Would an OU Law LLB route put me at a disadvantage?

Would an OU Law LLB route put me at a disadvantage?

Would the route of a Law LLB with the OU put me at a disadvantage in the long term when applying for a career/post graduate position?

Essentially due to illness the conventional A level route is likely out of the question. This September is my last opportunity to sit A levels without having to pay, and due to a flare up of what is currently suspected to be Crohn's disease, my ability to attend a local college is dwindling.

I currently have 10 GCSEs at A*AAAAAAAAC grades. Obviously, I will be undertaking the Law LLB degree without A levels. In compensation for this, I will be undertaking the W101 Introduction to Law module for a year part time to familiarize and consolidate a foundation for the next module (totaling in 4 years of study). Due to the distance learning nature of the undergraduate degree, I can study from the comfort of my home without having any issues with attendance while medical professionals organize some implementations to help me long term.

I understand the Bachelors of Law LLB from the OU states that it is/does the following:

Recognized by the legal profession as a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) in England and Wales
Covers the seven ‘Foundations of Legal Knowledge’ as required for a QLD
Provides the first academic stage of training for solicitors and barristers in England and Wales

My concern will be the lack of A levels. I am confident in my ability to begin studying the LLB, my worry is that I will be discarded due to the lack of the “conventional” route that is currently not applicable to myself.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 1

999tigger

Not having A levels will put you at a disadvantage as many recruitment policies require a certain number of UCAS points.
An OU law degree in itself is reasonably well respected.
Your bigger problem is convincing or actually getting your health under control.

Reply 2

Notoriety

Have you considered a distance Access course? 1-year, pretty much equivalent to A-Level and will open you up to more established law degrees.

Reply 3

username3456172

Original post by 999tigger

The likeliness of that prior to September is slim. It will likely eventually involve some surgery and the OU has said they will happily cater for my during that period. I know it is a weird way to do things, but could I sit my A levels after I have finished my OU degree?

Reply 4

username3456172

Original post by Piña colada

Plus currently only have £1000 in the bank (the colleges near me in Liverpool wan £400 per course for A level), I don't think I can get a loan to do A levels. I could get my student loan to begin studying at an Undergraduate level at the OU.

Reply 5

Danny Dorito

just tagging in Jo and uni of Surrey for help

Reply 6

MonteCristo

What do you plan on doing afterwards?

A lot will depend on your future plans, what else you do while you are a student, how you sell yourself to employers afterwards, and your degree classification.

You can make an "unconventional route" into a strength if you are ambitious and think creatively. I know of one OU law student a couple of years ago who graduated with a First, won a Kennedy Scholarship to Harvard Law School, and now works as a barrister in London.

There will be stuffy employers (some law firms simply do not appear to employ anyone without a good degree from Oxbridge) and others that have inflexible selection criteria (e.g. UCAS points). You don't have to work for those employers, though.

The key will be doing well at your degree and trying - if you are aiming for a career in law - to compensate for some of the extra-curricular things that you might otherwise miss out on being away from a campus university, e.g. mooting, debating, writing for student publications, shadowing, pro bono community work, mini-pupillages, etc.

Reply 7

Capita Careers UK

Original post by Piña colada

Hi

I am sorry to hear that you have had problems with completing your A levels, I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for you.

I wondered if you might be able to give me a little more information oin the type of role that you would be looking for after completing your degree (it might help me to be a little more specific about what (if any) impact the lack of A levels is likely to have going forward.

Thank you

Jo

Reply 8

username3456172

Original post by Jo@Capita

I am not entirely sure what I intend to do post-degree but I really do not want my education that I have continually worked hard for to go to waste I guess. I suppose the most commonly desired role after a Law degree would be a solicitor, but I am not entirely sure I want to pursue that path. I have always wanted to be a teacher. I know that is out of the window purely because I have been told I would need the A levels to pursue that career path. I guess Law offers a varied amount of substance that seems interesting to me. I am split between Psychology and Law currently.

The issue is that at this present moment in time I simply cannot attend college. I have been continually in and out of hospital and it would not be fair to myself or my peers :frown:

Would the access module that the University offers be a viable alternative to A levels?

Reply 9

MonteCristo

Are A-levels really a requirement to teach? I can see why they might be helpful but would be surprised if they added much to a degree + PGCE. If you really need A-levels later on then you can sit them later on. Perhaps you would only need an A-level in the subject you were planning to teach? They are easy to sit as a private candidate and you won't find them particularly difficult if you're doing well in the second year of an LLB.

Reply 10

username3456172

Apparently, the OU access module is often seen as an alternative. The benefit of the OU is that regardless of how dire my situation becomes, I can still crunch work from my bedside.

Reply 11

Capita Careers UK

Original post by Piña colada

Would the access module that the University offers be a viable alternative to A levels?

Hi

From what I know of the courses they can provide access to university based on their qualifications so from that perspective I would say that it can be a worthwhile course, in terms of being a substitute for A levels I don't think they necessarily carry UCAS points in the way A levels do.

What I would highlight for you is that whilst historically most grad programmes took into account UCAS points (so therefore A levels) there has been a big move away from this and these days there are a lot of programmes and graduate roles that really only look at the degree grade you have and then you as a person and how you fit the role so A levels are very far from essential. For example, within the Capita programme we only ask that candidates have a minimum of a 2:1 at degree level gained in the last five years, there are of course other assessments within the recruitment process but looking at previous education isn't something that we look at for any graduate role.

I can completely understand your concerns and I wouldn't rule out there being graduate roles that will look for specific A levels but they aren't the only ones in the market.

I hope that this goes some way to reassure you, best of luck!

Jo

Reply 12

tudor_777

On the OU, the level 1 module is essentially an access course that successful completion of enables you to do the actual degree. Whilst some employers "insist on A levels", they will understand your level 1 module as an equivalent. It is difficult to study with the OU, especially if balancing work / raising a family, but if you can pull it off you will have a solid degree under your belt. Good luck!