The Student Room Group

Manchester v/s Bristol for Law (LLB)

Hello everyone!

I've applied for Law (LLB) with the predicted grades of 2A* and 2As and gotten offers from Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, and Bristol.

I'm very confused between Manchester and Bristol. As Manchester has an overall better reputation and higher global ranking than Bristol, but on the other hand Bristol is ranked higher on the subject rankings for law and their law department is much more reputable and refined.

If anyone goes to either one of the universities or can provide any information that can help me make a decision, please do share.

Reply 1

Bristol
Manchester

Reply 2

Cardiff is also moving up the rankings and is challenging those two.

Reply 3

Original post by bella610
Hello everyone!
I've applied for Law (LLB) with the predicted grades of 2A* and 2As and gotten offers from Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, and Bristol.
I'm very confused between Manchester and Bristol. As Manchester has an overall better reputation and higher global ranking than Bristol, but on the other hand Bristol is ranked higher on the subject rankings for law and their law department is much more reputable and refined.
If anyone goes to either one of the universities or can provide any information that can help me make a decision, please do share.

im in the exact same situation rn, can i ask what you decided? what made you pick this option?

Reply 4

Original post by BubblyCocoa
im in the exact same situation rn, can i ask what you decided? what made you pick this option?

hey when did you get your Bristol offer? X

Reply 5

Original post by spectacular-stro
hey when did you get your Bristol offer? X


Hey I got it last Thursday I’m pretty sure, got put on hold 14th Feb, applied early/mid December x

Reply 6

Thanks! I’ve been on hold since 6 feb and applied early November, impatient to say the least lol

Reply 7

Original post by spectacular-stro
Thanks! I’ve been on hold since 6 feb and applied early November, impatient to say the least lol

Aww haha- you’ll be fine I’m sure!! How was ur lnat? If you’re on hold it’s a good sign and means you met the criteria

Reply 8

Original post by bella610
Hello everyone!
I've applied for Law (LLB) with the predicted grades of 2A* and 2As and gotten offers from Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, and Bristol.
I'm very confused between Manchester and Bristol. As Manchester has an overall better reputation and higher global ranking than Bristol, but on the other hand Bristol is ranked higher on the subject rankings for law and their law department is much more reputable and refined.
If anyone goes to either one of the universities or can provide any information that can help me make a decision, please do share.

Hi what was your Lnat

Reply 9

Original post by AlexWestlake
Hi, I was in this same situation a few months ago. I was able to speak with people respected in the field. The rankings are not important at all. It seems so strange but is true. The most important things to be considering are:
candidate acceptance rate (M 3 in 5 receive an offer, B 9 in 20)
entry requirements (A* AA for both)
average grades of a candidate studying (M A* A A, B A* A A)
success route to top firms in law: Magic circle firms are made up of 5.7% Bristol graduates, the 5th most. Manchester is not listed in the top 11.
average salary (B ranks 7, M not top 10).
Chamber students comprehensive research from 2010-2018 (so slightly outdated) but it ranks the top 20 performing undergraduate locations. Bristol is consistently 3rd-5th and Manchester flucutates quite a lot however in the more recent years it has cocnistentl fallen and in 2018 was 17th.
There is a group of top unis for law: Oxbridge, LSE, UCL, KCL, Durham and Bristol. Manchester is not in it. I think the international rankings are skewed because it is a major city, also, it may rank higher because it has more successful courses than Bristol. Some unis cover a wider base and some specialise more in fewer courses.


Would you have any insight on which would be a better choice for law- Edinburgh or Bristol?- I have offers from both

Reply 10

Original post by AlexWestlake
Hi, I was in this same situation a few months ago. I was able to speak with people respected in the field. The rankings are not important at all. It seems so strange but is true. The most important things to be considering are:
candidate acceptance rate (M 3 in 5 receive an offer, B 9 in 20)
entry requirements (A* AA for both)
average grades of a candidate studying (M A* A A, B A* A A)
success route to top firms in law: Magic circle firms are made up of 5.7% Bristol graduates, the 5th most. Manchester is not listed in the top 11.
average salary (B ranks 7, M not top 10).
Chamber students comprehensive research from 2010-2018 (so slightly outdated) but it ranks the top 20 performing undergraduate locations. Bristol is consistently 3rd-5th and Manchester flucutates quite a lot however in the more recent years it has cocnistentl fallen and in 2018 was 17th.
There is a group of top unis for law: Oxbridge, LSE, UCL, KCL, Durham and Bristol. Manchester is not in it. I think the international rankings are skewed because it is a major city, also, it may rank higher because it has more successful courses than Bristol. Some unis cover a wider base and some specialise more in fewer courses.

Having correctly said that rankings are not important, you then analyse rankings, and refer to out of date information which is often misinterpreted on this forum. It cannot be said too often that university rankings do not have any impact on recruitment decisions in the legal sector.

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7577373
(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 11

Original post by hollytogher
Would you have any insight on which would be a better choice for law- Edinburgh or Bristol?- I have offers from both



Note that Edinburgh offers Scots law. If you wish to practise in England and Wales you would have to obtain a PGDL after graduating from Edinburgh, or qualify as a lawyer in Scotland and then cross-qualify in England and Wales.

Reply 12

Original post by BubblyCocoa
Aww haha- you’ll be fine I’m sure!! How was ur lnat? If you’re on hold it’s a good sign and means you met the criteria

It was 23, so not amazing but I am happy with it, however my essay I know was BAD I ended it in the middle of a sentance misspelling for as foe so I am terrified

Reply 13

Original post by spectacular-stro
It was 23, so not amazing but I am happy with it, however my essay I know was BAD I ended it in the middle of a sentance misspelling for as foe so I am terrified
predicted grades and GCSEs?

Reply 14

Original post by samchapman123
predicted grades and GCSEs?

A*AA, gcse grades are not the best 88776665 I think? Not the best :frown:

Reply 15

Original post by spectacular-stro
A*AA, gcse grades are not the best 88776665 I think? Not the best :frown:

hey did you hear back! my friend has vvv similar stats across the board apart from lnat and has still not heard back from bristol

Reply 16

Personally, I’d say Nottingham Trent university for law is amazing I study there now and the way the modules are set out is great, the staff support is amazing and the peer support is great too. There’s also a mock prison in the psychology department that we get to see and three mock court rooms. If you want somewhere with decent facilities it’s NTU!!

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