Which law college can I get into in the UK?
1.
Hi.
So I have finished my A levels in India. Grades are BBBC. Currently on a gap year.
I know, not great grades.
I do have some mitigating circumstances; I was sick through most of my 12th grade and I have medical documents to prove it.
I know most good colleges still aren't going to go for it.
All the other things are well taken care of; I've done 3 internships already. Done 5 years of community service. Various other achievements. It's just my grades which suck.
Currently, I'm applying to Exeter, Leicester, Leeds, East Anglia and SOAS.
I know, all 5 have entry requirements higher than my grades, but I have enough back-ups in other countries, so I'm not going to apply to a low tier college for the sake of getting in.
I do have a few questions. Firstly, should I be solely following the university rankings to determine which the best university is? Is that how the graduate prospects are determined?
Also, I'm thinking of swapping out East Anglia for a better college. I mean, I doubt I'm going to get into East Anglia or Leeds anyway, so what is the best college that is a bit flexible with their entry requirements and sometimes, if rarely, accepts BBB? Would highly appreciate it if I can get an answer in the next few days, since no one I have talked to has given me a clear, concise answer.
1.
Hi.
So I have finished my A levels in India. Grades are BBBC. Currently on a gap year.
I know, not great grades.
I do have some mitigating circumstances; I was sick through most of my 12th grade and I have medical documents to prove it.
I know most good colleges still aren't going to go for it.
All the other things are well taken care of; I've done 3 internships already. Done 5 years of community service. Various other achievements. It's just my grades which suck.
Currently, I'm applying to Exeter, Leicester, Leeds, East Anglia and SOAS.
I know, all 5 have entry requirements higher than my grades, but I have enough back-ups in other countries, so I'm not going to apply to a low tier college for the sake of getting in.
I do have a few questions. Firstly, should I be solely following the university rankings to determine which the best university is? Is that how the graduate prospects are determined?
Also, I'm thinking of swapping out East Anglia for a better college. I mean, I doubt I'm going to get into East Anglia or Leeds anyway, so what is the best college that is a bit flexible with their entry requirements and sometimes, if rarely, accepts BBB? Would highly appreciate it if I can get an answer in the next few days, since no one I have talked to has given me a clear, concise answer.
Hi @pinkisthefloyd
We're glad you have decided to apply to SOAS! We have a page dedicated to students from India which can give you some more background on entry requirements, scholarships etc.
At SOAS, we look at your whole application, and although grades are very important, we don't judge a candidate solely based off of it. There's many other factors including, personal statement, your application, lettters of recommendation, extenuating circumstances (for example, medical conditions like you mentioned), your school, any extracurricular activities, gap years etc. the list goes on and on. Even if you are below our minimum grade requirement, please do apply as there's still a chance you can receive an offer. SOAS will accept applications until June 30th via UCAS.
University rankings depending on who you talk to, are important or not. We tend not to go by it. Many of our programmes are ranked higher than some of the universities ranked on the university rankings system (a.k.a the League table). For example, our Politics and International Relations department was ranked 35th overall in the world (7th in the UK), and our development studies department was ranked 13th in the world (4th in the UK).
Graduate prospectus is ranked by a different system. Our careers service department works relentlessly to provide you with various opportunities to find employment. At the end of the day, it does become your responsibility. We have chances to interact, network and grow intellectually and mentally, however, you do need to check your emails, sign up for our events, and become a proactive member.
I cannot speak on behalf of the other universities, but here at SOAS we offer a world class education, where we challenge you to explore cultural understanding, and equip you with the tools to shape world affairs. SOAS is an education in a hundred different ways. We will help get you to where you want to be and help you challenge the way you think, which will spill over from the classroom to the workplace.
I hope that helps. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me on our 2016 SOAS Application Thread.
~Mike
Posted from TSR Mobile
We're glad you have decided to apply to SOAS! We have a page dedicated to students from India which can give you some more background on entry requirements, scholarships etc.
At SOAS, we look at your whole application, and although grades are very important, we don't judge a candidate solely based off of it. There's many other factors including, personal statement, your application, lettters of recommendation, extenuating circumstances (for example, medical conditions like you mentioned), your school, any extracurricular activities, gap years etc. the list goes on and on. Even if you are below our minimum grade requirement, please do apply as there's still a chance you can receive an offer. SOAS will accept applications until June 30th via UCAS.
University rankings depending on who you talk to, are important or not. We tend not to go by it. Many of our programmes are ranked higher than some of the universities ranked on the university rankings system (a.k.a the League table). For example, our Politics and International Relations department was ranked 35th overall in the world (7th in the UK), and our development studies department was ranked 13th in the world (4th in the UK).
Graduate prospectus is ranked by a different system. Our careers service department works relentlessly to provide you with various opportunities to find employment. At the end of the day, it does become your responsibility. We have chances to interact, network and grow intellectually and mentally, however, you do need to check your emails, sign up for our events, and become a proactive member.
I cannot speak on behalf of the other universities, but here at SOAS we offer a world class education, where we challenge you to explore cultural understanding, and equip you with the tools to shape world affairs. SOAS is an education in a hundred different ways. We will help get you to where you want to be and help you challenge the way you think, which will spill over from the classroom to the workplace.
I hope that helps. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me on our 2016 SOAS Application Thread.
~Mike
Hi Mike
Thank you so much for your quick reply. Really did not expect a representative from a university to actually reply.
Yes, I do know that your programme for Law is ranked pretty highly at 29th.
Good to know about the career prospects for graduates. I have heard many good things about SOAS from my college counselor, which was the reason I wanted to apply in the first place.
Again, thank you for replying and giving me a better idea about your college.
•
Make sure that the unis that you have applied to are willing to lower their offer for you if you can prove extenuating circumstances - you could check their websites, and email to make sure
•
Stuff like community service is great, but make sure that you link it to the legal practice somehow (such as helping the disenfranchised as a lawyer, seeing how certain families may not be able to afford the same quality legal advocacy as others - perhaps you could read into this and mention it in your P.S.?)
•
For rankings, always look at a variety of them (Check out QS, THE, CompleteUniversityGuide and The Guardian for more), and look at the specific variables you're interested in! If you want a high level of tuition, check out the student satisfaction ratings and Value Added score on the Guardian; if you're interested in employer rep or grad. prospects, some of the rankings will accommodate for that as well. Do not just look at the overall ranking, as that is weighted in a way that may not correspond to your priorities (I, for instance, don't care about student-to-faculty member ratios that much, but most certainly do care about rep. and employability)
•
Have you visited any of the unis?
Yes, I have emailed them. Some of them have replied positively.
Yes, I did try linking most things in my Personal Statement to the profession of law, but I thought that community service would be self-explanatory. I will look into what you said and try to add into it.
I did look at the graduate prospects for each university, but you are right. I did think though that most of the law firms employ majorly from the Russell group or universities in the top 30 for law? I will look into it further now though.
No I haven't visited any of the universities. I might do so if I get offers from more than 1 of them (or for an interview), but I couldn't fly to the UK just to visit unis...
Edit : I completely forgot to thank you. You gave me a lot of useful info, so thank you for that.
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