Nottingham or Newcastle for law? Job prospects?

Hi, I'm new to this whole thing so sorry if I've posted this in the wrong place.

Basically, I've got offers from Nottingham and Newcastle to study law and I can't decide which to go for. I know theyre pretty evenly matched socially, and I'm sure i'd have a good time at both, but Im trying to work out if either is better better in terms of long term job prospects and securing training contracts at commercial law firms, which is where I ultimately want to end up. If anybody has had any experience of this at either of these uni's it would be really helpful to hear about it.

Thanks guys :smile:

Reply 1

anon7

Original post by littlecreatures

Both are solid RG universities.
It really depends on where you want to spend your 3 years.

That's completely true!

Original post by littlecreatures

That aside, if you're into prestige and all that jazz, Nottingham has consistently been regarded as one of the elite law schools in UK, alongside Warwick, Durham and Bristol.

I believe employers would be more easily convinced by someone with a degree from Nottingham than from Newcastle. And I'm not talking about league tables here. They're obviously both very good RG universities as you said, but if you read this thread, then you'll see Nottingham seems a safer choice in terms of job prospects.

But then, if you get a 1st at Newcastle because you feel more at ease for some reason (for the town, campus, atmosphere, etc.), it'll top any 2.1 from any other university. The same can be said of Nottingham of course. :colondollar:

The problem here is: where do you think you'll be more confortable to study?

Nottingham.

Original post by Breens345

Won't make a massive difference, though Notts might be more specifically targetted by more firms. If you prefer Newcastle in other respects then that would be valid. Also I think Nottingham awards a lower percentage of 'good honours', which it is vital to attain if you want to be a lawyer.

Nottingham surely

Original post by anon7

thank you for that link, it's been really interesting to read. Looks like I should be leaning towards Nottingham then...

Original post by littlecreatures

It really depends on where you want to spend your 3 years.

In terms of my preferences, I don't think I really have one, I've just had it in my head for a while that Newcastle was where I was going (probably because i got this offer way before my others!) but ultimately I'm doing the degree to get a good job at the end of it, so it looks like Nottingham would be the safer bet.

Thankyou to everyone for all the advice, really appreciate it, it's hard trying to sit here and work things out alone when every league table or whatever you go on tells a different story, so some other opinions really help :smile:

Reply 6

PVisitors

As someone mentioned about honours. Worth noting that N'ham only give out around 56% of 2.1s (at least that's what the stats on Unistats show) compared to Newcastle's 80%.

Reply 7

Breens345

Original post by PVisitors

As someone mentioned about honours. Worth noting that N'ham only give out around 56% of 2.1s (at least that's what the stats on Unistats show) compared to Newcastle's 80%.

That's quite interesting...
But meaning that the rest are 2:2s or that there's a higher chance of getting a first at Nottingham?

Reply 8

Akiraryuu

Original post by Breens345

That's quite interesting...
But meaning that the rest are 2:2s or that there's a higher chance of getting a first at Nottingham?

Only 5% of the law students at Notts got a first if I'm not mistaken.

Reply 9

Breens345

Original post by Akiraryuu

Only 5% of the law students at Notts got a first if I'm not mistaken.

Really?

that's not great then.....ughhhh this is such a hard choice!! :s

Reply 10

Akiraryuu

Original post by Breens345

Really?

that's not great then.....ughhhh this is such a hard choice!! :s

If you look at it from another angle, getting a first from Notts will be very much worthwhile. Also, Notts has a slightly better reputation compared to Newcastle. It's up to you really, after all you're gonna spend three years there so go to where you like best!

Reply 11

Mod Calm

Personally I'd say Newcastle as it's a much nicer city that Nottingham and there's not much difference in their position in the league tables. I'd also give significant weight to the stats above (if they are accurate), as a First Class/Upper Second from Newcastle will still be much more highly regarded than a Lower Second from Nottingham, regardless of Nottingham's position in the league tables/reputation.

Reply 12

Breens345

Original post by Akiraryuu

It's up to you really, after all you're gonna spend three years there so go to where you like best!

I guess so yes, last night i booked myself onto applicant open days at both in the next few weeks so that I can see if one feels much better than the other second time around...

Original post by Mod Calm

a First Class/Upper Second from Newcastle will still be much more highly regarded than a Lower Second from Nottingham, regardless of Nottingham's position in the league tables/reputation.

That's saying I'd manage to be in the top 5% at Newcastle to begin with, which is very unlikely, but yes I see what you're saying.. Tbh I think I do like Newcastle better as a place to live because of the nightlife, but then again I suppose that could be classed as a bad thing if I'm going to be aiming for a first I can't be going out every night! :tongue:

At the end of the day I think it just comes down to what the people in the departments say when I go to visit them, and I'll just have to make a gamble and hope for the best in three years time! Thanks again for all your help guys :smile:

Reply 13

Tsunami2011