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Current A Levels + Progression to Law

I am studying a levels english combined, politics and sociology. I think these are good subjects for law, but I'm still a little unsure. I know that many law degrees are supposedly prestigious. In terms of university, I am also unsure, as I achieved 6s and 7s in GCSE apart from maths/science when I got 5s because our class did foundation. I am assuming prestigious uni's like Oxford and Cambridge won't probably consider my profile, but do you know which uni is good enough? Thanks.
Original post by Joel Hodgson
I am studying a levels english combined, politics and sociology. I think these are good subjects for law, but I'm still a little unsure. I know that many law degrees are supposedly prestigious. In terms of university, I am also unsure, as I achieved 6s and 7s in GCSE apart from maths/science when I got 5s because our class did foundation. I am assuming prestigious uni's like Oxford and Cambridge won't probably consider my profile, but do you know which uni is good enough? Thanks.

Just get AAA or A*AA or higher.
A levels are ok.
Do a good application.
ID the typical top law unis as repeated hundreds of times on hundreds of threads on the law sub forum.
Original post by 999tigger
Just get AAA or A*AA or higher.
A levels are ok.
Do a good application.
ID the typical top law unis as repeated hundreds of times on hundreds of threads on the law sub forum

OK thanks. Yes I know the 'Oxford and Cambridge' Route is probably done to death on this website, but as of yet I'm still keeping my options open to a range of different uni's
OK thanks. Yes I know the 'Oxford and Cambridge' Route is probably done to death on this website, but as of yet I'm still keeping my options open to a range of different uni's
Reply 4
Most RG’s just want you to get 5’s or higher in your GCSE’s, so just focus on achieving at least an AAA
Original post by Joel Hodgson
OK thanks. Yes I know the 'Oxford and Cambridge' Route is probably done to death on this website, but as of yet I'm still keeping my options open to a range of different uni's

Check the Cambridge GCSE policy which is less demanding.
Original post by 999tigger
Check the Cambridge GCSE policy which is less demanding.

Ok thanks. I just wanted to make sure, as I have always been very uncertain when it comes to what universities look for. I am getting involved in clubs and enrichment/voluntary work. Does that look good for uni application?
Original post by Joel Hodgson
Ok thanks. I just wanted to make sure, as I have always been very uncertain when it comes to what universities look for. I am getting involved in clubs and enrichment/voluntary work. Does that look good for uni application?

Yes, but mostly grades.
If you are thinking of oxbridge- Cambridge is definitely more holistic in terms of GCSEs, where evident improvement from GCSEs to ALevels displays a strong work ethic and ability to learn and improve- oxford are a bit harsher. Are you aiming to become a lawyer or are you explicitly interested in a law degree? Have you heard of the GDL, many respected lawyers don’t have an LLB, but did something else for undergrad- which is something to consider...
Original post by FrenchOwl2212
If you are thinking of oxbridge- Cambridge is definitely more holistic in terms of GCSEs, where evident improvement from GCSEs to ALevels displays a strong work ethic and ability to learn and improve- oxford are a bit harsher. Are you aiming to become a lawyer or are you explicitly interested in a law degree? Have you heard of the GDL, many respected lawyers don’t have an LLB, but did something else for undergrad- which is something to consider...

Hi, Yes I am thinking of becoming a barrister. I was thinking of doing an undegraduate degree in perhaps english or philosophy at maybe cambridge. I got a 7 in Literature at GCSE and my target for A Level English Combined is an A. If I did an English or Philosophy Degree, do I take the law conversion course to become a lawyer and would those degrees stand out? Thanks.
Hi, Yes I am thinking of becoming a barrister. I was thinking of doing an undegraduate degree in perhaps english or philosophy at maybe cambridge. I got a 7 in Literature at GCSE and my target for A Level English Combined is an A. If I did an English or Philosophy Degree, do I take the law conversion course to become a lawyer and would those degrees stand out? Thanks.
Hi, Yes I am thinking of becoming a barrister. I was thinking of doing a degree in perhaps english or philosophy. I got a 7 in Literature at GCSE and my target for A Level English Combined is an A. If I did an English or Philosophy Degree, do I take the law conversion course to become a lawyer and would those degrees stand out? Thanks.
Original post by FrenchOwl2212
If you are thinking of oxbridge- Cambridge is definitely more holistic in terms of GCSEs, where evident improvement from GCSEs to ALevels displays a strong work ethic and ability to learn and improve- oxford are a bit harsher. Are you aiming to become a lawyer or are you explicitly interested in a law degree? Have you heard of the GDL, many respected lawyers don’t have an LLB, but did something else for undergrad- which is something to consider...

Hi, Yes I am thinking of becoming a barrister. I was thinking of doing a degree in perhaps english or philosophy. I got a 7 in Literature at GCSE and my target for A Level English Combined is an A. If I did an English or Philosophy Degree, do I take the law conversion course to become a lawyer and would those degrees stand out? Thanks.
Original post by Joel Hodgson
Hi, Yes I am thinking of becoming a barrister. I was thinking of doing an undegraduate degree in perhaps english or philosophy at maybe cambridge. I got a 7 in Literature at GCSE and my target for A Level English Combined is an A. If I did an English or Philosophy Degree, do I take the law conversion course to become a lawyer and would those degrees stand out? Thanks.

Any degree really is suitable for a law conversion- and I would argue that English or philosophy are brilliant degrees for law since they deal with contentions, deep analysis and arguments. GCSE grades are important, but within context. If you are able to display your love and devotion for english or philosophy in your PS and if you got invited for an interview- well they’d overlook a GCSE grade if your passion is that strong and you are willing to study it and excel. If you are in Year 12, start reading around the subject and thinking critically about them- if you want to read about conversion courses, search up Lord Sugden I believe, he’s a Supreme Court judge and advocated that lawyers don’t study law at an undergraduate level.
Original post by FrenchOwl2212
Any degree really is suitable for a law conversion- and I would argue that English or philosophy are brilliant degrees for law since they deal with contentions, deep analysis and arguments. GCSE grades are important, but within context. If you are able to display your love and devotion for english or philosophy in your PS and if you got invited for an interview- well they’d overlook a GCSE grade if your passion is that strong and you are willing to study it and excel. If you are in Year 12, start reading around the subject and thinking critically about them- if you want to read about conversion courses, search up Lord Sugden I believe, he’s a Supreme Court judge and advocated that lawyers don’t study law at an undergraduate level.

Hi thanks for this. It's really useful advice. I had received 6s in all my chosen subjects at GCSE but I think my maths + science grade of a 5 might put Cambridge and other Russel Group Uni's off. I got 7s in English which I think is probably going to boost my profile a bit. I'm targeted at getting As in my A Levels so I think it's best to focus on trying to meet those targets. I do have a passion for English. I'm the editor for the college magazine and was at high school too. Would this be good as enrichment related to my studies?
Original post by Joel Hodgson
Hi thanks for this. It's really useful advice. I had received 6s in all my chosen subjects at GCSE but I think my maths + science grade of a 5 might put Cambridge and other Russel Group Uni's off. I got 7s in English which I think is probably going to boost my profile a bit. I'm targeted at getting As in my A Levels so I think it's best to focus on trying to meet those targets. I do have a passion for English. I'm the editor for the college magazine and was at high school too. Would this be good as enrichment related to my studies?

So, I’m not going to dare pry into personal details, but if there are any extenuating circumstances surrounding those GCSE grades, I would get those mentioned in your reference.
The thing with Oxbridge personal statements is that they have a slightly different structure. Basically, aim for 85-90% academia, which means books or lectures/podcasts you’ve read or listened to, then engage critically with them in your PS about how they have developed you and your interests to be suitable for the course. The use of extracurricular and supercurriculars- when woven into the PS correctly- are excellent examples of your passion (which btw is a word never to be used in a PS)
My best advice is to find a theme of interest- and stick to that, if possible try to allude to the fact that you have improved in your PS and that you will be ready for the strenuous courses- it is about you after all and what you have done to improve your capability.
Original post by FrenchOwl2212
So, I’m not going to dare pry into personal details, but if there are any extenuating circumstances surrounding those GCSE grades, I would get those mentioned in your reference.
The thing with Oxbridge personal statements is that they have a slightly different structure. Basically, aim for 85-90% academia, which means books or lectures/podcasts you’ve read or listened to, then engage critically with them in your PS about how they have developed you and your interests to be suitable for the course. The use of extracurricular and supercurriculars- when woven into the PS correctly- are excellent examples of your passion (which btw is a word never to be used in a PS)
My best advice is to find a theme of interest- and stick to that, if possible try to allude to the fact that you have improved in your PS and that you will be ready for the strenuous courses- it is about you after all and what you have done to improve your capability.

Ok thanks. I'll take note of this and use it to adapt on my PS and academia.
I achieved decent grades in my GCSEs - 6s in chosen subjects and 7s in English. I got 5s in maths and science but the teaching was really poor. Also, my science and maths teachers didn't teach the right curriculum - they weren't interested. Would I be able to mention on my personal statement how this brought down my science + maths grades as we weren't actually taught the right curriculum in maths. Also, two of my gcse science teachers quit half way through the week in year 10 + 11, which basically ruined the subject for me. How would I put this across in a statement to explain it? Thanks.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by Joel Hodgson
I achieved decent grades in my GCSEs - 6s in chosen subjects and 7s in English. I got 5s in maths and science but the teaching was really poor. Also, my science and maths teachers didn't teach the right curriculum - they weren't interested. Would I be able to mention on my personal statement how this brought down my science + maths grades as we weren't actually taught the right curriculum in maths. Also, two of my gcse science teachers quit half way through the week in year 10 + 11, which basically ruined the subject for me. How would I put this across in a statement to explain it? Thanks.

Things like that aren’t mentioned in the statement (think of it as a gushing fountain of love for your subject and why you’re perfect for it).
Those sorts of circumstances would need to be mentioned by the teacher in charge of your reference. For Cambridge, there is another form you fill out about extenuating circumstances that, if you feel you need to use, is written by the school and sent off for a further explanation
I think as long as you get a very good result in your final year at university, whatever you choose for your undergrad doesn’t matter. My friend did chemistry and then went on to do law at Cambridge uni. Now she works for a top law firm. If your doing an undergrad in something else, you will have to do the conversion course which is tense but I think in a way it’s better then doing a law degree as you have more knowledge on other things

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