bad lnat, gap year?

Reply 20

19

JE9, you are giving good advice. I would only comment that a PGDL need not be boring.

Please take what follows as kindly intended, because it is.

You used 344 words to say what McGinger said using 10 words. Your follow-up uses 325 words. I mention this because concise writing is a valuable skill for lawyers. Less is more. When the big cheese partner asks you and that other trainee to write a note on something, if your note is one page long and has the answer at the top, the partner may thank you more than the other trainee who sent an eight page essay with the answer buried somewhere near the end.

Also, in UK usage the verb "to practise" has an s. The noun "practice" has a second c. US usage is otherwise.

Reply 21

laura!!!

OP

9

Original post

by JE9

You’re welcome! I’m very glad it’s been of help!
I’m sorry about your Warwick rejection firstly, it seems this is yet another unbelievably competitive year with very strong students getting multiple rejections-
As for your question, I would 100% stand by my recommendation to accept Nottingham- as mentioned in my previous response, you really don’t want to put yourself into this situation, as the competition will be just as strong next year, and it seems that even with perfect achieved grades, things always have the potential to go wrong again.
Nottingham is a very difficult offer to get, and I’m certain it’ll provide you identical opportunities to any other Russell group law school in the UK- you should be very proud to have received their offer in such a harsh year too as lots of people will have wanted it and you came out above them!

•

It may also be worth noting that clearing doesn’t often/ if ever leave spaces for the better alternative courses at the better Universities, and if law is what you aim to practice after your degree, I’m sure the last thing you’re going to want to do is spend another year doing a boring conversion course with more exams etc… after a long 3 years of hard work- you’ll just want to get out there and practice- You’ll be able to do this with your Nottingham degree-

So definitely, if law is what you want to do after your degree, 1000000% accept your Nottingham offer- it will save you time, stress, and effort that isn’t needed at all, to receive identical opportunities- only ever think of taking the gap year if you have a genuine switch in interests for your course, or career goals, but if you stick with law-. Definitely Nottingham- trust me and save yourself from having to find out what these law gap years are like😭the best I can do is strongly warn you against it!
*

Thank you again! :smile:

Reply 22

JE9

11

Original post

by Stiffy Byng

JE9, you are giving good advice. I would only comment that a PGDL need not be boring.
Please take what follows as kindly intended, because it is.
You used 344 words to say what McGinger said using 10 words. Your follow-up uses 325 words. I mention this because concise writing is a valuable skill for lawyers. Less is more. When the big cheese partner asks you and that other trainee to write a note on something, if your note is one page long and has the answer at the top, the partner may thank you more than the other trainee who sent an eight page essay with the answer buried somewhere near the end.
Also, in UK usage the verb "to practise" has an s. The noun "practice" has a second c. US usage is otherwise.

I appreciate the advice, but I write very differently in academic writing to the way I write giving advice on the student room- and this would be reflected in my legal writing.

Reply 23

user43637388

3

Original post

by laura!!!

this helps a lot, thank you so much!
just wondering if your point still stands, as I just got rejected by Warwick lol, but would you still say to take the Notts offer over choosing a different course through clearing and then a conversion? thanks again

hi im in the same boat as you but waiting for Warwick. do you mind sharing if they gave a reason really worried now.

Reply 24

laura!!!

OP

9

Original post

by user43637388

hi im in the same boat as you but waiting for Warwick. do you mind sharing if they gave a reason really worried now.

they gave me this as the reason: Due to the strong quality of applications for this course, competition for places is extremely high. After careful consideration of your overall profile, including predicted and achieved grades, your personal statement and academic reference, your application was not judged to be as strong as those of other candidates.

Reply 25

jasonxavier

4

If you're still interested in law, Nottingham and Warwick are solid options, so a gap year isn't necessary unless you're dead set on a specific uni.

Reply 26

laura!!!

OP

9

Original post

by jasonxavier

If you're still interested in law, Nottingham and Warwick are solid options, so a gap year isn't necessary unless you're dead set on a specific uni.

thanks!

Reply 27

UoL Students

Official Rep

16

Original post

by laura!!!

Hi,
I found out I got 25 on the LNAT, which wasn’t as expected, and i’ve received rejections from durham and kcl. whilst those are my only lnat options, and having 2 offers from notts and Leicester, and waiting for Warwick, should I just focus on my alevel and then take a gap year so I can try again? personally feeling severely disheartened, as I was stuck between history and law, and I’m not sure if I should take/wait for my current offers, take a gap year, or just change degree choices altogether :frown:

any advice would be nice

Hello @laura!!!

I am sorry to hear that you are disappointed about your LNAT score. It is not the end of the world though as there are still lots of different options. Firstly, I would recommend at this point that you focus on your A Levels and get the best grades you can as everything else can wait.

Whether you want to take a gap year or not really is an individual choice as it can depend on many different factors and how you will justify it when you re-apply for university. For instance, do you plan to gain some experience or travel etc. If you decide you want to go straight to university that is still an option. Not all universities ask for the LNAT. University of Leicester for instance do not require the LNAT.

Also, if you want to wait or even if your A Level exams don't go as well as you had planned you can always apply for Law or History through clearing, depending on availability of places and your final grades. Many of the best and most successful students come to university through clearing and so this should not be seen as a negative option. For instance, when I was working in the clearing call centre last year I had someone with three A* grades call me to enquire about clearing places.

I hope this helps, if you have any further questions please do let me know.

Charlie
Law LLB Student

Reply 28

Jetti

9

Original post

by laura!!!

Hi,
I found out I got 25 on the LNAT, which wasn’t as expected, and i’ve received rejections from durham and kcl. whilst those are my only lnat options, and having 2 offers from notts and Leicester, and waiting for Warwick, should I just focus on my alevel and then take a gap year so I can try again? personally feeling severely disheartened, as I was stuck between history and law, and I’m not sure if I should take/wait for my current offers, take a gap year, or just change degree choices altogether :frown:

any advice would be nice

lol I felt this way too, I got 23 despite scoring better on practice tests. I think it’s too random and unpredictable, thankfully only one of my choices (Glasgow) uses Lnat and I still got in! But it’s a ridiculous test and I think that, when you’ve already practiced a lot of it comes down to pure, stupid luck

Reply 29

University of Leicester

Official Rep

14

Original post

by laura!!!

Hi,
I found out I got 25 on the LNAT, which wasn’t as expected, and i’ve received rejections from durham and kcl. whilst those are my only lnat options, and having 2 offers from notts and Leicester, and waiting for Warwick, should I just focus on my alevel and then take a gap year so I can try again? personally feeling severely disheartened, as I was stuck between history and law, and I’m not sure if I should take/wait for my current offers, take a gap year, or just change degree choices altogether :frown:

any advice would be nice

Hello 👋,

Firstly, a 25 is still a very good score for the LNAT and congratulations on receiving your other 2 offers!

I would just like to shed some light on what our Law courses have on offer to help you make an informed decision ☺️

As a whole:
🌟You will gain practical experience including many pro bono opportunities across legal advice and support projects

🌟 There is a moot court where you can practice your legal arguments

🌟 There is an annual Law Fair which attracts leading employers with all five Magic Circle firms have visited Leicester to recruit students

🌟 There is a Legal Advice Clinic which offers free advice to members of the public and the students can work under
the supervision of qualified solicitors to provide legal advice to the public, free of charge

For course structure and what you will cover in each year on the Law LLB course, please click here for more information 📚

We also have a careers and employability service, dedicated in helping students develop skills and prepare them for employment, post graduation.

They offer a variety of support:
🏢1:1 Appointments (career coaching, mock interviews/assessments etc…)

🏢Support in applications and CVs

Important note: there is a lifetime guarantee with this service as they will continue to support you throughout your career as you will continue to have access to their online careers platform.

But as for right now, definitely focus on your a levels to achieve the highest grades you can, I’m sure you are going to do great!

I hope this has helped, please feel free to reach out if you have any more questions or regarding a different course ☺️

Zara
Psychology BSc

Reply 30

LawApplicant101

11

Original post

by JE9

I know this is a late reply, and you may have chosen, but without a shadow of a doubt you should accept Nottingham or Warwick( I had to take a gap year this year to re- apply to similar Universities to the ones you were rejected by( and others) and it’s been torturous-
It feels like I’ve had to do year 13 all over again, and relive that insufferable year- studying for/ resitting the LNAT that could easily go wrong again, edit personal statements, get teachers at a school you don’t attend anymore to sort references out etc… and then spend your year waiting for unis to reply to you-
If you wanted to do a gap year for personal reasons to develop yourself/ a good purpose, it’s a great idea, however if you’re doing so to re- apply to unis that could reject you again, as they’ve done this year, you’d be choosing to put yourself through this hideous system, that just doesn’t work if applying to such competitive unis for such a competitive subject( law)- whilst you already have an offer and a potential offer from two of the best law schools in the UK ( Nott and Warwick)
Save your year or use it for a good reason( not to re- apply) but I would strongly strongly encourage you to accept your Nottingham offer( also- you’re opportunities will be exactly the same whether you go to Nott or a London uni and even Oxbridge for the most part)- I would’ve snatched that offer had I received any in year 13, and I feel it’s important I warn you not to put yourself in this position, whilst you don’t have to( like I did),
Also it feels worth pointing out that people chose to do a gap year to re- apply do Durham, then achieved 3 A*s at A- Level, and were still rejected with an LNAT score of about 25( even though they were achieved grades) so it’s also hugely risky.
I hope this helps and good luck with your choice!

I second this, had to reapply and resit and as much as youll tell yourself its only 1 year, its a gruesome long damn year. Don’t do it when you’ve got top unis like Notts and Warwick waning you - just isn’t worth it!!

Reply 31

hilla145

10

I also think you should take the Nottingham offer. I walked away from a SOAS offer to reapply and yes it paid off but I agree with JE9: I would NOT have reapplied if I’d had an offer from a top 10 Russell Group uni on the table in 2023. It’s splitting hairs to go through aaaall of this again to get a slightly better offer that won’t ultimately make a radical difference in your career, life trajectory, and happiness

Now if you absolutely hate the prospect of going to that uni for the next 3 years, then ok fair enough. If it’s a pride thing, though, I implore you to be for real, research Nottingham again, and ask yourself what this is really about. None of us are owed an offer and anything can happen in any application cycle. God is looking out for you with this so please be humble, reconsider the great opportunity, and know that you would kill it at Nottingham

Reply 32

laura!!!

OP

9

Original post

by hilla145

I also think you should take the Nottingham offer. I walked away from a SOAS offer to reapply and yes it paid off but I agree with JE9: I would NOT have reapplied if I’d had an offer from a top 10 Russell Group uni on the table in 2023. It’s splitting hairs to go through aaaall of this again to get a slightly better offer that won’t ultimately make a radical difference in your career, life trajectory, and happiness
Now if you absolutely hate the prospect of going to that uni for the next 3 years, then ok fair enough. If it’s a pride thing, though, I implore you to be for real, research Nottingham again, and ask yourself what this is really about. None of us are owed an offer and anything can happen in any application cycle. God is looking out for you with this so please be humble, reconsider the great opportunity, and know that you would kill it at Nottingham

thank you so much! after thinking, i did take the notts offer in the end, but as an insurance, and firmed durham for history, as i was reconsidered for that and thought it'd be better to do something i'm more interested in first, so i'm hoping conversion won't be too much of a mess and that i didn't make a mistake lol🙂
thanks again haha

Reply 33

laura!!!

OP

9

Original post

by LawApplicant101

I second this, had to reapply and resit and as much as youll tell yourself its only 1 year, its a gruesome long damn year. Don’t do it when you’ve got top unis like Notts and Warwick waning you - just isn’t worth it!!

thanks

Reply 34

Stiffy Byng

19

Original post

by laura!!!

thank you so much! after thinking, i did take the notts offer in the end, but as an insurance, and firmed durham for history, as i was reconsidered for that and thought it'd be better to do something i'm more interested in first, so i'm hoping conversion won't be too much of a mess and that i didn't make a mistake lol🙂
thanks again haha

A degree in history is an excellent platform on which to train and practise as a lawyer (ask me how I know this), as well as conferring benefits which have nothing to do with the law. The PGDL is pretty straightforward, and not too challenging if you have first taken a rigorous degree at a university with high standards, and the law is (mostly) an interesting thing to study. Good luck!

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 35

laura!!!

OP

9

Original post

by Stiffy Byng

A degree in history is an excellent platform on which to train and practise as a lawyer (ask me how I know this), as well as conferring benefits which have nothing to do with the law. The PGDL is pretty straightforward, and not too challenging if you have first taken a rigorous degree at a university with high standard, and the law is (mostly) an interesting thing to study. Good luck!

thanks a bunch! especially with your help in prior posts :smile:

Reply 36

UEA Rep Daniel

12

Original post

by laura!!!

Hi,
I found out I got 25 on the LNAT, which wasn’t as expected, and i’ve received rejections from durham and kcl. whilst those are my only lnat options, and having 2 offers from notts and Leicester, and waiting for Warwick, should I just focus on my alevel and then take a gap year so I can try again? personally feeling severely disheartened, as I was stuck between history and law, and I’m not sure if I should take/wait for my current offers, take a gap year, or just change degree choices altogether :frown:

any advice would be nice

Hi there,
I can completely understand why you're feeling disheartened, getting rejections after putting so much into the LNAT and your application really stings, especially when it’s something you were genuinely aiming for. But 25 on the LNAT isn’t a bad score at all, and getting offers from Nottingham and Leicester is a real achievement in itself, both have strong law schools with good graduate prospects.

It’s easy to feel like you need to reassess everything after a knock like this, but it might help to take a step back and look at what drew you to law in the first place. If you still feel passionate about studying law, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with going ahead with your current offers and making the most of the opportunities they’ll give you. You can always aim for top postgraduate routes or explore career-enhancing things like mooting, internships, or even a year abroad.

On the other hand, if your gut is telling you you’d benefit from taking a gap year to reassess, prep again and reapply, that’s also a valid and mature decision, just make sure you’d be using that year to really strengthen your application and do things you didn’t have time for this year. Also, if you're still torn between history and law, a gap year could give you the time and clarity to figure that out properly.
No option here is the “wrong” one, it really depends on where your motivation sits right now. If you want, I can talk through how Law at UEA works, it’s very strong in areas like human rights and environmental law, with great student support and hands-on experience like the award-winning law clinic. Might be worth considering if you’re still weighing things up.

How are you feeling about your A-levels at the moment? Do you think you’ve still got the energy to push through and do your best this summer?

Best,
Daniel
PhD Biology

Reply 37

hilla145

10

Original post

by laura!!!

thank you so much! after thinking, i did take the notts offer in the end, but as an insurance, and firmed durham for history, as i was reconsidered for that and thought it'd be better to do something i'm more interested in first, so i'm hoping conversion won't be too much of a mess and that i didn't make a mistake lol🙂
thanks again haha

that’s wonderful- congrats!! Durham is an amazing school and I’m so glad the right offer came through. Law and history go hand in hand so never fear