History degree - how do you narrow the list

[HotFlowers]

Dd is just finishing year 12. She is keen to study History at uni, followed by maybe going on to study Law, been predicted AAB.

We live in East London, none of the family have attended uni.

She has narrowed her list of possible uni’s by the following;

Course content
Top 30 uni
Top 30 course
Campus uni very near a City
Likelihood of getting in (knocked out Durham and Bristol)
3 hr drive from home. Although the first 3 on the list are actually 3.5hrs-4hrs away!!

She has been attending virtual open days and has liked them all so far....

Do we need to go visit all the Uni’s, happy to just not sure how a closed uni will give her much idea...

List currently;
Exeter
Leeds
York

Birmingham
Nottingham
Southampton

Loughborough
UEA

Any we are missing, is visiting them all now the way forward?

Any help or guidance appreciated.

I think it also depends on what kind of student you are, The nightclubbing students avoiding York was never a bad thing imo. But , for others, that could be hell. Every college has a bar and is very lively. I liked the family feel of the college system but it could be very cliquey.

oops missed that Xenia already put the Chamber's link up. Has she thought of Manchester or Bristol?

Hmmmm, I’m a teacher and I’ve covered PSHE lessons on careers.

Same thing comes up every time. Far more prospective lawyers than there are actual vacancies. The numbers were pretty staggering,

Not gospel, and l can’t confirm figures.

OP - I just wanted to say that the advice given by Xenia and Myomy has been excellent. I work in a similarly competitive field where we recruit from the same unis every year so I know that where your DD studies is important. It will also help that she will be surrounded by people with similar aspirations so that the deadlines for law applications are generally known, discussed and met.

Good luck to your DD for her A levels.

Law used to be massively popular : it seems to be fading with the fading of the Arts subjects ( I know not all prospective lawyers do Arts and hums!). Medicine, too. Much more Natural Sciences and similar. Just anecdata, though, and I know it is still massively competitive.

Law can be poor work/life balance and is high on the lists of occupations likely to be automated!

What fading of the arts subjects? English and History A level are always the most popular at my school.

National statistics show a drop off, especially in English over last 5 years or so. Honest!

This is a year out of date but I know the trend became more marked. History is popular at my place too:

schoolsweek.co.uk/a-level-results-2018-business-studies-surges-in-popularity-as-geography-declines/

i studied history at the university of derby. (i had a 5 year old by the time i started uni so i didn’t have the option of leaving my hometown to go to uni) the course is very interesting (but not much before the 19th century so probably not if she’s into ancient history) and the lecturers are amazing. derby isn’t that big but it has plenty of stuff for students and a bus straight through to nottingham that is cheap and quick.

Far more prospective lawyers than there are actual vacancies. The numbers were pretty staggering

Yes, it was ever thus.

As a straw poll I stalked some of my colleagues on LinkedIn today. Two studied at Birmingham, one at Leicester. I think two did law and one did a history/American studies-type combo. A 4th did law at Nottingham. All Midlands!

Law can be poor work/life balance and is high on the lists of occupations likely to be automated

Yep also true.

In the 1970s when we first had school careers talks for my year at school my headmistress said not to read law at university as there were too many lawyers so it was hard to get on in it...... yet I managed fine as have my lawyer daughters.

However i agree it can be hard work although plenty of other much worse paid jobs are hard work and if you like your work then doing it a lot is not necessarily a bad thing.

The world will always need lawyers !

Yep, automation. That too.

I am intrigued as to how law will become automated.

Yes law is competitive and someone will be along to be the exception but I always explain AAA (or maybe AAB) would be the minimum A level grades that firms would usually expect when applying for a training contract.

How do you automate a lawyer?

I guess I am over glamourising this job!

Eg AI software can sift through stacks of evidence and past cases v fast.

@ShalomJackie

I am intrigued as to how law will become automated.

Yes law is competitive and someone will be along to be the exception but I always explain AAA (or maybe AAB) would be the minimum A level grades that firms would usually expect when applying for a training contract.

A university local to us has LLB (hons) in clearing, and is asking for 80 UCAS points (usual requirements are 120 UCAS points). What kind of law related work could a graduate from this university expect to get?

Open Days are largely marketing events and whilst good to see the place your DD will probably get more useful info and insight in respect of the course from their websites

No
No no no

Websites are marketing tools.

Go to open days, talk to the course ambassadors. Ask lots of questions.

Honestly, it gets far easier to choose on e you go and visit.

Generally though, any uni should be one she loves. The course content should be of interest, and aim for the best you can.
The proportion support to you.

If she hates the course, she won't do well, and that will affect her post grad opportunities

Ginfordinner: Training contract if an outstanding student. Probably a paralegal if lucky. Possibly work as a legal assistant. Most likely not work in law at all. Barrister - no chance. The stats even for ex polys are not great. Post 1992 almost not there.

I know a granny who was telling me a few years ago that her DD could he be gone to Sheffield to study law but chose Bournemouth as she liked the beach and seaside. Granny said she wanted to be a barrister. Major mistake - Sheffield is way better for that career. It’s very difficult to put this right unless you get into the MLaw at Cambridge! Far better to do the research before you decide.

I posted the stats about law recruitment earlier. The other factor is lots of firms now offer training contracts to their paralegals. Existing members of staff. They try them out first. So even more difficult for grads straight from university.

There is also something to be said for being with similarly motivated people at uni and the deadline issue is a big one. There’s a huge amount to think about. Internships. Applications for training contracts. Scholarships etc if wanting to be a barrister. It’s very hectic! Also the lawyers coming to careers events give students a big steer regarding whether they actually expect to recruit from that university.

Yes, getting the right peer group can help a lot for those wanting to do law (one of my main bases for picking secondary schools actually - if 100% in the school go to good universities it is harder for your child even of a bit of a lazy one to leave at 16 with no GCSEs., A lot of teenagers follow the herd).

I had a similar experience to Gin's - a friend's daughter was the best in her comprehensive school and wanted to be a lawyer. Despite her very high grades she went to an ex poly (not a good one) because a lot from her class were going and she liked the place. She hasn't ended up in law at least in part because of that. I don't understand why her father (who was very bright and despite a bad start in life ended up running a big company), her teachers and a 2 minute web search did not all mean she went somewhere where she might have achieved what she was after.

Look at the module options for the different courses - don't want to end up at a top 10 and have no option to study the areas she loves

I studied Law and History at Keele university and really enjoyed the course. It took my dad 3 hours to drive there from our home in east London. I completed the LPC course in Bristol with a view to completing a training contract to become a solicitor but decided to go down a different career route. Worked in Insolvency Law in public sector then private sector before moving into legal & regulatory compliance, which I have worked in for a number of years. Whilst I didn't become a solicitor, my degree & LPC have helped pave my career journey to date.

Hi my dd went to open days at Manchester and Southampton (and others). Manchester was her first choice and is currently studying there. History dept seems v good. The uni is big but looks after it's students well. Train journey from Euston is 2hrs 20 mins. Once she had done her choices, and she had her offers, she then could go to an offer day at Southampton (not sure why Manchester didn't do one maybe because there was a strike around that time). Southampton was her insurance choice but I think personally I would have preferred her to go there but she does love Manchester. Southampton History dept seemed v good, lots of choice of course modules to pick and mix, I sat in on the tester lectures with her and the lecturers/student presenters were very good.