Whether you are only now choosing which universities to apply to or already have offers from some, there is plenty to consider when choosing universities for law. You will spend several years at that university, and it will shape the legal knowledge and skills that will serve as the foundation of your career in law.
Deciding on Universities for Law
There are several criteria to look at when choosing between universities for law, such as: admission criteria, reputation, style of course delivery, and optional courses available.
Admission Criteria
Your grades are an important factor that will influence your decision as to which university to study law at. It is preferable to base your university choices on the ones that you are likely to get accepted to. You should always have a safety choice, meaning a university that will certainly offer you a place in their law programme.
However, it is also crucial to apply to one or two universities that you may not have the grades for, but you think that your CV, personal statement, and extra-curricular activities will maybe enable you to at least get an interview or a conditional offer.
Reputation of University for Law
There are a few perspectives to consider when assessing the reputation of a university.
The academic reputation of a university for law is crucial because it symbolises the quality of education that you will probably receive. However, don’t judge a university too harsh on its rankings. They do reflect the so-called “prestige” of a university, but they don’t necessarily reflect the entire picture. It is crucial that you look at job prospects tables and law firms’ preferred universities tables. Generally, Russel Group universities are more prestigious compared to non-Russel Group universities. Take a look at a variety of ranking tables to really understand where your university stands compared to others.
Style of Course Delivery?
Every university differs as to how they deliver their law programmes. Some law programmes place a big emphasis on the academic side of the law but offer little practical experience. This may be the case with universities that offer plenty of lectures but few seminars. Other universities may have fewer lectures but more seminars. Here are a few things to consider as to the style of the course delivery:
- Lectures vs Plenaries. Lectures are the traditional approach to delivering legal education, where the lecturer delivers the material. Plenaries allow for more engagement between the lecturer and students in the form of a discussion, questions, and audience input.
- Number of Contact Hours. Contact hours are symbolised by how much time you will spend with a tutor during a seminar-based setting. These hours are important because you will receive more personalised and interactive teaching in smaller groups. Generally speaking, the more contact hours you receive, the better it is.
- Problem-Based Learning (PBL) vs Seminars. Seminars are the traditional approach to delivering small group teaching classes. Tutors generally lead the discussion based on an area of law, and students engage in the debate. PBL sessions are fundamentally different. During PBL sessions, students generally work on fictional legal scenarios, which allow them to not only gain the academic knowledge of the law but also develop practical skills. For example, the University of York operates in small student law firms where they work on multiple fictional scenarios every week.
- Types of Tutors. Are your seminars or PBL sessions delivered by PhD students, professors, or practicing (or retired) lawyers? This is very important because PhD students and professors will have a great deal of academic knowledge and theory of the law. However, practicing or retired lawyers will know an in-depth practical aspect of the law. It all depends on which one interests you more.
Optional Courses Available
All universities will have the legal foundational courses, like criminal or contracts, but the optional modules may differ by university. Optional modules, like intellectual property or environmental law, allow you to explore other areas of law that you may have an interest in.
The reality is that most universities offer similar optional courses, so there isn’t much worry about unless you are looking for something very niche like aviation law. Look through optional courses and make sure that at least some of your preferred ones are available at the university of your choice.
