Law at University FAQ

Biology is apparently really hard but if you really enjoy it and work hard in sure you'll be fine. I would suggest going to open days and ask students what studying psychology or biology is actually like. Or find out the exam boards they are using and flip through the text book to see what you would be learning and if it looks interesting/hard. I take psychology A level and I find it interesting and I don't think it's necessarily hard compare to what I'd imagine biology to be like!

It's pointless to think about how the content/ syllabus of an A-level relates to the content of a Law degree. You should instead focus on the transferable skills (like critical analysis etc) you gain from the subject. The actual content of A-levels is pretty much useless to a Law degree; however, the skills from studying certain A-levels can set you in good stead.

Between psychology and biology, neither option is significantly better than the other in regard to studying law. Universities certainly wouldn't prefer one over the other. Pick the subject you enjoy the most and the one you are likely to get the best grade in.

Picking Law for an AS/A2 is frowned on (by the universities) when applying for a Law degree.

Hi, I am currently in Year 11 and beginning to apply for sixth forms. I am 80% sure that I would like to go into law in the future, as I love writing, analyzing and overall I think I would enjoy it. My picks of A levels are currently English Lit, History, Biology and Psychology. English, History and Biology are my favorite subjects, and obviously History and English are good for law. I really love Biology, which is why I put it as an option as well, but is it suitable for law? Psychology I'm very uncertain about, is it looked down on by top unis like Oxbridge? I genuinely think I would enjoy all of these subjects, but wouldn't mind changing one for something like maths or chemistry if it was REALLY needed. Thanks!

http://university.which.co.uk/advice/a-level-choices/what-do-universities-really-think-about-a-level-law

This isn't universally the case - in fact it's the opposite in the majority of cases.

Some universities are particularly anti applicants who apply having studied law A level and thinking they know it all (but this applies to all subjects not just law)....but many others will question why someone who is stating that they LOVE law didn't take the opportunity to learn more about it earlier.

If law A level is available as an option and someone is interested in devoting 3+ years to studying it at university it makes sense to take the opportunity to study it at A level. Even those that state it as "non-preferred" are happy with it alongside other preferred subjects.

Oxford state "Studying A-Level or AS Law confers no particular advantage or disadvantage and we are happy to receive applications from those who are studying for such qualifications in law." https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/undergraduate-admissions-faqs-ba-jurisprudence
Cambridge say it's "useful preparation" for their arts and social science (including Law) degrees.
UCL have it as a preferred subject https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/application/requirements/preferred-a-level-subjects
Bristol say "A-level Law gives no particular advantage or disadvantage" http://www.bristol.ac.uk/law/study/ugdegrees/ugadmissions/ and """A-level Law is acceptable, but does not confer any advantage in the admissions process." http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/undergraduate/admissions-statements/2017/law.pdf
LSE are the only university to state that it is not preferred "potential applicants are referred to the general advice on subject combinations and non-preferred subjects in the Undergraduate Prospectus. Note that Law is a non-preferred subject." http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/howToApply/DepartmentalAdmissionsCriteria2016/law.aspx

If someone wants to take Law A level it isn't going to harm their application - it will help them produce a good PS that understands more of the basic areas of legal study and it may help them to get the required grades/predictions if they're studying something they enjoy.

The really crucial thing is to practice and prepare for the LNAT - a poor LNAT score will result in more rejections than Law A level.

Out of interest, then how will they know whether law was available or not?

I can see why you might question not taking it at A level, but wouldnt you simply reply that you ahd been advised that degree level was quite different and they preferred people coming to it fresh? I cant see anyone being prejudiced for not taking it, especially if they had a reasonable answer.

It's standard for the reference to include specifics about subject availability/offering by a college/sixth form. That or applying from a large sixth form college that sends a lot of applicants to the same university for the same courses will stand out as a question.

It's about consistency really - don't start your PS off with "since I was a feotus I've wanted to study law" if you've turned down a chance to study law at sixth form...but if your PS details an interest in law sparked off *during* sixth form then not initially choosing a law A level wont stand out as a strange choice (and therefore wouldn't need to be explained).

Law degrees attract a LOT of applications from applicants who haven't really done any research into what they're committing to study for 3+ years. 35% of Law students in the most recent HEPI-HEA survey say they regret their course choice (second highest after business and media courses - 40%)...and those are the students who managed to convince admissions staff that they understood what they were applying for and were committed to the subject.

If I had to pick 3 subjects (as one of the sixth forms I'm applying to only lets you do 3), would English Lit, History and Biology be a better option or English, History and Psychology? I'm stuck as Biology is a 'hard' subject and a 'proper' science, but I feel like Psychology connects with law somehow?

Biology is fine for Law, and your other two choices of English and History are ideal. In fact, an offer of one science and two arts 'traditional' A levels such as you propose are absolutely ideal. Modern Foreign Languages are very much prized for law - they show faculty with both language and an analytical skill with interpreting unfamiliar texts, assimilating large amounts of information (vocab) and using skills in unfamiliar settings (understanding unfamiliar written and spoken material). In fact, a MFL is probably one of the best choices you could make for law. PQ's post is a useful summary, particularly regarding the LNAT.

Personally, I wouldn't do A level law, and psychology is nowhere near as good a choice as Biology. I would keep a strong portfolio of A levels if you want the best chance of success at the top universities, though none of the subjects you suggest would rule you out of a place per se.


Source: studied law at Cambridge.

Biology is fine for law. When I was thinking of applying for law a lot of unis said they welcome applicants with sciences A levels. Especially with lit and history, that should be absolutely fine! I wouldn't recommend changing it to something you don't like as that will probably just end up worse for you. Psychology is quite a lot less respected but in combination with your other three it would be fine, and I would recommend to drop psych over the other three if you're planning on doing 4AS/3A2, but of course it all depends on what you end up liking the best

Hi, I am currently in Year 11 and beginning to apply for sixth forms. I am 80% sure that I would like to go into law in the future, as I love writing, analyzing and overall I think I would enjoy it. My picks of A levels are currently English Lit, History, Biology and Psychology. English, History and Biology are my favorite subjects, and obviously History and English are good for law. I really love Biology, which is why I put it as an option as well, but is it suitable for law? Psychology I'm very uncertain about, is it looked down on by top unis like Oxbridge? I genuinely think I would enjoy all of these subjects, but wouldn't mind changing one for something like maths or chemistry if it was REALLY needed. Thanks!

As others have already said, Law is not a frowned upon A Level and I think that it would be a really good option if your sixth form offer it. I currently do Law, French and Medieval History and have applied to study Law with French Law next year. Law has been such a fantastic and enriching A Level which has helped me to consolidate the fact that I would love to study it and have it as a future career. You gain a lot of facilitating skills with Law A Level as well as being able to get sense of whether you would enjoy studying if for 3/4 years of your life and should not let the rumour that Law is frowned upon affect your decision (because it just isn't true!)
That aside, I think that your other A Level options will be fine. With Law not requiring any specific subjects you should do the ones that you have enjoyed at GCSE and will do best at^-^

Thanks! I was planning on dropping psychology at AS if I did my original 4 combinations anyway

http://university.which.co.uk/advice/a-level-choices/what-do-universities-really-think-about-a-level-law

This isn't universally the case - in fact it's the opposite in the majority of cases.

Some universities are particularly anti applicants who apply having studied law A level and thinking they know it all (but this applies to all subjects not just law)....but many others will question why someone who is stating that they LOVE law didn't take the opportunity to learn more about it earlier.

If law A level is available as an option and someone is interested in devoting 3+ years to studying it at university it makes sense to take the opportunity to study it at A level. Even those that state it as "non-preferred" are happy with it alongside other preferred subjects.

Oxford state "Studying A-Level or AS Law confers no particular advantage or disadvantage and we are happy to receive applications from those who are studying for such qualifications in law." https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/undergraduate-admissions-faqs-ba-jurisprudence
Cambridge say it's "useful preparation" for their arts and social science (including Law) degrees.
UCL have it as a preferred subject https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/application/requirements/preferred-a-level-subjects
Bristol say "A-level Law gives no particular advantage or disadvantage" http://www.bristol.ac.uk/law/study/ugdegrees/ugadmissions/ and """A-level Law is acceptable, but does not confer any advantage in the admissions process." http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/undergraduate/admissions-statements/2017/law.pdf
LSE are the only university to state that it is not preferred "potential applicants are referred to the general advice on subject combinations and non-preferred subjects in the Undergraduate Prospectus. Note that Law is a non-preferred subject." http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/howToApply/DepartmentalAdmissionsCriteria2016/law.aspx

If someone wants to take Law A level it isn't going to harm their application - it will help them produce a good PS that understands more of the basic areas of legal study and it may help them to get the required grades/predictions if they're studying something they enjoy.

The really crucial thing is to practice and prepare for the LNAT - a poor LNAT score will result in more rejections than Law A level.

Whilst universities may state that they wouldn't mind having an applicant who has studied Law at A-level, they still do not prefer it. It's more over the fact that a university would rather have you study a different subject as opposed to Law, but they wouldn't reject a application from an individual who has taken Law. I can guarantee that if the university was in a situation where they had to pick a student who studied English Literature, History and Law or English Literature, History and Politics they would definitely pick the latter. Again, let me reiterate the fact that not doing Law for an A-level is preferred, it's not a requirement.