Current Oxford law student procrastinating crim work to answer Qs - AMA!
Hey everyone!
Basically I'm extremely tired and have lots of work, but I applied to Oxford last year and begun my three-year law course this year. If you have any questions about the process or life here in general, please feel free to ask them down below - with the caveat that my answer might be delayed should I spontaneously decide to do some work for my degree.
Ask away!
Basically I'm extremely tired and have lots of work, but I applied to Oxford last year and begun my three-year law course this year. If you have any questions about the process or life here in general, please feel free to ask them down below - with the caveat that my answer might be delayed should I spontaneously decide to do some work for my degree.
Ask away!
Scroll to see replies
I reallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly want to do well and Oxford's my dream, any advice? How's the workload? What kind of people do you think Oxford is suited for?
Original post by crystal22tong
I reallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly want to do well and Oxford's my dream, any advice? How's the workload? What kind of people do you think Oxford is suited for?
Hi! Sorry for the delay here.
Basically, my view is that the best thing to do is spend time developing your love for the subject you study. For law, it's no good turning up having read 'Letters to a Law Student' and reading the Times Law Reports occasionally. That said, you don't need to have tonnes of work experience (or even any) under your belt. For example, I did an online course on legal and ethical issues in medicine that gave me something to talk about in my statement, as well as reading up on legal topics that interested me in an organic way that didn't feel forced.
The workload is intense. You will not finish the reading every week, no matter how hard you try. Nonetheless, you'll find time for yourself and your friends, and working hard is satisfying when it gets results. On top of that, most of the lecturers here are brilliant. You won't regret coming.
There is no single type of person here, as cliched as it sounds. There's lots of privilege but there are just as many people who don't come from such affluent backgrounds. Once you get into a college, none of that matters - everyone mixes with each other and the only thing that will decide whether and with whom you make friends is how you are as a person and the people you decide to mix with.
So focus on getting the best grades you can, develop your love for your subject organically (and if this is proving difficult, apply for something else), and don't worry - there will be something for you here. Good luck!
Thank you very much for your advice.I was quite stressed the past week but I think I'm getting back on track now even though I have tons to catch up. Any advice on mocks/ revision/ catching up? If you dont mind me asking, how did you approach the goal of 'getting into Oxford', in terms of studying? Thank you again it really helped since I was able to talk to someone about my worries.
Original post by crystal22tong
Thank you very much for your advice.I was quite stressed the past week but I think I'm getting back on track now even though I have tons to catch up. Any advice on mocks/ revision/ catching up? If you dont mind me asking, how did you approach the goal of 'getting into Oxford', in terms of studying? Thank you again it really helped since I was able to talk to someone about my worries.
No problem! If you're talking about academic catch-up, really just do as well as you can. You may as well try to study like a university student if you want to be one eventually, which means reading around your A-level (or equivalent) subjects in order to make your answers to the questions more interesting (if they're arts subjects) or practising problems in science subjects. It is this habit that will get you the A*s or equivalent grades that will help you with getting into Oxford and other universities. Past papers were my main method of revision. For chemistry A-level I had done all of the practice and past papers, some multiple times (which can work if you leave enough time between doing them) well before each exam. For English, I had read each text four or five times as well as plenty of articles, and I submitted at least an essay a week to my teachers for them to mark. These study habits seemed stressful to me at the beginning, but the fact is that you have a dream and you have time. You'll also be required to do that and much more when you're here. You will not regret getting into a good routine now.
Don't stress too much though - reach your potential and enjoy your subjects!
(edited 6 years ago)
Have you got any other tips for getting an A* in chemistry??? What other subjects at a level did you take? 
Original post by hello654321
Have you got any other tips for getting an A* in chemistry??? What other subjects at a level did you take?
It ultimately depends on your exam board. I would recommend getting your periodic table trends and the explanations for them down to a tee. Ditto for mechanisms. Both of these are applicable to lots of different questions and there's no point in losing marks because of minutiae in drawing or explaining. Also, the key safety points and points of procedure in major practicals, such as distillation, reflux and titration are all easy to learn but easy to mess up if you don't bother.
Also the results of qualitative tests are easily learned, and make sure that you have the relevant mathematics down as well. All of these things are self-contained topics that will be applicable in lots of different question types. They can also all be honed by doing past and practice papers, so do them all.
I ended up doing a language for my third A-level, so that was just down to vocab and practice.
(edited 6 years ago)
How did your interview go and what sorts of questions were you asked? (Also, which college?) Thanks in advance!
Original post by oli19919
How did your interview go and what sorts of questions were you asked? (Also, which college?) Thanks in advance!
Hey!
I won't give out my college here because I don't want any applicant to it who reads this to have an unfair advantage over the others when I explain how they do things. Sorry! I will tell you about my experience, though.
My interviews were fine. We had two interviews for law - one was based on a piece of statute and the other was based on a judgment from a case. In the case interview I was given half an hour to read a judgment from a case they had selected and then discussed the case with the interviewers - the rationale of the judges, the potential consequences of the decision, what my opinion was and how I might criticise the court's decision.
In the statute interview we went right in, I was given a card with a definition of an offence on it and we discussed whether and how it might apply in different situations, with interviewers constantly changing the scenarios to test my assertions. This is where it became extremely important to know when to defend myself and when to stop. I did admit at one point that I believed I had made an error earlier and wanted to change my position. However, after that, when I was sure I was on the right track, I stuck to my guns.
Neither interview was confrontational. Though it varies from college to college, the interviewers generally will be extremely friendly. Having experienced real tutorials now, I can say that if my interview was anything to go by, it is exactly like a tutorial. Thus, it is important for you to demonstrate that you are benefitting from the interview. You should go in with one goal: have a really good discussion with your interviewer. Make them feel as though they've met someone they might want to have weekly legal discussions with, and demonstrate that you are that person by saying interesting and relevant things about the subject matter that genuinely interest you.
Enjoy it! That's what they want you to do, after all.
P.S. - don't lie in your personal statement and be prepared to discuss it, but at the same time, don't worry too much about it. It depends on your tutors, but I believe the general approach is to use it as an icebreaker and then not give it a second thought. Note, however, that for subjects for which prior knowledge is required you may well be grilled.
Tips on Open days? How many did you go to?
Also for AS exams, when did you start revising?
Original post by crystal22tong
Tips on Open days? How many did you go to?
I did not go to any open days, but I had seen my college before. I would advise you at least make a visit to a college before applying, and visit more if you don't fall in love with that one. I also went to a law masterclass event at Cambridge to get a taste for the subject, but by that time I had pretty much already decided to apply for it.
Original post by crystal22tong
Also for AS exams, when did you start revising?
I started revising properly a little late for AS, probably around Easter. I would not recommend this. For A-level I began revising properly in January, and this meant I could take a more relaxed approach to revision and not have the sort of horrific eleven hour days that people love to talk very loudly about in the run-up to exams (by the way, these people are almost never actually spending eleven hours studying - presence in the library with a book does not count).
Original post by shoethetabs
I did not go to any open days, but I had seen my college before. I would advise you at least make a visit to a college before applying, and visit more if you don't fall in love with that one. I also went to a law masterclass event at Cambridge to get a taste for the subject, but by that time I had pretty much already decided to apply for it.
I started revising properly a little late for AS, probably around Easter. I would not recommend this. For A-level I began revising properly in January, and this meant I could take a more relaxed approach to revision and not have the sort of horrific eleven hour days that people love to talk very loudly about in the run-up to exams (by the way, these people are almost never actually spending eleven hours studying - presence in the library with a book does not count).
I started revising properly a little late for AS, probably around Easter. I would not recommend this. For A-level I began revising properly in January, and this meant I could take a more relaxed approach to revision and not have the sort of horrific eleven hour days that people love to talk very loudly about in the run-up to exams (by the way, these people are almost never actually spending eleven hours studying - presence in the library with a book does not count).
How did you decide which college to apply for?
Original post by crystal22tong
How did you decide which college to apply for?
The only question you need ask yourself is, 'is this the sort of place at which I want to spend three or more years of my life?'
I know it sounds cliched, but it really does come down to nothing more than that. You should not decide on the basis of how many fellows there are doing your subject, or how 'competitive' it is to get into that college (since Oxford works in such a way that applicants to Christ Church are at no disadvantage in terms of chance of getting into the University to applicants who applied, inexplicably, to St Catz). Just look at the college and decide whether it's for you.
Original post by Kehkshan
What GCSE and A level grades did u get? Well done for getting into Oxford
I got a fairly standard 2 A* and an A at A-level and 5As at AS. At GCSE I got 8A*, 3A and 2B.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by shoethetabs
Hey!
I won't give out my college here because I don't want any applicant to it who reads this to have an unfair advantage over the others when I explain how they do things. Sorry! I will tell you about my experience, though.
My interviews were fine. We had two interviews for law - one was based on a piece of statute and the other was based on a judgment from a case. In the case interview I was given half an hour to read a judgment from a case they had selected and then discussed the case with the interviewers - the rationale of the judges, the potential consequences of the decision, what my opinion was and how I might criticise the court's decision.
In the statute interview we went right in, I was given a card with a definition of an offence on it and we discussed whether and how it might apply in different situations, with interviewers constantly changing the scenarios to test my assertions. This is where it became extremely important to know when to defend myself and when to stop. I did admit at one point that I believed I had made an error earlier and wanted to change my position. However, after that, when I was sure I was on the right track, I stuck to my guns.
Neither interview was confrontational. Though it varies from college to college, the interviewers generally will be extremely friendly. Having experienced real tutorials now, I can say that if my interview was anything to go by, it is exactly like a tutorial. Thus, it is important for you to demonstrate that you are benefitting from the interview. You should go in with one goal: have a really good discussion with your interviewer. Make them feel as though they've met someone they might want to have weekly legal discussions with, and demonstrate that you are that person by saying interesting and relevant things about the subject matter that genuinely interest you.
Enjoy it! That's what they want you to do, after all.
P.S. - don't lie in your personal statement and be prepared to discuss it, but at the same time, don't worry too much about it. It depends on your tutors, but I believe the general approach is to use it as an icebreaker and then not give it a second thought. Note, however, that for subjects for which prior knowledge is required you may well be grilled.
I won't give out my college here because I don't want any applicant to it who reads this to have an unfair advantage over the others when I explain how they do things. Sorry! I will tell you about my experience, though.
My interviews were fine. We had two interviews for law - one was based on a piece of statute and the other was based on a judgment from a case. In the case interview I was given half an hour to read a judgment from a case they had selected and then discussed the case with the interviewers - the rationale of the judges, the potential consequences of the decision, what my opinion was and how I might criticise the court's decision.
In the statute interview we went right in, I was given a card with a definition of an offence on it and we discussed whether and how it might apply in different situations, with interviewers constantly changing the scenarios to test my assertions. This is where it became extremely important to know when to defend myself and when to stop. I did admit at one point that I believed I had made an error earlier and wanted to change my position. However, after that, when I was sure I was on the right track, I stuck to my guns.
Neither interview was confrontational. Though it varies from college to college, the interviewers generally will be extremely friendly. Having experienced real tutorials now, I can say that if my interview was anything to go by, it is exactly like a tutorial. Thus, it is important for you to demonstrate that you are benefitting from the interview. You should go in with one goal: have a really good discussion with your interviewer. Make them feel as though they've met someone they might want to have weekly legal discussions with, and demonstrate that you are that person by saying interesting and relevant things about the subject matter that genuinely interest you.
Enjoy it! That's what they want you to do, after all.
P.S. - don't lie in your personal statement and be prepared to discuss it, but at the same time, don't worry too much about it. It depends on your tutors, but I believe the general approach is to use it as an icebreaker and then not give it a second thought. Note, however, that for subjects for which prior knowledge is required you may well be grilled.
Thanks very much for the reply, very informative! How did you do in the LNAT? Do you think a weaker LNAT score (e.g. 22-24) could be offset by doing exceptionally well at GCSEs (e.g. 10A*s) and having very good predictions (e.g. A*A*A*)
Original post by oli19919
Thanks very much for the reply, very informative! How did you do in the LNAT? Do you think a weaker LNAT score (e.g. 22-24) could be offset by doing exceptionally well at GCSEs (e.g. 10A*s) and having very good predictions (e.g. A*A*A*)
I don't know how the LNAT essay is assessed, but I suspect the essay is more important than the multiple choice. How do you know that your LNAT score is in that range? Your grades will definitely help, and I think the A-level predictions will be the most important. My LNAT score was 27 and I finished the essay with a second to spare - so pretty much how I'm doing now!
Original post by shoethetabs
I don't know how the LNAT essay is assessed, but I suspect the essay is more important than the multiple choice. How do you know that your LNAT score is in that range? Your grades will definitely help, and I think the A-level predictions will be the most important. My LNAT score was 27 and I finished the essay with a second to spare - so pretty much how I'm doing now!
Ex-Law student here - my tute mate actually marked the LNAT essays during our BCL year and according to him, there's a marking rubric which is based on criteria like clarity of argument. I think he also mentioned that the essay and MCQ are weighted 50:50 to generate a composite score, and that from his experience, there's actually a fairly decent correlation between the scores of the two components.
Also, as someone who was a last minute merchant and perpetually in essay crisis mode, I feel ya.
Hi! I'm a law applicant of this year. I'd like to ask if the tutors will ask about the things I've mentioned in my personal statement during the interviews? (e.g. books I've read, law-related essay competitions I've joined etc.) There were rumors saying tutors will only cover the areas of law that are not mentioned in the personal statement, is that true?
Original post by chelgreen_29
Hi! I'm a law applicant of this year. I'd like to ask if the tutors will ask about the things I've mentioned in my personal statement during the interviews? (e.g. books I've read, law-related essay competitions I've joined etc.) There were rumors saying tutors will only cover the areas of law that are not mentioned in the personal statement, is that true?
Hi!
I'm afraid it really depends on the interviewer. There appears to be no set formula. I think it's unlikely that an interviewer would make any reference to your personal statement in deciding which area of law to focus on. In my interview, the personal statement was used as an icebreaker and then quickly discarded. As long as you've not lied in it, I wouldn't worry about the statement too much. Be able to discuss it, but I think most interviewers will already have a plan as to the law they want to talk about.
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