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UK law schools vs US law schools
So, can anyone explain me why is the gap between the cost of the law schools in these two countries so exorbitant ? In the USA, the cost is no less than 50 000$ per year, and in the UK, just about 5 000$.This is ... too much.
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one's undergrad one's postgrad
As well as Law schools in the US being post-grad, there's also just the difference in costs for higher education in the US compared with the UK.
EDIT: Yeah I was going to say, 5000 pounds?
EDIT: Yeah I was going to say, 5000 pounds?
Ivan Stanchev
So, can anyone explain me why is the gap between the cost of the law schools in these two countries so exorbitant ? In the USA, the cost is no less than 50 000$ per year, and in the UK, just about 5 000$.This is ... too much.
You can't compare UK and USA education system
Qualifications in Law can be done at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level in the UK?
Actually, I don't really understand the US college system, so any explanations would be very helpful...
Actually, I don't really understand the US college system, so any explanations would be very helpful...
Jakko247
& presumably the £5000 price is because Bulgaria is a member of the EU :P ?
I said 5000$, not £5000 ;} Yep, we are in EU (only god knows for what reasons the poorest and most corrupted country was accepted to EU
) , and I have to pay a ''home fee'' of about £3200 which should be ~~5000$ 
Ivan Stanchev
So, can anyone explain me why is the gap between the cost of the law schools in these two countries so exorbitant ? In the USA, the cost is no less than 50 000$ per year, and in the UK, just about 5 000$.This is ... too much.
You're comparing apples and oranges. One is a postgard degree, the other is undergrad.
If you compare the cost for an international student to do a BA in Law at (say) Cambridge, it's about £26k pa for maintenance, fees, and so forth. For a JD at Harvard, the cost is about $70k pa (again, including maintenance/fees/etc). At the current exchange rate, £26k is about $40k. That is a substantial difference, but nothing like the $5k vs $50k you cite (at least not in proportion--the absolute difference is similar). This is leaving aside the issue of purchasing power parity, and I'm not sure how that would influence the equation. Finally, bear in mind that the average salary for a Harvard law grad in the private sector is about $140k. You earn much, much more money as a newly qualified lawyer in the US than you do in the UK. That doesn't *explain* the difference, but it eases the pain a little.
Education in the UK is massively subsidised. Legal education in the US is not. While in-state students pay quite a bit less, the government doesn't underwrite the cost to nearly the extent that the UK does for home/EU students.
RosieLucenstiel
Qualifications in Law can be done at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level in the UK?
Actually, I don't really understand the US college system, so any explanations would be very helpful...
Actually, I don't really understand the US college system, so any explanations would be very helpful...
Well, it is pretty simple.After high school, all the students take the SAT I Reasoning test.The top schools require SAT II Subject tests (Like A levels) Based on their SAT scores and high school grades (gpa) students are admitted to different colleges and study their respective majors.
However, Medicine and Law can only be studied as postgraduate subjects, as they are considered extremely competitive and in order one to actually get into such program, he/she will need very strong college record.
The postgrad v. undergrad comments are true (a lot of people take top JDs once they are already earning or have been sponsored to do so), but there are still massive differences at undergrad level.
Its really down to the influence of government. The US government doesn't limit the prices of US universities. Tuition fees are capped at 3k p.a. for EU students, with the government adding a hefty subsidy.
There's also a culture difference. In the US, parents typically save for their child's college education from day one. In this country, you get people whining about how its unfair that they don't get EMA because they think their parents won't pay anything to them - middle-class parents take a lot more financial responsibility in the US, whether it be saving for college or choosing to live in areas with high property taxes so that the schools are better (in the US, state schools have different levels of funding based on how local property taxes are set). Its accepted in the US that if you don't have parents able to save enormous amounts of dosh for you, then you will only be able to go to a local community college subsidised by your state. In the UK there is a lot more emphasis on individual opportunity: it wouldn't be politically acceptable for universities like Oxbridge to set prices such that the poor were denied the opportunity to go there - the government have made truly enormous moves to widen access over the last 12 years; it now wouldn't be politically acceptable for the Conservatives to oppose it in the same way that they did during the 90s.
Its really down to the influence of government. The US government doesn't limit the prices of US universities. Tuition fees are capped at 3k p.a. for EU students, with the government adding a hefty subsidy.
There's also a culture difference. In the US, parents typically save for their child's college education from day one. In this country, you get people whining about how its unfair that they don't get EMA because they think their parents won't pay anything to them - middle-class parents take a lot more financial responsibility in the US, whether it be saving for college or choosing to live in areas with high property taxes so that the schools are better (in the US, state schools have different levels of funding based on how local property taxes are set). Its accepted in the US that if you don't have parents able to save enormous amounts of dosh for you, then you will only be able to go to a local community college subsidised by your state. In the UK there is a lot more emphasis on individual opportunity: it wouldn't be politically acceptable for universities like Oxbridge to set prices such that the poor were denied the opportunity to go there - the government have made truly enormous moves to widen access over the last 12 years; it now wouldn't be politically acceptable for the Conservatives to oppose it in the same way that they did during the 90s.
They charge that much when applicants can pay for it. The deceptive thing about supposedly obscene American tuition fees is that the majority of people will recieve some sort of scholarship, work-study, or subsidised student loan. If you did well on your LSAT and undergrad degree and you were assessed on needs-based criteria, I'd be very shocked if you actually ended up having to pay $150,000 for your JD.
I wonder which one is the harder- the LSAT or the LNAT
Ivan Stanchev
I wonder which one is the harder- the LSAT or the LNAT
LSAT, simply because it has more sections. The LNAT is just the logical reasoning and essay parts, the LSAT also includes reading comprehension and analytical reasoning. Personally, I've found the analytical reasoning section to be quite a bit harder than the other bits, but I suspect it would turn on whether you're more into sciences or humanities. Point is, though, there's more opportunity to screw up.
Ivan Stanchev
I wonder which one is the harder- the LSAT or the LNAT
On the LNAT website they have a link to practice LSATs, but mention that they're actually quite a bit harder than the LNAT.
Ivan Stanchev
I wonder which one is the harder- the LSAT or the LNAT
I found the reading comprehension on the LNAT more difficult--the questions turn on subtler distinctions (for the most part). As a whole, however, I found the LSAT much harder. The logic games/analytic reasoning section is brutal, and the logical reasoning section requires much more careful analysis than the reading comp on the LNAT.
I don't know my score on the LNAT yet--my high point on practise tests was a 26. I scored 168 on the LSAT.
Just my two cents, but I think I'm one of the few people on this site who's taken both.
jjarvis
I found the reading comprehension on the LNAT more difficult--the questions turn on subtler distinctions (for the most part). As a whole, however, I found the LSAT much harder. The logic games/analytic reasoning section is brutal, and the logical reasoning section requires much more careful analysis than the reading comp on the LNAT.
I don't know my score on the LNAT yet--my high point on practise tests was a 26. I scored 168 on the LSAT.
Just my two cents, but I think I'm one of the few people on this site who's taken both.
I don't know my score on the LNAT yet--my high point on practise tests was a 26. I scored 168 on the LSAT.
Just my two cents, but I think I'm one of the few people on this site who's taken both.
I should make myself familiar with the LSAT.If I dont make it to UK law school, I may go for my undergaduate degree in a local university and then to go to Law School in the USA
Ivan Stanchev
I should make myself familiar with the LSAT.If I dont make it to UK law school, I may go for my undergaduate degree in a local university and then to go to Law School in the USA
Do you have US Citizenship? If not, you may want to forget the idea of being able to work in the U.S. - at least research it very very thoroughly before assuming that its a viable option
Ivan Stanchev
I should make myself familiar with the LSAT.If I dont make it to UK law school, I may go for my undergaduate degree in a local university and then to go to Law School in the USA
Be very, very careful about that. The American law market is shrinking, and getting a work visa there is hell, regardless of your qualifications. With so many more students than jobs, it's questionable whether a firm would be willing to hire someone they'd have to spend quite a lot of money sponsoring when they could just go with a domestic with similar qualifications. The only semi-reliable solution I've found would be to find employment at an international firm with offices in the U.S. and one's country, but you'd need to be qualified in your country to do that. I hope to do that in the future, but I'm getting an LLB first so I've got that security blanket.
numb3rb0y
Be very, very careful about that. The American law market is shrinking, and getting a work visa there is hell, regardless of your qualifications. With so many more students than jobs, it's questionable whether a firm would be willing to hire someone they'd have to spend quite a lot of money sponsoring when they could just go with a domestic with similar qualifications. The only semi-reliable solution I've found would be to find employment at an international firm with offices in the U.S. and one's country, but you'd need to be qualified in your country to do that. I hope to do that in the future, but I'm getting an LLB first so I've got that security blanket.
I am currently deciding what to do if I don`t get into a top UK law school (still, waiting for offers).My other plan is to go to the American University in Bulgaria for my undergraduate degree ( I got offered 100% tuition scholarship due to my high SAT score) and then after working in a local firm for 2-3 years to go to a top US Business School for a MBA degree .I am very happy to have parents that can afford it.So, do you think business school is better than Law school ?
Related discussions
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