In doubt about my uni choices. Not sure whether I want to go on with law anymore.

guys, I’m sorry for this rambling post. And it is dumb to ask strangers here for advice. But if you could adviceA big thank you to everyone who red this. :smile:

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 1

amanikaurr

13

Original post by Andrew7778

So my situation is like that. I applied to law uni programmes, without having tons of motivation to study law. I don’t hate it, but I don’t know whether I like it. I’m afraid I will waste my parents money and my time studying law when in reality it’s not something I want to do with my life. I red tons of stories about lawyers regretting their choice and rn I’m thinking, do I really want to become another miserable lawyer and choke my life at its beginning??

rn, just a few days before I’m supposed to reply to university offers, I started having serious doubts about whether law is even right for me. I didn’t take any scientific a levels, and now I’m seriously regretting it. What if it would be better to become a doctor or study science.

guys, I’m sorry for this rambling post. And it is dumb to ask strangers here for advice. But if you could advice something, what would you say? Is it okay to be in doubt like that? Is it better to not take law until you’re very very sure? Did you have doubts, do you still have them?

A big thank you to everyone who red this. :smile:

Hi Andrew,

The truth is you never really know that you will excel in something or enjoy it without actually trying it or practising it. I have just completed my law degree and the reason I picked law initially without much prior knowledge or experience was because I was good at English in school and figured hey that's a subject I'm strong in so lets do this. Luckily all worked out and I very much enjoy the practical side of this profession.

The fact you are doubting it seems largely because of the horror stories you have read but, that doesn't mean that it will effect you in the same way as it has others. There is also no point in dwelling on the past unless, you plan on taking different A levels instead of the university route. I think any major step in life always causes anxiousness and doubts to settle into one's mind but, it's about picking yourself up and being confident in the decisions you have made and making them worth it!

Honestly, its so easy to doubt yourself and become your own worst enemy which, is something I did prior to starting my law degree. I constantly questioned whether I was good enough and whether I was worthy enough to even complete the degree with a good grade. I never thought for a moment that I could achieve a first class classification. If you put in the work and change your outlook to that of a positive one you will achieve !

Hope this helps! :smile:

Reply 2

Euapp

21

You don't have to become a lawyer with a law degree!! It's widely accepted as an entry qualification into all kinds of other jobs! My father is a lawyer and is passionate about his work, but my brother and sister have both studied law but have absolutely no intention of becoming lawyers. It's a wide subject that helps develop critical thinking. You can do so much with it afterwards. You could go into journalism, Accountancy, recruitment. There are so many avenues open afterwards. But if you really don't want to study law, you can always refuse your offers, use extra or clearing to find something else, or alternatively take a year out.

Reply 3

MvcLaw

16

Hi! I’m a second year law student and I don’t want to be a lawyer either. I’m actually doing an internship for the government this summer and I believe my law degree helped me to have the skills needed to access that internship. Law can open up many doors! You’re not limited to just being a lawyer.

Reply 4

Andrew7778

OP

5

Original post by amanikaurr

Hi Andrew,

The truth is you never really know that you will excel in something or enjoy it without actually trying it or practising it. I have just completed my law degree and the reason I picked law initially without much prior knowledge or experience was because I was good at English in school and figured hey that's a subject I'm strong in so lets do this. Luckily all worked out and I very much enjoy the practical side of this profession.

The fact you are doubting it seems largely because of the horror stories you have read but, that doesn't mean that it will effect you in the same way as it has others. There is also no point in dwelling on the past unless, you plan on taking different A levels instead of the university route. I think any major step in life always causes anxiousness and doubts to settle into one's mind but, it's about picking yourself up and being confident in the decisions you have made and making them worth it!

Honestly, its so easy to doubt yourself and become your own worst enemy which, is something I did prior to starting my law degree. I constantly questioned whether I was good enough and whether I was worthy enough to even complete the degree with a good grade. I never thought for a moment that I could achieve a first class classification. If you put in the work and change your outlook to that of a positive one you will achieve !

Hope this helps! :smile:

Thank you, this actually helped a lot. Especially your backstory and the words about doubt being okay.

Reply 5

Realitysreflexx

22

I can't decide if I want to be a lawyer or a doctor.

A common middle class issue of today....

Let me ask you this very simple question;

Are you more after a bag of money and not getting your hands dirty? Do law

If your genuinely willing to give yourself fully to helping people for financial compensation, you likely won't have much time to spend do medicine...

If you that doesn't help you,

Still do law. Because at least they will teach you how to argue for a point lol, without you risking someones life.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 6

Andrew7778

OP

5

Yeah, I’m thinking about medicine because I generally like biology. Also, fortunately I’ve changed since middle school.

Reply 7

Andrew7778

OP

5

Original post by Realitysreflexx

I can't decide if I want to be a lawyer or a doctor.

A common middle class issue of today....

Let me ask you this very simple question;

Are you more after a bag of money and not getting your hands dirty? Do law

If your genuinely willing to give yourself fully to helping people for financial compensation, you likely won't have much time to spend do medicine...

If you that doesn't help you,

Still do law. Because at least they will teach you how to argue for a point lol, without you risking someones life

i love your view on it, makes it seem so easy. In reality though, medicine is going to be in demand probably forever, while with law, who needs any more lawyers? Then to become a barrister is really difficult and while becoming a solicitor is easier, it’s a more boring job. Then law has crazy hours and crazy competition. Doctors’ life work balance seems to be better.

Reply 8

Andrew7778

OP

5

thats true but medicine still has some elements of bio. And you could specialise in something interesting for you. But yeah those are all rash thoughts and I just don’t know who I want to be less. Medicine is more in demand and better paid then law. This is all so difficult goddamit. 🤦🏼*♂️

Reply 9

Kabzzzy

14

Original post by Andrew7778

thats true but medicine still has some elements of bio. And you could specialise in something interesting for you. But yeah those are all rash thoughts and I just don’t know who I want to be less. Medicine is more in demand and better paid then law. This is all so difficult goddamit. 🤦🏼*♂️

I swear I posted on your thread before, did you have another one?!

Anyway, do some medical work experience and go meet some healthcare professionals. You will soon see the lack of work-life balance, and the meager compensation compared to most specialised jobs. Unless you have a strong desire (and stomach) to help people in their time of need, being a Doctor or a Nurse is not the one.

It sounds to me like you may benefit from a gap year. As cheesey as it sounds, go "find" yourself before you commit to a career path that will take many, many years.

Reply 10

Andrew7778

OP

5

Haha thanks You know, all the lawyers always say the same, only it’s law instead of medicine. Maybe there’s something similar between the two in the end :smile:

Reply 11

Andrew7778

OP

5

Original post by Kabzzzy

I swear I posted on your thread before, did you have another one?!

Anyway, do some medical work experience and go meet some healthcare professionals. You will soon see the lack of work-life balance, and the meager compensation compared to most specialised jobs. Unless you have a strong desire (and stomach) to help people in their time of need, being a Doctor or a Nurse is not the one.

It sounds to me like you may benefit from a gap year. As cheesey as it sounds, go "find" yourself before you commit to a career path that will take many, many years.

Maybe lol, I created another one and then say that people are replying here. Thank you for the response also

Reply 12

chazwomaq

18

Original post by Andrew7778

I didn’t take any scientific a levels, and now I’m seriously regretting it. What if it would be better to become a doctor or study science.

Given that you have no science A levels and presumably no medical experience, you are in no position to study these subjects at university now. You could apply for graduate entry medicine (extremely competitive), but you should do a lot more legwork and get some relevant experience long before you think about that.

Doubts about your subject are normal. You don't have to become a lawyer just because you studied law. You might find you love it, you might discover your vocation is something else while you are studying your law degree.

Reply 13

harrysbar

21

Original post by Andrew7778

So my situation is like that. I applied to law uni programmes, without having tons of motivation to study law. I don’t hate it, but I don’t know whether I like it. I’m afraid I will waste my parents money and my time studying law when in reality it’s not something I want to do with my life. I red tons of stories about lawyers regretting their choice and rn I’m thinking, do I really want to become another miserable lawyer and choke my life at its beginning??

rn, just a few days before I’m supposed to reply to university offers, I started having serious doubts about whether law is even right for me. I didn’t take any scientific a levels, and now I’m seriously regretting it. What if it would be better to become a doctor or study science.

guys, I’m sorry for this rambling post. And it is dumb to ask strangers here for advice. But if you could advice something, what would you say? Is it okay to be in doubt like that? Is it better to not take law until you’re very very sure? Did you have doubts, do you still have them?

A big thank you to everyone who red this. :smile:

Let's be honest, you don't sound cut out for medicine. You don't have the right A levels, have no work experience and only seem attracted to it for the money.

Whether you are cut out for law is harder to assess, you haven't said what your predicted grades are or whether you like reading loads and writing essays, but I'm guessing not. I think you should forget about money for now and have a think about what subjects you enjoy the most and are best at.

Reply 14

EU Yakov

15

Original post by Andrew7778

So my situation is like that. I applied to law uni programmes, without having tons of motivation to study law. I don’t hate it, but I don’t know whether I like it. I’m afraid I will waste my parents money and my time studying law when in reality it’s not something I want to do with my life. I red tons of stories about lawyers regretting their choice and rn I’m thinking, do I really want to become another miserable lawyer and choke my life at its beginning??

rn, just a few days before I’m supposed to reply to university offers, I started having serious doubts about whether law is even right for me. I didn’t take any scientific a levels, and now I’m seriously regretting it. What if it would be better to become a doctor or study science.

guys, I’m sorry for this rambling post. And it is dumb to ask strangers here for advice. But if you could advice something, what would you say? Is it okay to be in doubt like that? Is it better to not take law until you’re very very sure? Did you have doubts, do you still have them?

A big thank you to everyone who red this. :smile:

this is weird. how come this anxiety is coming now. haven't you done any research in the past year. it's May.
as far as i see it you have two options:
- spend 9k plus rent plus living costs on law and see whether you like it. ppl realise whether it's for them pretty quickly imo. was not uncommon for ppl at my uni to drop out before christmas. 10% dropped out by second year i think.
- dont start anything, take a year out, reapply. medicine doesnt sound feasible but there may be other STEM stuff you'd enjoy. that way you're not spending money on a degree you may give up on. however you're still wasting a year of your life which isn't ideal and could have been avoided if you did better research first time round.
- i did law at an RG, most people did it for random reasons. it's very normal for ppl to start the law degree without having any experience of law whatsoever. i'd say it's a leap of faith for the majority. not sure if this is different at Oxbridge and top unis because they actually expect you to interview and have a good PS

Reply 15

Joleee

19

can you still pick up some A levels in science or is that not an option now? i don't know how school works in the UK except for uni.

you 'don't hate' law: not a good enough reason to study it imho; you only go to uni once (typically) so you should do something you actually enjoy. you don't hate law but it takes a lot of dedication and effort to get a 2:1 at a good uni so, eventually, you might. personally would rather do an easier degree that i actually enjoy than slave over an LLB just to say i have an LLB. sounds like you haven't looked at all your options; there's more degrees at uni than just law and medicine.