Law uni opinions
I’m still deciding on where to go for uni and i was wondering if some current law students could give me their opinions of their uni. Deciding between Durham, Edinburgh, and Glasgow- i would prob be leaning Durham, but my conditions are a fair bit higher (3As at advanced higher vs a B for Glasgow and unconditional for Edi- id still be aiming for 3As anyway tho) and I wouldn’t have to pay for the others, so wanted to know if it’s worth it. thanks!!
Reply 1
Original post
by lucyy07I’m still deciding on where to go for uni and i was wondering if some current law students could give me their opinions of their uni. Deciding between Durham, Edinburgh, and Glasgow- i would prob be leaning Durham, but my conditions are a fair bit higher (3As at advanced higher vs a B for Glasgow and unconditional for Edi- id still be aiming for 3As anyway tho) and I wouldn’t have to pay for the others, so wanted to know if it’s worth it. thanks!!
Durham, Edinburgh and Glasgow are all excellent. Going to either one won't be wrong.
The unconditional from Edinburgh is very tempting but are you aiming at practising in Scotland? Edinburgh only offers Scots Law.
Has you taken LNAT for Durham and Glasgow?
Reply 2
11
Original post
by cksiuDurham, Edinburgh and Glasgow are all excellent. Going to either one won't be wrong.
The unconditional from Edinburgh is very tempting but are you aiming at practising in Scotland? Edinburgh only offers Scots Law.
Has you taken LNAT for Durham and Glasgow?
The unconditional from Edinburgh is very tempting but are you aiming at practising in Scotland? Edinburgh only offers Scots Law.
Has you taken LNAT for Durham and Glasgow?
What do you think of uni of York for law?
Reply 3
11
Original post
by lucyy07I’m still deciding on where to go for uni and i was wondering if some current law students could give me their opinions of their uni. Deciding between Durham, Edinburgh, and Glasgow- i would prob be leaning Durham, but my conditions are a fair bit higher (3As at advanced higher vs a B for Glasgow and unconditional for Edi- id still be aiming for 3As anyway tho) and I wouldn’t have to pay for the others, so wanted to know if it’s worth it. thanks!!
I think it all depends where you want to practice after your degree:
If you aim to practice in England:
— Durham is the best choice( highest ranked and only below Oxbridge for trainees in MC firms
— Glasgow would only be worth it if it’s common law you’ve applied for( even then it’s still 4 years+ less well regarded than Durham by big firms
— Edinburgh would only be useable with another year doing a conversion course to common law
If you aim to practice in Scotland( I’m guessing not as you’re leaning towards Durham)
— Edinburgh is the only correct choice( highest ranked and unconditional offer)
— Glasgow would be equally strong if you’ve applied for Scot’s law
— Durham is obviously unusable to practice there.
Overall: Assuming you’re planning on practicing in England-
Durham:
Best choice for prospects, but more expensive as the others won’t cost as much for you being Scottish
Glasgow:
If common law, not as good as Durham, but a less risky offer condition+ 4 years instead of 3
Edinburgh:
If you don’t mind doing a year or so conversion course, you’ll probably have the best time at Edinburgh as it’s by far the nicest place out of these 3 and also ranks way higher than both internationally( it’s a top 20 law school in the world) so I’d find it hard to reject them if I had an unconditional- I’d just quickly convert it afterwards
I’d say firm Durham If you want to practice in England and aim for those grades, and insure Edinburgh if you’re willing to quickly convert it afterwards for 10 months or so,
Hope this helps and well done on your offers, they’re amazing law schools.
Reply 4
Rankings and league tables might not always be objective. Some rely on student satisfaction surveys, some emphases on "academic reputation". Some unis even engage consultants to help bringing up their uni ranings, directing their resources according to the "marking schemes" of the league table ranking policies.
York is a good uni. They adopted an unique problem based learning for law. I think they would ask offer holders to view a short video on the teaching method before accepting their offer.
York is a good uni. They adopted an unique problem based learning for law. I think they would ask offer holders to view a short video on the teaching method before accepting their offer.
Reply 5
lucyy07
OP
3
Original post
by cksiuDurham, Edinburgh and Glasgow are all excellent. Going to either one won't be wrong.
The unconditional from Edinburgh is very tempting but are you aiming at practising in Scotland? Edinburgh only offers Scots Law.
Has you taken LNAT for Durham and Glasgow?
The unconditional from Edinburgh is very tempting but are you aiming at practising in Scotland? Edinburgh only offers Scots Law.
Has you taken LNAT for Durham and Glasgow?
think i want to practice in england, but im not too sure. I applied for scots at glasgow/edi so would do a conversion course afterwards, but thats one of the things potentially pushing me to Durham. And yeah i took my LNAT before applying
Reply 6
lucyy07
OP
3
Original post
by JE9What do you think of uni of York for law?
it looks really good but i didn’t apply there- the only english uni i applied to was Durham and that’s mostly bc i’ve visited there before and really liked it
Reply 7
lucyy07
OP
3
Original post
by JE9I think it all depends where you want to practice after your degree:
If you aim to practice in England:
— Durham is the best choice( highest ranked and only below Oxbridge for trainees in MC firms
— Glasgow would only be worth it if it’s common law you’ve applied for( even then it’s still 4 years+ less well regarded than Durham by big firms
— Edinburgh would only be useable with another year doing a conversion course to common law
If you aim to practice in Scotland( I’m guessing not as you’re leaning towards Durham)
— Edinburgh is the only correct choice( highest ranked and unconditional offer)
— Glasgow would be equally strong if you’ve applied for Scot’s law
— Durham is obviously unusable to practice there.
Overall: Assuming you’re planning on practicing in England-
Durham:
Best choice for prospects, but more expensive as the others won’t cost as much for you being Scottish
Glasgow:
If common law, not as good as Durham, but a less risky offer condition+ 4 years instead of 3
Edinburgh:
If you don’t mind doing a year or so conversion course, you’ll probably have the best time at Edinburgh as it’s by far the nicest place out of these 3 and also ranks way higher than both internationally( it’s a top 20 law school in the world) so I’d find it hard to reject them if I had an unconditional- I’d just quickly convert it afterwards
I’d say firm Durham If you want to practice in England and aim for those grades, and insure Edinburgh if you’re willing to quickly convert it afterwards for 10 months or so,
Hope this helps and well done on your offers, they’re amazing law schools.
If you aim to practice in England:
— Durham is the best choice( highest ranked and only below Oxbridge for trainees in MC firms
— Glasgow would only be worth it if it’s common law you’ve applied for( even then it’s still 4 years+ less well regarded than Durham by big firms
— Edinburgh would only be useable with another year doing a conversion course to common law
If you aim to practice in Scotland( I’m guessing not as you’re leaning towards Durham)
— Edinburgh is the only correct choice( highest ranked and unconditional offer)
— Glasgow would be equally strong if you’ve applied for Scot’s law
— Durham is obviously unusable to practice there.
Overall: Assuming you’re planning on practicing in England-
Durham:
Best choice for prospects, but more expensive as the others won’t cost as much for you being Scottish
Glasgow:
If common law, not as good as Durham, but a less risky offer condition+ 4 years instead of 3
Edinburgh:
If you don’t mind doing a year or so conversion course, you’ll probably have the best time at Edinburgh as it’s by far the nicest place out of these 3 and also ranks way higher than both internationally( it’s a top 20 law school in the world) so I’d find it hard to reject them if I had an unconditional- I’d just quickly convert it afterwards
I’d say firm Durham If you want to practice in England and aim for those grades, and insure Edinburgh if you’re willing to quickly convert it afterwards for 10 months or so,
Hope this helps and well done on your offers, they’re amazing law schools.
thank you!! it’s actually really helpful visualising it when it’s broken down like that lol, i might actually add this to a big table for pro’s/con’s
Reply 8
11
Original post
by lucyy07it looks really good but i didn’t apply there- the only english uni i applied to was Durham and that’s mostly bc i’ve visited there before and really liked it
Durham is an excellent choice 100%
Reply 9
11
You’re welcome! They’re 3 excellent universities so pros and cons always do help- perhaps you could split it into 3/4 sections e.g.
Of course this decision comes heavily down to whether you aspire to practice in England or Scotland, so it’ll probably be helpful to do some research around both of those legal systems- it would most likely be London for England or Edinburgh for Scotland you would be practicing in.
I apologise for the long response again, but hopefully you could add things to your list to help you decide, as it’s a big decision-
also if you haven’t already, I would definitely take up your chance to go to all of the offer holder days available at these 3 universities, as simply going in and feeling what life is like there and in the city change peoples decisions all of the time!
1.
Job prospects- which course will get you where you aim to be/ post grad opportunities at law firms/ which will take the right amount of time for you(3/4 year degrees)- and also which are better connected to English firms( magic circle etc)
2.
University experience- which city do you like the most/ would have the best time at- architecture, nightlife, atmosphere etc/ which campus you like the most as you’ll spend a long time there of course/ which accommodation you like the most( Durham collegiate system for example is great( same as Oxbridge)
3.
Finance- which will be the best cost for you- Durham will be £28,500, and the other 2 are much less of course being in Scotland where you’re from/ which course will allow you to start earning the most( if that’s a big factor for you)
4.
Course- probably biggest factor- which course do you like the most( course length, content, structure- it’s important to think about which course you’re likely to do best in, as achieving a first in a law degree is hugely beneficial to compete for competitive legal jobs- especially from such excellent institutions- so which Unis are you most likely to achieve this at- you’re more likely to achieve this if you enjoy the course and it fits your learning style-
Remember Glasgow also provide a year abroad, so deciding whether you need/ want to spend a year doing that or not, as it could be a great experience, but not if you don’t feel you need it and would rather get straight to practicing sooner.
I apologise for the long response again, but hopefully you could add things to your list to help you decide, as it’s a big decision-
also if you haven’t already, I would definitely take up your chance to go to all of the offer holder days available at these 3 universities, as simply going in and feeling what life is like there and in the city change peoples decisions all of the time!
Reply 10
Original post
by JE9I think it all depends where you want to practice after your degree:
If you aim to practice in England:
— Durham is the best choice( highest ranked and only below Oxbridge for trainees in MC firms
— Glasgow would only be worth it if it’s common law you’ve applied for( even then it’s still 4 years+ less well regarded than Durham by big firms
— Edinburgh would only be useable with another year doing a conversion course to common law
If you aim to practice in Scotland( I’m guessing not as you’re leaning towards Durham)
— Edinburgh is the only correct choice( highest ranked and unconditional offer)
— Glasgow would be equally strong if you’ve applied for Scot’s law
— Durham is obviously unusable to practice there.
Overall: Assuming you’re planning on practicing in England-
Durham:
Best choice for prospects, but more expensive as the others won’t cost as much for you being Scottish
Glasgow:
If common law, not as good as Durham, but a less risky offer condition+ 4 years instead of 3
Edinburgh:
If you don’t mind doing a year or so conversion course, you’ll probably have the best time at Edinburgh as it’s by far the nicest place out of these 3 and also ranks way higher than both internationally( it’s a top 20 law school in the world) so I’d find it hard to reject them if I had an unconditional- I’d just quickly convert it afterwards
I’d say firm Durham If you want to practice in England and aim for those grades, and insure Edinburgh if you’re willing to quickly convert it afterwards for 10 months or so,
Hope this helps and well done on your offers, they’re amazing law schools.
If you aim to practice in England:
— Durham is the best choice( highest ranked and only below Oxbridge for trainees in MC firms
— Glasgow would only be worth it if it’s common law you’ve applied for( even then it’s still 4 years+ less well regarded than Durham by big firms
— Edinburgh would only be useable with another year doing a conversion course to common law
If you aim to practice in Scotland( I’m guessing not as you’re leaning towards Durham)
— Edinburgh is the only correct choice( highest ranked and unconditional offer)
— Glasgow would be equally strong if you’ve applied for Scot’s law
— Durham is obviously unusable to practice there.
Overall: Assuming you’re planning on practicing in England-
Durham:
Best choice for prospects, but more expensive as the others won’t cost as much for you being Scottish
Glasgow:
If common law, not as good as Durham, but a less risky offer condition+ 4 years instead of 3
Edinburgh:
If you don’t mind doing a year or so conversion course, you’ll probably have the best time at Edinburgh as it’s by far the nicest place out of these 3 and also ranks way higher than both internationally( it’s a top 20 law school in the world) so I’d find it hard to reject them if I had an unconditional- I’d just quickly convert it afterwards
I’d say firm Durham If you want to practice in England and aim for those grades, and insure Edinburgh if you’re willing to quickly convert it afterwards for 10 months or so,
Hope this helps and well done on your offers, they’re amazing law schools.
Reply 11
Original post
by lucyy07I’m still deciding on where to go for uni and i was wondering if some current law students could give me their opinions of their uni. Deciding between Durham, Edinburgh, and Glasgow- i would prob be leaning Durham, but my conditions are a fair bit higher (3As at advanced higher vs a B for Glasgow and unconditional for Edi- id still be aiming for 3As anyway tho) and I wouldn’t have to pay for the others, so wanted to know if it’s worth it. thanks!!
Hi, thanks for reaching out.
This is a really sensible question and you are right to think it through carefully.
I am speaking as someone who has studied law and is currently an MA Law conversion student, as well as a ULaw ambassador, and I have seen a lot of different routes into the legal profession and how they actually play out in practice.All three universities you have mentioned are strong and well respected, so there genuinely is not a wrong choice here. Durham is also often considered the most traditionally prestigious for law, particularly in England, and it can be an advantage with certain City firms and chambers.
Edinburgh and Glasgow are both excellent law schools with good reputations, particularly in Scotland, but also generally. Having an unconditional offer from Edinburgh is a significant achievement, and the fact that you would not have to pay fees for the Scottish options is a very real and important consideration.
Avoiding debt can make a huge difference later on, especially if you go on to postgraduate study such as the SQE, the Bar course, or a master’s.In terms of whether Durham is worth it over the others, my honest view is this. Durham may offer a slight reputational advantage in some contexts, but it is not worth significantly higher stress, financial pressure, or sacrificing your wellbeing.
A supportive environment where you can do well, get involved in mooting, pro bono work, societies, and build confidence will serve you much better than being somewhere that feels like a constant uphill battle.I would also encourage you to think about where you would be happiest on a day to day basis.
Feeling settled, enjoying the city, and having a good support network matter more than most people expect, especially on a demanding course like law. If you would like, I am very happy to talk through how employers tend to view these universities, or how your choice might interact with future options such as the SQE or the Bar.
You are asking exactly the right questions at the right time.
All the best,
Faith Pomell
ULaw Ambassador and MA Law (Conversion) Student
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