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LPC and commuting...
So I'm in my final year at uni, currently considering applying for my LPC...
I have been commuting to uni since the middle of my second year, and haven't found it too bad and find it suits me. I live in Leicester and go to uni in Nottingham, so it takes me about 40/45mins... but I usually plan an hour's journey (considering traffic and parking etc).
I want to continue living at home during my LPC, and I'm considering doing the LPC at Nottingham Law School... Is it possible to manage the LPC with about 2 hours spent on travelling a day, considering the workload and dedication the LPC requires? Or would I be better of moving there or staying closer to home?
De Montfort Uni also offers the LPC, but with Nottingham having a better reputation, is it worth spending more in travel/fees?
Any help/advice would be appreciated x
I have been commuting to uni since the middle of my second year, and haven't found it too bad and find it suits me. I live in Leicester and go to uni in Nottingham, so it takes me about 40/45mins... but I usually plan an hour's journey (considering traffic and parking etc).
I want to continue living at home during my LPC, and I'm considering doing the LPC at Nottingham Law School... Is it possible to manage the LPC with about 2 hours spent on travelling a day, considering the workload and dedication the LPC requires? Or would I be better of moving there or staying closer to home?
De Montfort Uni also offers the LPC, but with Nottingham having a better reputation, is it worth spending more in travel/fees?
Any help/advice would be appreciated x
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Reply 1
I think I am right in saying that no matter where you ahve the LPC from it will have the same content so different schools are LESS relevant for it than for degree. Commuting sounds insane though, well done with that! I thin kthe problem you would see for hte LPC would be allowing that much time for travelling EVERY DAY as it requires more work, it might not be so good!
There is a thread called "LPCers" where the amount of work required during the LPC is discussed, it seems like a lot when you are also travelling 2 hours a day.
With the LPC is doesn't matter as much about the reputation of the university, but on the Law Society website they rate each LPC provider using "Excellent", "Good", "Poor" or words to that effect. If Nottingham is rated Excellent and De Montfort uni is rated Poor then you would probably be better off going to Nottingham.
With the LPC is doesn't matter as much about the reputation of the university, but on the Law Society website they rate each LPC provider using "Excellent", "Good", "Poor" or words to that effect. If Nottingham is rated Excellent and De Montfort uni is rated Poor then you would probably be better off going to Nottingham.
Reply 3
Is the LPC centrally examined by the Law Society to keep it uniform, or does each school set it;s own standards?
I remmber seeing figures of pass rates, and the nOtts was was the highest when I looked (but that was in like 2004).
I remmber seeing figures of pass rates, and the nOtts was was the highest when I looked (but that was in like 2004).
Reply 4
Lewis-HuStuJCR
I think I am right in saying that no matter where you ahve the LPC from it will have the same content so different schools are LESS relevant for it than for degree. Commuting sounds insane though, well done with that! I thin kthe problem you would see for hte LPC would be allowing that much time for travelling EVERY DAY as it requires more work, it might not be so good!
Yeah, that's what I mean... I don't want to struggle purely because I'm wasting so much time traveling to and fro, whereas I could just utilise that time to do my work...
I don't have a training contract yet either, so I'm just wondering will it make a difference to potential firms where I have done my LPC? I don't want to lessen my chances of obtaining a TC by doing my LPC at DMU whereas I had the option of doing it in Nottingham.
Reply 5
kirstinx
There is a thread called "LPCers" where the amount of work required during the LPC is discussed, it seems like a lot when you are also travelling 2 hours a day.
With the LPC is doesn't matter as much about the reputation of the university, but on the Law Society website they rate each LPC provider using "Excellent", "Good", "Poor" or words to that effect. If Nottingham is rated Excellent and De Montfort uni is rated Poor then you would probably be better off going to Nottingham.
With the LPC is doesn't matter as much about the reputation of the university, but on the Law Society website they rate each LPC provider using "Excellent", "Good", "Poor" or words to that effect. If Nottingham is rated Excellent and De Montfort uni is rated Poor then you would probably be better off going to Nottingham.
Well the thing is Nottingham is rated as "excellent", whereas DMU is rated as "very good", which is only the next grade down, so there isn't much difference between the way they are graded.
So I guess I would be ok to do my LPC at DMU without having any great drawbacks regarding its reputation compared to Nottingham.
De Montforts rating: http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/documents/downloads/becominglpcexec3demontford.pdf
Notts rating:
http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/documents/downloads/becominglpcexec3nottingham.pdf
There is very little difference between "Very Good" and "Excellent"
Notts rating:
http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/documents/downloads/becominglpcexec3nottingham.pdf
There is very little difference between "Very Good" and "Excellent"
If I stay in England (still haven't decided whether to stay here for a few years to get experience or just go out and join my family in Australia) I wanna go to London to do my LPC at the College of Law. I think my parents expect me stay in the family home so it's 'occupied' and commute to York (only 30 mins) to do my LPC. No way jose!
Reply 9
College of Law, are yous ure? They teach alot of their stuff by online seminars now (webinars lol)... I aint too keen on that. The only reason I would go there would be if the firm I chose was like "yeah, go to CoL". These online things sound like a bit of a joke and not the best method of teaching IMO.
Lewis-HuStuJCR
College of Law, are yous ure? They teach alot of their stuff by online seminars now (webinars lol)... I aint too keen on that. The only reason I would go there would be if the firm I chose was like "yeah, go to CoL". These online things sound like a bit of a joke and not the best method of teaching IMO.
I fully agree, College of Law has been taking a slating for this move towards online teaching, and I have a friend there who says its rubbish. It makes it a lot harder to understand according to her, plus there's always the temptation not to download your lectures and bother watching them when nobody can check up whether you're doing it or not...
I commute to Uni of Sheffield, takes me about an hour in rush hour, or 35mins rest of the time.
I would say an hours drive each way is not ideal, but if you're organised and treat the LPC like a proper full time job, there is no reason why it should adversely affect you. Im still working 12-18 hours a week waitressing and I'm (touch wood
) doing ok.Do what's best for you, work hard and use your time efficiently and you should be fine
RR
But the College of Law is regarded as like the gold standard LPC is it not? Also doesn't it have a really high pass rate?
Anyway, I always thought it was a really respected LPC, like, better than doing a University LPC, but I may be wrong.
Anyway, I always thought it was a really respected LPC, like, better than doing a University LPC, but I may be wrong.
CoL is a respected LPC, but then again lots of them are. I wouldn't say it was better than a university LPC generally - better than some, but not better than all.
Unofficially (ie not the Law Soc's "excellent" "very good" ratings) yes CoL was considered the gold standard. Unfortunately that is not really the case anymore. BPP has taken over the non-University LPC crown, and like I mentioned before, this huge roll out of internet based learning has done some damage to CoL.
When I was researching my LPC I read several articles in legal papers saying it was a bad move, and it certainly isn't going down too well with the CoL students I have spoken to.
However, this is all my perception of what I have read and heard.
If you have done your research and the site you're going to is doing well with the Law Soc, then go for it.
I turned down Nottingham (rated excellent) for Sheffield (rated very good) because tutors and law firm grad recruitment officers advised me that the difference was negligible at that standard. I certainly don't regret my decision, because it was the best decision for me personally.
As long as you can get along with the online thing - because that's the clincher, and I certainly couldn't manage without face-to-face explanation and the opportunity to ask questions there and then and clarify points - then there is no reason why you can't be perfectly happy at CoL.
Reply 13
I know several people who commute for the LPC, and it doesn't seem to be doing them any harm. It's a matter of how organised you are and how quickly you work rather than anything else.
Reply 14
I totally agree with the criticisms of online methods etc, and that BPP has become the pinnacle of professional legal teaching. I have heard rumours that many firms no longer like CoL, and some are looking to move away from them who use them as their exclusive providers, eg Allen & Overy, a big one to lose if you ask me.
I went to the CofL LPC open day in London yesterday. One thing one of the students I spoke to there didn't like was the I tutorials. However, its a mistake to think that there is no teacher - student contact. There is! In the so called "workshops" which consists of about 20 students there is a certain degree of interaction between the teacher and the student. I see I tutorials as a useful way of supplementing what you learn in the formal lectures and workshops as well as your own private study. They are not designed to replace individual or group study, rather to enforce them and help students to prepare for their exams as well as possible.
I;m looking at LPC providers mainly in South East England. I've also been on an open day to the Oxford Institute of Legal Practise. In terms of professionalism the CofL is more highly regarded in my personal opinion. The more provincial providers such as Oxford, for instance, place more emphasis on "pastoral care" meaning students benefit from a rather more "cosy" relationship with their tutors. Whereas with City colleges like CofL and BPP the atmosphere is more intense and highly pressurised. So its a choice between the two. Although Guildford CofL seems a strange compromise. The only drawback of Guildford is that you have to commute to get anywhere. Hence its nickname, "commuter town".
In my opinion the following institutions are most likely to be worth their salt: CofL, BPP, Bristol, Oxford, Notts and Cardiff.
I;m looking at LPC providers mainly in South East England. I've also been on an open day to the Oxford Institute of Legal Practise. In terms of professionalism the CofL is more highly regarded in my personal opinion. The more provincial providers such as Oxford, for instance, place more emphasis on "pastoral care" meaning students benefit from a rather more "cosy" relationship with their tutors. Whereas with City colleges like CofL and BPP the atmosphere is more intense and highly pressurised. So its a choice between the two. Although Guildford CofL seems a strange compromise. The only drawback of Guildford is that you have to commute to get anywhere. Hence its nickname, "commuter town".
In my opinion the following institutions are most likely to be worth their salt: CofL, BPP, Bristol, Oxford, Notts and Cardiff.
Reply 16
Notts Law School now run their LPC in London in association with somebody.
K Abraham
Although Guildford CofL seems a strange compromise. The only drawback of Guildford is that you have to commute to get anywhere. Hence its nickname, "commuter town".
I'm doing the GDL at Guildford and it's been fine so far. Really appreciate living near college so can just roll out of bed at 8.30 to get in for small group sessions rather than facing an hour long packed commute into town (next year, ugh!).
Plus the college is very pretty and has nice dear prancing around.
Reply 18
Guess it's all individual, some ppl like that kind of thing other cant live without a city.
Reply 19
I guess what LPC institution u wish to go to is affected largely by your own legal aspirations. Yes, you could argue all day about how one institution is better than another, but they are each (CoL and BPP at least) tailored differently.
The typical students I saw at CoL wanted to go into general commercial, criminal or family, with a few who wanted to go into corporate.
At BPP, I would imagine the majority want to go into corporate.
Its also wrong to slate CoL for its online based learning. The whole point of it is preperation for workshops, when you have most contact with ur tutor. So it doesnt seem too unreasonable to ask students to do some prep (which involves going online) so that they are up to speed for workshops and therefore maximise their time with tutors with real queries rather than questions that would have been answered if they had simply done the prep.
I had a great time at CoL, the students there were really down to earth and not pretentious in the slightest. They seemed far "normal" people than the hyped-up law-student-on-a-conveyer-belt type i saw on my llb.
The typical students I saw at CoL wanted to go into general commercial, criminal or family, with a few who wanted to go into corporate.
At BPP, I would imagine the majority want to go into corporate.
Its also wrong to slate CoL for its online based learning. The whole point of it is preperation for workshops, when you have most contact with ur tutor. So it doesnt seem too unreasonable to ask students to do some prep (which involves going online) so that they are up to speed for workshops and therefore maximise their time with tutors with real queries rather than questions that would have been answered if they had simply done the prep.
I had a great time at CoL, the students there were really down to earth and not pretentious in the slightest. They seemed far "normal" people than the hyped-up law-student-on-a-conveyer-belt type i saw on my llb.
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