Universities

sahun

OK people i am just about to start applying to universities and going to open days but i do not know where to be going to look!

I am intending to study Law with French.

Could people please post their recommendations of which universities, obviously with reasons please, and also put universities they would recommend NOT visiting with reasons.

This will be a great help to see opinions of past and present students

Thank you

Midas

There are 100 universities in the UK - wouldn't it be more useful if you gave some information first, i.e. what grades you expect to get (which will determine which universities you can actually get into) and where you would you like to live (big city? campus?)

steve_cov

Similarly, if you live in Cornwall then you are unlikely to fancy travelling to and from Aberdeen every few weeks for three or four years.

That said, my alma mater Warwick is England's most central university and therefore accessible to all. It also has a huge reputation for both law and modern languages. Highly recommended.

headintheclouds

I think you've got to go into this in some detail. Your careers advisor at school or college should be able to help you, plus subject teachers/tutors.
It's really important that you choose a course you will find interesting and enjoy. It's no good applying to universities just because they're in nice places if the course is not want you really want. You need the right balance.
It's also important that, if you want to do a joint degree, you get the right balance in the two elements. Do you want 50/50, or do you see one of the elements as secondary to the other? Different universities will offer different approaches.

If you're going to study Law, you'll need to be methodical, so why not start now by drawing up a list of pros and cons? Assess each course on the content and how it appeals to you, and when you've got a short-list of courses, then you should look at the universities and see which you like the sound of. Do you like the idea of a campus university or one which is more dispersed around a town/city? Do you want to be near home or further away? What kind of accommodation are you looking for? Are there particular things you want to do alongside the academic work that will be deciding factors? There are lots of questions you need to ask yourself, but careers advisors can help you with this (by the way, I'm not one!).

If you ask people to recommend "good" universities you will probably find there are as many different answers as there are people. One person's university heaven will be another's hell, so be analytical and work out what you really want and need - it's a big investment in your future.

Hope this helps.

MORPH3US

I went to Staffordshire University and loved it, but then again I work there now so can't say anything bad about it anyway!!! :T :T

Staffs has a really good law school so i think you should consider it, but as others say, some more details about what grades you expect, where you live etc would be helpful.

Put it this way, and i'm being honest here, I wouldn't imagine you would apply to Staffs if you live in Cornwall and expect 3 A*'s at A-level.

Hope this helps

M

sahun

Well at the moment my Grade profile is 2 A* 2A and 7B at GCSE, and expected ABBC at As level (but cannot confirm grades till they are recieved)

I currently study English, Maths, French and Latin, with the intention of dropping Maths.

Kind of University? Ermm Probably more City than just campus, but more of an old style university than the modern types.
What i'm looking at at the moment are: Cardiff, King's london, Leeds (haven't really thought into major depth yet, as am still considering)

As i am looking for Law with french, my intention is for the law aspect to be more than the language part of it.

black-saturn

I went to North London Uni but I lodged in Earls Court so it was a long treck every day. It was OK but quite difficult to make ends meet when you live there as a student. I had to work all the hours god sends just to be able to pay bills and live a normal life but it cost me over £20 per week just to get to and from the uni.

lellie

My friend does straight law in cardiff. He loves the city but isn't a big fan of the course. that might just be him though so it's all up to you.

Just read lots of prospectusses and go to some open days of the ones you're interested in.

Midas

Based on your grade profile you should be considering Russell League institutions (not Oxbridge). I'd visit Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol. All excellent Uni's in top student cities.

Petree

Biased since I attend here but Keele Uni, (K12) does law and french, and law and french with a year in France.

Most of the Law people do 2 years of both, then drop French/English/Physics/Phych (there are lot's of combos at Keele), and do Law only for 3rd Year. (4th if you do year abroad)

Keele is campus based, in Staffordshire. Its on a hill which is the UKs largest campus (600 odd acres) and has ~70% living in on-campus housing (£45-100 per week, all bills) , again the UKs biggest amount. Very much a family feel though. It caters for the Home Counties and The Home Counties 'of the North', but it's very much personal choice.

The only downside I find is our local town is Stoke-on-Trent and although they have a big Liquid and a lot of bars, we don't have big City going out choices, the union is very popular and you will get to know 60% of people on campus, something I like and would miss if at a huge uni (we have around 8,000 Students)
As with Staffs you wouldn't likely attend here with 3 A's at A2 level, but 1/2 of Keele do Law so you would be in good company!
HTH

Petree

misskool

Midas wrote:

Based on your grade profile you should be considering Russell League institutions (not Oxbridge). I'd visit Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol. All excellent Uni's in top student cities.

Did my undergrad at Birmingham uni. Excellent atmosphere, it's tucked away in Selly Oak but close to city center and has excellent nightlife. The student union is top-class and they were revamping accomodation so I'm assuming it's pretty nice now. It is a BIG university so if you come from a small town you'll feel quite overwhelmed for a while. Everything is all together in one campus.