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Education

Teachers, any thoughts? Law at A level.....

65 replies

quanglewangle · 29/03/2006 09:53

ds is thinking of doing Law at A level. He has been told by head of sixth form that there is a lot of essay writing and some universities prefer students without Law at A level.

So, is there any more essay writing than any other arts or humanities subject (he has decided against sciences)?
And is the point about uni true? Even if it is, those unis can be avoided.

But they aren't offering Law so are they just trying to put him off in order to keep him? ds says I am an old cynic. He is very able, and his form tutor says he is probably the most able student in the year.

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quanglewangle · 29/03/2006 09:55

Meant to say thanks in advance for any advice.
I created the thread when I meant to preview it - dur!!

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CarolinaMoon · 29/03/2006 09:56

nooooo! don't do it!

I did a Law degree (at Oxford donchaknow) and never met a single law student who'd done A-level law.

Much much better to keep your A-levels broad and no need to have studied any law before doing it at degree level.

quanglewangle · 29/03/2006 10:03

Isn't it a good taster though? How's about just doing it at AS level? Then he might be better equipped to decide on whether to do it at uni.

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quanglewangle · 29/03/2006 10:56

Bump.
Whilst in no way admitting liability of course ...

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CountessDracula · 29/03/2006 11:00

Actually I would go one step further and do a different first degree then the CPE! Law is soooooo boring at uni (well I found it so)

geekgrrl · 29/03/2006 11:05

I loved doing law at uni! :) Found most of it really interesting.
And like others have said, there wasn't anyone who'd done law A level on my course.

CountessDracula · 29/03/2006 11:40

well geekgrrl you are a geek!

I liked some of it but omg contract zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

geekgrrl · 29/03/2006 11:43

but countess - how could you not be interested in things like Donoghue v Stevenson (snail in the ginger beer bottle) and Carlill v Carbolic Smokeball Co.? Even after 10 years of no law and many babies they're still fresh in my mind. :)

FilleFrancaise · 29/03/2006 11:44

CD but how about conveyancing

double zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

actually I did law in both France and England and found it more interesting in France, although it got much better when I did the LPC (that was good stuff)

Not very up to speed on A levels quanglewangle but I would agree with the others, don't think he should do Law now

Kelly1978 · 29/03/2006 11:48

I'm doing contract law now and struggling to remember it cos it's so zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. cant believe you can stllr emember it years later geekgrrl, any revision tips?

Don't know about a level, but if he is thinking of doing it later, best to wait. There are lots of other interesting subjects to do int he meantime.

bundle · 29/03/2006 11:51

dunno much about law, but working in the media, i would always advise against studying "the media", and get them to do something they like/are good at eg languages, science etc which will give them a specialism to aim for within the media..

quanglewangle · 29/03/2006 11:55

Thanks, chaps.
Countess, I have a solicitor friend who says exactly the same. His first degree is History. He is close to retirement now though so I had wondered if things had changed over the years.

geekgrrl, how/why did you come to do law? I played safe and did a subject that I had done before (biology), which with hindsight was maybe a mistake. Quite brave, imo, to try something new at uni, so still wondering if law at A or AS would be useful as a taster. But, I realise now, it looks like lawyers won't be able to tell me that if law A level isn't common.

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geekgrrl · 29/03/2006 12:10

quangle, I went for law because I wanted to work for the EU administration or the UN (my course was called European Law with languages) - I had these visions of myself as a high-flying, jet-setting power woman I think. I also liked that idea that it was quite a vocational course in a way.

Found out I was pregnant on the day of my graduation... and that was that. I now work from home as a translator. Not quite as glamorous (and no jet-setting), but the law degree is still handy now, I translate quite a lot of legal docs.

quanglewangle · 29/03/2006 12:19

It occurs to me that one of the reasons for not many law A levels around is that it is very rarely available in schools. Its scarcity doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad idea to take it. At the college ds may go to, the results are outstanding and the drop-out rate at AS level is zero, they all choose to continue at A2. So it sounds a fun subject to do (lots of trips to courts to see some action) and some inspired teaching. It sounds interesting enough to induce him to work and I don't want head of sixth form at his current school to put him off as she might have an ulterior motive.

ds is exceptionally bright, but he is also a lazy little toad and will get A grades at GCSE with bugger-all effort. He is not a swot, but he is good with people, a good mixer with all types. A teacher suggested he became a lawyer - very good at arguing and usually wins!! Wasn't sure whether or not this was a compliment...

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quanglewangle · 29/03/2006 12:28

geekgrrl - I found I was pregnant with ds1 a few days before my interview for an MSc course. I got the place and deferred for a year. Then between accepting a job and starting work I found I was pregnant with ds2!! SO best not to work it seems - safer that way

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Jennypog · 29/03/2006 12:29

Many 16 - 18 year olds find law a very boring subject and drop out. I teach business and this too is exceptionally boring and very difficult to comprehend for young people with little experience of the world. I sometimes wonder why 16 year olds suddenly decide to start from scratch at A level. Why not choose a subject that they are already half way there with, such as English, maths, geography or science? I understand that they think that they are boring after all those years of studying, but often subjects such as sociology and psychology are very abstract and difficult to understand. Law is saved only by the case studies.

harpsichordcarrier · 29/03/2006 12:32

no, def a big no from me too. I have never met anyone wih law A level and I met a lot of lawyers....
I would def recommend something more well respected - history? economics? with the competition for uni places, I wouldn't risk doing what might be seen as a not very challenging subject

quanglewangle · 29/03/2006 12:45

Jenny, I wonder that too. I was far too chicken to try anything new. However better to try it out at A level than discover it isn't your thing at uni, especially these days with the huge debt students end up with.
You will probably be horrified to hear he is considering law, psychology, philosophy and geography
tbh, I think GCSE has turned him off most subjects, though English seems to be a contender again.

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CountessDracula · 29/03/2006 13:05

Yes my dh did History and he is a lawyer

You're a long time in law if you go law a level, law degree, lpc, traineeship etc

You know a lot about law but sod all about anything else!

How about High Trees House (promissory estoppel)
I would rather drink bleach than sit through a lecture on that again

harpsichordcarrier · 29/03/2006 13:16

I once looked at an A level syllabus and it is SO basic that you would have to learn it all over again I reckon

CarolinaMoon · 29/03/2006 13:27

you can go and sit in on court cases whenever you like - that's why it's called the Public Gallery - you don't need to study law at school for that.

It sounds like your ds would prob enjoy a law degree, but he'll like it a whole lot more IMO if he hasn't done it at A-level. I don't think you can compare A/AS-level law with the degree-level stuff anyway, so I'm not sure about this "taster" idea.

how about getting him to read \link{http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0406904081/qid=1143635178/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/202-1268282-9639836\stuff?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 like this} in his spare time, to see if he likes it?

geekgrrl · 29/03/2006 13:38

hey, I even remember promissory estoppel (maybe just because it's such a weird word though?!)!

I've heard that patent lawyers are usually science graduates who have done a CPE.
Apparently some law firms discriminate against CPE graduates though, some rubbish about it showing lack of committment to law.

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bundle · 29/03/2006 13:39

i quite like the word tort (didn't do law tho )

geekgrrl · 29/03/2006 13:39

and I do remember that commitment only has one 't' in it

quanglewangle · 29/03/2006 13:39

That is probably true HC, especially as almost everyone else will be starting from scratch anyway, as law A level seems as rare as hens teeth.

So, it seems it def isn't necessary if he wants a career in law. But if he doesn't or just isn't sure, it could be a good A level that he might enjoy, if the reputation of the course at this particular college is anyhting to go on. Tbh, I would love him to enjoy studying something, anything. He was such a hard worker at primary school, but not any more.

He'll get a taste of the college and these subjects at bridging week though, so I guess he'll decide then.

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