Sociology➡️GDL

I recently attended the ‘Cambridge Exploring Law Conference’ where they gave my fellow year 12’s and I a very nice insight into the academics of Law and the profession itself.

What suprised me however, is that of the 7 trainees they brought in from a combination of CC and Hogan Lovells,only 2 of them did an LLB,while the others did Non Law+GDL.

I was just wondering,if i followed a similar route and did Sociology at a top university and got a 1st, would i be disadvantaged in career options,not because it’s a non-Law degree but because it’s seen as a “Mickey Mouse” one.

I really enjoyed it at GCSE,with being the top of my cohort at it ,and am loving it at A-Level as-well.
I believe I would enjoy it greatly at university which may prompt me to get the highest grade I can,but i’m just on the fence in whether it’d be taken seriously in regards to getting opportunities like Vac Schemes and TC’s etc.

Any help appreciated!

Reply 1

bibachu

Original post

by Bombatunde

I recently attended the ‘Cambridge Exploring Law Conference’ where they gave my fellow year 12’s and I a very nice insight into the academics of Law and the profession itself.
What suprised me however, is that of the 7 trainees they brought in from a combination of CC and Hogan Lovells,only 2 of them did an LLB,while the others did Non Law+GDL.
I was just wondering,if i followed a similar route and did Sociology at a top university and got a 1st, would i be disadvantaged in career options,not because it’s a non-Law degree but because it’s seen as a “Mickey Mouse” one.
I really enjoyed it at GCSE,with being the top of my cohort at it ,and am loving it at A-Level as-well.
I believe I would enjoy it greatly at university which may prompt me to get the highest grade I can,but i’m just on the fence in whether it’d be taken seriously in regards to getting opportunities like Vac Schemes and TC’s etc.
Any help appreciated!

Around half of trainee solicitors at city firms did not study law at undergraduate level. The GDL will not be necessary for you, since the current route to become a solicitor being phased in is the SQE. It is not a requirement for you to have had any law degree before sitting the SQE and most firms who are using the SQE route also will not require you to have studied a law conversion degree by the time you finish university. If you want to study sociology, you should 100% go for it. It’s not necessarily all about grades and prestige, so that’s something to keep in mind - even top students at Oxbridge can get rejected because they lack commercial awareness or the firms they apply to don’t feel that they are a good match for their TC. If you want to study sociology, you’ll still need to get yourself into legal spaces during your undergrad. This means attending networking events, insight schemes and applying for vacation schemes. Gaining legal work experience might also give you a bigger advantage, as many applicants, even those who study law, find it hard to gain legal work experience. I would advise you to follow your passion - since you seem to have a career in mind already, your sociology degree won’t be wasted or not taken seriously, as long as you put on the work to get into legal spaces. Sociology can be a very useful subject to have a degree in, just make sure you use your knowledge to your advantage. Good luck in your journey!

Reply 2

trixster06

Original post

by Bombatunde

I recently attended the ‘Cambridge Exploring Law Conference’ where they gave my fellow year 12’s and I a very nice insight into the academics of Law and the profession itself.
What suprised me however, is that of the 7 trainees they brought in from a combination of CC and Hogan Lovells,only 2 of them did an LLB,while the others did Non Law+GDL.
I was just wondering,if i followed a similar route and did Sociology at a top university and got a 1st, would i be disadvantaged in career options,not because it’s a non-Law degree but because it’s seen as a “Mickey Mouse” one.
I really enjoyed it at GCSE,with being the top of my cohort at it ,and am loving it at A-Level as-well.
I believe I would enjoy it greatly at university which may prompt me to get the highest grade I can,but i’m just on the fence in whether it’d be taken seriously in regards to getting opportunities like Vac Schemes and TC’s etc.
Any help appreciated!

hey there, i’m just about to start my sociology degree and will definitely go into law after i graduate. i decided to go with sociology rather than law since i would enjoy the sociology course more and honestly it’s best to do a course which intrigues you more as you’ll thrive whilst studying that particular subject. i also feel like sociology and law are quite interconnected and the skills you get from studying sociology can be implemented into your legal career. many people decide not to go down the traditional route by studying law at UG and you still have endless opportunities even if you study a different subject. whilst studying i’m going to look for internships/work experience so that i can really immerse myself in the legal industry and will also work really hard to get a First or 2:1. my course has a placement option so I can get a placement at a law firm to add to my CV. with a First/2:1 in any subject, good experience & a strong performance in the interview, you can easily access good jobs at law firms. a lot of current employees do a different degree before entering the legal workforce so honestly if you know you’re really going to enjoy studying a particular subject other than law, stick to that! it’s better to get a First/2:1 degree in a subject like Sociology than a 2:2 degree in law. that’s why, i ultimately decided to do sociology at university as I knew that I have always enjoyed sociology at a-level and I always do really well in the subject, so if I work hard I can achieve highly in university. i knew sociology was more my strong suit. i had done subject masterclasses at cambridge for Law and HSPS (which entails sociology) and found out that HSPS was something that interested me more. a sociology degree is equally respectable, especially if you get a first or 2:1. therefore, I would suggest that you follow your interests and passion. if you feel sociology is more suited to you, do sociology as I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!! you’ll be studying the subject for 3 years so it’s best to do a subject that you are passionate about since it gives you the drive and motivation to succeed. good luck with everything!!

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

Cel3ste7

Original post

by Bombatunde

I recently attended the ‘Cambridge Exploring Law Conference’ where they gave my fellow year 12’s and I a very nice insight into the academics of Law and the profession itself.
What suprised me however, is that of the 7 trainees they brought in from a combination of CC and Hogan Lovells,only 2 of them did an LLB,while the others did Non Law+GDL.
I was just wondering,if i followed a similar route and did Sociology at a top university and got a 1st, would i be disadvantaged in career options,not because it’s a non-Law degree but because it’s seen as a “Mickey Mouse” one.
I really enjoyed it at GCSE,with being the top of my cohort at it ,and am loving it at A-Level as-well.
I believe I would enjoy it greatly at university which may prompt me to get the highest grade I can,but i’m just on the fence in whether it’d be taken seriously in regards to getting opportunities like Vac Schemes and TC’s etc.
Any help appreciated!

hi, what was the accommodation like on the conference x?

Reply 4

UniofLawStudent6

Official Rep

Original post

by Bombatunde

I recently attended the ‘Cambridge Exploring Law Conference’ where they gave my fellow year 12’s and I a very nice insight into the academics of Law and the profession itself.
What suprised me however, is that of the 7 trainees they brought in from a combination of CC and Hogan Lovells,only 2 of them did an LLB,while the others did Non Law+GDL.
I was just wondering,if i followed a similar route and did Sociology at a top university and got a 1st, would i be disadvantaged in career options,not because it’s a non-Law degree but because it’s seen as a “Mickey Mouse” one.
I really enjoyed it at GCSE,with being the top of my cohort at it ,and am loving it at A-Level as-well.
I believe I would enjoy it greatly at university which may prompt me to get the highest grade I can,but i’m just on the fence in whether it’d be taken seriously in regards to getting opportunities like Vac Schemes and TC’s etc.
Any help appreciated!

Hi @Bombatunde,

I appreciate this is a somewhat old query, but as an first-class anthropology graduate with a training contract offer, I cannot help offering some advice!

Please never let anyone convince you that a social science is a "Mickey Mouse" degree. The critical judgement, reflexive thinking, open-mindedness and breadth of topics studied in sociology (and anthropology) are so valuable to any career, especially one that is people-facing and sometimes international in scope, like law. This is what I made sure to emphasise throughout my vacation scheme interviews and assessments, and I do believe it is what set me apart from some of the other applicants. What matters most is that you are able to present yourself well, can discuss examples of your skills and strengths, and are open to learning when you do begin your transition into law - many law firms today will even fund your conversion course and SQEs (solicitor exams) for you, so the mere fact that you didn't do an LLB wouldn't put you at a disadvantage.

If you love studying the subject and are talented at it, this is a really strong sign that a sociology degree is probably the best next step for you. As you have seen for yourself, many trainees come from non-law backgrounds and study a conversion course after their undergraduate degree - this is exactly what I am doing now, and I don't regret it at all! Rather, some of the assessments on the PGDL closely resemble those which every aspiring solicitor (no matter their degree) must take on the SQE, so I'd argue this has put me in a great position to succeed.

I imagine you are now in Year 13 and may have already applied for universities - if you have followed your passion and applied for a social science, please do keep a law conversion in mind for the future, as your skills will be immensely valuable as a lawyer. Good luck!

Holly
PGDL Student

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