Law degree A Level choices

[Cannotbelievepeoplecanbesojudgemental]

My DD is currently deciding upon her A Level choices. She wants to go onto university to study law. She is expected to get 8s and 9s.
This is really a question towards thise who have studied / are currently studying law. Which A Levels do you think would be best out of the following?
History
Sociology- this is her favourite GCSE currently.
Economics
English Literature
English Literature and Language combined
Law

I am glad to hear it’s changing. I actually got scoffed at for going to a state school at my actual interview! The majority there were public school / Oxbridge / Harvard / Yale. Hope that wouldn’t happen now.

There is a lot of politics in law. Public law is full of it. So that useful.

While unis are 'fine with it' I think a candidate with top A level grades in History, Literature and Maths, eg, is going to beat a candidate with the same grades in Sociology, Lit/Lang and Economics for those highly competitive places at the best Russel Group unis?

Maybe I'm wrong....

Yep, you are.

The only reason you might find a preponderance of the first set of A levels you list is the over representation of selective schools in law degrees at RG unis (and the hangover of old advice)

Most RG unis select on a combination of GCSE results and A level predictions - whatever the subject, the highest predictions get the offers. Soem stipulate subjects as 'preferred' but by no means all.

Oh, I did too - for having 'Scottish qualifications'! My word would be 'sneered'.

Because it is considered to be an essay based subject. Most law degrees (humanities degrees generally) require at least one essay based subject at A level. Most don’t specify which, but some universities (e.g. UCL) have lists of acceptable subjects.

DiscoverUni used to show what subjects students typically have as well as what grades but that seems to have disappeared - just the typical grades. You can also see this on UCAS.

The best advice is to do the subjects you have the best chance of getting very high grades in (but even that might require scrutiny of statistics, both nationally and in the school!)

ok narrowing it down further (and I am following the discussion that the actual subjects may not matter or indeed should not matter)

philosophy
economics
chemistry

or

history
politics
chemistry

or

history
economics
chemistry

or
history
politics
chemistry

if interest and aimed grade are equivalent

Worryingly my DS has done sociology and law a level (and a third that everyone will also say is easy).

law was to see if they liked it. They do but it’s a LOT of work. I don’t think it would have been advisable to do a law degree with no idea if it was right for you.

I honestly don't think there is any difference!

As I said the chemistry is the most 'unusual' A level for a law student . The others all complement in various ways.

It's quite outlying to do chemistry without one or more of maths, biology, physics, FM.

He adores chemistry it's non negotiable to him. He hates biology and physics, not keen on maths.

Why does he want to do Law?

It doesn't matter, btw: I am not saying he shouldn't do chemistry.

All the others aren't worth worrying over . They are far more standard subjects (all of them!) for law applicants.

I’d agree. You don’t need a level law for a law degree - they will teach from scratch and potentially find it annoying having to correct anything wrong from a level.

Economics is big picture plus maths, and teaches how the real world works. Having and understanding of that really helps to understand case law and the reasoning behind statutes.

English lit is essays - they’ll need this skill. It’s also useful for language skills.

History - again essays and loos at things on both micro and macro scale.

I haven't read the full thread but my nephew has just started at Durham doing Law. He did Maths, Physics and Business Studies A Levels.
He got offers from all 5 unis he applied to.

@Hellohah did he go to private secondary school?

No, just a bog standard comp then a bog standard college.

I agree with this. My son is doing History, English Lit and Economics (his school only do the so-called facilitating subjects so no option to take law or politics or sociology). No A level is an easy or soft option, they are extremely hard work.

He had thought to apply for a law degree so did work experience in a law department this summer. He enjoyed this so is still considering law as a career but has decided to do his favourite subject as his UG degree as he knows he loves this, whereas law would be an unknown. He can do SQE later if he wishes.

My ds tried to find work experience in a law firm but to no avail. Do you have any tips?

History, English Lit and then Economics or Sociology. Yes, Sociology is a ‘lighter’ choice than Economics, but with two strong facilitating subjects, the third can be something less relevant/that she enjoys and is likely to do well in.

Law, as others have said, is a waste of an A level for an academic pupil.

I’m legal and think history, economics and law. A huge part of qualifying as solicitor is accounts, so economics will really help with that. History will add some flavour and law for obvious reasons.

My daughter is at uni of Leeds doing law. Her a levels were law, sociology and psychology

@namechanged221yes I hope you are wrong. Pretty sure you are. If a student with the second list gets an offer then if they get the grades they have a place.
Honestly no less likely to get an offer from RG than the other student (other factors being equal).

Glad to see @Piggywaspushedon here rightly defending sociology!

Economics, rightly or wrongly, was never a facilitating subject when they existed!

This is because maths was (it was actually quite a short list) - and , for an economics degree, maths is often the key requirement for BSc courses at least.

I think it's interesting that the more traditionally 'masculine' domains (eg economics, politics) are seen as more demanding than sociology. This happens in science too where some regard biology as the least 'rigorous'. It's the paradigm of patriarchal learning , I tell you!

FWIW my DS did economics and sociology at A level (and history). Got the same grade in both . Sociology placed more demands on him in terms of learning and application but he found it more of a society focused subject and found more in the real world to apply his thinking to and get excited about. He liked the social science end of economics too and loved the A level. He initially began in a social policy and economics degree but swapped after a few weeks to history -where he extensively used his sociology A level.

DS sent over 50 emails to local law firms with no result @LadyMacMuffin. In the end I arranged it with the chief legal officer at the company I work for. I think work experience for sixth formers is ridiculously hard to get.