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HELP!!!! rethinking my entire application

soo, this might be kind of a long post, but I really do need the help. I'm an international student and recently applied to law with Spanish law/ppl to Oxford and a couple of other good unis. I don't do A-Levels, but the equivalent to my predicted grades would be a fairly good A-level equivalent. I was initially planning to apply to PPE, but after doing a summer course, I realised I really disliked the Econ branch, and so I quickly had to think of something else to apply to since I was being highly encouraged to apply to Oxbridge because of my grades. I ended up choosing Law because I was told it was kind of similar to PPE, especially when paired with politics, which I enjoy.

My home country works under the Civil Law system, not Common Law. I was aware of this when applying, but I've always wanted to live in the UK, and I'm not even sure I want to practise Law as a career, so I thought that it would be a good base. If I did want to go back home and practise Law, I'd have to do a two-year conversion, which didn't seem so dramatic at the time. I did end up applying to a double degree programme that offers both English Law and Spanish Law, meaning I would be able to practise Law in both countries if I ever wanted to. It was a similar story with Oxford and a couple others, except that the programmes they offer are not "double-degrees"; they just give you the chance to get credits, so that the conversion only lasts a couple of months to a year, if I were to want to do it.

I feel like I should be honest: my interest in both PPE and/or Law is mainly financial. Although my family is well-off, I do want to return the money my parents will be spending on my studies abroad, and want to take care of them in the future. If it wasn't for the money, my dream course would be English Lit. I initially thought this was 1) impossible since I haven't done A-Level English and therefore have no background in academic literature. I have done a couple of summer courses where I was encouraged to apply to English, but I've taken no classes apart from that 2) a waste of time and money.

Anyway, I tried to forget about English Lit and just apply to Law. Around October, I finished my application and sent it out. I didn't get shortlisted at Oxford (which I expected), and I honestly felt kind of indifferent. I wasn't that into the course anyway, so I was just disappointed with the amount of time spent working. This made me start having tons of doubts about my decision, and I honestly started to spiral. I realised I had no clue what I wanted to do in the future, and that applying to Law might have been a mistake. I started having second thoughts about my decision, and suddenly, the idea of having to go back and basically re-do a degree I'm not passionate about if I ever want to go home sounded unappealing. In a silly way, it also made me think going back would be "failing", in a way, since it would essentially be starting from scratch.
I also got the chance to talk to a friend who is also an international student applying to English Lit, and who had gotten up to that point about three offers from top unis. I have to say she does A-Level, so she obviously is more prepared than an average international applicant. However, it did get me thinking about my chances. I had always assumed top unis wouldn't want international students doing a degree usually done by native speakers, but her being accepted to some of my dream unis and receiving an Oxford interview offer shortly after actually made me think I might stand a chance.

Ever since then, I've gotten an offer from Edinburgh, and I'm waiting on other unis. I've already decided that if the uni with the double programme accepts me, I'm going, and I won't spend more time going over all this. However, if I get rejected from it, I might actually have to think twice about what to do next. My parents are open to me taking a gap year or starting my studies in my home country and reapplying to the UK. At the same time, I know I got into Edinburgh, and I'm happy I got in, but I'm not convinced about the course (Law and Politics) and my career choices afterwards. I know English isn't as ideal as Law salary-wise, but I genuinely am open to jobs outside the field (marketing, law-conversion course if I decide to stay in the UK, as ironic as that may be; or honestly anything available). I'm also interested in Politics and IR, which seems like a decent halfway choice, and have recently been looking into HSPS at Cambridge. I've literally given every possibility a thought, including firming Edinburgh if I don't receive other offers and trying to change to just Politics/ Politics with something else.

I'm really lost, and honestly, any advice/ thoughts on the matter will help.

Thanks so much for reading all the way through xxx
(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

Original post
by jenna90282
soo, this might be kind of a long post, but I really do need the help. I'm an international student and recently applied to law with Spanish law/ppl to Oxford and a couple of other good unis. I don't do A-Levels, but the equivalent to my predicted grades would be a fairly good A-level equivalent. I was initially planning to apply to PPE, but after doing a summer course, I realised I really disliked the Econ branch, and so I quickly had to think of something else to apply to since I was being highly encouraged to apply to Oxbridge because of my grades. I ended up choosing Law because I was told it was kind of similar to PPE, especially when paired with politics, which I enjoy.
My home country works under the Civil Law system, not Common Law. I was aware of this when applying, but I've always wanted to live in the UK, and I'm not even sure I want to practise Law as a career, so I thought that it would be a good base. If I did want to go back home and practise Law, I'd have to do a two-year conversion, which didn't seem so dramatic at the time. I did end up applying to a double degree programme that offers both English Law and Spanish Law, meaning I would be able to practise Law in both countries if I ever wanted to. It was a similar story with Oxford and a couple others, except that the programmes they offer are not "double-degrees"; they just give you the chance to get credits, so that the conversion only lasts a couple of months to a year, if I were to want to do it.
I feel like I should be honest: my interest in both PPE and/or Law is mainly financial. Although my family is well-off, I do want to return the money my parents will be spending on my studies abroad, and want to take care of them in the future. If it wasn't for the money, my dream course would be English Lit. I initially thought this was 1) impossible since I haven't done A-Level English and therefore have no background in academic literature. I have done a couple of summer courses where I was encouraged to apply to English, but I've taken no classes apart from that 2) a waste of time and money.
Anyway, I tried to forget about English Lit and just apply to Law. Around October, I finished my application and sent it out. I didn't get shortlisted at Oxford (which I expected), and I honestly felt kind of indifferent. I wasn't that into the course anyway, so I was just disappointed with the amount of time spent working. This made me start having tons of doubts about my decision, and I honestly started to spiral. I realised I had no clue what I wanted to do in the future, and that applying to Law might have been a mistake. I started having second thoughts about my decision, and suddenly, the idea of having to go back and basically re-do a degree I'm not passionate about if I ever want to go home sounded unappealing. In a silly way, it also made me think going back would be "failing", in a way, since it would essentially be starting from scratch.
I also got the chance to talk to a friend who is also an international student applying to English Lit, and who had gotten up to that point about three offers from top unis. I have to say she does A-Level, so she obviously is more prepared than an average international applicant. However, it did get me thinking about my chances. I had always assumed top unis wouldn't want international students doing a degree usually done by native speakers, but her being accepted to some of my dream unis and receiving an Oxford interview offer shortly after actually made me think I might stand a chance.
Ever since then, I've gotten an offer from Edinburgh, and I'm waiting on other unis. I've already decided that if the uni with the double programme accepts me, I'm going, and I won't spend more time going over all this. However, if I get rejected from it, I might actually have to think twice about what to do next. My parents are open to me taking a gap year or starting my studies in my home country and reapplying to the UK. At the same time, I know I got into Edinburgh, and I'm happy I got in, but I'm not convinced about the course (Law and Politics) and my career choices afterwards. I know English isn't as ideal as Law salary-wise, but I genuinely am open to jobs outside the field (marketing, law-conversion course if I decide to stay in the UK, as ironic as that may be; or honestly anything available). I'm also interested in Politics and IR, which seems like a decent halfway choice, and have recently been looking into HSPS at Cambridge. I've literally given every possibility a thought, including firming Edinburgh if I don't receive other offers and trying to change to just Politics/ Politics with something else.
I'm really lost, and honestly, any advice/ thoughts on the matter will help.
Thanks so much for reading all the way through xxx

With your main motivation being salary, you should know that unlike in the US where as soon as you become qualified you can walk into a 6 figure job in the UK Law is extremely competitive and it's either make it or break it, only a small group of people will ever earn what lawyers or solicitors earn in the US. You'll either earn a ton or you don't. I have friends who are studying Law and it's an extremely elitist field, so going to Oxbridge for a law degree will certainly help you in that aspect, this is not to say you will instantly be hired as soon as you step foot out of University but the name helps a lot.

Also, if you go to Edinburgh for Law you will be studying Scottish law not English/Welsh Law, so if you plan on doing a degree there you won't be pigeonholing yourself to Scotland for your life, but you will have to jump through additional hoops to do your SQE to become a practicing solicitor/lawyer in England and Wales.
Original post
by jenna90282
soo, this might be kind of a long post, but I really do need the help. I'm an international student and recently applied to law with Spanish law/ppl to Oxford and a couple of other good unis. I don't do A-Levels, but the equivalent to my predicted grades would be a fairly good A-level equivalent. I was initially planning to apply to PPE, but after doing a summer course, I realised I really disliked the Econ branch, and so I quickly had to think of something else to apply to since I was being highly encouraged to apply to Oxbridge because of my grades. I ended up choosing Law because I was told it was kind of similar to PPE, especially when paired with politics, which I enjoy.
My home country works under the Civil Law system, not Common Law. I was aware of this when applying, but I've always wanted to live in the UK, and I'm not even sure I want to practise Law as a career, so I thought that it would be a good base. If I did want to go back home and practise Law, I'd have to do a two-year conversion, which didn't seem so dramatic at the time. I did end up applying to a double degree programme that offers both English Law and Spanish Law, meaning I would be able to practise Law in both countries if I ever wanted to. It was a similar story with Oxford and a couple others, except that the programmes they offer are not "double-degrees"; they just give you the chance to get credits, so that the conversion only lasts a couple of months to a year, if I were to want to do it.
I feel like I should be honest: my interest in both PPE and/or Law is mainly financial. Although my family is well-off, I do want to return the money my parents will be spending on my studies abroad, and want to take care of them in the future. If it wasn't for the money, my dream course would be English Lit. I initially thought this was 1) impossible since I haven't done A-Level English and therefore have no background in academic literature. I have done a couple of summer courses where I was encouraged to apply to English, but I've taken no classes apart from that 2) a waste of time and money.
Anyway, I tried to forget about English Lit and just apply to Law. Around October, I finished my application and sent it out. I didn't get shortlisted at Oxford (which I expected), and I honestly felt kind of indifferent. I wasn't that into the course anyway, so I was just disappointed with the amount of time spent working. This made me start having tons of doubts about my decision, and I honestly started to spiral. I realised I had no clue what I wanted to do in the future, and that applying to Law might have been a mistake. I started having second thoughts about my decision, and suddenly, the idea of having to go back and basically re-do a degree I'm not passionate about if I ever want to go home sounded unappealing. In a silly way, it also made me think going back would be "failing", in a way, since it would essentially be starting from scratch.
I also got the chance to talk to a friend who is also an international student applying to English Lit, and who had gotten up to that point about three offers from top unis. I have to say she does A-Level, so she obviously is more prepared than an average international applicant. However, it did get me thinking about my chances. I had always assumed top unis wouldn't want international students doing a degree usually done by native speakers, but her being accepted to some of my dream unis and receiving an Oxford interview offer shortly after actually made me think I might stand a chance.
Ever since then, I've gotten an offer from Edinburgh, and I'm waiting on other unis. I've already decided that if the uni with the double programme accepts me, I'm going, and I won't spend more time going over all this. However, if I get rejected from it, I might actually have to think twice about what to do next. My parents are open to me taking a gap year or starting my studies in my home country and reapplying to the UK. At the same time, I know I got into Edinburgh, and I'm happy I got in, but I'm not convinced about the course (Law and Politics) and my career choices afterwards. I know English isn't as ideal as Law salary-wise, but I genuinely am open to jobs outside the field (marketing, law-conversion course if I decide to stay in the UK, as ironic as that may be; or honestly anything available). I'm also interested in Politics and IR, which seems like a decent halfway choice, and have recently been looking into HSPS at Cambridge. I've literally given every possibility a thought, including firming Edinburgh if I don't receive other offers and trying to change to just Politics/ Politics with something else.
I'm really lost, and honestly, any advice/ thoughts on the matter will help.
Thanks so much for reading all the way through xxx

Hi @jenna90282 ,

I can see how much you've been thinking about this, so I want to start by saying: take a moment and breathe! It's perfectly normally to be torn between high-prestige courses and universities and knowing whether to go with your heart or your head. While it may feel like you're behind or 'failing' in this application cycle, a gap year is always an option as you say; it's better to choose a degree you're actually happy with than rushing into something you might not actually like.

In the UK, you don't need a law undergraduate degree to become a lawyer. Many future trainee solicitors (like myself) did a non-law undergraduate degree and the PGDL afterwards. If English Literature is truly what you'd be most passionate about, I'd highly recommend applying for this - you're more likely to do well in a degree you enjoy, and law firms love English Literature students for the incredible writing and analytical skills they develop. This way, you don't need to make a decision about your future career path (e.g. law vs marketing) until your later years of university (but if you do want to have a look at the international support ULaw offers now, you can read about it here.)

Similarly, you don't need a specific degree to get into marketing. I studied anthropology and archaeology at undergraduate level, yet managed to secure a placement year and graduate offer at a top marketing company (something which often confused people!). Again, I would argue that your career choices and chance of success aren't determined by your degree - it's more important that you develop transferrable skills and are able to communicate these effectively to prospective employers.

Ultimately, given your current dilemma, I would suggest that doing a non-law degree with the option of studying the PGDL afterwards is your best option. This way, you don't need to make any concrete decisions about your career yet, can enjoy your undergraduate years studying a subject you love and aren't limited to a specific location (unlike you would be if you studied Scottish Law, for example).

Best of luck with whichever path you choose to take 😊

Holly - PGDL Student

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