology, philosophy and politics. I want to study law at university, and I'm having trouble deciding on whether I should move outside of London or stay.
The biggest reasons I'd want to stay in London is for the diversity and the opportunities. I'm originally from London and I grew up in a pretty non-diverse environment on the outskirts, but after coming to college, I realised that I definitely do need the diversity around me to make me feel truly comfortable. Another big reason for staying is that the opportunities for law in this city are endless, and I feel that staying in London may help me network more easily and attend more events whilst still being a student. The negative of staying in London is that the only universities I would want to apply to (KCL or UCL) both require the LNAT, and I'm not sure I'd want to sit it if I'm not 100% sure I want to go to either of them. I feel like it's quite pointless and draining to take the LNAT if KCL & UCL aren't my dream, and they aren't. As well as this, I'll be doing my EPQ, my personal statement and condensing all my knowledge from this year into flashcards over the summer and potentially going abroad, so preparing for the LNAT as well seems like a lot. I know others have done it easily, but I don't think I'll be able to achieve what I need to get in, especially since some of my other stats are already weighing me down. The other problem I have is that London is expensive. I know most people from here will tend to live at home for university, but this isn't an option for me as much as I'd love to. This means I'll be spending more money to match the living expenses here and I'll have more debt to repay (since I'm entitled to the maximum maintenance SFE of £13k) than if I were to go elsewhere. My only worries about going elsewhere is potentially a lack of diversity in the universities that I'm interested in (York, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield) and having less opportunities career-wise. Law is an extremely competitive field and I worry that London is really where I need to be if I want to secure a training contract at top commercial law firms, since I want to go into competition law or real estate. If there's any fellow POC who have gone outside of London or stayed in London and can share your experiences, I'd really appreciate it as it would help me make a decision.
Also, I am going to open days for Birmingham, York, UCL and KCL in June and then attending a virtual open day for Manchester in July. Any others I attend will be in September - October time and I will be submitting my UCAS application by late October, since my school is really big and around the deadline it gets really busy, so I'd rather ask for help earlier on and decide on my universities by that time.

Hi there
Deciding which university to go to can be quite a challenging decision, here are some things that you may like to take into account:
Since one of your major reasons for wanting to stay in London is diversity, I think attending some open days with universities will be quite useful. When I went to open days in year 13, I found that majority universities had a really diverse culture. You may see from many student union websites that there are a range of societies. In terms of the locations that you mentioned, I am from the local region near Birmingham, and I think it is quite a diverse area as well. My cousin from Manchester also noted that there were ranges of people from different backgrounds. Although they will not be as diverse or populated as London, they are still quite good areas to live in.
In terms of future career opportunities, there will be opportunities that you can gain outside of London, however, I do agree with you that most prestigious firms will be located in London. Furthermore, most firms are likely to offer open days, work experiences, vacation schemes and training contracts in London too. As a law student, I have found that the law industry is really competitive, therefore securing those opportunities may be quite useful and contribute greatly towards gaining a successful future career. That is not to say that there will not be opportunities elsewhere, just a bit less.
High prices in London can be quite an issue, and because how populated the area is, competition for law firm opportunities will also be quite fierce in London, which is something you have to overcome. As a student at Kent, I often choose to apply for opportunities in London, and commute down when I receive any open days, or interviews. Although the cost of travelling can be high, I think this is much less compared to the cost of renting in London, which is something you may like to think about.
Personally, I did not take the LNAT exam. However, if you are certain you do not want to take it, and studying for it may drastically affect your other grades, it may be in your best interest to apply to other universities. There are universities that do not require the LNAT exam. If you choose the LNAT route, not only is important that you received a high score on LNAT, it's important that you receive high a level grades for applications, it would really depend on how you think your academics will go.
I hope this helps
Chloe
University of Kent student Rep

Thank you so much for the insight, this has definitely helped me make a decision! I can 100% see myself being a student in a different city, so I think I’d rather apply for universities outside of London, since my plan is to come back afterwards, and that means I don’t have to bother with the LNAT. I’ll still be attending open days for fun just to see the facilities there, but I’m relieved to hear that there is still a good range of diversity in other cities. Best of luck for your third year!

I am currently in Year 12 studying psychology, philosophy and politics. I want to study law at university, and I'm having trouble deciding on whether I should move outside of London or stay.
The biggest reasons I'd want to stay in London is for the diversity and the opportunities. I'm originally from London and I grew up in a pretty non-diverse environment on the outskirts, but after coming to college, I realised that I definitely do need the diversity around me to make me feel truly comfortable. Another big reason for staying is that the opportunities for law in this city are endless, and I feel that staying in London may help me network more easily and attend more events whilst still being a student. The negative of staying in London is that the only universities I would want to apply to (KCL or UCL) both require the LNAT, and I'm not sure I'd want to sit it if I'm not 100% sure I want to go to either of them. I feel like it's quite pointless and draining to take the LNAT if KCL & UCL aren't my dream, and they aren't. As well as this, I'll be doing my EPQ, my personal statement and condensing all my knowledge from this year into flashcards over the summer and potentially going abroad, so preparing for the LNAT as well seems like a lot. I know others have done it easily, but I don't think I'll be able to achieve what I need to get in, especially since some of my other stats are already weighing me down. The other problem I have is that London is expensive. I know most people from here will tend to live at home for university, but this isn't an option for me as much as I'd love to. This means I'll be spending more money to match the living expenses here and I'll have more debt to repay (since I'm entitled to the maximum maintenance SFE of £13k) than if I were to go elsewhere. My only worries about going elsewhere is potentially a lack of diversity in the universities that I'm interested in (York, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield) and having less opportunities career-wise. Law is an extremely competitive field and I worry that London is really where I need to be if I want to secure a training contract at top commercial law firms, since I want to go into competition law or real estate. If there's any fellow POC who have gone outside of London or stayed in London and can share your experiences, I'd really appreciate it as it would help me make a decision.
Also, I am going to open days for Birmingham, York, UCL and KCL in June and then attending a virtual open day for Manchester in July. Any others I attend will be in September - October time and I will be submitting my UCAS application by late October, since my school is really big and around the deadline it gets really busy, so I'd rather ask for help earlier on and decide on my universities by that time.

I am currently in Year 12 studying psychology, philosophy and politics. I want to study law at university, and I'm having trouble deciding on whether I should move outside of London or stay.
The biggest reasons I'd want to stay in London is for the diversity and the opportunities. I'm originally from London and I grew up in a pretty non-diverse environment on the outskirts, but after coming to college, I realised that I definitely do need the diversity around me to make me feel truly comfortable. Another big reason for staying is that the opportunities for law in this city are endless, and I feel that staying in London may help me network more easily and attend more events whilst still being a student. The negative of staying in London is that the only universities I would want to apply to (KCL or UCL) both require the LNAT, and I'm not sure I'd want to sit it if I'm not 100% sure I want to go to either of them. I feel like it's quite pointless and draining to take the LNAT if KCL & UCL aren't my dream, and they aren't. As well as this, I'll be doing my EPQ, my personal statement and condensing all my knowledge from this year into flashcards over the summer and potentially going abroad, so preparing for the LNAT as well seems like a lot. I know others have done it easily, but I don't think I'll be able to achieve what I need to get in, especially since some of my other stats are already weighing me down. The other problem I have is that London is expensive. I know most people from here will tend to live at home for university, but this isn't an option for me as much as I'd love to. This means I'll be spending more money to match the living expenses here and I'll have more debt to repay (since I'm entitled to the maximum maintenance SFE of £13k) than if I were to go elsewhere. My only worries about going elsewhere is potentially a lack of diversity in the universities that I'm interested in (York, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield) and having less opportunities career-wise. Law is an extremely competitive field and I worry that London is really where I need to be if I want to secure a training contract at top commercial law firms, since I want to go into competition law or real estate. If there's any fellow POC who have gone outside of London or stayed in London and can share your experiences, I'd really appreciate it as it would help me make a decision.
Also, I am going to open days for Birmingham, York, UCL and KCL in June and then attending a virtual open day for Manchester in July. Any others I attend will be in September - October time and I will be submitting my UCAS application by late October, since my school is really big and around the deadline it gets really busy, so I'd rather ask for help earlier on and decide on my universities by that time.