The Student Room Group

Depressed over the uni I ended up in

This'll come off ridiculous but it's been playing on my mind for the entire first year so far. I ended up at KCL for Law. I was quite content with this, in fact over joyous with the fact that I ended up here. Thing is I had hoped to get into UCL, especially with my grades and the fact that I had a 30+ LNAT score when I did it in the last admissions cycle. I was rejected by Oxford owing to interview but I had intended to stay in London anyway. What really bugs me about the Oxford rejection is not Oxford itself but the fact I was pretty much pressured, forced even into applying for Oxford, having to replace my option of LSE, which I believe I could have gotten into. I was also silly in picking Bristol and Queen Mary as two options when I would never have wished to gone there (I don't want to leave London and QM is not ideal). With the UCL rejection, I thought my essay was good, and even if it wasn't my mid 30s MCQ score should've offset that fact, but no. UCL ended up being in clearing too this year for Law which I found out days later. It bugs me to no end this fact.

I really wish I applied LSE - or had known of UCL going into clearing. KCL is constantly and I mean constantly clowned on and looked down upon by student forums. It's not seen as being on the same level as it was once was, it's slid down to the mid 20s in national rankings over the years and has gone down in international rankings (which mean crap-all anyway). When people search up uni guides or tables, they see KCL at a mediocre 24. With my grades and whatnot I wish I got into LSE or UCL. That would have been ideal.

However, I am applying again this year and desperately hoping for an offer from either. However, my LNAT score is nowhere as good as last year owing to lack of practice and other things. It really sucks. I think being at uni already will have LSE and UCL prejudice against me too as an applicant for being a flakey student, and probably reasonably so. If I do get an offer, it'll probably be contingent on first year grades which are not going well at all right now owing to mental health and other things. It sucks so much. I have a lot of regret right now.

I understand this'll come off as probably quite snobby and obsessed but it really really bothers me especially when almost everyone I know at my college ended up somewhere better, despite having an equal or slightly worse grade profile.
Reply 1
You are right about this coming off as snobish. You haven't given any other reason to not enjoying the uni other than the ranking and what people say on internet forums? I mean, it's not like you're studying at London Met or something, King College London is still an incredibly well regarded university and within the Russell research group. You need to have better reasons for wanting to switch courses than feeling like the university is beneath you and your friends studying at higher ranked. Obviously its all your choice but the way you're feeling is accredited more to a lack of maturity than anything else in my opinion.
Stick with KCL and do a Masters at the minor your choicr
Reply 3
Hey, I just saw this. I'm at KCL for law, too. And I also got mid thirties MCQ. I know a few people who have reapplied or considered doing so. If you want someone to talk to, even anonymously, let me know; I can empathise a bit with how you're feeling.

At the end of the day, if you're really unhappy, hope you get accepted elsewhere and go there. Just, if you do want to talk to someone who doesn't know who you are - albeit that we've probably met (I'm in first year, too), feel free to do so.
Reply 4
going to UCL or LSE wont guarantee that you’ll end up with a job offer at a big law firm, especially not with this mentality. stop whining so much about league tables and just allow yourself to enjoy your university experience without worrying about them.
Reply 5
Yes, King's ranking is dropping, but honestly it is still an excellent university, and its law department maintains a strong reputation in the industry. I wouldn't worry about being rejected simply because you graduate from King's instead of UCL or LSE.

Yes, rankings say something about a university, but in the professional world, there isn't a significant difference between King's, UCL, and LSE. Focus on your grades and building connections. Having solid knowledge and a strong network is much more important than the university from which you graduate (Trust me - you will realise this as you get older).

I've worked for ten years in both academia and the professional world, in the UK and internationally. People graduating from KCL, UCL, or LSE are generally treated similarly. So, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it.
The university you go to is far less important than your quality as a candidate. You can get into a top law firm whether you go to KCL, Bristol or QMUL just as the fact that one might have gone to Oxbridge/ LSE does not guarantee you such jobs, if you are not considered a suitable candidate. Law firms look at more than just academics when recruiting - strong academics are a given with every candidate whom we interview.
Original post by Lttale
Hey, I just saw this. I'm at KCL for law, too. And I also got mid thirties MCQ. I know a few people who have reapplied or considered doing so. If you want someone to talk to, even anonymously, let me know; I can empathise a bit with how you're feeling.
At the end of the day, if you're really unhappy, hope you get accepted elsewhere and go there. Just, if you do want to talk to someone who doesn't know who you are - albeit that we've probably met (I'm in first year, too), feel free to do so.

How was your experience in first year? also how many people did you know of who had reapplied or thought of doing so?
Original post by Anonymous
This'll come off ridiculous but it's been playing on my mind for the entire first year so far. I ended up at KCL for Law. I was quite content with this, in fact over joyous with the fact that I ended up here. Thing is I had hoped to get into UCL, especially with my grades and the fact that I had a 30+ LNAT score when I did it in the last admissions cycle. I was rejected by Oxford owing to interview but I had intended to stay in London anyway. What really bugs me about the Oxford rejection is not Oxford itself but the fact I was pretty much pressured, forced even into applying for Oxford, having to replace my option of LSE, which I believe I could have gotten into. I was also silly in picking Bristol and Queen Mary as two options when I would never have wished to gone there (I don't want to leave London and QM is not ideal). With the UCL rejection, I thought my essay was good, and even if it wasn't my mid 30s MCQ score should've offset that fact, but no. UCL ended up being in clearing too this year for Law which I found out days later. It bugs me to no end this fact.
I really wish I applied LSE - or had known of UCL going into clearing. KCL is constantly and I mean constantly clowned on and looked down upon by student forums. It's not seen as being on the same level as it was once was, it's slid down to the mid 20s in national rankings over the years and has gone down in international rankings (which mean crap-all anyway). When people search up uni guides or tables, they see KCL at a mediocre 24. With my grades and whatnot I wish I got into LSE or UCL. That would have been ideal.
However, I am applying again this year and desperately hoping for an offer from either. However, my LNAT score is nowhere as good as last year owing to lack of practice and other things. It really sucks. I think being at uni already will have LSE and UCL prejudice against me too as an applicant for being a flakey student, and probably reasonably so. If I do get an offer, it'll probably be contingent on first year grades which are not going well at all right now owing to mental health and other things. It sucks so much. I have a lot of regret right now.
I understand this'll come off as probably quite snobby and obsessed but it really really bothers me especially when almost everyone I know at my college ended up somewhere better, despite having an equal or slightly worse grade profile.

This post reeks of insecurity and ignorance towards the true standing of KCL, regarded for decades as the 6th best UK university for overall reputation according to the World rankings (which matter a lot more than the UK ones for academic prestige), and only recently has it fallen slightly so that Edinburgh and Manchester have overtaken it by the smallest of margins. So KCL still comes in as the 8th best ranked UK university in the global rankings. KCL is also widely regarded as a top 5-6 in the UK for Law, and plenty of KCL law graduates have gone on to become top barristers and solicitors. To be making out that you are a bit down about KCL not being perceived to be as good as UCL or LSE is ludicrous. You shouldn't even be thinking like that if you were now at Bristol, another excellent university. Remember that top employers have a list of selective universities that they recruit from, and KCL will always be among them. Even the likes of Birmingham and Nottingham are targeted by elite employers, because they offer a more rounded university experience than the London universities do, among other reasons.
(edited 6 months ago)
KCL is still one of the best law schools in the UK (around top 5 or top 7), I don’t see why you’re complaining about King’s. You shouldn’t be this obsessed with rankings, they don’t mean as much as you think they do. Whether went to UCL, LSE, KCL, Queen Mary, Manchester, Bristol, Durham etc literally any of the top schools in the UK, your job prospect would hover around the same and you are not necessarily seen less or more if you were to go to UCL. What matters most is how well you do in your degree and if you get first class honors or whatever is the equivalent to get good grades. You’ll be wasting your time re-applying and starting from scratch - no point, it won’t give any sort of advantage in terms of degree or jobs. If you really hate it that much and can’t stand King’s, then sure, do as you please. KCL is excellent though.
Original post by Anonymous
KCL is still one of the best law schools in the UK (around top 5 or top 7), I don’t see why you’re complaining about King’s. You shouldn’t be this obsessed with rankings, they don’t mean as much as you think they do. Whether went to UCL, LSE, KCL, Queen Mary, Manchester, Bristol, Durham etc literally any of the top schools in the UK, your job prospect would hover around the same and you are not necessarily seen less or more if you were to go to UCL. What matters most is how well you do in your degree and if you get first class honors or whatever is the equivalent to get good grades. You’ll be wasting your time re-applying and starting from scratch - no point, it won’t give any sort of advantage in terms of degree or jobs. If you really hate it that much and can’t stand King’s, then sure, do as you please. KCL is excellent though.


I interview training contract candidates for an international law firm and I confirm that the above is entirely correct.

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