Is Nottingham still in the top tier category for law?
Hi all,
I received my offer from Nottingham yesterday for law (AAA) and am interested in putting it as my firm but I’m just curious as to whether it is still regarded as a top level uni for lAw anymore?
I know it’s still an LNAT uni and seems to be valued highly by employers but with the offer slipping to AAA in recent years and not amazingly high on the rankings, is it still perceived as very good?
Considering Durham, UCL, Kings and Bristol retain their A*AA offer, is Nottingham now more on the level of a Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds or Exeter as opposed to these? The fact they seem to be handing out a lot of AAB offers is concerning as well.
I’m also considering putting Durham as my firm but am concerned about the size of the city and if I’d enjoy it as much — how does it compare with Nottingham in terms of reputation or is there much of a likeness?
I received my offer from Nottingham yesterday for law (AAA) and am interested in putting it as my firm but I’m just curious as to whether it is still regarded as a top level uni for lAw anymore?
I know it’s still an LNAT uni and seems to be valued highly by employers but with the offer slipping to AAA in recent years and not amazingly high on the rankings, is it still perceived as very good?
Considering Durham, UCL, Kings and Bristol retain their A*AA offer, is Nottingham now more on the level of a Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds or Exeter as opposed to these? The fact they seem to be handing out a lot of AAB offers is concerning as well.
I’m also considering putting Durham as my firm but am concerned about the size of the city and if I’d enjoy it as much — how does it compare with Nottingham in terms of reputation or is there much of a likeness?
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I would push back on this. I dont tend to enter such a fray, but Bristol was and is seen as being on par with the London Unis and Durham. Maybe in the hyperbolic universe that is TSR, where nuance is lost on many, some Unis are seen (read deemed) to be inferior to others, but in the real world, the difference is negligible for all of these Unis, except for a small niche of entities, and in those circumstances Oxbridge is king.
Notts is generally on par with Durham, Bristol et al. More important it will get you where you want to go, similarly with Durham, Bristol, UCL etc. and the end result will generally depend initially on your degree classification to get you past the first hurdle, then overall fit (with the employer).
In full disclosure I am a Bristol Grad who graduated in 2012.
Notts is generally on par with Durham, Bristol et al. More important it will get you where you want to go, similarly with Durham, Bristol, UCL etc. and the end result will generally depend initially on your degree classification to get you past the first hurdle, then overall fit (with the employer).
In full disclosure I am a Bristol Grad who graduated in 2012.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by phoebexoxo
Hi all,
I received my offer from Nottingham yesterday for law (AAA) and am interested in putting it as my firm but I’m just curious as to whether it is still regarded as a top level uni for lAw anymore?
I know it’s still an LNAT uni and seems to be valued highly by employers but with the offer slipping to AAA in recent years and not amazingly high on the rankings, is it still perceived as very good?
Considering Durham, UCL, Kings and Bristol retain their A*AA offer, is Nottingham now more on the level of a Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds or Exeter as opposed to these? The fact they seem to be handing out a lot of AAB offers is concerning as well.
I’m also considering putting Durham as my firm but am concerned about the size of the city and if I’d enjoy it as much — how does it compare with Nottingham in terms of reputation or is there much of a likeness?
I received my offer from Nottingham yesterday for law (AAA) and am interested in putting it as my firm but I’m just curious as to whether it is still regarded as a top level uni for lAw anymore?
I know it’s still an LNAT uni and seems to be valued highly by employers but with the offer slipping to AAA in recent years and not amazingly high on the rankings, is it still perceived as very good?
Considering Durham, UCL, Kings and Bristol retain their A*AA offer, is Nottingham now more on the level of a Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds or Exeter as opposed to these? The fact they seem to be handing out a lot of AAB offers is concerning as well.
I’m also considering putting Durham as my firm but am concerned about the size of the city and if I’d enjoy it as much — how does it compare with Nottingham in terms of reputation or is there much of a likeness?
Nottingham is just ahead of Durham in 2 of the 5 recent league tables that I have looked at. I contacted the Magic Circle firms to ask if they have a preference for universities. 2 have replied so far and they do not have any preference. Their main concern is the classification of your degree. I have been told of another quality London law firm who only recruit from certain universities and Nottingham is one of them.
Original post by Nosy Mum 1
Nottingham is just ahead of Durham in 2 of the 5 recent league tables that I have looked at. I contacted the Magic Circle firms to ask if they have a preference for universities. 2 have replied so far and they do not have any preference. Their main concern is the classification of your degree. I have been told of another quality London law firm who only recruit from certain universities and Nottingham is one of them.
Thank you that’s helpful
I’m keen on Notts right now so was just wondering if it is still good and it seems to be!A uni which gives out unconditional offers to people who haven't received their A-level grades cannot be considered a top uni.
Original post by ChemistryGuy1998
A uni which gives out unconditional offers to people who haven't received their A-level grades cannot be considered a top uni.
I don’t know of anyone getting unconditional offers for law or am I mistaken? Doesn’t seem likely.
Original post by phoebexoxo
Thank you that’s helpful I’m keen on Notts right now so was just wondering if it is still good and it seems to be!
I’m keen on Notts right now so was just wondering if it is still good and it seems to be!I think you should choose on the basis of where you think you will be happier.
Another thing to consider is that, if you have an offer of A*AA from Durham (I'm assuming) but choose to go to Nottingham, you will probably be one of the higher achieving students arriving in Nottingham in Autumn, which might stand you in good stead for achieving a First at the end.
I don't know if you have seen that the opening day for accommodation applications is 1st March, but you have to have chosen Nottingham as your firm offer in order to apply then.
Original post by Nosy Mum 1
I think you should choose on the basis of where you think you will be happier.
Another thing to consider is that, if you have an offer of A*AA from Durham (I'm assuming) but choose to go to Nottingham, you will probably be one of the higher achieving students arriving in Nottingham in Autumn, which might stand you in good stead for achieving a First at the end.
I don't know if you have seen that the opening day for accommodation applications is 1st March, but you have to have chosen Nottingham as your firm offer in order to apply then.
Another thing to consider is that, if you have an offer of A*AA from Durham (I'm assuming) but choose to go to Nottingham, you will probably be one of the higher achieving students arriving in Nottingham in Autumn, which might stand you in good stead for achieving a First at the end.
I don't know if you have seen that the opening day for accommodation applications is 1st March, but you have to have chosen Nottingham as your firm offer in order to apply then.
Thank you that’s really helpful ☺️ I think I want to go to Durham’s offer holders day and have a proper look around before doing that but will good accommodation still remain say if I pick it in April?
And that sounds logical regarding the first situation but Durham appeals as well. I may put it as my firm and Notts as my insurance but if things go wrong perhaps that’s overly risky :/
Original post by Nosy Mum 1
Nottingham is just ahead of Durham in 2 of the 5 recent league tables that I have looked at. I contacted the Magic Circle firms to ask if they have a preference for universities. 2 have replied so far and they do not have any preference. Their main concern is the classification of your degree. I have been told of another quality London law firm who only recruit from certain universities and Nottingham is one of them.
I’m sorry which two league tables are these?
Original post by phoebexoxo
Thank you that’s really helpful ☺️ I think I want to go to Durham’s offer holders day and have a proper look around before doing that but will good accommodation still remain say if I pick it in April?
And that sounds logical regarding the first situation but Durham appeals as well. I may put it as my firm and Notts as my insurance but if things go wrong perhaps that’s overly risky :/
And that sounds logical regarding the first situation but Durham appeals as well. I may put it as my firm and Notts as my insurance but if things go wrong perhaps that’s overly risky :/
Surely it won't go that wrong, will it, that you won't get into Nottingham if you don't make the grades for Durham? I'm assuming that you must have predictions of at least A*AA.
I don't know about accommodation but I would imagine that a fair number of rooms will still be available because there will be people going to their offer holder open days like you. I suppose that it depends on what type of room that you are looking for and how many they have of those.
Original post by anonymous1231231
I’m sorry which two league tables are these?
I looked at these 5 best UK universities for Law rankings: Telegraph/ Complete University, Guardian and QS World rankings all have Nottingham lower than Durham. UK uni has Nottingham at 6, Durham at 7. THE World rankings of UK universities has Nottingham at 9 (world ranking 41) and Durham at 10 ( world ranking 42).
Original post by Nosy Mum 1
I looked at these 5 best UK universities for Law rankings: Telegraph/ Complete University, Guardian and QS World rankings all have Nottingham lower than Durham. UK uni has Nottingham at 6, Durham at 7. THE World rankings of UK universities has Nottingham at 9 (world ranking 41) and Durham at 10 ( world ranking 42).
Probably the only actual reliable source you used was the complete university guide.
Original post by anonymous1231231
Probably the only actual reliable source you used was the complete university guide.
Aye, subject-specific rankings are way off. CUG is the best out of the lot, but they're all a bit messed up. They really should not be used to inform your choosing of unis. The typical advice is to extract the data from the rankings you find interesting, e.g. ratio of staff to students or number of good degrees, and then form your own table.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by anonymous1231231
Probably the only actual reliable source you used was the complete university guide.
Of course you are entitled to your opinion but I have always used all of the rankings available for all of my children. I agree that the Guardian rankings sometimes throw up some interesting listings, Abertay Dundee at number 7 for Law seems rather odd to me. However UK uni is published by The Times, UK University Research Excellence Framework and Complete University Guide and the Times Higher Education supplement is used by all teachers that I know to look for new jobs so I hardly think that it can be regarded as disreputable.
Original post by Nosy Mum 1
Of course you are entitled to your opinion but I have always used all of the rankings available for all of my children. I agree that the Guardian rankings sometimes throw up some interesting listings, Abertay Dundee at number 7 for Law seems rather odd to me. However UK uni is published by The Times, UK University Research Excellence Framework and Complete University Guide and the Times Higher Education supplement is used by all teachers that I know to look for new jobs so I hardly think that it can be regarded as disreputable.
It’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. Many league tables are completely messed up. Notts is a perfectly respectable university, but Durham is pretty undeniably ‘more prestigious’.
Original post by Nosy Mum 1
Of course you are entitled to your opinion but I have always used all of the rankings available for all of my children. I agree that the Guardian rankings sometimes throw up some interesting listings, Abertay Dundee at number 7 for Law seems rather odd to me. However UK uni is published by The Times, UK University Research Excellence Framework and Complete University Guide and the Times Higher Education supplement is used by all teachers that I know to look for new jobs so I hardly think that it can be regarded as disreputable.
I agree with this and you gave the OP useful advice about Nottingham still being in the top tier, and other things. I wouldn't bother getting sucked into an argument about league tables - you've used them, I've used them, we've probably all used them (and made our own conclusions about certain ones being a bit odd, like the Guardian!)
Original post by harrysbar
I agree with this
Ofc you do
Original post by anonymous1231231
It’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. Many league tables are completely messed up. Notts is a perfectly respectable university, but Durham is pretty undeniably ‘more prestigious’.
Thank you all for your posts.
I agree that Durham is undeniably more prestigious than Nottingham. It also proudly displays its QS World Rankings Top 50 Law School status on the Law School website. You told me that Durham was too far from home for you. Did you choose a 5th university in the end?
Notoriety, you have to choose unversities somehow and using league table rankings is one tool that I have used, but not the only one. One of the others is geography, as above. My current Year 13 is my youngest so I can retire from all this!
JohanGRK, I had a chuckle yesterday after I had posted when I realised my mistake. I thought it would elicit a response. Of course I meant the Times Ed (now TES), not the Times Higher Ed (now THE). But to pick up on your question, I would be surprised if teachers did not use school league tables when looking for their next job.
Original post by phoebexoxo
Thank you that’s really helpful ☺️ I think I want to go to Durham’s offer holders day and have a proper look around before doing that but will good accommodation still remain say if I pick it in April?
And that sounds logical regarding the first situation but Durham appeals as well. I may put it as my firm and Notts as my insurance but if things go wrong perhaps that’s overly risky :/
And that sounds logical regarding the first situation but Durham appeals as well. I may put it as my firm and Notts as my insurance but if things go wrong perhaps that’s overly risky :/
You may be interested in this: https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/where-to-start/newsletter/law-firms-preferred-universities
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Nosy Mum 1
Notoriety, you have to choose unversities somehow and using league table rankings is one tool that I have used, but not the only one. One of the others is geography, as above. My current Year 13 is my youngest so I can retire from all this!
Hence, the method I suggested: use tables to find data you find relevant, then extract that data to construct your own "master" table. Really, the decision should be predicated upon how you feel about the city and the campus/uni itself, much more than contradictory subject-specific league tables.
Regarding Chambers in a subsequent post, it has been debunked on several occasions.
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