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Leicester or Newcastle uni for law?

I'm struggling whether to go to Leicester or Newcastle for law next year. Which school does better? If you get to choose, which one would you go to?
Please help!

Reply 1

dantethealb

I would say Newcastle due to it being a Russell Group uni (for research funding purposes) and higher entry standards.

Reply 2

jacqerin

OP

dantethealb

I would say Newcastle due to it being a Russell Group uni (for research funding purposes) and higher entry standards.

What's the difference with being in the Russell group and not?

Reply 3

dantethealb

The difference is the money universities receive for research. Look up Russell Group on wikipedia for more info.

Reply 4

divine_alive

I'd say Leicester...! specifically because Ive firmed it..! and it is higher in the leagues..! which.. nobody seems to care about.. :tongue:

Reply 5

anotheregostar

6

Newcastle. Without a doubt.

Reply 6

Pinkaddiction23

Newcastle! It's awesome, great people, great nightlife, great city! - fab shopping :biggrin:

Newcastle definitely

OP

Pinkaddiction23

Newcastle! It's awesome, great people, great nightlife, great city! - fab shopping :biggrin:

that sounds amazing! but isn't leicester uni nearer to london? therefore its more fun?
sorry this is going to be my first year in uk, so i kindof know nth bout the country itself :P

Reply 9

riiight.

7

jacqerin

that sounds amazing! but isn't leicester uni nearer to london? therefore its more fun?
sorry this is going to be my first year in uk, so i kindof know nth bout the country itself :P

Leicester is a good 2 hour drive away from London... hardly next door! Plus Newcastle was rated #6 best nightlife in Europe in some survey.

If that's the only factor you're considering, go to Newcastle.

Reply 10

mandeep2009

Newcastle all the way its a red brick uni, night life amazing!! plus its a Russell Group uni so get more funding. Leicester has become a very good uni within recent years but personally i reckon the standards are much higher at newcastle

Reply 11

jacqerin

OP

mandeep2009

Newcastle all the way its a red brick uni, night life amazing!! plus its a Russell Group uni so get more funding. Leicester has become a very good uni within recent years but personally i reckon the standards are much higher at newcastle

Newcastle sounds amazing! are there alot of international students there?
And is the campus/dorms there good? Since it is a really old school compared to Leicester.

Reply 12

Picnic1

19

The Time and Guardian tables suggest that they are about on a par for Law. Newcastle has slightly higher entry requirements, which is to be expected for popular subjects like that because of Newcastle's 'party city' reputation which may be a bit overstated.

Leicester city isn't as famous and didn't have loads of trendy bars and restaurants when I was there in the late 90s but what it lacked in that it makes for in terms of the university campus, which is pleasingly compact and interesting, and the halls of residences which are often old Edwardian houses with mostly 60s extensions to them. There are quite a few clubs in the city for its size but the excellent students union and halls events also more than adequately cater for entertainment.

The University of Leicester used to be part of the University of London and is part of the 1994 group of mid-sized (in the case of Leicester) to smaller universities. It doesn't fall in to an obvious category of 'redbrick' or 'plate glass' either - it's just one of the best examples of a campus university in the UK that there is because it realises that people often don't want to live on a campus but want a close knit feel off campus. As it has a traditional and yet modern feel to it, it seems to equally attract people from public schools, grammar schools and comprehensives although there are obviously more of the latter 2.

Comedian Bob Mortimer chose to study Law at Leicester. I think that it is still taught in the grand Fielding Johnson building, which adjoins the impressive hi-tech library.

If Newcastle's Law School is older then it may be very slightly more respected for Law with some employers but I think that will be partly down to their incorrect assumption that Newcastle is significantly older as a university, which it isn't, certainly as an independent university.

The degree grade you get will be the most important thing. If you are studying somewhere that you like then it will be more enjoyable trying to get a good degree grade- visit them both.

If you're going to study somewhere with more than its fair share of 60s buildings (which both have), I say go to the place that has the best 60s buildings (as well as the best new buildings)- Leicester. The university is based in a nice park and there are university botanical gardens in Leicester as well. Leicester University is the best of all worlds whereas Newcastle, frankly, can smack of 'didn't get in to Durham' (even if many Leicester applicants also applied to Durham).

Reply 13

River85

17

mandeep2009

Newcastle all the way its a red brick uni, night life amazing!! plus its a Russell Group uni so get more funding. Leicester has become a very good uni within recent years but personally i reckon the standards are much higher at newcastle

dantethealb

The difference is the money universities receive for research. Look up Russell Group on wikipedia for more info.

Whether Newcastle is a Russell Group or not doesn't really matter. The Russell Group is only a lobbying group of the largest research intensive universities. Leicester is in the 1994 Group of smaller universities. Although the Russell Group collectively get the majority of research funding, this does not mean all individual Russell Group universities reiceve more than a 1994 Group university. Leicester is still research intensive with a considerable research income.

In fact, you really need to look at this at a departmental level. Leicester actually did better than Newcastle in the last RAE (2008). 5% Leicester's research submitted was of world class in originality and quality, and 35% international class. Newcastle didn't submit any world class research, with 40% international class and fewer of Newcastle's staff were submitted. So Leicester's law department has a slightly higher "research power". Not only this, but how much research actually benefits an undergraduate can be questioned.

jacqerin

that sounds amazing! but isn't leicester uni nearer to london? therefore its more fun?
sorry this is going to be my first year in uk, so i kindof know nth bout the country itself :P

Leicester is still a fair distance from London, a couple of hours or so (Newcastle is about five hours by car, two and a half by train). So it's not like you can easily go to London for a night out in either city :p:

But you don't need to be near London to have fun (and there are many places near London which, believe me, aren't fun!) . Newcastle in particular is a vibrant and exciting city and a lot can be said for Leicester also.

About the accomodation/halls, techincally Newcastle isn't older than Leicester. Leicester is actually the oldest. Newcastle didn't gain its independence and become a university in its own right until a few years after Leicester was given a university charter. Although Newcastle can trace its history back further, into the 19th century, the vast majority of the university was built from the 1960s onwards including the law department and accomodation. It might be worth posting in the Newcastle forum to find out more about the halls.

The difference between the two academically is negligible. So factors like cost of living, campus university v. city university and city life will probably be the deciding factor.

Personally speak, I'd go for Leicester, although that's only because I've lived near Newcastle all of my life so I'd prefer a change of scenery. If I were from elsewhere in the country, then I'd probably choose Newcastle on the basis of the city (compact, easy to navigate, reasonable cost of living, based in the city centre). You have the benefit of the city, with good access to a wide variety of countryside on your doorstep which, for me, is a big plus. Sandy beaches of Northumberland, hills, valleys, dales and National Parks in every direction.

This isn't to say Leicester's without merit. It's law department rivals Newcastle, is perhaps even marginally better, and it does offer what is, in my opinion, a nice campus.

I wouldn't let me views influence you too much as what I look for in a university or city might be completely different to what you look for.

Reply 14

maximusbarr

In terms of reputation I would say both are considered to be on a par, but I would go as far as to say Newcastle probably shades it over Leicester.

If I was you I would pick Newcastle, my friend applied to Leicester, it is a good law school but I would opt for the 'prestigious' law school, your chances of pupillage/MC firm will be similar whether you go to Newcastle or Leicester.

Reply 15

jacqerin

OP

maximusbarr

In terms of reputation I would say both are considered to be on a par, but I would go as far as to say Newcastle probably shades it over Leicester.

If I was you I would pick Newcastle, my friend applied to Leicester, it is a good law school but I would opt for the 'prestigious' law school, your chances of pupillage/MC firm will be similar whether you go to Newcastle or Leicester.

So going to Leicester, even though the university on the whole is higher ranked than Newcastle in the Times Online League Table, won't really get me into a better company or something? :confused:

Reply 16

angelmxxx

14

jacqerin

So going to Leicester, even though the university on the whole is higher ranked than Newcastle in the Times Online League Table, won't really get me into a better company or something? :confused:

Employers don't just pick people based on where their uni is in the league tables! The most important factor is usually your degree class. Anyway, league tables are a guide - yes, there's a difference between Oxbridge and Southampton Solent in employer rankings, but I don't even know if Solent do law?!

League table places change every year, going up or down a couple of places will not make a difference.

Reply 17

Picnic1

19

For a time Newcastle University became the Newcastle campus of Durham University.
And for about the first 40/50 years the University of Leicester was part of the University of London.

It's the architecture and layout of Leicester University and halls that most attracted me to it- it just works for me. Newcastle has quite a pretty main building but so does Leicester and so do many older universities. Not important to everyone maybe but it was a personal reason that I was attracted to Leicester. It's nice to be part of the East Midlands collection of universities- Nottingham, Leicester and Loughborough- all very campusy and all, including Nottingham in recent years after league table falls, loving to enjoy being 'underrated'!

Reply 18

River85

17

jacqerin

So going to Leicester, even though the university on the whole is higher ranked than Newcastle in the Times Online League Table, won't really get me into a better company or something? :confused:

Employers have been employing people for a lot longer than league tables have been around! League tables have only existed since 1993, and most employers will be aware that they are quite flawed and very questionable.

What's more, the difference between Newcastle and Leicester's ranking is negligible. A difference of a few places is no difference at all. Only a few years ago Newcastle was above Leicester, maybe this will be the case again in a few years time? Perhaps not. The point is, there are also minor changes to league table positions year on year and the difference between both Newcastle and Leicester is very small.

Employers will be concerned with the person first and foremost, their skills and experience as well as their personal qualities. If they favour universities, then this might not always correlate with league table positions. For example, they might favour graduates from their own university or, more likely, graduates from universities they've had positive experiences in the past. Or, rarely, rely on mainly Russell and 1994 Group universities, but show no great bias within those groups.

As mentioned in my last post, the academic difference between both is very small indeed. The same is probably true for employment prospects also.