FAQs for University Applications

By Joe Davies

It’s that time of year again! Just kidding, that time of year for university applications never ends, a sentiment which is especially true for a law student. With so much going on and so much to do, it can be difficult to work out where, when or how to begin! So, the St Olave’s Law Society has compiled some resources to make that process that little bit easier.

1. Choosing a degree

Probably the first roadblock many law students encounter in the application process is deciding whether they want to actually study law. Law is a career many people come quite late to, and with the availability of postgraduate conversion courses, a lot of people prefer to study a different subject they find more engaging at an undergraduate level. But is this the right move?

Fundamentally, it’s not too important in terms of career progression: you’ll do the same qualifying exams as law undergrads (the SQE), meaning you’ll finish the course with the same level of legal knowledge, and most firms hire trainees on a roughly 50/50 basis: 50% law undergraduates, 50% postgraduate conversions. That same proportion applies to our presidency team: only two of us are doing undergraduate law next year.

However, since I’m the editor and am subsequently the incontrovertible god of this journalistic realm, I’m going to let my biases through and say studying undergraduate law has a number of significant advantages if you actually want to do law.

1) A law degree, where you’re specifically learning about the law from legal professionals alongside people who care about the law, is the best learning environment in which to explore and develop your interests.

2) Law degrees usually give you a greater selection and variety of modules to study that are more likely to cater to your interests, while conversion courses stick to a fairly regimented 7 or 8 to teach you the basics.

3) While law is an intense degree, consider that, for undergrads and converted postgrads to have the same level of legal knowledge after four years, they will both have to do roughly the same amount of work regardless. While an undergrad will do two or three modules a year for three years, postgraduates must therefore do seven in one year. Take that as you will.

4) Even if you decide against law, the LLB is an extremely versatile degree, giving you a plethora of transferable skills that could take you into a variety of different industries. If you choose a degree planning to do a law conversion and end up deciding against it, you might be left with fewer options.

Overall, our advice would be ‘if you know you want to work in law, choose law.’ But if you do choose law, you should be aware of…

2. The Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT)

If you want to study undergraduate law at any of these 12 universities:

University of Bristol

University of Cambridge

Durham University

University of Glasgow

King’s College, London (KCL)

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

University of Nottingham

University of Oxford

University College London (UCL)

SOAS University of London

Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore

IE School of Law, Spain

You’ll be required to sit the LNAT, a 2hr 15 minute aptitude test split into two sections designed to test your reasoning and critical thinking.

The LNAT can be extremely daunting, but we have a few things to bear in mind.

Section A: 42 MCQs, 95 minutes

In the first section, you’ll be asked a series of multiple-choice questions on 12 different extracts covering a variety of subjects. So how can you prepare?

1. All the information you need is in the extract. If you have any knowledge on the subject in question, forget it. The questions usually aren’t talking about what is being said, but how it’s being said.

2. Practice, practice, practice. The best way to actually prepare for the LNAT is just do a bunch of them. Websites like Arbitio offer excellent testing resources for a small fee (but you can find promo codes online) as a place to get started – Arbitio is far harder than the actual exam, so don’t be put off if you aren’t scoring super high. By repeating tests, you can identify patterns in what the questions are actually asking. For instance, it took me about twelve past papers to work out the difference between an argument and a conclusion (the former is persuasive and often cites evidence to support itself). Since you can’t revise the content, this is the best way to study the test itself.

3. Timing: you get about two minutes per question when removing time to read the extracts, so make sure you’re staying on top of things. If a question won’t come to you, keep going and come back to it later.

4. Clarity: some questions might seem like the don’t have any answers: others might have two or even three. In this case, don’t focus on the answer itself. Think about which answer it couldn’t be, which answer is too extreme or doesn’t go far enough. Like we said, sometimes it isn’t what is being asked, but how.

5. Expectations: for the perfectionists among you, LNAT will not be pleasant. For a test out of 42, a 25 will place you quite comfortably for most Russell groups, and for the universities that particularly value Section A (LSE, KCL, UCL), a 28 or 29 will stand you in very good stead. But even then, this score is NOT the be all and end all. Some people get <10 on the MCQs and land Oxbridge places, others get 38 and don’t. It’s just one part of your application: don’t fret!

Section B: the Essay, 40 minutes

The fun part! You’ll be given a choice of three essays usually arguing about current affairs or a particular philosophy. Anything from decriminalising drug use to banning designer babies. If you’re aiming for Oxbridge, this is the part of the test that really matters (i.e. the only part they really care about).

There’s not much you can do to prepare for the questions beyond keeping up to date with newspapers and doing past papers: if you’re doing law I assume you’re doing at least one essay subject, and believe me, these questions are way more fun and way less taxing than a history source. There are, however, some key things to be aware of. Most of which are centred around rejecting the established school orthodoxy on essay writing.

1. Pick a side of the argument and argue it relentlessly. No both-sidesisms, no sitting on the fence: only mention the other side of the argument to eviscerate it with Facts & Logic™. This essay is testing your ability to present reasoned, compelling, interesting arguments, not your capacity for compromise.

2. Think outside the box. There’s nothing wrong with going for the most obvious point if you can’t think of anything else, but if the opportunity presents itself, don’t be afraid to stand out. A good place to start is defining the terms of the question in the text and deconstructing them: what are the implications of a ban on something? How is it enforced? Does that ban contravene a fundamental right? Look for every angle before you begin.

3. DO. NOT. GET. CARRIED. AWAY. These essays should be about as long as a personal statement (~600 words), about 75 words each for an introduction and conclusion, 150 words per paragraph, two or three points. 40 minutes is not a lot of time, and you can’t bank extra time from the MCQs, so don’t let it run away from you.

Registration for the LNAT opens on August 1st, and you can book a test from September 1st. Different unis have different deadlines, but to keep all your options open, it’s best to book before October 16th Book FAST because later slots get eaten up right away. Best of luck!

3. The Personal Statement

As it stands you’re probably already prepping the first draft of your PS when this goes out, so this isn’t a super long section: just some tips on reading lists.

While it is tempting to reference a hundred different legal texts, bear in mind you only have about 650 words, and presumably you have other stuff to talk about. I referenced three books in my personal statement and really wouldn’t recommend more than five maximum: if you read others, that’s fantastic and you can mention that in the interview if it’s relevant, but for the PS, just focus on your most insightful thoughts on a handful of books.

Also representing my inner procrastinator, reading takes an ungodly amount of time. I only fully finished reading all of my books the day before my interview, and I repeat, I only cited three books. Now that’s bad bad, I understand that, but it’s my truth and I’m fairly certain it’s the truth for a lot of you. You will be VERY BUSY this Summer, don’t bite off more than you can chew.

Also, write essays. Enter competitions. Show practical interest alongside the literary theory. It doesn’t matter if you win any, it just matters that you enter, and the more you enter, the likelier you are to win. Bonus points if those essays tie into your reading.

Finally, tell a story. Your personal statement is a story about you, what kind of student you’ll be, how your interests and passions have developed. Link things together, weave little paths of logical reasoning, make it read like that journey so the admissions officer can share your experiences with the law. Plus it gives you a built-in structure for how to write the essay: chronologically.

Letters to a Law Student by Nicholas McBride is a great place to start, but from there, just follow your passion!

4. Selecting a University

Frankly this is a huge decision influenced by a myriad of factors that an article in a law journal should have very little, if any, influence over, but PURELY IN TERMS OF THE CONTENT OF THE LAW COURSE, here are some things to look out for.

1. Don’t pay too much attention to the league tables: pretty much every Russell Group will ask for A*AA for an LLB, so they’ll all be teaching to a similar calibre.

2. Take a look at each university’s course modules. Most unis will have a wide variety of optional courses across second and third year: some, like commercial and IP, are very common, while others, like environmental or jurisprudence, are much rarer. Bear that in mind when considering what part of the law you’re passionate about.

3. Remember, the actual law degree is not the end of this process. If you know you want to work in law, the application process starts in and directly after university:

 Applying for vacation schemes with law firms in the Summer of your first and second year to make contacts and gain practical experience.

 Applying for training contracts at the end of your second year to gain inroads at applicable firms. The firm you train with will also likely cover the cost of your SQE.

 Preparing for the postgraduate SQE (the British version of the bar) usually sat at the end of your first year out of university.

However, if you’re mainly basing your decision to go to university on the study of the subject alone, there are a number of alternative tracks: legal apprenticeships are a route into practical knowledge of the law without the associated mountains of debt. Take your time to consider what works best for you!

5. Good luck!

Applying for university can be a daunting prospect, but it’s also exciting: you’re preparing for the next amazing period in your lives! But no matter how this process goes, if you want to do law, nothing is ever the be all and end all. There are always second chances, there are always other opportunities. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! And if you do succeed, we wish you all the luck in the world!

If you have any further questions, message us at the LawSoc Instagram and we’ll field your queries as soon as possible.

Good luck, Class of 2024: you’ve got this!