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History vs Law

I am unsure of my degree choice. I have applied to study history at KCL, UCL, Durham, Bristol, and Exeter. I have received offers from Bristol, KCL, and UCL all at AAA. However, I plan to do a GDL after uni (or SQE) as I want to pursue a career as a solicitor. One of the main reasons I stayed away from law as a degree is that i have had many people tell me that its so boring/ hard and that they would have much rather done another essay subject like History or Philosophy that is likely more enjoyable, has transferable skills and possibly get a higher degree as it is likely not as hard. Another factor was that to get into any of the universities I want to I would have to get a minimum of A*AA for, with no fallback. Furthermore, i am slightly concerned that I will not be able to learn an in depth understanding of the law in a third of the time during a GDL. Also, with the introduction of the SQE in 2020 i am thinking that possibly a law degree would be that much more relevant as there is no formal preparation course as on the GDL . I am asking whether any of you think the law is actually that hard and boring, or whether it is likely to actually be very similar to history in terms of reading and essays anyway. along with any thoughts you may have on the issues discussed above. Thanks again.

Reply 1

Notoriety

A form of the GDL course will exist. It mightn't be called the GDL, but it will be there.

Law is a dry and technical degree. It takes a peculiar type of person to enjoy it. Just go with history if you fancy that. Top firms show no preference for law over non-law; they don't want someone who knows academic law, only someone who can do rote practical law stuff which the LPC (or SQE2) and TC will prepare you for.

History is spread over many assignments, normally lots of essays. Law is typically assessed in one end-of-year exam and maybe 1 coursework if you're lucky -- not a traditional essay subject, more "mathematical" particularly problem questions.