So I’m in Year 12 now and since Year 10 I’ve always thought I’d apply to
read Law. I’ve geared my CV towards applying for Law, and I’ve got Extra
Curriculars relevant to it. But now I’ve thought that as Law is extremely
competitive, I might try and do a degree in another subject and then do a
GDL after in order to gain favour with City firms. (I’ve heard a 1st in a
non-law discipline from Oxbridge is much “better” than a 2:1 from another
Russell group uni in Law.)
Advs of Languages:
I’m good at German and Mandarin Chinese
I studied French for 9 years (before dropping it for GCSE )
I love languages
Less competitive (better than 2:1 ratio at some Cambridge colleges)
Disadvs of Languages:
The extra year abroad would mean I spend 4 years at uni plus another year
during GDL = at least 5 years before I start my career. That’s the main
reason putting me off Languages.
Advs of Law:
Less time studying means I can apply for jobs quicker (3/4 years as opposed
to 5)
Law is a very strong, well respected subject
I am very interested in the subject
Disadvs of Law:
Very competitive (16:1 at some Universities). That’s the main reason I
don’t want to apply to Law.
My ECs are, as I said, geared towards Law, and by the time I will apply I
will have:
Grade 8 Gold Medal Public Speaking
Debating club/tournaments
Member of School Law Society
English Clinic Mentoring
Mandarin Chinese Grades 1-6
Volunteering at BHF
(as well as CCF, DoE, Young Enterprise, table tennis, badminton, guitar,
lifeguarding etc)
Hopefully I will have a place on either the Cambridge or Oxford Law
Conferences.
In terms of Work Experience, I’ve done a few mini-pupillages already and a
bit at a firm for Law.
This year I’m going on a work experience exchange to Germany, so that’ll
count as work experience for Languages, and if i can get a placement in a
firm, for Law as well.
My GCSE grades are only 4A*s 7As, so that’s my main reason for not applying
for Law. I’m studying History, English Literature, German and Physics (and
compulsory Critical Thinking AS) at A Level.
Ideally I would love to study Law and do a year in a foreign country
(Germany) on an Erasmus course, but also to have the pride of having a Law
degree under my belt. So I suppose my question is: Do I have a good enough
chance to apply for Law at a Top (5?) Uni, or should I play it safe and
apply for Languages at a top uni?
Also, would it be worth applying for Languages and then switching to Law?
How would I go about this?
