Law or Psychology?
Hi.
Im in my first year of AS right now, and so I need to decide within the next few months what courses I will start applying for at uni..
So far I've been dead set on psychology. However, after looking into it I'm not too sure. I wouldn't mind doing it but I'm stuck on whether to do psychology or law now. I really don't know too much about law degrees and where it can take me, so I thought I would come here for some help.
I am more interested in psychology, however I wouldn't mind doing law and I imagine law would be the better degree to have.
So can you guys here help me? Which one should I choose and why?
Also the AS Levels I'm studying currently are
Psychology
Geography
Religious Studies + Philosophy
Sociology
I will probably drop RS + Philosophy for A2 and continue with the other three.
As you can see I don't do Law at A level.. is this a problem?
Thanks
Im in my first year of AS right now, and so I need to decide within the next few months what courses I will start applying for at uni..
So far I've been dead set on psychology. However, after looking into it I'm not too sure. I wouldn't mind doing it but I'm stuck on whether to do psychology or law now. I really don't know too much about law degrees and where it can take me, so I thought I would come here for some help.
I am more interested in psychology, however I wouldn't mind doing law and I imagine law would be the better degree to have.
So can you guys here help me? Which one should I choose and why?
Also the AS Levels I'm studying currently are
Psychology
Geography
Religious Studies + Philosophy
Sociology
I will probably drop RS + Philosophy for A2 and continue with the other three.
As you can see I don't do Law at A level.. is this a problem?
Thanks
There are people who do Law at university who haven't studied Law at A level, it's more your lack of subjects such as History/English/Politics that's the worrying factor as a lot of top uni's for Law look for those sort of A levels.
I think you doing law is still achievable, but it may be a bit of an uphill struggle for you because of your subjects.
I think you doing law is still achievable, but it may be a bit of an uphill struggle for you because of your subjects.
Original post by MalteseMalteser
There are people who do Law at university who haven't studied Law at A level, it's more your lack of subjects such as History/English/Politics that's the worrying factor as a lot of top uni's for Law look for those sort of A levels.
I think you doing law is still achievable, but it may be a bit of an uphill struggle for you because of your subjects.
I think you doing law is still achievable, but it may be a bit of an uphill struggle for you because of your subjects.
I'm not really looking to go to any top unis anyway to be honest, I know I won't get into any of the top ones.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Smoose
I'm not really looking to go to any top unis anyway to be honest
Okay, then maybe it's worth giving it a shot? At the end of the day you've got to do a degree that you enjoy - not because of the career prospects. If you've always wanted to do Psychology then maybe do that instead of Law. But if you really like the sound of Law then I would apply and hope for the best.
Law is a tough subject which, if your heart isn't in it can be dull and tedious at times. In my opinion you should only study it if you have a burning passion for law.
Like you, I can't say I know too much about Law degrees, but I'm predicting that some users will make some sort of comment about how you'd've have been picking more traditional subjects. I don't know how much truth there is in this, however, you certainly will not need to have taken law. The same is true Psychology for some universities as well (i.e. you will not need to have the subject for A Level, but obviously you have/ will do.
You seem much more interested in Psychology from you say, but I would recommend you do some more research into Law degrees and careers first to make a more informed decision.
Also, be aware that Psychology gets a lot more sciency at university; you seem to have primarily picked humanties/ social sciences.
You seem much more interested in Psychology from you say, but I would recommend you do some more research into Law degrees and careers first to make a more informed decision.
Also, be aware that Psychology gets a lot more sciency at university; you seem to have primarily picked humanties/ social sciences.
Original post by Smoose
Hi.
Im in my first year of AS right now, and so I need to decide within the next few months what courses I will start applying for at uni..
So far I've been dead set on psychology. However, after looking into it I'm not too sure. I wouldn't mind doing it but I'm stuck on whether to do psychology or law now. I really don't know too much about law degrees and where it can take me, so I thought I would come here for some help.
I am more interested in psychology, however I wouldn't mind doing law and I imagine law would be the better degree to have.
So can you guys here help me? Which one should I choose and why?
Also the AS Levels I'm studying currently are
Psychology
Geography
Religious Studies + Philosophy
Sociology
I will probably drop RS + Philosophy for A2 and continue with the other three.
As you can see I don't do Law at A level.. is this a problem?
Thanks
Im in my first year of AS right now, and so I need to decide within the next few months what courses I will start applying for at uni..
So far I've been dead set on psychology. However, after looking into it I'm not too sure. I wouldn't mind doing it but I'm stuck on whether to do psychology or law now. I really don't know too much about law degrees and where it can take me, so I thought I would come here for some help.
I am more interested in psychology, however I wouldn't mind doing law and I imagine law would be the better degree to have.
So can you guys here help me? Which one should I choose and why?
Also the AS Levels I'm studying currently are
Psychology
Geography
Religious Studies + Philosophy
Sociology
I will probably drop RS + Philosophy for A2 and continue with the other three.
As you can see I don't do Law at A level.. is this a problem?
Thanks
Why not do both? Lots of unis let you do more than one subject in your first year, before you specialise in 1 or 2 of them as the years go on.
That way you can see which you prefer in a uni setting
It's no problem at all that you haven't done law at A-level if you want to do it at university, any subjects will be fine (humanities and social sciences as you have studied are ideal though because they are essay-based). You could always look into combined honours programmes in law and psychology, there are several universities that offer this. However, make sure you study a degree that is BPS accredited if you want to do further training in psychology to become a clinical/educational/forensic/occupational etc. psychologist. This is crucial unless you want to spend an extra year doing a conversion course. If you want to pursue law as a career, you'll need to ensure the degree programme allows you to continue on to the LPC/BPTC depending on whether you want to be a solicitor or barrister (as far as I know, it depends on the weighting of the subjects which subject is accredited, e.g. Law with Psychology for a qualifying law degree, or Psychology with Law for a BPS accredited psychology degree, but it's important to verify this with each course you apply for).
If it helps I was in the exact same position as you, unsure whether or not to do law or psychology but I went for psychology in the end because I felt more suited to it and I haven't regretted this decision. There's always conversion courses for both subjects if ever you decide to change over to law or psychology after graduating, so you certainly aren't restricted once you've made your choice.
If it helps I was in the exact same position as you, unsure whether or not to do law or psychology but I went for psychology in the end because I felt more suited to it and I haven't regretted this decision. There's always conversion courses for both subjects if ever you decide to change over to law or psychology after graduating, so you certainly aren't restricted once you've made your choice.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Smoose
I'm not really looking to go to any top unis anyway to be honest, I know I won't get into any of the top ones.
In that case, please be aware that as a sector law is ridiculously obsessed with what university you went to - more so than is really sensible. Going to a lower ranked university will make it incredibly difficult to get a training contract / pupillage afterwards - and trust me when I say that people from Oxbridge and other Russell Group universities are struggling to find training contract and pupillages.
Law is an academic degree (as opposed to vocational), and can be used in much the same way as a degree in something like history or politics would be. However, please do be aware that by doing a law degree at a lower ranked university you are severely limiting your chances of using it as a vocation.
Study the degree you are more interested in; 3 years of your life is a long time, so pick the subject that will stimulate you the most.
Do not worry about your lack of 'traditional' subjects if you do not feel like going to a top law school, universities outside of the top 10 aren't too fussed as long as you get reasonably good AS levels.
As many have said before me, Law is not essential or even preferred for any Law school; friends of mine have gone to top law schools with all the sciences/maths.
There is always the GDL (law conversion course) if you want to go into Law after your undergraduate degree; don't think undergraduate is the be all and end all.
Good luck with it all!
Do not worry about your lack of 'traditional' subjects if you do not feel like going to a top law school, universities outside of the top 10 aren't too fussed as long as you get reasonably good AS levels.
As many have said before me, Law is not essential or even preferred for any Law school; friends of mine have gone to top law schools with all the sciences/maths.
There is always the GDL (law conversion course) if you want to go into Law after your undergraduate degree; don't think undergraduate is the be all and end all.
Good luck with it all!
Doing Law at A Level definitely isn't essential when going on to studying it at uni. I am currently in my third year of a law and psychology degree and if anything I thought that studying law at A level was a disadvantage, since some of the legislation in criminal law changed by the time I studied it again at uni.
Choose the subjects that you are most interested in and passionate about. As others have said, three/four years is a long time and some modules can be very tedious at times!
Make sure that when looking at courses they are accredited to the subject you are most interested in entering into in the future. I am lucky with my course in that it is accredited in both subjects so that could be another possibility for you?
Good Luck with whatever you choose to do!!
Choose the subjects that you are most interested in and passionate about. As others have said, three/four years is a long time and some modules can be very tedious at times!
Make sure that when looking at courses they are accredited to the subject you are most interested in entering into in the future. I am lucky with my course in that it is accredited in both subjects so that could be another possibility for you?
Good Luck with whatever you choose to do!!
Original post by Smoose
Hi.
Im in my first year of AS right now, and so I need to decide within the next few months what courses I will start applying for at uni..
So far I've been dead set on psychology. However, after looking into it I'm not too sure. I wouldn't mind doing it but I'm stuck on whether to do psychology or law now. I really don't know too much about law degrees and where it can take me, so I thought I would come here for some help.
I am more interested in psychology, however I wouldn't mind doing law and I imagine law would be the better degree to have.
So can you guys here help me? Which one should I choose and why?
Also the AS Levels I'm studying currently are
Psychology
Geography
Religious Studies + Philosophy
Sociology
I will probably drop RS + Philosophy for A2 and continue with the other three.
As you can see I don't do Law at A level.. is this a problem?
Thanks
Im in my first year of AS right now, and so I need to decide within the next few months what courses I will start applying for at uni..
So far I've been dead set on psychology. However, after looking into it I'm not too sure. I wouldn't mind doing it but I'm stuck on whether to do psychology or law now. I really don't know too much about law degrees and where it can take me, so I thought I would come here for some help.
I am more interested in psychology, however I wouldn't mind doing law and I imagine law would be the better degree to have.
So can you guys here help me? Which one should I choose and why?
Also the AS Levels I'm studying currently are
Psychology
Geography
Religious Studies + Philosophy
Sociology
I will probably drop RS + Philosophy for A2 and continue with the other three.
As you can see I don't do Law at A level.. is this a problem?
Thanks
If i were you I would do Psychology, because it's clear that you enjoy it and your A levels are suited for it (i know this doesn't matter per se, but you will have learnt skills which are more suited to this) and then if you want to be a lawyer, do a conversion course! That only takes one more year out but you know you will enjoy university a lot more
Your subjects are fine for Law. I currently hold an offer to study Law but i'm going to decline it to study Psychology next year after realising Law wasn't for me. So yeah, if you have a passion for Law then go for it, but if not i'd suggest going for the one you'd enjoy most. I allowed people to sway me into doing Law even though I knew my heart was set on Psychology because of how 'respectable' a Law degree is, and i regret that so much. So yeah, if you think you'll enjoy psychology more then go for it
Posted from TSR Mobile
Posted from TSR Mobile
Just playing "devil's advocate" (not really) in relation to a few things here:
To be honest, I'm not sure how far this is (still) the case. As someone at Oxbridge, I've still struggled to get a training contract - perhaps partly because I knew I didn't want to do "City law" and so was looking for firms off the beaten track - but all firms just ask for "a 2.1". Leaving aside cases where you're comparing candidates from opposite ends of the league tables, I'm not sure how far university is important in the middle. Speaking anecdotally, firms seem to place much more emphasis on the "commercial awareness" aspect and people's personalities/je ne sais quoi at assessment centres. That said, I guess the sheer volume of candidates chasing TCs (AllAboutLaw estimates that there's a 6:1 ratio of applicants to places!) means that naturally the Russell Group dominates...
Heh, if anything, I found the opposite to be true. I'd covered at A2 five of my eight Criminal supervision topics for the year, which lightened my workload considerably, and I went into my Criminal exam and was able to write a feminist-y answer to a question on the law's treatment of women by setting out the old law on the defences to murder (A2), and contrasting it with the new position under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 - my A2 knowledge certainly saved me!
Original post by Origami Bullets
In that case, please be aware that as a sector law is ridiculously obsessed with what university you went to - more so than is really sensible. Going to a lower ranked university will make it incredibly difficult to get a training contract / pupillage afterwards - and trust me when I say that people from Oxbridge and other Russell Group universities are struggling to find training contract and pupillages.
Law is an academic degree (as opposed to vocational), and can be used in much the same way as a degree in something like history or politics would be. However, please do be aware that by doing a law degree at a lower ranked university you are severely limiting your chances of using it as a vocation.
Law is an academic degree (as opposed to vocational), and can be used in much the same way as a degree in something like history or politics would be. However, please do be aware that by doing a law degree at a lower ranked university you are severely limiting your chances of using it as a vocation.
To be honest, I'm not sure how far this is (still) the case. As someone at Oxbridge, I've still struggled to get a training contract - perhaps partly because I knew I didn't want to do "City law" and so was looking for firms off the beaten track - but all firms just ask for "a 2.1". Leaving aside cases where you're comparing candidates from opposite ends of the league tables, I'm not sure how far university is important in the middle. Speaking anecdotally, firms seem to place much more emphasis on the "commercial awareness" aspect and people's personalities/je ne sais quoi at assessment centres. That said, I guess the sheer volume of candidates chasing TCs (AllAboutLaw estimates that there's a 6:1 ratio of applicants to places!) means that naturally the Russell Group dominates...
Original post by xJordy13x
Doing Law at A Level definitely isn't essential when going on to studying it at uni. I am currently in my third year of a law and psychology degree and if anything I thought that studying law at A level was a disadvantage, since some of the legislation in criminal law changed by the time I studied it again at uni.
Choose the subjects that you are most interested in and passionate about. As others have said, three/four years is a long time and some modules can be very tedious at times!
Make sure that when looking at courses they are accredited to the subject you are most interested in entering into in the future. I am lucky with my course in that it is accredited in both subjects so that could be another possibility for you?
Good Luck with whatever you choose to do!!
Choose the subjects that you are most interested in and passionate about. As others have said, three/four years is a long time and some modules can be very tedious at times!
Make sure that when looking at courses they are accredited to the subject you are most interested in entering into in the future. I am lucky with my course in that it is accredited in both subjects so that could be another possibility for you?
Good Luck with whatever you choose to do!!
Heh, if anything, I found the opposite to be true. I'd covered at A2 five of my eight Criminal supervision topics for the year, which lightened my workload considerably, and I went into my Criminal exam and was able to write a feminist-y answer to a question on the law's treatment of women by setting out the old law on the defences to murder (A2), and contrasting it with the new position under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 - my A2 knowledge certainly saved me!
(edited 11 years ago)
Hey
there are post graduate conversion courses in both law and psychology at various universities around the country.
So if you did a psychology degree you could convert it to law later on in life if you fancied a career change or vice versa.
Unfortunately, it is very very very difficult to get a career in psychology and the competition is fierce im not sure about law as i dont study it.
Maybe some work experience at a law firm or a care home for the mentally ill could make your choice abit clearer.
there are post graduate conversion courses in both law and psychology at various universities around the country.
So if you did a psychology degree you could convert it to law later on in life if you fancied a career change or vice versa.
Unfortunately, it is very very very difficult to get a career in psychology and the competition is fierce im not sure about law as i dont study it.
Maybe some work experience at a law firm or a care home for the mentally ill could make your choice abit clearer.
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