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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think law and social science degrees are a waste of time?

168 replies

Wowserz129 · 05/08/2012 17:37

Are law degrees a waste of time? I wanted to study law through OU but everyone thought this was a silly idea and hardly anyone actually manages to get work after.

6 people (not many I know) that I know have studied social science, one studied social Policy and criminology have had to go on to study masters or not gotton jobs. 5 out of the 6 said they wished they studied something more useful.

What is your opinion on these type degrees?

OP posts:
Birdsgottafly · 05/08/2012 18:08

When you are going through the UCAS system, you are told to use up your five choices, though and then people end upon degrees that may not be the best for them, at Unis because they are the only one's that have accepted them and the advisors are not honest enough about how this effects future chances.

Original poster
Wowserz129 · 05/08/2012 18:11

I have no option but too study through OU because I dont live near a university and I have a young son at home. I started a nursing degree before ds but hated it and I joined the police when I left school but it wasn't for me.

I have to get the degree right this time but I'm really struggling with what too do decide. So hard!

OP posts:
LRDtheFeministDragon · 05/08/2012 18:11

I think a thing to watch out for with some social science degrees is that they look as if they're vocational, but they're not really. Just like a law degree doesn't automatically make you a lawyer, a degree in (say) forensic science may sound as if it's brilliantly specific and will be a passport into a job in forensic science, but you could find employers actually prefer plain Chemistry.

I think this is also something prospective students should be taught more about.

There are a couple of universities I can think of that run courses so useless they're virtually scams.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 05/08/2012 18:12

wow, what job do you want to do? Or what range of jobs appeal?

That might be the place to start.

DesperatelySeekingPomBears · 05/08/2012 18:16

I have two law degrees (under and post grad) and am poorly paid though I did manage to find work in the legal field. One of my colleagues has a first with hons from a Russell Group uni and has completed his LPC with top marks... He is a paralegal on substantially less than £20k a year.

I agree the courses are difficult to get onto and that they are very difficult however they don't really seem to result in the appropriate pay off. Personally, I'm back off to uni to study social work.

AnnaFalactic · 05/08/2012 18:18

Lovely OU bashing going on here Hmm

OU is very well respected by employers as it shows that students have put in hard work and a lot of effort alongside running a family/holding down a job etc. The lecturers/module teams are among the best in the country - experts in their fields. Studying with OU shows motivation and commitment as well as many other transferable skills that are sought after by employers.

Better to have an OU degree that you got while working full/part time and raising 3 children, than one you scraped through when you were 18 and spent most of your time partying, not really having much of a clue what you actually wanted to do for the rest of your life.

At a brick Uni, anything above 70% is a first (distinction), whereas with OU, to get that grade you must achieve 85% or above.

Sorry for the hijack OP, but don't discount the OU because it's just as good, if not better than any other University. (IMHO)

SaraBellumHertz · 05/08/2012 18:18

As a lawyer I found my law degree quite useful: saved me the time and expense of having to do a conversion course Smile

If you're studying to facilitate obtaining employment then consider first where you want to be and then figure out how you will achieve that

LRDtheFeministDragon · 05/08/2012 18:21

anna, I agree the OU can be great, but I do want to clarify: the OU is simply using a different mark scheme from (most) redbrick universities.

Many universities have a daft system where 70 and up is a first, but it is very rare to get over 80, and over 90 is almost unheard of. Effectively, you're not marking out of 100 in the same way. The OU, as I understand it, marks up to 100.

It's certainly not true that a person who got 85% in their degree at the OU would have got 85% at every other university.

ChristinaF · 05/08/2012 18:22

Personally I think a law degree is hugely valuable, regardless of what you decide to do with it afterwards (I am a solicitor). My first degree was in modern languages which I loved but I found my law degree much more intellectually rigorous and I think it is great training whether or not you decide to become a lawyer. Although things are not easy at the moment training contracts do exist and so I wouldn't let that put me off personally. I don't know about social sciences though.

AnnaFalactic · 05/08/2012 18:23

x posts - are you on Facebook OP? There are many FB groups for all the various OU modules and degrees that you could join to garner opinions from current students. There is also a group where you can swap the PDF's of the course materials so that you can look through and get a better idea of what to expect.

If you started a degree before you may be able to transfer credits from that meaning it will take you less time to study with OU as you won't have to do as many modules.

PM me with any OU related questions if you like :)

AnnaFalactic · 05/08/2012 18:24

"It's certainly not true that a person who got 85% in their degree at the OU would have got 85% at every other university."

Absolutely agree LRD, apologies if it sounded like that was the point I was making.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 05/08/2012 18:25

Sorry, I read you wrongly ... I just wanted to be sure. Blush

HolyOlympicNamechangeBatman · 05/08/2012 18:27

I think it's true that it can be very difficult to get into certain areas of law, I think criminal law is very competitive. I'm not sure what the general employment statistics are though.

Maybe try English?

AnnaFalactic · 05/08/2012 18:33

No worries LRD Grin

I get very defensive of the OU Blush Although I do like to fantasise that if I was at a brick Uni getting the grades I am with OU, I'd definitely get a first Blush obviously ignoring the fact that the marking schemes are different!

FeakAndWeeble · 05/08/2012 18:35

I have a BSc and an MSc in Applied Criminology. It was useful - I got a job as a civilian investigator after graduating - but have since been made redundant and those sort of jobs just don't exist at the moment. However, I'd say any degree is useful in that it demonstrates your capability to work to a particular standard etc.

Lizzylou · 05/08/2012 18:38

Law is very hard to find work in, to put it into context in the mid 90s there were 3 main institutions offering the lpc, training contracts were very scarce for those who obtained lpc. Now umpteen places offer lpc courses with seemingly just as few training contracts offered, but more chasing them. Pi paralegals in the nw got on average $13k in 2000, they still do, when they are not working for free. Ilex is a better route if you want to practise law, unless you have some sort of pre-degree niche that firms would be attracted to. And agree, an llb in itself is still an excellent degree to get.

notoutnumberedyet · 05/08/2012 18:41

think you may wish to look at the other thread re solicitors' pay!

suburbandream · 05/08/2012 18:42

I have a degree in Social Sciences from the OU - I suppose it was a complete waste of time according to some people Hmm. But actually I didn't do it to get a job, I did it because it was something I was really interested in and I enjoyed it immensely. I'm a SAHM so if and when I get a job in future it might help explain what I did all those years I wasn't working (if employers don't thing bring up kids is good enough)!

I don't know but I would imagine that if you wanted to be a top lawyer, you would be expected to go to a top university and not the OU. It depends what "use" you are going to put the degree to.

LemonOCOGTurd · 05/08/2012 18:44

I had no idea people were negative about the OU! I always thought it was well-regarded.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 05/08/2012 18:48

anna - maybe you would!

I think people get negative about the OU sometimes because it's only as good as the people in your area, and they vary. I know someone who tried to do teacher training with them and it was a nightmare, no support at all, no real help with finding a placement. Given with social sciences you might need placements/support, it'd matter to find out how good the local course providers are. But then, other people in different areas have had fantastic experiences, so it just isn't predictable without a lot of research beforehand.

worldcitizen · 05/08/2012 18:49

Where you study counts far far more than what you study (and it's a crying shame that so many young students aren't told this)

Want to second this!!!!!!

I do have a social science degree, 3 subjects, 2 of them post-graduate degrees, lived, studied and worked full-time in 3 countries, and am never out of work!!!

EllenParsons · 05/08/2012 18:57

AnnaFalactic Biscuit and Hmm at "I'd definitely get a First" !

EllenParsons · 05/08/2012 18:58

Not saying you wouldn't - but the comment just makes you sound a right one

LRDtheFeministDragon · 05/08/2012 18:59

Crikey, you're rude! anna said she was fantasizing about getting a first ... hoping she can get it, not assuming!

What is wrong with that?

AnnaFalactic · 05/08/2012 19:00

Yes, with the more vocational degrees with OU, you have to find placements or already be working in that field. For example, you can't do social work modules unless you are already working in that area and have sponsorship from your employer. Same goes for nursing/teaching and some early years modules I think.

Degrees such as psychology, English, maths etc don't have the same requirements. At a brick Uni, you just start the course and they sort out all the placements for you, so it does differ in that respect, making it more limited to OU students. Although I would say that this is because a brick Uni only has a small number of students at any one time, while OU can have tens of thousands making it less viable for them to sort all that stuff out - putting more onus on the student.

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