Received an offer for criminology instead of law LLB- UoN

3

I currently hold offers from Surrey and Southampton for Law LLB and I am waiting on Cardiff and Essex. I applied from Law LLB for Nottingham, which is my first choice out of all the unis I have applied for but they offered me criminology instead. I'm not completely opposed to doing criminology and then a law conversion, so would it be worth me going to Nottingham?/

Reply 1

UniofLawStudent6

Official Rep

5

Original post

by student1233321

I currently hold offers from Surrey and Southampton for Law LLB and I am waiting on Cardiff and Essex. I applied from Law LLB for Nottingham, which is my first choice out of all the unis I have applied for but they offered me criminology instead. I'm not completely opposed to doing criminology and then a law conversion, so would it be worth me going to Nottingham?/

Hi @student1233321 ,

Congratulations on the offers you've received so far! As someone who studied a non-law degree and is currently doing a conversion course, I'd highly recommend giving the possibility of studying criminology some good thought. While an LLB may be best if you're absolutely set on studying law (especially its more academic/theoretical areas), a conversion course may be better if your overall goal is to join the legal profession (whether as a solicitor or barrister).

In my experience, the transferrable skills you gain from non-law degrees are highly valuable to law firms and often set you apart from LLB students - studying anthropology, for example, gave me a broader understanding of different societies and cultural values which certainly could prove useful as a solicitor. Of course, criminology is likely most applicable for a career in criminal law, but its sociological foundations and the critical skills you develop will be incredibly valuable in whichever route you choose to take! The PGDL would then be perfect for bridging the gap and developing the important practical legal knowledge you'll need.

Make sure to weigh up the advantages of both degrees, both in terms of what you'd enjoy most now and what would help you to achieve your future career goals. Best of luck with whichever degree you decide to study 😊

Holly - PGDL student

Reply 2

ashgdmn

1

Original post

by student1233321

I currently hold offers from Surrey and Southampton for Law LLB and I am waiting on Cardiff and Essex. I applied from Law LLB for Nottingham, which is my first choice out of all the unis I have applied for but they offered me criminology instead. I'm not completely opposed to doing criminology and then a law conversion, so would it be worth me going to Nottingham?/

Hi, I currently study law at Nottingham. I have seen quite a few people switch from criminology to law after completing their first year in the former. Though it would add an extra year onto your studies, I would definitely recommend considering this pathway if you're interested in a career in law.

Reply 3

McGinger

20

Good advice from Holly above. I'd make two additional points - firstly be aware that Criminology isn't 'applied law', its essentially a Sociology degree with a different choice of units, so it's going to take you in a different academic direction. And, can you afford the additional student debt of then taking postgrad Law where instant big salary is not guaranteed. Read the Crim course description carefully, look at the optional units on offer at UoN - is it actually what you want to be doing every day for the next 3 years?

Reply 4

student1233321

OP

3

Original post

by UniofLawStudent6

Hi @student1233321 ,
Congratulations on the offers you've received so far! As someone who studied a non-law degree and is currently doing a conversion course, I'd highly recommend giving the possibility of studying criminology some good thought. While an LLB may be best if you're absolutely set on studying law (especially its more academic/theoretical areas), a conversion course may be better if your overall goal is to join the legal profession (whether as a solicitor or barrister).
In my experience, the transferrable skills you gain from non-law degrees are highly valuable to law firms and often set you apart from LLB students - studying anthropology, for example, gave me a broader understanding of different societies and cultural values which certainly could prove useful as a solicitor. Of course, criminology is likely most applicable for a career in criminal law, but its sociological foundations and the critical skills you develop will be incredibly valuable in whichever route you choose to take! The PGDL would then be perfect for bridging the gap and developing the important practical legal knowledge you'll need.
Make sure to weigh up the advantages of both degrees, both in terms of what you'd enjoy most now and what would help you to achieve your future career goals. Best of luck with whichever degree you decide to study 😊
Holly - PGDL student

Thank you!

Reply 5

student1233321

OP

3

Original post

by ashgdmn

Hi, I currently study law at Nottingham. I have seen quite a few people switch from criminology to law after completing their first year in the former. Though it would add an extra year onto your studies, I would definitely recommend considering this pathway if you're interested in a career in law.

Do you know what this process is like?

Reply 6

Uni of Notts

Official Rep

12

Hi @student1233321 changes of course after a student has already registered at the University of Nottingham would always be handled by our Student Services team, subject to approval. If this is something you would like to learn more about, please feel free to contact us through the our enquiry form on our website and we will be happy to seek further advice😀 you are also welcome to ask questions here and we will do our best to answer

Chris #Official UoN Rep

Reply 7

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

18

Original post

by student1233321

I currently hold offers from Surrey and Southampton for Law LLB and I am waiting on Cardiff and Essex. I applied from Law LLB for Nottingham, which is my first choice out of all the unis I have applied for but they offered me criminology instead. I'm not completely opposed to doing criminology and then a law conversion, so would it be worth me going to Nottingham?/

Hi!
Congratulations on your offers so far, they are great!
I study Law with Criminology (LLB) at Lancaster university, and I'm so glad I incorporated an element of criminology into my degree, and I plan on picking more criminology modules for third year too. If a combined degree is an option at the universities that you have applied for, I would recommend them since they broaden your knowledge and transferrable skills and, in my case, I wouldn't have to take a law conversion because I still graduate with an LLB degree despite doing a good amount of criminology alongside my legal studies.
The key differences I have noticed between taking law and criminology are in the workloads/intensity. Law can be quite an intense degree which requires you to absorb large amounts of technical information quickly and apply them to scenarios/essays- I find this more intense than the criminology part of my degree. For me, criminology is more abstract but also (for me personally) a little more interesting and I see it almost as a break from the demands of my law modules.
That isn't to say that criminology is not also demanding, it definitely is, but find the demands to be different and more manageable than those of law, so criminology is definitely a great option to study either instead of law or alongside law if possible!
Hope this helps!!
Beth- 2nd year Law with criminology

Received an offer for criminology instead of law LLB- UoN

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