Exeter vs Birmingham vs Leeds (LLB)
Looking for some honest opinions. I just got back from visiting 5 schools: Kent, Southampton, Exeter, Birmingham, and Leeds. I've ruled out Kent and Southampton for various reasons..but now need to decide between the last 3 (by June 22nd)
Program: Graduate LLB (2 years) Unconditional Offers
Exeter:
Pros: loved the law building with its modern boardrooms that students were using for study spaces, great moot room. Felt like students could base themselves in the law building as a "hub" for studying and socializing. Multiple law clinics, met two really nice professors, some great research going on at that school. Prestigious reputation. Great sports uni. Student satisfaction high.
Cons: didn't get the best feeling from the campus and town. Hard to explain why. Feels a bit isolated from the rest of the country and not as well connected as the other 2 cities. Slightly less friendly vibe? City not as exciting and lively.
Birmingham:
Pros: long standing prestigious reputation. Gorgeous campus. Mix of old architecture and updated modern facilities. Amazing Library and sports center. Seems to have a great student union. Got good happy vibes from the students. Birmingham seems great as a city with lots to do. Fantastic pro bono opportunities and work placements. city is the second largest legal market in the UK. Highly ranked law school consistently over time.
Cons: law building inside was dated and stuffy. Not as nice of a learning environment as the modern and updated Exeter law building. They are currently renovating the building to include study spaces and a moot room though which is great. Huge campus and student population...I worry it Might be too big and Impersonable? It was the only school where I didn't get to chat with a professor.
Leeds:
Pros: seems to be on the rise in terms of rankings in the past 5 years. Has shot to the top over the other 2 schools. Has a feeling of progress and exciting new developments in the law school. Beautiful campus with excellent student union. Friendly and fun vibe. Great optional modules. Amazing city. Law building was updated and new. Great ties to local law firms for pro bono and work opportunities.
Cons: wondering if it stands up to the other 2 schools in terms of reputation and prestige. More northern = colder and more rain? Law school also lacked study spaces for students and was on the western end of campus away from the center. Campus felt far more spread out than Birmingham..which seemed to be more centered around old joe and the chancellor court.
Each school had something that the other 2 lacked. Makes it hard to decide. What school do YOU think is best for the complete law school experience? Best Opportunities, sense of community, quality professors and research, reputation, student union, location, facilities?
Program: Graduate LLB (2 years) Unconditional Offers
Exeter:
Pros: loved the law building with its modern boardrooms that students were using for study spaces, great moot room. Felt like students could base themselves in the law building as a "hub" for studying and socializing. Multiple law clinics, met two really nice professors, some great research going on at that school. Prestigious reputation. Great sports uni. Student satisfaction high.
Cons: didn't get the best feeling from the campus and town. Hard to explain why. Feels a bit isolated from the rest of the country and not as well connected as the other 2 cities. Slightly less friendly vibe? City not as exciting and lively.
Birmingham:
Pros: long standing prestigious reputation. Gorgeous campus. Mix of old architecture and updated modern facilities. Amazing Library and sports center. Seems to have a great student union. Got good happy vibes from the students. Birmingham seems great as a city with lots to do. Fantastic pro bono opportunities and work placements. city is the second largest legal market in the UK. Highly ranked law school consistently over time.
Cons: law building inside was dated and stuffy. Not as nice of a learning environment as the modern and updated Exeter law building. They are currently renovating the building to include study spaces and a moot room though which is great. Huge campus and student population...I worry it Might be too big and Impersonable? It was the only school where I didn't get to chat with a professor.
Leeds:
Pros: seems to be on the rise in terms of rankings in the past 5 years. Has shot to the top over the other 2 schools. Has a feeling of progress and exciting new developments in the law school. Beautiful campus with excellent student union. Friendly and fun vibe. Great optional modules. Amazing city. Law building was updated and new. Great ties to local law firms for pro bono and work opportunities.
Cons: wondering if it stands up to the other 2 schools in terms of reputation and prestige. More northern = colder and more rain? Law school also lacked study spaces for students and was on the western end of campus away from the center. Campus felt far more spread out than Birmingham..which seemed to be more centered around old joe and the chancellor court.
Each school had something that the other 2 lacked. Makes it hard to decide. What school do YOU think is best for the complete law school experience? Best Opportunities, sense of community, quality professors and research, reputation, student union, location, facilities?
What about course structure too? I was choosing between Birmingham and Leeds, and ultimately, the difference in course structure was what made me go with Birmingham. At Leeds you will have to do a lot of presentations, and some of them even require you to do posters. I am not a creative person, so I find that quite off putting.
I'm studying at Exeter at the moment, I don't do the LLB but I am going to one of the Magic Circle firms and my housemate studies law.
In terms of law here, the law society (called Bracton Law Society) is the biggest and busiest society on campus (and Exeter is very good for societies anyway). It offers excellent networking opportunities (plus the University Law Fair is huge) and social events, more so than any other society/degree. My housemate seems to do a lot of group work, maybe more so in first and second year and a lot of her friends seem to have come from this.
In terms of Exeter in general, I thought the campus was very 'pretty' and well presented when I went on an open day, but I agree I did not get much of a feel of what it actually be like to live here. All I can say is it is great and the city caters to every kind of student. You are not going to get the massive raves/clubs you would up North but there are still some pretty big social events. For all the universities you're looking at, try and find out what the big nightclubs/social events/societies are for each one and see what kind of photos there are on the Facebook pages of these things. For Exeter, this would include the following nightclubs: Rosie's, Timepiece, the Lemmy (Lemon Grove) and Unit 1. The big social events would be the Fresher's Ball, Touch Duckes and Enchanted Garden Ball plus societies like Bracton Law.
Because of the location, the only other big cities I have visited as part of uni (like a networking/social trip) are Bristol and London. It's only 2 hours to London on a fast train. There's also things like the beach and Dartmoor to go to when the weather's nice!
Feel free to PM me
In terms of law here, the law society (called Bracton Law Society) is the biggest and busiest society on campus (and Exeter is very good for societies anyway). It offers excellent networking opportunities (plus the University Law Fair is huge) and social events, more so than any other society/degree. My housemate seems to do a lot of group work, maybe more so in first and second year and a lot of her friends seem to have come from this.
In terms of Exeter in general, I thought the campus was very 'pretty' and well presented when I went on an open day, but I agree I did not get much of a feel of what it actually be like to live here. All I can say is it is great and the city caters to every kind of student. You are not going to get the massive raves/clubs you would up North but there are still some pretty big social events. For all the universities you're looking at, try and find out what the big nightclubs/social events/societies are for each one and see what kind of photos there are on the Facebook pages of these things. For Exeter, this would include the following nightclubs: Rosie's, Timepiece, the Lemmy (Lemon Grove) and Unit 1. The big social events would be the Fresher's Ball, Touch Duckes and Enchanted Garden Ball plus societies like Bracton Law.
Because of the location, the only other big cities I have visited as part of uni (like a networking/social trip) are Bristol and London. It's only 2 hours to London on a fast train. There's also things like the beach and Dartmoor to go to when the weather's nice!
Feel free to PM me
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