GCSE choice time!

JMW77

My daughter is choosing her GCSE's at the moment she want to go into law,does any one know what subjects she should be choosing,i have been told not to go down the LAW GCSE route as it outdated quickley and Uni' don't think GCSE Law is worth having, i have been told this by a neighbour .
Is this correct ,my neighbours brother is a lawyer so i can trust her information i just would like other peoples opinions and also what subjects she should choose?

Thankyou

RAS

Hi

I would suggest ringing one or two universites and asking their tutors. if DD does this they may be impressed. Most seem to be more interested in A levels but I suspect that few would consider someone without a good English Language GCSE.

Also learn about http://www.law.leeds.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduates/admissions-information/national-admission-test-law.php

As this test is used by several universities.

jenny_f

to be honest I don't think it really matters - A level choices will have more of an impact on university course

mountainofdebt

Personally I would choose a range of subjects and if it was a case of your daughter doing GCSE Law or forcing her to choose a subject she had little interest in then I would let her do Law (with my son it was PE)

I think at A Level the choice becomes more important but at GSCE level I don't think it matters too much.

dmg24

What are her other options?

I would agree that Law GCSE would not count for a lot when it comes to university applications. However if she is interested in the subject, and is not forsaking a more important subject as a result, there are much less valuable subjects that she could be taking!

Another point to consider - some of my uni tutors did not like people to have taken Law A Level or GCSE, because it can give an overly simplistic view of the subject. Having taken A Level Law, I would agree with them!

silvercar

From 2011 some universities will require a GCSE in a foreign language as well as english, maths and science.

Loads of schools don't offer LAw GCSE, so I wouldn't think that was a requirement.

patchwork_cat

A levels are more important for Law, but ironically the Russell Group uni's don't want A level law, but 'traditional' A levels. So that may follow for GCSE's.

They do like to see evidence of essay writing. School presumably have given you the ones she must take, eg double Science, Eng Lang, Eng Lit, Maths, a DT, an ICT, a Humanities? I would recommend a good cross section of traditional subjects, but take into account your daughters strengths eg does she love Geography, but hate History? We were advised that my DS take a foreign language, I think that may be more important with Law than his choice, now of Pharmacy ( did think about Law and rang Leeds Uni - hence my knowledge!) Mostly the Unis don't look at GCSE's, most just want the 5 A*- C with Maths and English.

You could try ringing the Admissions dept for Law at a Uni she fancies or drop in to thestudentroom and ask there on the Law boards.

SugarSpun

I would suggest at least one foreign language if she's interested in law - immigration and EU law are going to be more and more important and a basic grounding in a couple of languages will make it more likely that she'll be able to relearn/improve in them at a later stage. If philosophy is offered that might also stand her in good stead because it teaches critical thinking and analysis.

A level choices will be far more critical, though.

Alcmene

I would say foreign language too!

Also, GCSEs are a great way of proving a wide spread of interests, an opportunity to study different topics before honing in at A Level grade.

I did Music GCSE and really enjoyed it. It also showed that I had another side to me that wasn't all science-based.

Kay_Peel

The law is an overcrowded profession. Good lawyers are well rounded individuals with excellent people skills. Mediocre lawyers are usually very good at the intricacies of the the law but don't know how to talk to people.

I did law at University and hated every minute of it. My barrister sister left the profession for something less lucrative but more interesting. My ex-husband remains in the profession but would really have loved to be a civil engineer. We all seemed so sure of ourselves and our choices at GCSE and learnt to regret the restrictions we'd placed on ourselves.

I made sure my children maintained a broad range of GCSEs just in case they changed their minds about their career choices. Thank goodness I did - because my daughter switched from the law to a nursing degree and that was only possible because she had some good science GCSEs in the bank. My son got a job that had nothing to do with his degree - but he had demonstrated a command of foreign languages at GCSE and that was enough to give him an advantage over other candidates.

So, my advice to your child is to steer clear of Law GCSEs. Remain flexible about the kind of degree that you will opt for in the future. Get a solid base of GCSEs under belt including sciences, mathematics, foreign languages and English (Music would be impressive, too) The aim of the game is to get a broad set of competencies across the whole spectrum of GCSEs - do that and you will come across as more rounded and interesting when it comes to sifting through your application for a place on a degree course.

Good luck!

Janepig

I would agree with most of the advice on here about getting a broad range of subjects, particularly a foreign language - even with law, being proficent in a foreign language will broaden her horizons much further.

Agreeing too with Kay Peel (above) about law being an overcrowded profession. I know so many people with law degrees who are now doing doss jobs for not alot of money, because there are so many people with law degrees that employers can just cherry pick the best. I know it's early days but it also depends what branch of law she'd be interested in working in - it's the stuff like human rights and immigration type work that brings in the money these days. I'd steer clear of crime though. But that's just my opinion from what I see at work, the way things seem to be going.

Jxx