Which university to study Law

Warwick>Qmul>Durham.

Durham is in the middle of nowhere, rubbish for networking, boring for student life and as it's in the middle of nowhere will offer poor career options, few recruiters make the journey, few firms presenting etc.

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Reply 2

username3441700

20

Original post by Praveer

Hi all

I am interested in pursuing law in the UK. I've applied to few universities and have got offers from Queen Mary University of London, Durham University and Warwick University. All are highly ranked for their law department. I've seen the rankings but I don't want to base my decision only on rankings.

Queen Mary Law department is usually ranked higher than other two. But the other two are much better ranked and prestigious than QM. But QM is in London which I believe would be beneficial.

Being an international student, it would not be possible for me to visit the uni.

Please share your views and opinions. Would be grateful to all the help.

Thanks for reading my thread.

Use the Guardian's University Guide Tables, they have a ranking on the best universities in the UK. You can change the subject to Law and view the rankings based on the subject. The tables also provide ratings based on things like satisfaction with teaching, student to staff ratio etc.

I hope it helps you to make your choice, it helped me to make my choice lol

Reply 3

OP

[QUOTE=JustPadz;72559750]Warwick>Qmul>Durham.

Durham is in the middle of nowhere, rubbish for networking, boring for student life and as it's in the middle of nowhere will offer poor career options, few recruiters make the journey, few firms presenting etc.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Thank you for your reply and your advice. Appreciate it. I've read that a degree from Durham holds more importance internationally than QMUL. Don't know how much this is true.

Original post by Boredom101

Use the Guardian's University Guide Tables, they have a ranking on the best universities in the UK. You can change the subject to Law and view the rankings based on the subject. The tables also provide ratings based on things like satisfaction with teaching, student to staff ratio etc.

I hope it helps you to make your choice, it helped me to make my choice lol

Hi, thank you for your reply. Yeah I've gone through the table and QM is above both Durham and Warwick even though Durham is just next to QM. But then again as rightly pointed out, QM is in London which is a bonus.

[QUOTE=J-SP;72560808]All three universities are similar in terms of reputation - they all have strong ties with potential employers, reasonable careers services (all put on good careers events), active university law societies.

Durham has a collegiate system. The colleges are split across the city, and depending where you are based you can be quite out of town, and Durham is built on 7 hills. Some colleges are more central though. Durham is quite a traditional old city. Many would say it is quite "posh" and that the university does attract a fair proportion of well off students going through uni. The law course is also more traditional. Durham is the smallest of the three universities, and the collegiate system may make it seems even smaller at times.

Warwick is a campus university. The campus is in the middle of nowhere and even with the nearest city, Coventry, there isn't a lot going on. Campus nightlife is good but it is more of a bubble than if you were based in a city. Warwick is known to be very internationally diverse and more business/commercial focused, the same could be said of the law course. Warwick is the largest of the three universities by quite a significant amount. The positive of this is that there will be a real variety of opportunities, especially with extra curricular activities.

Queen Mary is in Mile End - it is definitely one of the rougher ends of London, but you are in London and only a few tube stops away from the city and places like Shoreditch and Stratford. Plus there is a lot of investment in East London - so things are changing pretty quickly. Living in London will be much more expensive than Durham or Warwick. QM probably is the balance between Durham and Warwick in terms of commercial vs traditional course. It has a strong reputation with international arbitration.

If it was me, I'd be considering the environment you want to live in. You couldn't really get three more different living environments - the person who might love the tradition and history of Durham may hate the modern campus of Warwick. The person who likes diversity in their social circle and activities may love Queen Mary where they are in London, but hate Durham due to the college system.

I'd also be looking at the course modules available beyond the compulsory core law modules. I suspect all three universities actually provide quite different type of module options - some might appeal more than others.

Thank you so much for such a detailed reply. I've heard about Mile End being rough but I've read that the area is improving as pointed out by you too.

All are indeed reputed for Law, but I've read that degree from Durham or Warwick are more recognised internationally than QM. And here on TSR it's usually mentioned that not many law firms visit QM and that other two are more frequently visited by firms. TSR members also say that QM being in London has no added advantage. Could you please share your advice regarding this?

London is Ofcourse where majority of Law firms are situated and is such a big city compared to other two. And environment is also an important factor to consider as stated by you because I need to spend three years in the university.

Thanks all once again

Reply 4

username3441700

20

Original post by Praveer

Hi, thank you for your reply. Yeah I've gone through the table and QM is above both Durham and Warwick even though Durham is just next to QM. But then again as rightly pointed out, QM is in London which is a bonus.

Thanks all once again

You're welcome!

Reply 5

OP

Original post by J-SP

Rubbish about QM not being visited as much as Durham or Warwick. I went there enough times as a recruiter anyway! Probably helps that it was local but it was a target university for many of the firms I worked for.

Thank you for your reply :smile:

Reply 6

http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/media/1067/what_is_a_good_university.pdf
JustPadz is completely incorrect.

Reply 7

JustPadz

Original post by Oddwatermelon

http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/media/1067/what_is_a_good_university.pdf
JustPadz is completely incorrect.

Thank you for educating me with regards to my ignorance.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 8

OP

[QUOTE=Oddwatermelon;72577756]http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/media/1067/what_is_a_good_university.pdf
JustPadz is completely incorrect.

According to that article, Durham then Warwick and then QM. Even employment prospects greater in Durham then Warwick and then QM.

Reply 9

OP

[QUOTE=J-SP;72586314]No - it does not say that at all.

What that article fails to address is how many people apply. Durham is much stronger at recruiting many non-law students into training contracts than Warwick and QM.

So many more Durham applicants probably apply than Warwick and QM.

Posted from TSR Mobile

This could be a reason too. Valid point put up by you. Obviously you have more experience as you've been a recruiter.

Reply 10

Original post by J-SP

No - it does not say that at all.

What that article fails to address is how many people apply. Durham is much stronger at recruiting many non-law students into training contracts than Warwick and QM.

So many more Durham applicants probably apply than Warwick and QM.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I imagine there is some truth to that. However, a Durham law degree is extremely well respected no doubt and will be viewed on the same level as one from the London Unis and Warwick etc... All else being equal, a Durham law degree is 'superior' to one from QMUL. There are so many variables in the application process that this means very little.

Reply 11

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by J-SP

In what way is it superior?

Although you are keen to disregard the survey I linked above, it remains the most comprehensive survey concerning the universities attended by top solicitors. There may exist a more accurate survey, but I cannot find one. The survey included 2000 trainees from over 120 firms, questioned over 3 years. It will be accurate.

The results indicate that a Durham degree (and the associated experiences gained studying there) make you more employable than a graduate of QMUL. This is statistically true.

Top A-level students are clearly drawn more to Durham than they are QMUL.
Durham average UCAS entry standard - 558
QMUL average UCAS entry standard - 489
For comparison, Oxford was 562. Durham law students have similar attainment at A-level to Oxford law students. The same cannot be said for QMUL.
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=law

You should also draw your attention to this.
https://www.legalcheek.com/2017/06/oxford-law-grads-pocket-20000-a-year-more-than-durham-and-warwick-peers/
On average, Durham graduates are earning £9000 more than QMUL graduates 5 years after graduation. Not only is this a significant difference, the average for Durham will also be heavily pulled down by the large proportion of trainees in the regions - as shown in the survey. Although I have no evidence, I would assume the majority of QMUL graduates aim to work in London, as happens with UCL, LSE and Kings graduates.

From this survey, 10% of law firm partners in the 'Magic Circle' and 'Silver Circle' are Durham graduates. QMUL accounts for 1%.
https://www.legalcheek.com/2016/04/revealed-the-universities-which-give-you-the-best-chance-of-making-it-to-the-top-of-the-magic-and-silver-circle/

I am not stating that Durham graduates will in every case be more successful than QMUL graduates. If you look at the facts, Durham is a top law school within the UK and evidently more popular with top employers. The same cannot be said for QMUL.

Reply 12

artful_lounger

21

I think @J-SP really answered it all with their response; any vague notions of "academic superiority" is pretty irrelevant in this case, as all three are "target" universities and have ways into top City firms and sets. The main thing is to consider the actual life at the university, as @J-SP laid out in their post - this can make a huge difference to how you experience university and by extension, how well you end up doing in your studies.

Congratulations on your offers, there is no absolute wrong choice among those, just potentially wrong choices for you personally!

Reply 13

Original post by J-SP

And as I pointed out, Durham often is represented by high numbers of non law graduates so you cannot assume that all those figures are exclusive to the law school

Have you got proof that the majority of Durham educated lawyers studied subjects different to law? Or is it just the impression you get? The number of lawyers educated in different subjects is probably fairly equal across different universities. Even if it was higher for Durham, it would not be even near high enough to discount the lead it has. Durham's law department is also one of its stronger departments, along with English, History etc...

Also, as I said, the survey will not be completely accurate but it will give a general impression, and Durham is very, very strongly represented.
May I ask what it is which makes you reluctant to give Durham credit? All indicators prove that it is a top-tier law school in the UK. I studied at UCL and would say for a career in law, a Durham degree is of equal use or more useful.

Reply 14

OP

Some really useful information shared by members. Thank you for that. I'm eager to read the response by Oddwatermelon to the questions raised by you.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 15

AlexandraW96

Original post by Praveer

Hi all

I am interested in pursuing law in the UK. I've applied to few universities and have got offers from Queen Mary University of London, Durham University and Warwick University. All are highly ranked for their law department. I've seen the rankings but I don't want to base my decision only on rankings.

Queen Mary Law department is usually ranked higher than other two. But the other two are much better ranked and prestigious than QM. But QM is in London which I believe would be beneficial.

Being an international student, it would not be possible for me to visit the uni.

Please share your views and opinions. Would be grateful to all the help.

Thanks for reading my thread.

You the person from Legal Cheek? I discussed your situation with my friends aha.

First of all congratulations on getting offers for Law. It's competitive, and it's a great achievement. Law is hard work, but rewarding.

In answering your question, I'll put the disclaimer that I'm speaking from the perspective of a third year Law undergrad at UCL (on track for a 1st), so I went through the process a couple years ago.

In my opinion, I would pick Durham. I put down Warwick as one of my choices but was personally very put off by the fact it was just a bunch of modern buildings in a field. Durham is very pretty, and part of a small town so the social life is comparatively better.

Durham is also a very good Law school. Definitely no disadvantage there. What they don't tell you is once you get into a good Law school, what actually matters from then on is the grades you get at university. Name only really gets you so far, but if you're averaging a 2:2, that's not going to get you anywhere regardless of where you go (or is at least less likely to).

Queen Mary has a great law department, but I'd be concerned about the overall rep of the uni as well. It's also in London, which I can tell you can take some adjusting to as a big city. It's also in East London, which is not central or a particularly nice part of town.

Good luck!

Reply 16

OP

Original post by J-SP

Did you ask Legal Cheek to answer this question?

No I haven't. What I meant was that I'm eager to see what Oddwatermelon replies to the points raised by you in your last reply.

Reply 17

OP

Original post by AlexandraW96

You the person from Legal Cheek? I discussed your situation with my friends aha.

First of all congratulations on getting offers for Law. It's competitive, and it's a great achievement. Law is hard work, but rewarding.

In answering your question, I'll put the disclaimer that I'm speaking from the perspective of a third year Law undergrad at UCL (on track for a 1st), so I went through the process a couple years ago.

In my opinion, I would pick Durham. I put down Warwick as one of my choices but was personally very put off by the fact it was just a bunch of modern buildings in a field. Durham is very pretty, and part of a small town so the social life is comparatively better.

Durham is also a very good Law school. Definitely no disadvantage there. What they don't tell you is once you get into a good Law school, what actually matters from then on is the grades you get at university. Name only really gets you so far, but if you're averaging a 2:2, that's not going to get you anywhere regardless of where you go (or is at least less likely to).

Queen Mary has a great law department, but I'd be concerned about the overall rep of the uni as well. It's also in London, which I can tell you can take some adjusting to as a big city. It's also in East London, which is not central or a particularly nice part of town.

Good luck!

Haha I'm not the person from Legal Cheek.

Thanks a lot for your reply. I can say pretty easily that it's a very tough choice to make. As both are really good.

Just curious, why did you put down Warwick? Just because it's in fields? Or there's some other reason too?

Reply 18

OP

Original post by J-SP

Then you might want to have a read of this:

https://www.legalcheek.com/2017/07/which-uni-should-i-choose-for-law-durham-warwick-or-qmul/

I'd take some of the comments with a pinch of salt though - the site is notorious for comments claiming bragging rights of one factor or another. Still probably worth a read though.

Thank you so much for the link. I'll have a read at it now.

Reply 19

AlexandraW96