Law uni advice for less academic students

[Denialsheaven]

DD wants to do law and is predicted Distinction* (BTEC) and AB for Alevels.
She would like to apply to Exeter as a stretch, and thinking about Cardiff and Swansea as matching her predicted grades and Nottingham Trent and Bournemouth for insurance options. We’ve visited a few of these plus others and will see the rest over the coming weeks.
She was keen on a campus (but now vaguer about that!) and the opportunity for potential placement year, near the sea was a driver too.
Also most also offer a LLB Law with Criminology option which is appealing at the moment.
Any advice for a student who’s not on the A*AA Russell Group train (and is doing a BTEC)? Her predictions are good but she also had better GCSE predictions than her actual results so I want to really encourage her to aim high but also be realistic about offers etc and the amount of work required to achieve her predicted grades.
College isn’t hugely helpful with advice about where to apply and what might suit her.
Many thanks in advance

What about Lancaster and Leicester? Both are fantastic universities. Leicester would be an excellent insurance.

does she qualify for contextual offers?

Does she want to be a lawyer?

If so is she clear on the disproportionate number of law graduates each year vs actual jobs?

Law is a relatively cheap course for unis to run and is in high demand from students - so its a very commercially viable product for them.

Be clear what this positions her post graduation.

I’d echo the Lancaster and Leicester suggestions. Both good reputation for law. Went BBB in clearing this year.

Yes, my son has just applied to study law at Oxford. Things I would recommend that she can do, that we also did (these are not specifically about uni choice but these will really help her case and applications)

1. Take her to the public courts to watch some real life court cases in action, let her reflect on what she saw and get her to consider both sides of the arguments and watch how lawyers behave and communicate. The ability to remain impartial and consider both sides in a thoughtful, reflective and logical manner is vital
2. TED talks on aspects of law
3. Books- there are loads of books on law and specifically groundbreaking laws such as when same sex marriage was legalised. Consider how society influences law and how law is constantly changing to reflect our values over time
4. If she can get in - take part in a summer school week programme. My son did this for a week (it was online) at Surrey university and he chose law. For one week they had to take part in a mock trial and they were allocated a hypothetical case to either prosecute or defend
5. If she does apply to certain universities she will have to take the LNAT test first - even if she doesnt apply to those specific universities, get her a book about passing the LNAT as it will have loads of questions and scenarios to consider which will prepare her

Many thanks all - really appreciate the responses.

Lancaster is quite far away, but Leicester had been on our long list - will have another look and possibly a visit.

Unlikely that she will be eligible for a contextual offer.

@Fugliest that’s a very good question and she’s not sure! She doesn’t want to go down the Apprentice route and may well end up taking a year out and rethinking things - particularly as she is very young in the year. I think there may be an element of Uni needs to be my next step, and this is the subject I could do rather than I have a real interest or passion for it…

thank you for all the suggestions @guccibag - a court visit in half term sounds like a great idea!

Lancaster is very accessible via train and a campus uni. Pretty high in rankings. Leicester also campus.

Leicester is not a campus uni in the sense of accommodation and uni buildings all on one site (like Warwick or Loughborough). I would recommend it tho - if you ask me it flies under the radar as it's not RG. The halls are all together in a village out of the city (very handy Asda!) and the uni buildings are just outside the city centre.

DD went there (not for law) and had a very positive experience. It's very diverse, staff were very supportive and accommodation in the city is cheap and plentiful (unlike some places I gather).

It's also central so near lots of places and easy to get to by train if that's a factor (obviously not relevant if you live in Northern Scotland!)

I wanted to do law until as a 17/18 year old I did 2 weeks work experience with a firm of solicitors and then decided that I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. If she isn't sure I would recommend more research and getting some relevant experience if possible.

If she’s even vaguely interested in law as a careeer she needs legal work experience. I would however echo what a pp has said. It’s a tough field and many many graduates don’t get a job. The key is that you have top academic grades. So she needs to think very carefully if there might be Bs on her CV.

However I would suggest Lancaster too. It’s number 10 in most rankings. It’s higher than places like Bristol. It’s a really really good university but due to having lots and lots of accommodation and lots of flexibility in its degrees, it can lower the grade requirements to a more realistic level. Law requires AAB.

I agree with this
Even if she studies Law, she doesn’t necessarily have to become a lawyer
Law is a well regarded degree.
Many Law graduates go into areas such as HR, finance , Civil Service, Big Pharma.

The legal profession is not as lucrative as it once was( too many graduates chasing few positions). Most lawyers ( barristers or solicitors) are not earning big bucks .

Thanks for all the perspectives. Lancaster is a great option but is far away!
As I said, she’s not set on being a lawyer, but still keen to study law, which I’m supportive of. I work with lots of people who have law degrees and doing a variety of different things. She has done some legal work experience, but there may well be a B on her CV which is why I posted asking advice for those students who aren’t on the A* Oxbridge / RG track - there are lots of them around!
Some helpful food for thought and advice - thanks very much.