the biggest choice i will have to make and need your help

my understanding is that scoring a training contract is competitive even for oxford graduates, yes. i'm not an expert on such topics but my guess is, as an oxford grad, ya'll have similar interests/expectations and all apply to the same firms, thus competing against each other instead of applying to smaller firms and/or firms in less desirable locations. how willing are you to relocate and not work in glamorous law?

btw moved your thread to the Law forum

yep, i'd be willing to relocate and i know that competition is massive for big law firms (eg clifford chance) so wouldn't mind working for other great law firms that might not have the same name brand. i'd be applying for them and at least one big one too.

if you love law and get the opportunity to study it at oxford, i mean do it. that is a huge opportunity and it's not like solicitor will be your only career option (see Careers with a Law Degree).

if this is what you're shooting for, imo you need to do it and worry about the competitive training contract later. you might just change your mind years from now and want to do something else.

yes but one of my main aims for university is getting a job after my degree so I'd want to have a training contract when I finish too.

should i do a law degree at a top 10 uni and focus on doing loads of internships, work experiences, networking events, getting involved with student union/societies. after this, do you think together with my law degree i would have a real chance at gaining a training contract? Because i am hearing that even oxford law graduates have a hard time getting contracts - oxford graduates!!! This has shown to me that the job market is incredibly tough for law graduates wanting to be solicitors.

So.. do you think it's a good idea to pursue a law degree given I want to be a solicitor or should I not try since training contracts are so sparse nowadays I might be better off doing a degree that leads to an alternative direct career path?

It's tough to get training contracts but if you have the right academics that is more than half the battle - a surprising number of people don't do their research before doing a Law degree and don't realise that most of the large firms require A levels in the region of AAB- BBB as a minimum. People think all you need to do is get onto a Law degree at uni but there is a lot more to it than that. As you mentioned, you also need to get relevant work experience during your degree and get involved with extracurriculars - people who don't do this will also struggle to get a training contract, even if they did go to Oxford.

So I wouldn't say it is unrealistic for you to get a training contract as long as you get good A levels and do all the other things that are expected to make your application competitive.

what if for example i do a degree that directly leads to a career path, like for example mechanical engineering/healthcare, but I still do relevant law work experience and extracurriculars. Would my application immediately get raised eyebrows and therefore be put in the trash or would my application still be as competitive as someone who did a more broad degree (law, english, history)?

what if for example i do a degree that directly leads to a career path, like for example mechanical engineering/healthcare, but I still do relevant law work experience and extracurriculars. Would my application immediately get raised eyebrows and therefore be put in the trash or would my application still be as competitive as someone who did a more broad degree (law, english, history)?