Law Personal Statement Advice

Hi, i am currently a yr 12 A level student who is starting to look at universities and ucas applications.i dont have any predicted grades yet but for my first mock s i got a B in History and English Literature and a D* in btec music performance; im looking at applying for a foundation year for Law at oxford and Global Law at The University of Edinburgh for university

Im currently typing up my first personal statement draft but i am really stuck, ive looked at some examples and asked my teachers for help but feel like i need more guidance. And im also starting to look at the LNAT but am very intimidated by it

does anyone have some advice, tips and examples?

Reply 1

PQ

PS Reviewer

21

Listen to the Law in Action podcast on BBC Sounds. When there’s a topic you find interesting then research into it in more detail in your own time (look at court documents and transcripts, do background reading into similar cases, watch documentaries/lectures and read books/papers/journals on those topics, take MOOCs etc etc).

The key is to take an interest in current legal issues and then follow your genuine interests in your own time. That genuine interest will make it feel like it isn’t hard work and will come through in your PS.

Reply 2

Muse&artist

OP

2

Original post by PQ

Listen to the Law in Action podcast on BBC Sounds. When there’s a topic you find interesting then research into it in more detail in your own time (look at court documents and transcripts, do background reading into similar cases, watch documentaries/lectures and read books/papers/journals on those topics, take MOOCs etc etc).

The key is to take an interest in current legal issues and then follow your genuine interests in your own time. That genuine interest will make it feel like it isn’t hard work and will come through in your PS.

Thank you for the advice

Reply 3

cat101010

6

Original post by Muse&artist

Hi, i am currently a yr 12 A level student who is starting to look at universities and ucas applications.i dont have any predicted grades yet but for my first mock s i got a B in History and English Literature and a D* in btec music performance; im looking at applying for a foundation year for Law at oxford and Global Law at The University of Edinburgh for university
Im currently typing up my first personal statement draft but i am really stuck, ive looked at some examples and asked my teachers for help but feel like i need more guidance. And im also starting to look at the LNAT but am very intimidated by it
does anyone have some advice, tips and examples?

hey
I see this is 2 months late but here is some advice I gave someone else + some about global law

I applied for both straight law and global law and my main advice would be:

LNAT:

•

use the website arbitio - its harder than the real thing but its helpful for prep

•

id also recommend using the 'LNAT ultimate guide' - however I do want to note that it is a book, and in my experience reading the extracts on paper is easier than a screen so keep that in mind

•

for the essay try to think about what your other subjects have taught you. e.g. I do psychology and my friend does philosophy so I lightly mentioned facts from those.

•

remember! the essay is not all about facts or intelligent language its about how well you construct an argument beyond the standard 'thesis and antithesis' style

Personal statement:
generally:

•

don't state what you read, when writing about MOOCs, published opinions, or reading, think of these qs: what did I disagree with? what did it lead me to think about? what skills did I develop from it? and most importantly what did I do about this interest/thought/aspect I focused on?

•

go onto uni websites and look at what they want demonstrated/what skills they say are most useful for the course

•

when it comes to work experience it doesn't matter if it isnt even in law (although I do recommend law WE). I literally linked finance to law and talked about what I thought or skills I developed from it.

One thing I found hard was explaining why I was even interested in Law, don't be to focused on giving an answer that you think they want. I mentioned how my family member's career (non legal) made me become interested in how aspects of their work would be influenced by law which led me to .....
NOTE: that being said, don't write anything like: my family are lawyers, since I was a child, or something along those lines

To get around the issue of applying to global as well as normal law:
I read a somewhat standard law introductory book,
I chose a theme form it (I chose one that held international significance),
did MOOCs on the same topic, and then linked it to modules that were common between the courses.
This method meant I could demonstrate all my wider reading and MOOCs while also linking all types of courses.

I hope this helps, if you have questions about this or anything to do with the process or choices feel free to ask :smile:

Reply 4

Muse&artist

OP

2

Original post by cat101010

hey
I see this is 2 months late but here is some advice I gave someone else + some about global law
I applied for both straight law and global law and my main advice would be:
LNAT:

•

use the website arbitio - its harder than the real thing but its helpful for prep

•

id also recommend using the 'LNAT ultimate guide' - however I do want to note that it is a book, and in my experience reading the extracts on paper is easier than a screen so keep that in mind

•

for the essay try to think about what your other subjects have taught you. e.g. I do psychology and my friend does philosophy so I lightly mentioned facts from those.

•

remember! the essay is not all about facts or intelligent language its about how well you construct an argument beyond the standard 'thesis and antithesis' style

Personal statement:
generally:

•

don't state what you read, when writing about MOOCs, published opinions, or reading, think of these qs: what did I disagree with? what did it lead me to think about? what skills did I develop from it? and most importantly what did I do about this interest/thought/aspect I focused on?

•

go onto uni websites and look at what they want demonstrated/what skills they say are most useful for the course

•

when it comes to work experience it doesn't matter if it isnt even in law (although I do recommend law WE). I literally linked finance to law and talked about what I thought or skills I developed from it.

One thing I found hard was explaining why I was even interested in Law, don't be to focused on giving an answer that you think they want. I mentioned how my family member's career (non legal) made me become interested in how aspects of their work would be influenced by law which led me to .....
NOTE: that being said, don't write anything like: my family are lawyers, since I was a child, or something along those lines
To get around the issue of applying to global as well as normal law:
I read a somewhat standard law introductory book,
I chose a theme form it (I chose one that held international significance),
did MOOCs on the same topic, and then linked it to modules that were common between the courses.
This method meant I could demonstrate all my wider reading and MOOCs while also linking all types of courses.
I hope this helps, if you have questions about this or anything to do with the process or choices feel free to ask :smile:

Thank you so much, ive just seen your reply and im definetly going to implement your advice

Law Personal Statement Advice

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