Best university for GDL?

I'm currently in my final year of BSc Psychology at Plymouth on track for a 1st and wondering about peoples' opinions on the best university for the GDL. I'm unsure about my prospects as I only got BBC at A Level - if I get a first will these grades be mostly ignored? I have done consistently well across my degree taking a 1st in Year 1 and a high 2:1 in Year 2.

I would like to be a barrister so also where is the best place to go for the BPTC?

Thanks

Hi,

I am not sure what you mean by 'best'. Is it academic excellence, learning experience, or networking?

Because you will primarily be judged on your undergraduate performance to be selected for an interview for a training contract or pupillage, WHERE you do your GDL matters very little in terms of academics because you will be doing the same 7 core modules everywhere. Therefore, you should be selecting the GDL course provider based on how well they can assist you to get a job!

ULaw and BPP are known for their LPCs and BPTCs so either of them should be fine in terms of GDL because they have relationships with many law firms and chambers.

The qualification is exactly the same no matter where you get it from, it's SRA regulated and approved, so the content is identical.

Look more at what else the institution you study at can offer, and the price. It's not cheap.

Yeah, just checked out the ULaw GDL at Exeter, it's just over £8k. £10k for London for ULaw GDL. Any idea how difficult it is to get a place on the course?

Not at all. It will likely be through LawCabs. It's not competitive to get it, it's a commercial exercise for the University of Law (once the Law College), so they take as many as apply.

You will need to write a personal statement, have a couple of referees and fill in the usual form (grades etc), but other than that, if you're confident in your own writing you can have it completed within one large glass of wine (I did)

Haha, that's reassuring I suppose! This is only one part of becoming a barrister though obviously (my eventual goal, and QC if I'm good enough). I'm concerned that going to Plymouth might limit my chances of getting a pupillage later on, if I apply before I start the GDL. Looking through a lot of law firms, most of the graduates are from Oxford, Durham, KCL, etc.

Haha, that's reassuring I suppose! This is only one part of becoming a barrister though obviously (my eventual goal, and QC if I'm good enough). I'm concerned that going to Plymouth might limit my chances of getting a pupillage later on, if I apply before I start the GDL. Looking through a lot of law firms, most of the graduates are from Oxford, Durham, KCL, etc.

I don't share Mimir's view of your prospects. Of course it depends on what area of law you are interested in but your chances are going to be pretty low even with a 1st, and close to zero if you only get a 2.i. I also don't see the relevance of Mimir's comments about BPP having a high percentage of people in pupillage: no set of chambers cares where you did the BPTC (or GDL), so if one provider has a higher pupillage rate this is probably down to pure chance. Sorry to be a pessimist.

Not sure what you mean about applying before you start the GDL - you cannot apply for pupillage pre-GDL [Also I note you mentioned law firms. Barristers' chambers are not 'firms'].

What you should be doing is applying to an Inn of Court for a GDL scholarship. If one of the Inns of Court is prepared to give you a few thousand pounds to undertake the course then so much the better and it will look good on your CV too.

When I say law firms, I mean after completing successful pupillage. Sorry, should have made that clearer.

The qualification is exactly the same no matter where you get it from, it's SRA regulated and approved, so the content is identical.

Look more at what else the institution you study at can offer, and the price. It's not cheap.