The Student Room Group

Doing law not at a russell group.

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Reply 20
Retake your A Levels, if you're going to spend £27K on a degree you may as well make it the best degree possible.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/11918904/Oxbridge-graduates-earn-double-200000-Russell-Group-premium.html
Oxbridge grads earn on average £200,000 more than RG Grads and RG grads earn on average £200,000 more than non RG grads.

http://thetab.com/2014/09/22/how-much-money-will-you-earn-after-graduation-21494
Something interesting to consider
(edited 7 years ago)
Answer this: Why do you want to read law?

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Original post by BIGJohnson777
It's pretty difficult to judge one's achievements when they come from a non-traditional university since standards at those universities are usually low, unless firms implement some hardcore testing to objectively judge their abilities.


Not very, people slip through the cracks of the system all the time. I'm not talking about someone achieving a decent 2:1, I'm talking about the people, had circumstances been different in their lives, they would have ended up at one of those top universities. The people who go on to achieve very high firsts and top the class of their uni.

And firms already test that using their verbal/logical reasoning assessments.

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Original post by Spiraldownward
I had a bit of a flop at a levels, I got cocky and thought I could get the grades needed for my top choice uni without working really hard. (A foolish error, that I assure you I am reaping the consequences for). I was left with low grades and an offer to go to manchester metropolitan to study law. Believing I would be left without any university I jumped on the chance. However after reading a few student room articles, I see MMU get a lot of hate along with any university that isn't russell group.
Is it worth doing law at a university that isn't Russell group?


The obsession with rg unis on this website is immense.

Mmu is an excellent university in a fascinating place to live. What you achieve after uni will be entirely up to you.*
Original post by JW22
Retake your A Levels, if you're going to spend £27K on a degree you may as well make it the best degree possible.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/11918904/Oxbridge-graduates-earn-double-200000-Russell-Group-premium.html
Oxbridge grads earn on average £200,000 more than RG Grads and RG grads earn on average £200,000 more than non RG grads.

http://thetab.com/2014/09/22/how-much-money-will-you-earn-after-graduation-21494
Something interesting to consider


Which is all very ood, but perhaps the OP doesnt wnat to be average.
I've been to rg and ex poly unis. I swear they are much of a muchness. I think the course offer you have is a good opportunity OP.*
OP there is a difference , but whichever uni you go to then there will be a chance of making it, depending on what you wish to do.

In your situation I would resit, but if you choose not to, then you will face a hurdle at the TC stage, which could be the difference of getting one or not. If you manage to qualify then it will still count against you, but it will move onto experience and where you trained. It is possible to move ip the ladder if you get the right experience and depending what the state of the market is. It will require you to keep pushing forward and being ambitious.

Theres no reason you cant make a success of things as there are many hundreds of firms and not just MC.
Original post by ORW
I could talk about this all day... Do you want to be a commercial solicitor practising in London? If so, do not bother going to Man Met you will be laughed out the application pile. As per another post with the same link I will put below, the Oxbridge/Russell Group bias is still prevalent.

http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/media/1067/what_is_a_good_university.pdf

If you wish to practise anything other than commercial law in the city, a non RG degree gives you more hope as outside London firms are not as bothered about having an Oxbridge/Russell Group degree


Always love how amazingly knowledgeable you are.
Reply 28
Definitely get the impression that the people who rant against this Oxbridge/Russell Group preference for city firms and MC are just insecure non-Russell Group students/grads who know that they have no chance themselves because of the bias which leads to a lack of legal opportunities open to them
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by beautifulbigmacs
The obsession with rg unis on this website is immense.

Mmu is an excellent university in a fascinating place to live. What you achieve after uni will be entirely up to you.*


No. Obviously, there are universities that are even worse, e.g. Sunderland, UEL and so on, but it certainly is not an excellent university.
Reply 30
Original post by beautifulbigmacs
The obsession with rg unis on this website is immense.

Mmu is an excellent university in a fascinating place to live. What you achieve after uni will be entirely up to you.*


Agreed on a good place to live but 'MMU is an excellent university'... you high right now or something??

Ever seen how lowly MMU ranks for everything?
Original post by ORW
Agreed on a good place to live but 'MMU is an excellent university'... you high right now or something??

Ever seen how lowly MMU ranks for everything?


It is not even rankings, but the fact that they take DDE students on BBB courses tells you something about their standards, or more appropriately lack thereof. I guess someone must have mistaken MMU for the Uni of Manchester which is indeed an excellent Uni.
Reply 32
Original post by BIGJohnson777
It is not even rankings, but the fact that they take DDE students on BBB courses tells you something about their standards, or more appropriately lack thereof. I guess someone must have mistaken MMU for the Uni of Manchester which is indeed an excellent Uni.


Yeah I know that they are super lenient which is also why I mocked the person's comment. I'm going to Uni of Manchester for Law. What will be hilarious is all the people annoyed will say I think going to Uni of Manchester I'm at a better law school than Bristol, Warwick and Nottingham etc when I don't think that and know I am not. I just know I am at a decent law school and uni that city firms do take from

http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/media/1067/what_is_a_good_university.pdf
(edited 7 years ago)
I am familiar with both mmu and u of m.

In reality, when it comes to applications to masters degrees and employment, no employer is going to be like "crikey! What ranking of uni is this person from. No time to read their cv, better google uni league tables". It just doesn't work like that and I wish people in the young adult age bracket could see this because irrational decisions get made all the time about people's future on the basis of over emphasized stuff like prestige.
Original post by beautifulbigmacs
I am familiar with both mmu and u of m.

In reality, when it comes to applications to masters degrees and employment, no employer is going to be like "crikey! What ranking of uni is this person from. No time to read their cv, better google uni league tables". It just doesn't work like that and I wish people in the young adult age bracket could see this because irrational decisions get made all the time about people's future on the basis of over emphasized stuff like prestige.


But an actual university looks better than a metropolitan on an application and attracts better students. Also, it is very unlikely that a person from a metropolitan would have passed a standard AAB+ filter for a TC.
Stop in your tracks right now. Think about how many go into law, and how many actually get jobs. There are way too many lawyers qualifying each year for way too little jobs. Think about this, the big law firms will not even look at you unless you got a 2:1 or higher at a leading university, if you do law outside Russel group, you will end up like the thousands every year, struggling to get a job even at costa. Either do an apprenticeship or change your degree.
Original post by BIGJohnson777
But an actual university looks better than a metropolitan on an application and attracts better students. Also, it is very unlikely that a person from a metropolitan would have passed a standard AAB+ filter for a TC.


An ex poly is still a uni.

By the time a person has finished uni, the whole A level and ucas lark is nothing but a distant memory.

OP, you've been presented with a decent opportunity.*
Original post by ORW
Definitely get the impression that the people who rant against this Oxbridge/Russell Group preference for city firms and MC are just insecure non-Russell Group students/grads who know that they have no chance themselves because of the bias which leads to a lack of legal opportunities open to them


I don't think people are ranting against the bias, they're pointing out that your 'RG or it's all over' approach is not realistic, and the way you express it verging on the preposterous.

Incidentally I do have a RG degree, but you will quickly realise when you get into law this does not make you a special flower. If you want to see academics that set you apart look at the CVs of 'baby juniors' at the magic circle sets.

Most people with a RG 2.1 end up putting in a shift at decent but not spectacular outfit until 6 PQE before getting the heave ho or realising they will get it. A few lucky ones will get into the MC. It's a decent living, but Croesus will not be concerned.

Those who make it from ex-polys, in my experience, make up a greater proportion of 'partner track' associates than they do trainees. If firms just want another decent doc monkey, they'll take a safe option like me/us, whereas ex-poly students seem to get in because the partners have seen the business nous to be made up one day. Some RG-ers have that too, but I think it's picked out less at pre-trainee level.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Iron Bowl
I don't think people are ranting against the bias, they're pointing out that your 'RG or it's all over' approach is not realistic, and the way you express it verging on the preposterous.

Incidentally I do have a RG degree, but you will quickly realise when you get into law this does not make you a special flower. If you want to see academics that set you apart look at the CVs of 'baby juniors' at the magic circle sets.

Most people with a RG 2.1 end up putting in a shift at decent but not spectacular outfit until 6 PQE before getting the heave ho or realising they will get it. A few lucky ones will get into the MC. It's a decent living, but Croesus will not be concerned.

Those who make it from ex-polys, in my experience, make up a greater proportion of 'partner track' associates than they do trainees. If firms just want another decent doc monkey, they'll take a safe option like me/us, whereas ex-poly students seem to get in because the partners have seen the business nous to be made up one day. Some RG-ers have that too, but I think it's picked out less at pre-trainee level.


Eloquently put, best post on this so far. +1

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Reply 39
Original post by That'sGreat
Stop in your tracks right now. Think about how many go into law, and how many actually get jobs. There are way too many lawyers qualifying each year for way too little jobs. Think about this, the big law firms will not even look at you unless you got a 2:1 or higher at a leading university, if you do law outside Russell Group, you will end up like the thousands every year, struggling to get a job even at costa. Either do an apprenticeship or change your degree.


I agree here, there are 23000 students starting undergraduate Law degrees in the UK this September, the highest on record. So compare that to the amount of training contracts (5500 I think the latest figure was) and pupillages (less than 400) available each year there is obviously way too many graduates and an awful lot of them will be unemployed or forced to go into other sectors. Oxbridge and the Russell Group will have the pick of these jobs. Think about all the crap unis (there are loads of them) that offer a law degree and trick their students that they can go onto great legal careers, dream on. Yes, Oxbridge or an RG does not guarantee you a job, my neighbour's daughter has a 1st in Physics from Oxford and cannot get a patent law job, most in part due to her arrogant, anti-social persona and lack of work experience, but you typically have the best chances. It is Oxbridge and Russell Group who will be least alarmed by the huge numbers doing a law degree as they nearly all have the skills set and prerequisites required for the jobs hence why law firms love them
(edited 7 years ago)

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