LLB Law: Difficulty?
Hi, I am interested in doing Law at University. I just wanted to know:
1. how people find it
2. how easy/hard it is to get a 2.1
3. what the workload is like
4. whether or not I would cope with it as I only got a C in GCSE English (A in English Lit) and I'm not doing English type subjects at AS Level, heard you have to do a lot of reading - if so, like how much? how many books a week/pages etc, are the books complicated?
5. I also wanted to know what the typical starting salaries are for a newly qualified solicitor in a small sized law firm in outside of London law firms would be?
Any feedback would be much appreciated, cheers.
1. how people find it
2. how easy/hard it is to get a 2.1
3. what the workload is like
4. whether or not I would cope with it as I only got a C in GCSE English (A in English Lit) and I'm not doing English type subjects at AS Level, heard you have to do a lot of reading - if so, like how much? how many books a week/pages etc, are the books complicated?
5. I also wanted to know what the typical starting salaries are for a newly qualified solicitor in a small sized law firm in outside of London law firms would be?
Any feedback would be much appreciated, cheers.
The books are complicated.
You must do a lot of reading.
Exams are some problem questions, some essays. If you can't write essays and your English is not at least fairly decent, I would advise against a law degree.
How hard it is depends on what uni you go to. But you would need to do a fair amount of work anywhere, though the actual hours you do probably wouldn't be above what you did at A-level. The difference is its essentially self-taught: its not a subject you learn from lectures like some science/medicine courses, there are lectures but you essentially learn the stuff from independent study.
Solicitor in a small sized law firm outside London doesn't mean that much to me. Depends on what area you practice in, the quality of the firm and the location. I would guess 30-60k once you have finished training.
You must do a lot of reading.
Exams are some problem questions, some essays. If you can't write essays and your English is not at least fairly decent, I would advise against a law degree.
How hard it is depends on what uni you go to. But you would need to do a fair amount of work anywhere, though the actual hours you do probably wouldn't be above what you did at A-level. The difference is its essentially self-taught: its not a subject you learn from lectures like some science/medicine courses, there are lectures but you essentially learn the stuff from independent study.
Solicitor in a small sized law firm outside London doesn't mean that much to me. Depends on what area you practice in, the quality of the firm and the location. I would guess 30-60k once you have finished training.
MJJ90
Hi, I am interested in doing Law at University. I just wanted to know:
1. how people find it
2. how easy/hard it is to get a 2.1
3. what the workload is like
4. whether or not I would cope with it as I only got a C in GCSE English (A in English Lit) and I'm not doing English type subjects at AS Level, heard you have to do a lot of reading - if so, like how much? how many books a week/pages etc, are the books complicated?
5. I also wanted to know what the typical starting salaries are for a newly qualified solicitor in a small sized law firm in outside of London law firms would be?
Any feedback would be much appreciated, cheers.
1. how people find it
2. how easy/hard it is to get a 2.1
3. what the workload is like
4. whether or not I would cope with it as I only got a C in GCSE English (A in English Lit) and I'm not doing English type subjects at AS Level, heard you have to do a lot of reading - if so, like how much? how many books a week/pages etc, are the books complicated?
5. I also wanted to know what the typical starting salaries are for a newly qualified solicitor in a small sized law firm in outside of London law firms would be?
Any feedback would be much appreciated, cheers.
1. Very very very long and arduous!
2. Quite hard, especially on black letter law subjects like Contract and Criminal but it is possible. A Law degree is definitely more difficult to master than any other social science. This is reflected in the number of firsts given (which are half compared to say, politics degrees).
3. Horrendously huge. Each subject is similar to a full English A-level content wise so if you do four (or like us here) five subjects it will be a huge shock. Try reading around at least 100 pages per subject per week and that is the bare minimum. Sometimes you will have to read the case itself which is very difficult to understand initially and requires a lot of commitment. Key is not to give up. Core textbooks are very helpful in this area in explaining the key points.
The standard expected is also very high. You can't get away with just unclear waffle. You need to know the substantive law and judgements in problem questions. Judgements are like what the judges say regarding a point of law and in many of the cases you study, there can be disagreement over them (which we call 'dissents').
You also need to know the relevant criticisms of the law and the theoretical and conceptual issues, especially in essay questions - how does the area law fit in with the general issues? As you can see, all of this means reading and it means a lot of it. You can get away with doing very little through the year but you need to be focused when required - the examiners wont lower or rise grade boundaries. If you want a 2.1 you have to perform to 2.1 level.
4. GCSE's and A-levels don't really matter. They show you can understand things and apply what you know but they are far from the be all end all of academic talent. If you are interested in Law then go for it. You will be rewarded with respect and the benefits after graduation. The skills you gain from the law degree are also quite helpful and sectors such as banking and finance areas really respect this. On the other hand, if you are looking for an easy 2.1, do something else.
Good luck with your choice, I don't know about salaries but they would be competitive I would expect...
A lot depends on where you do it
1. how people find it
I both love and hate it. It depends on my mood at the time. I've always loved the subject but sometimes it can be quite dull. Ironically though the subjects I dislike are often the ones most people like. (Tort. I hate Tort. I love Land and Equity & Trusts though)
2. how easy/hard it is to get a 2.1
If you do all the reading and make sure you understand the subject then its easy enough to get a 2:1 unless you mess up the exams which hopefully won't happen.
3. what the workload is like
However much you make it. If you want a 2:1 you're looking at at least 5 hours a day. First year at my uni was significantly easier though.
4. whether or not I would cope with it as I only got a C in GCSE English (A in English Lit) and I'm not doing English type subjects at AS Level, heard you have to do a lot of reading - if so, like how much? how many books a week/pages etc, are the books complicated?
Err, depends. Last year the average seminar for me (Bi weekly) was 1 chapter or about 50 pages and I had a two seminars every week. Along with that each seminar would have about 5 to 10 cases with each being about 10 to 20 pages long. My modules were Constitutional, Criminal, Contract and English Legal Process.
This year I am relieved if a chapter is only 50 pages instead of the average of 80... one seminar was over 150 pages once. Plus about 10 cases for which the average length is about 30 pages long. My modules this year are Land, Equity & Trusts, Tort and EU Law.
You might also have to read a couple of statutes but most statutes are relatively short.
How easy the books are to read also depends on the books. My EU text book I consider cruel and inhumane, but only because its really poorly written not because its hard to understand. I prefer reading the cases myself and the treaties. Land and Equity and Trusts are considered to be the hardest modules to understand though I find them quite easy and enjoyable, especially Trusts. Tort meanwhile most people consider to be the easiest and its the one I am most concerned about.
Go to the library or to your local university, most will allow a guest to come in and look at their books if you sign in and show some ID. Read some of the different text books and see what you think.
The C in English Language doesn't mean much. You got an A in English Literature so you should be okay, that means that you can analyse texts and remember them well enough. I've found the stuff I learnt in English language hasn't really made any difference whereas Literature is actually much more relevant. Language is important but ultimately if you got an A in lit that means you can write essays fine and read texts fine. Don't worry about it.
What A Levels are you doing? I did Law, Government and Politics, History and Critical Thinking... all of which I found helped. (Except law ironically, except to confirm that I liked the subject.)
I both love and hate it. It depends on my mood at the time. I've always loved the subject but sometimes it can be quite dull. Ironically though the subjects I dislike are often the ones most people like. (Tort. I hate Tort. I love Land and Equity & Trusts though)
2. how easy/hard it is to get a 2.1
If you do all the reading and make sure you understand the subject then its easy enough to get a 2:1 unless you mess up the exams which hopefully won't happen.
3. what the workload is like
However much you make it. If you want a 2:1 you're looking at at least 5 hours a day. First year at my uni was significantly easier though.
4. whether or not I would cope with it as I only got a C in GCSE English (A in English Lit) and I'm not doing English type subjects at AS Level, heard you have to do a lot of reading - if so, like how much? how many books a week/pages etc, are the books complicated?
Err, depends. Last year the average seminar for me (Bi weekly) was 1 chapter or about 50 pages and I had a two seminars every week. Along with that each seminar would have about 5 to 10 cases with each being about 10 to 20 pages long. My modules were Constitutional, Criminal, Contract and English Legal Process.
This year I am relieved if a chapter is only 50 pages instead of the average of 80... one seminar was over 150 pages once. Plus about 10 cases for which the average length is about 30 pages long. My modules this year are Land, Equity & Trusts, Tort and EU Law.
You might also have to read a couple of statutes but most statutes are relatively short.
How easy the books are to read also depends on the books. My EU text book I consider cruel and inhumane, but only because its really poorly written not because its hard to understand. I prefer reading the cases myself and the treaties. Land and Equity and Trusts are considered to be the hardest modules to understand though I find them quite easy and enjoyable, especially Trusts. Tort meanwhile most people consider to be the easiest and its the one I am most concerned about.
Go to the library or to your local university, most will allow a guest to come in and look at their books if you sign in and show some ID. Read some of the different text books and see what you think.
The C in English Language doesn't mean much. You got an A in English Literature so you should be okay, that means that you can analyse texts and remember them well enough. I've found the stuff I learnt in English language hasn't really made any difference whereas Literature is actually much more relevant. Language is important but ultimately if you got an A in lit that means you can write essays fine and read texts fine. Don't worry about it.
What A Levels are you doing? I did Law, Government and Politics, History and Critical Thinking... all of which I found helped. (Except law ironically, except to confirm that I liked the subject.)
is law degree at Birmingham city university hard to study?
Original post by simmyperez
is law degree at Birmingham city university hard to study?
There will be 'some difficult parts' but Birmingham City is not the best of unis so will be a lot easier to get higher marks there than its respected Russell Group neighbour the Uni of Birmingham.
I don't think it's particularly difficult. What is challenging is the sheer volume of texts you need to read, and if you don't do it then it WILL come back on the Arse to bite you. It was no coincidence that my second term results were lower than my first when I stopped going to lectures after Easter (arguably the most important stage of lectures) and damned the reading list, using the power points and a core textbook instead. In second year I am gonna try my damn hardest not to miss any lectures/seminars and will sacrifice nights out of I have to for reading the relevant stuff. It also helps to wake up at a decent time haha
Original post by ORW
There will be 'some difficult parts' but Birmingham City is not the best of unis so will be a lot easier to get higher marks there than its respected Russell Group neighbour the Uni of Birmingham.
How much easier?
What are you basing that on?
Original post by 999tigger
How much easier?
What are you basing that on?
What are you basing that on?
Are you disputing that the difficulty of degree varies?
I hate all this prestige talk, but there's a clear difference between law at Oxford and law at UEL.
I've met people with mediocre A-Levels, who didn't score below 70% in ANY undergraduate law module. That just doesn't happen at the top universities.
Either the courses at less regarded universities are easier or academics are more generous with their marking.
Original post by erj2018
Are you disputing that the difficulty of degree varies?
I hate all this prestige talk, but there's a clear difference between law at Oxford and law at UEL.
I've met people with mediocre A-Levels, who didn't score below 70% in ANY undergraduate law module. That just doesn't happen at the top universities.
Either the courses at less regarded universities are easier or academics are more generous with their marking.
I hate all this prestige talk, but there's a clear difference between law at Oxford and law at UEL.
I've met people with mediocre A-Levels, who didn't score below 70% in ANY undergraduate law module. That just doesn't happen at the top universities.
Either the courses at less regarded universities are easier or academics are more generous with their marking.
I was asking the question I asked. Quite simple.
Do you have some research or evidence to show the marking is much more generous? More than annecdotal?
Original post by erj2018
Are you disputing that the difficulty of degree varies?
I hate all this prestige talk, but there's a clear difference between law at Oxford and law at UEL.
I've met people with mediocre A-Levels, who didn't score below 70% in ANY undergraduate law module. That just doesn't happen at the top universities.
Either the courses at less regarded universities are easier or academics are more generous with their marking.
I hate all this prestige talk, but there's a clear difference between law at Oxford and law at UEL.
I've met people with mediocre A-Levels, who didn't score below 70% in ANY undergraduate law module. That just doesn't happen at the top universities.
Either the courses at less regarded universities are easier or academics are more generous with their marking.
I agree with this, it's so irritating when people think it doesn't happen. There were people on my law degree with 3 A* but only ended up a 2.1 yet people with 3 Cs at crap unis getting straight firsts. I know some people underperform at A levels and more intelligent people sometimes choose not to work that hard at uni etc etc but on the whole I think it's a load of crap
Original post by 999tigger
I was asking the question I asked. Quite simple.
Do you have some research or evidence to show the marking is much more generous? More than annecdotal?
Do you have some research or evidence to show the marking is much more generous? More than annecdotal?
Otherwise, it would not have been possible for people who got into those type universities to get any decent classification. If only all the polys weren't given the degree awarding powers, people who are going there at the moment would not have gotten into a university at all. So if someone clearly is not academic enough to get into an actual university, they certainly can't reasonably achieve anything more than a 3rd.
Original post by BIGJohnson777
Otherwise, it would not have been possible for people who got into those type universities to get any decent classification. If only all the polys weren't given the degree awarding powers, people who are going there at the moment would not have gotten into a university at all. So if someone clearly is not academic enough to get into an actual university, they certainly can't reasonably achieve anything more than a 3rd.
I merely asked do you have any actual research? Not hard.
I do not think it is really true that poor universities are much more generous with their marking than, say, RG unis. Many more students at poor universities end up with 3rd class degrees or 2:2s than get the same classification at a good university. The marking may be very slightly more generous but not much.
(edited 8 years ago)
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