Durham or SOAS London for Law?

Durham or SOAS London for Law?

I am already choosing 4 other choices from:

St. John's College, Oxford, LSE, UCL and KCL.

Are there any current undergraduate students who study Law at Durham?

Although Durham is ranked higher in the league tables, SOAS is also highly ranked for research.

SOAS also has impressive destinations for graduates:

Which one do I choose for my 5th UCAS choice? :s-smilie:

Recent SOAS graduates have been hired by:

•

Allen & Overy

•

Baker McKenzie

•

BLM Law

•

BloombergNEF

•

British Medical Association

•

Clifford Chance

•

DAC Beachcroft LLP

•

Department for Work and Pensions

•

Gibson Young Solicitors

•

HM Treasury

•

Latham & Watkins

•

Legal Cheek

•

Linklaters

•

Lloyds Banking Group

•

PwC LLP

•

Simpson Millar Solicitors

•

Slaughter and May

•

The Economist

•

Travers Smith

•

United Nations

•

Vodafone

•

World Cancer Research Fund

Reply 1

Wired_1800

Original post by thegeek888

Durham or SOAS London for Law?
I am already choosing 4 other choices from:
St. John's College, Oxford, LSE, UCL and KCL.
Are there any current undergraduate students who study Law at Durham?
Although Durham is ranked higher in the league tables, SOAS is also highly ranked for research.
SOAS also has impressive destinations for graduates:
Which one do I choose for my 5th UCAS choice? :s-smilie:

Recent SOAS graduates have been hired by:

•

Allen & Overy

•

Baker McKenzie

•

BLM Law

•

BloombergNEF

•

British Medical Association

•

Clifford Chance

•

DAC Beachcroft LLP

•

Department for Work and Pensions

•

Gibson Young Solicitors

•

HM Treasury

•

Latham & Watkins

•

Legal Cheek

•

Linklaters

•

Lloyds Banking Group

•

PwC LLP

•

Simpson Millar Solicitors

•

Slaughter and May

•

The Economist

•

Travers Smith

•

United Nations

•

Vodafone

•

World Cancer Research Fund

Your choices are too stacked with top uni options. I’d suggest using the 2-2-1 model to select your choices (2 reach unis, 2 match unis and 1 ‘easy’ uni). All based on your grades.

The 2 reach unis should be unis that you consider hard to get into such as UCL, Oxbridge, LSE etc

2 match unis should be those that you have a reasonable chance of securing offers.

1 ‘easy’ uni should be one that you are 99.9% certain of an offer.

I would consider some other unis like Southampton, Surrey Uni, Manchester as additions to your options.

Also, you can apply to 4 unis early in Sept/Oct when apps open, then you use your final option by Jan depending on the offers that you got. Not to scare you but there was a lad who had rejections from Durham, LSE and UCL but offers from Cambridge and Southampton. He was lucky and chose those two.

Good luck

Reply 2

Durham Students

Official Rep

Original post by thegeek888

Durham or SOAS London for Law?
I am already choosing 4 other choices from:
St. John's College, Oxford, LSE, UCL and KCL.
Are there any current undergraduate students who study Law at Durham?
Although Durham is ranked higher in the league tables, SOAS is also highly ranked for research.
SOAS also has impressive destinations for graduates:
Which one do I choose for my 5th UCAS choice? :s-smilie:

Recent SOAS graduates have been hired by:

•

Allen & Overy

•

Baker McKenzie

•

BLM Law

•

BloombergNEF

•

British Medical Association

•

Clifford Chance

•

DAC Beachcroft LLP

•

Department for Work and Pensions

•

Gibson Young Solicitors

•

HM Treasury

•

Latham & Watkins

•

Legal Cheek

•

Linklaters

•

Lloyds Banking Group

•

PwC LLP

•

Simpson Millar Solicitors

•

Slaughter and May

•

The Economist

•

Travers Smith

•

United Nations

•

Vodafone

•

World Cancer Research Fund

Hey there,

It's good to know you're considering applying to Durham for law. I'm afraid I haven't had any connections to SOAS nor did I consider it as a potential uni to apply to but I've recently graduated from Durham law in June so can offer my two pence on the quality of the course and what my experience has been there.

Starting with the course structure, you do at least 6 modules each year (worth 20 credits each). In the first year, you don't have the option to choose the modules as they are fixed but in the 2nd and 3rd years, you can pick the modules from a long list. This is where things got interesting for me because I studied employment law and was absolutely enchanted by it - I could read the books for hours on end because I found them so interesting. I also picked a language module (because why not!) and studied Korean in my 2nd and 3rd years. This way I learned a new language which counted towards my final degree and also didn't feel "bored" by only studying everything legal. You can also do a year abroad or a placement year as part of your degree, with companies like Simmons & Simmons, BCLP, Oracle etc offering legal placements.

There is a lot of support to progress your career aspirations. There is a law career fair at the beginning of Michaelmas term where law firms come on campus and you can interact with them and get freebies! A range of law societies exist like Durham Law Society, ELSA, Non-law into Law, Mooting Society, The Bar Society etc. You can get involved in a range of events from mooting competitions to networking events with firms like Travers Smith and Hogan Lovells. I attended these networking events and got to know a lot about the firms from the lawyers working there which fed into my applications. Recently a commercial awareness session was also held with Idin Sabahipour which unfortunately I couldn't attend but I heard it received a lot of interest from students interested in commercial law! The university has also recently started a DLS Employability Course led by a practising professor who is a former Slaughter & May partner. He leads these sessions and gives advice on different parts of a commercial law career from choosing the right firms to Watson Glaser, assessment centres and interviews. And for any internship or work experience opportunity you get, you can also get a financial contribution towards your travel expenses or buying professional clothing, which has been really helpful.

I think for me, Durham really stood out in terms of the extra-curricular opportunities it has to offer which will not only benefit your personal development but also lay the foundation for your professional careers. For instance, I mentioned that I learned Korean through which I developed communication and cultural awareness, which I can talk about in interviews as something that sets me apart. Similarly, I sat on the exec committee of Disney Society as publicity officer and helped organise a charity ball, and also did two part-time jobs in the university's careers and marketing teams through which I explored non-legal careers and gained a host of new skills. There's also other things to get involved in from fashion shows to volunteering to sports and drama. Having talked to numerous lawyers and graduate recruitment people in law firms, I've understood that they like to hire people who have had experiences relating to more than just law- so the opportunities Durham has to offer can really set you up for success if you get involved in them. I've definitely seen this work for Durham students as many people from my cohort have landed training contracts at firms like DLA Piper, Latham & Watkins, White & Case, Hogan Lovells, Addeshaw Goddard, Government Legal Department and much more.

We've recently launched a podcast where students share what opportunities they've been involved in and how that has helped their development- Discovering Durham University - Ep 2 Opportunities Galore

Hope this helps but feel free to reach out if you have more questions :smile:

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 3

hubbabridge

SOAS is a very different university to your other choices which are mainstream high end. SOAS is smaller and has more postgraduates than undergraduates. It is quirky and offers subjects and papers that other universities do not offer. It is highly rated for research but undergraduate law is not really about research, it is about getting the basics under your belt. I know that because you are applying to Oxford you have to get your choices in soon but I would if possible try and visit SOAS to make sure its got the vibe you are looking for. I have studied at UCL and SOAS and though they are only 500 metres apart physically they are completely different in philosophy and the students they attract.