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Oxford University is widely regarded as one of the top two universities in the UK (along with Cambridge) and one of the world’s leading academic institutions. It is ranked as the best university in the UK by both the 2008 Times Good University Guide and the 2008 Guardian University Guide. The Guardian University Guide also places it top in the country for Law. A degree from a university such as Oxford, particularly in a subject such as Law, is particularly well-regarded by employers.

All applicants for Law at Oxford, in addition to achieving top grades, normally (but not always exclusively) 3 A grades at A-level, have to undertake the LNAT, the Law National Admissions Test, a computerised on-screen test also used by a number of other universities to assist in sifting applications.

Unlike other subjects such as History, Law does not require the submission of written work. In addition, there is no requirement that the student has to have studied or not studied Law at a previous level. Some students get in who have taken, for example, A-Level Law, others get in with no previous knowledge of Law and do just as well.

The Law Faculty is situated in the St Cross building. This building contains a number of large lecture rooms, common rooms, seminar rooms and the modern and purpose-built Bodleian Law Library. Contained within the Library itself are well over 400,000 law-related books and documents, a figure far larger than most other comparable libraries in the UK.

Just in case the book you need is not on the normal shelves the Law Library operates a very useful “Law Reserve” system where copies of the more popular and well-used books are specially kept and can be taken out only after a scan of your university card and your seat number – this enables someone who wants the book and finds it is gone to find the person using it and negotiate something with them.

Lectures and seminars run by the Faculty are predominantly held within the building. Tutorials and classes, however, are run by tutors at the individual colleges. The Library is open until 10pm at night during term time and is also open at weekends, and on Mondays-Saturdays during vacations. If you need a break you can go to one of the nearby common rooms where there are vending machines for food and drink.

Oxford offers two LLM equivalent masters courses: the Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL); and the Magister Juris (MJur). The former is intended for students from a Common Law background; the latter for those from a Civil Law background. Both courses are internationally renowned and attract students from all over the world. Entry requirements are stringent – students must normally have a First or equivalent in an undergraduate law degree as a minimum requirement, and competition for places is intense.

Students on both courses choose four options from an overall range of 30 or so (or three options and a dissertation). Most of the options offered are available to both the BCL and MJur but certain options requiring a Common Law background are normally open to BCL students only; whilst MJur students may take certain of the options offered as part of the Faculty’s undergraduate degree in law. The extensive variety of options and the flexibility that students have in making their choices allows for specialisation in certain areas (e.g. Corporate Law) as well as accommodating those who want to take a more eclectic range of options.

Both courses are extremely demanding and require students to read widely, to analyse complex material critically, and generally to be able to think on their feet.

The unique feature of the BCL and MJur courses, as compared with other LLM courses, is the use of tutorials as a means of course delivery. A tutorial is an hour or so of intensive discussion between one tutor and typically two or three students and gives students the opportunity to engage directly with an expert in the field in question and to receive feedback on their essays and ideas. Seminars are the other means by which BCL and MJur options are taught; these permit students to discuss their ideas with their fellow students and with the course convenor, who will usually lead the seminar.

Students choosing to undertake a dissertation will be taught by means of a series of one-to-one meetings with a supervisor who will help them transform an initial proposal into a finished piece of work. One of the unique quirks and indeed great things about Oxford is that your tutors and lecturers are very likely to be the people who write your textbooks and the articles you will read. It is perfectly normal in Oxford to spend time in a tutorial debating a chapter of a textbook, an article, or something else such as a submission to a Law Commission report, with the author of the book, article or submission themselves.

Oxford is often seen as throwing people in at the deep end, but tutors are usually fair and you will be given an education of the highest calibre.

Oxford is a unique university in the sense that it is spread out all over the city of Oxford and a number of the normal facilities that most other universities provide, are provided in Oxford’s historic colleges – for one thing, accommodation for the majority of students for the majority of their time at Oxford. So where you live will depend on which college you choose. The Law Faculty is about 5-10 minutes walk from the city centre, and obviously closer or further for some people than others depending on college location.

The city can be fairly busy sometimes, and has a lot of students cycling round on bikes. But it is a lovely place to go to university and to live in – walking down the streets of Oxford surrounded by the old buildings and the dreaming spires.

The city is very well equipped with all the modern commodities, including a large number of cinemas, theatres, bars, cafes, pubs, shops, clubs, restaurants, takeaways, kebab vans, etc.

Fees comprise a college fee and a university fee – the former is £4990, the latter £5,000. The University is in the process of revising these fees for 2009; the changes proposed will result in a larger University fee, but a correspondingly smaller college fee, so the combined total will not increase.

The Law Faculty offers a range of graduate scholarships, as do a number of the colleges, and Home/EU students on the BCL and MJur are also eligible for funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

In terms of living costs, Oxford is one of the more expensive places to be a student in the UK. However, this does not mean it is too expensive to go to university here. Graduates often have the opportunity to live in college or in college-owned accommodation, which can be substantially cheaper than renting in the private marker. Eating in college where possible certainly assists finances – the food and drink in college is subsidised and is usually of good quality. Each college also has its own subsidised college bar which will have cheaper drinks prices than bars in the city – a trip to the college bar is often seen as a good way to start a night out.

Course books can be expensive but there are ways around this e.g. borrowing from libraries in Oxford, buying second-hand books. Many students in Oxford cycle and a cheap bike can be bought quite easily -a Bike Sale is regularly held in the grounds of the Oxford Union. Local retailers do special deals for students on things like matriculation clothes e.g. gown, bow tie etc.

One thing often said about Oxford is that it would be the most fun university in the country were it not for the work. So many different activities and opportunities exist that it seems ridiculous not to take advantage of them. At both university and college level the university is packed full of sports clubs doing anything from rowing to pool, debating societies, political organisations, charity groups and every subject has a subject related organisation.

The Oxford Law Society, for example, is £30 to join, but it has been said that you can easily drink that amount of money back if you go to one or two of their events. The society also has a more serious side, running mooting workshops and competitions, publishing a termly magazine, Verdict, with contributors ranging from students to city lawyers and interviews with senior figures from the legal world.

One wider university society particularly worth mentioning is the Oxford Union – it is very expensive upfront to join – anything from £150-£200. But it is well worth it – you get to see some of the most famous and significant figures in the country and beyond for free – in the past year the Union has had important public figures at home and abroad from David Cameron to Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan, and famous actors and musicians such as John Barrowman and Brian Blessed.

As a university with graduates who usually enjoy extremely high success in the jobs market, Oxford is very good on this area, with a large and well-run Careers Service.

The Law Faculty also keeps students well informed of relevant deadlines and assists students with all aspects of future development e.g. applications for work placements, GDL/LPC/BVCs, and training contracts and pupillages.