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"Liberal Arts" at UCL/KCL - waste of time?

I'm going to be applying to university for 2012 entry, and that year UCL and Kings are planning on launching a new Liberal Arts degree. For those who don't know what it is:

In the first two years, all students take one
interdisciplinary module, which focuses on
major issues in human thought and culture
from antiquity to the present. All students also
take one module in a Modern Language, an
essential skill for the global employment sector.
Beyond these requirements, you can choose
options in history, politics, literature, modern
languages, theology, philosophy, classics,
music, and film studies. The third year is
spent abroad, at one of our prestigious partner
universities in Asia, America or Europe.
Students will graduate in the liberal arts, or in
the subject(s) they have chosen to specialise in.

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/ug/download/LiberalArts.pdf
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/liberal_arts

Now Kings also say:

This degree provides an ideal grounding for
graduate work in the liberal arts or in law
or medicine. With expertise in at least one
foreign language and the experience of studying
abroad, students will be perfectly placed for a
career in international organisations, business,
diplomacy, or journalism.

I mentioned it to my mother because it looks really interesting and enjoyable; I'm looking to become a solicitor, preferably for one of the big London firms.

But she says it would be a waste of time, and that the university where she used to work (London Guildhall) did Liberal Arts degrees and no one took them seriously. She says I'm never going to end up being a solicitor at any of the good firms if I do a Liberal Arts degree.

Do you think she's right? Would a Liberal Arts degree really be looked down upon? To me, it seems lie a really good choice because of the language thing, and the ability to study a range of topics. If it works in America, surely it would work here? I am ultimately thinking about doing a Law degree, but recently I've been worried that my GCSE results will disadvantage me when trying to get onto a course as competitive as Law, and I've been thinking about going for a different, less competitive degree in another subject I enjoy ...

I don't know, what do you guys think about this one?

(edited 13 years ago)

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Reply 1

honestly

hmm.... no and yes..... no: for the reason that the average employer may not know the what a liberal arts degree is , in fact not many high corperate players do unless they have operations in the states as well.......

yes : as it does coer a lot adn require smartness so to speak .... big in america

peace out

honestly

Reply 2

Forever a Gnome

It's done quite well in the US, and there aren't bad reviews really about the couple that I know about that do it in the UK (Glasgow and Queen Mary (Belfast) are the ones I'm aware of)
The main thing is that it's not really a known thing yet, compared to the obvious Law degree.

Reply 3

Leon Trotsky

I think Liberal Arts degrees are great ideas in theory, and I really liked the look of the one Glasgow do where you choose a subject area like Literature, but get to stray out of it into subjects like Philosophy and History. There's a good chance I'd have applied to do Liberal Arts, actually, had KCL had theirs at the time. However, even though the institutions that run these programmes are well-respected, clearly the degree itself won't be as respected as one in, say, law. And if you want to be a solicitor, I'd imagine law is the best route. :dontknow:

Reply 4

London Blue

Had a session with Clifford Chance once where they said that only 50% of solicitors had Law degrees. So I don't think it matters too much to have a degree that's not Law when it comes to employment..

Reply 5

yahyahyahs

Damn, I like being old because I hopefully won't have to pay £9k in fees, but then again I wish they introduced the Lib Art degree earlier! OP, if you want to do it because you are interested in a range of subjects, then I would say go for it, but if all you want to do is Law, then doing a single honours degree in that might be the best option.

Reply 6

diamonddust

Sounds pretty cool! Wish it had been around for 2011 entry! That said, I'd wait until it becomes properly established. Like even though it's from a very good university, I don't know if employers would understand it because it's new. If you know you want to do Law, why not just do Law? The liberal arts degree seems to be for people who only vaguely know what they want to do.

yes

It won't be [a waste of time] at UCL

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 9

London Blue

I suppose Law is the best option; I'm just worried that I'm not going to get onto a course as competitive as Law at any of the unis I want to go to, is all.

Reply 10

diamonddust

Original post by London Blue

I suppose Law is the best option; I'm just worried that I'm not going to get onto a course as competitive as Law at any of the unis I want to go to, is all.

If you're considering a 2012 entry course, I assume you're in your AS year? Work really hard, get Law work experience and write an amazing PS and you'll have as much of a chance as anyone. :smile:

Reply 11

London Blue

Original post by diamonddust

If you're considering a 2012 entry course, I assume you're in your AS year? Work really hard, get Law work experience and write an amazing PS and you'll have as much of a chance as anyone. :smile:

Yeah, I am. It's not the future I'm worried about, I'm fairly certain I'll do well :smile:

It's the past (GCSE results) that worries me ..

Reply 12

nulli tertius

I think the worry would be that recruiters think that you have done a little bit of this and a little bit of that and nothing in any serious depth.

It has a little of the look of the old Oxford Pass School.

Reply 13

EveTibbatts

I can't find the UCL course on their website... Are we sure they're running it for 2012? Or do the two unis do it in conjunction?

Reply 14

InspiredByStreisand42

I think it sounds AWESOME :smile:

Reply 15

diamonddust

Original post by InspiredByStreisand42

I think it sounds AWESOME :smile:

Me too!

Reply 16

London Blue

Original post by EveTibbatts

I can't find the UCL course on their website... Are we sure they're running it for 2012? Or do the two unis do it in conjunction?

They definitely are, I think it's called "Arts and Sciences" now or something like that.

Reply 17

peachmelba

This degree sounds a bit like Durham's combined honours which has AAA entry requirements.

Your mum might well have been right about London Guildhall's course but UCL/KCL puts it into a different category in terms of employability. Having graduated in History of Art, which some on here would describe as Mickey Mouse, I have secured a training contract with arguably the most prestigious and academically demanding of the City law firms.

Critical factors:
A level results (many City firms look for at least AAB)
Uni reputation (although firms say they don't discriminate, Oxbridge, Top 10-20 dominate the intakes - A level results may drive this)
Degree result (2.1 minimum, first a big help)
Extra curriculars
Work experience/volunteering
Skills in filling in lengthy application forms, interviews, assessment centres

It sounds like a really interesting course and the reputation of UCL/KCL should overcome any employer question marks. One thing to consider is the difficulty in succeeding across a range of academic disciplines. It takes time to work out what a department is looking for in your work. this makes it tougher to get a high grade in a joint degree and even more so with this kind of course.

Reply 18

EveTibbatts

I hope you applied in the end! I applied to King's and got in and the course seems really well organised and thought out and I'm so excited by it: will definitely be firming it.

Reply 19

tomsaja

Original post by EveTibbatts

I hope you applied in the end! I applied to King's and got in and the course seems really well organised and thought out and I'm so excited by it: will definitely be firming it.