For all those applying to law at Oxbridge

[scarlettjazz]

Hi there! I'm in the process of writing my personal statement for law (applying to Oxford) and I've sort of come to a stand still. I've realised that what I'm talking about is not really relevant to law because I have never had any work experience in law/ done anything particularly to do with it. So I'm now trying to fill it up with revelant stuff! What are you all talking about? Also, so I know who I'm up against, can you tell me where you are applying and what subjects you are taking/ predicted grades/ any work experience/ awards etc. Hopefully, this will benefit all of us!

Good luck to you all!

I'm studying:

math SL

physics HL

chemistry HL

english HL

history sl

Rather not disclose my language (sorry)sl

EE: English lit.

I'm getting a book award in September from a US college, I'm predicted 44 points (so far -- not too sure if I will get that) and most of my work experience is volunteer work e.g. teaching in schools for underprivileged children.

Also, how are you all starting your personal statements (obviously you don't need to tell me exactly), because I know that it is supposed to start with a bang, but I really can't think of anything.

Thanks!

[Arrowhead]

I sent in an application to Oxford for Law two years ago. I got up to the interview process and lost out. I think I had a 39 predicted. I had English, History, and Economics HL and Maths, ESS, and French Ab initio SL. I did have a paragraph of work experience in my PS because I worked for my Aunt (an Oxford Grad) who is working for an elite MNC in Dubai right now, I shadowed a lawyer in India for two weeks one summer, and one lawyer in England for a month. I even briefly described some of the cases I was a part of whilst shadowing them: making contract proposals ad learning about the fundamentals of contract law with my Aunt, rape, divorce, and adoption with the Indian lawyer, and multipurpose administration and public law and some ADR meetings with the English lawyer. It was interesting throughout. For extra curricular activities, I mentioned the generic stuff for Law, President of MUN Society, some international conferences, Head Boy of my school, and National Level Debating Champion. I had a lot more activities, but these were the only ones that were significant to Law.

Oh and I started my PS with a quote and then made that quote a running theme by concluding with a similar idea that related back to that quote.

Also, why wouldn't you reveal your second language subject? There really is no point in keeping it to yourself or at least I can't fathom one.

Cheers,

Arrowhead.

[sarahlouise]

I sent in an application to Oxford for Law two years ago. I got up to the interview process and lost out. I think I had a 39 predicted. I had English, History, and Economics HL and Maths, ESS, and French Ab initio SL. I did have a paragraph of work experience in my PS because I worked for my Aunt (an Oxford Grad) who is working for an elite MNC in Dubai right now, I shadowed a lawyer in India for two weeks one summer, and one lawyer in England for a month. I even briefly described some of the cases I was a part of whilst shadowing them: making contract proposals ad learning about the fundamentals of contract law with my Aunt, rape, divorce, and adoption with the Indian lawyer, and multipurpose administration and public law and some ADR meetings with the English lawyer. It was interesting throughout. For extra curricular activities, I mentioned the generic stuff for Law, President of MUN Society, some international conferences, Head Boy of my school, and National Level Debating Champion. I had a lot more activities, but these were the only ones that were significant to Law.

Oh and I started my PS with a quote and then made that quote a running theme by concluding with a similar idea that related back to that quote.

Also, why wouldn't you reveal your second language subject? There really is no point in keeping it to yourself or at least I can't fathom one.

Cheers,

Arrowhead.

Wow, how on earth did you miss out with all that?

[Daedalus]

Maybe because he was arrogant and/or insufferable

Point is, it's not about the stuff on paper. I talked to a few Law applicants when I was at Cambs for my interview, and they didn't have much in common. All were bright and motivated, most were reading with remarkable dedication around their subject, but that's basically it. The interview process means it really comes down to how you compare, in person, to the other applicants, i.e. you can't really fool the system.

This being Oxbridge, extra-curriculars won't be terribly important (especially if it's not Law-related); your academics and actual knowledge of Law will be. Your PS should be polished, and it's a good idea to take a look at this database and see what went right when things went right, and what didn't when they didn't.

But like I said, there's no real fooling the system. If you are a brilliant applicant, someone who comes across as bright and motivated and responsive to new ideas, then that will show in the interview and you'll get an offer. If not, no amount of extra-curriculars or predicted 7s will help you..

[ShootingStars]

Think about how you first got interested in law, then start with THAT. Why are you interested in law? What motivates you? Have you read any books relevant to law? Why is law the best fit for you?

[scarlettjazz]

Thanks everyone.

I don't have debating club or MUN on anything like that, but I have been reading about law. Where I live I don't get much access to uncensored media so I'm not completely in-touch with the world right now, but I'm working to fix that. I've been to a history related lecture at a uni, and had some work experience at the same uni (translating stuff into English). Do you think that's worth working into the ps? I have a lot of extra curricular (sports, DOE, teaching, choreography, music etc) but that's not very relevant. However, I am genuinely passionate about studying law and my grades are very good (top of the country good). I know that at the end of the day though, a good student with 38 points has just as much chance as getting in as a student with 45. In my ps 1st draft I'm talking mostly about my EE which is in English, so I'm not sure how relevant that is. Ah I really want to get in, fingers crossed that my grades will get me an interview at least.

One more thing. I have a really strong in the sciences and I thought I could mention this in my ps because of the logical thinking/ problem solving skills. Do you think this is a good idea?

Thanks

[scarlettjazz]

I sent in an application to Oxford for Law two years ago. I got up to the interview process and lost out. I think I had a 39 predicted. I had English, History, and Economics HL and Maths, ESS, and French Ab initio SL. I did have a paragraph of work experience in my PS because I worked for my Aunt (an Oxford Grad) who is working for an elite MNC in Dubai right now, I shadowed a lawyer in India for two weeks one summer, and one lawyer in England for a month. I even briefly described some of the cases I was a part of whilst shadowing them: making contract proposals ad learning about the fundamentals of contract law with my Aunt, rape, divorce, and adoption with the Indian lawyer, and multipurpose administration and public law and some ADR meetings with the English lawyer. It was interesting throughout. For extra curricular activities, I mentioned the generic stuff for Law, President of MUN Society, some international conferences, Head Boy of my school, and National Level Debating Champion. I had a lot more activities, but these were the only ones that were significant to Law.

Oh and I started my PS with a quote and then made that quote a running theme by concluding with a similar idea that related back to that quote.

Also, why wouldn't you reveal your second language subject? There really is no point in keeping it to yourself or at least I can't fathom one.

Cheers,

Arrowhead.

Thanks for your reply. Wow, how did you not get accepted? How was your interview and what kinds of questions did they ask you? Anyway, LSE is amazing.

I'd rather not disclose my language because that will make it very easy for people to know where I'm living. Just being cautious

[Arrowhead]

Wow, how on earth did you miss out with all that?

Thanks for your reply. Wow, how did you not get accepted?

Maybe because he was arrogant and/or insufferable
In all honesty, that ^ is the reason I think I didn't get in. I was nervous and my nervousness translated into me coming across as cocksure and arrogant instead of calm yet confident. My answers in my interview were a little pigheaded in hindsight and I had terrible luck with my second interview. It was an amalgamation of bad decisions in charged situations. Also I think they realised that while I faked my enthusiasm for Law on paper, I couldn't exactly fake it in reality. For me, Law is just a useful degree, the more I study it and go for internships, the more I realise that it really is not what I want to do with the rest of my life. Oxford must have picked up on that (but that's me speculating and trust me, if you get rejected, you never stop speculating at the back of your mind for a long time).

How was your interview and what kinds of questions did they ask you?
It varied between general questions about Law and general ideas about my interests as a student. I like to think I did well enough in the Law sections, not so well in the personal one-on-one time because I was **** nervous. Law was something I could talk about, myself on the other hand, not so much.

As Daedalus mentioned, extra curricular activities don't matter as much at all. It's all on your grades at the end of the day. ECs are helpful if you have them, but not harmful if absent. For me, they were what I was banking on because my predicted score just made the cut off and I needed to show Oxford that I had skills that supplemented my scores so that I could compete with the more academic students. If your grades are so high that they are the best in the country (as you suggest) then I really don't think you will have a problem at all insofar as getting an interview is concerned.

Anyway, LSE is amazing.
Yes, it is! and I love studying at LSE. It's a very good second after Oxford. Besides, mostly everyone here (at least in the Law Department) has been rejected from Oxbridge, so we all b*tch about them from time to time. And we take perverse pleasure in beating them at various tournaments. Petty? Yes. Satisfying? Most definitely. Edited August 9, 2014 by Arrowhead

[i love ib lol jk]

Scarlett Jazz, unless the country you live in has a population of 1, I don't really see how that's relevant, but your choice I guess. I know a few graduates from Cambridge not Oxford and they have all said the interview is terribly important and the stuff on paper was mostly just to get you there but can help you to a certain degree. Arrowhead, just wondering if LSE is actually any good? Heard a lot of horror stories about how **** the teaching was.

[Arrowhead]

Arrowhead, just wondering if LSE is actually any good? Heard a lot of horror stories about how **** the teaching was.

Most certainly, some of the teachers are sh*t. But this varies from Department to Department regarding the extent to which they're sh*t. The students in International Relations are forever complaining because they say that they don't have a single good teacher. In the Law Department, I've rarely heard of people whinging. Proportionally speaking, you have to be realistic, there can't all be good teachers, there have to be some bad. My exposure has been limited to class and lecture time with up to 20 professors overall (give or take a few). Of them all, around 7 of them have been outstanding, to the point that they made their subjects interesting and made me excited to attend their lectures/classes. The remaining were good, in that they tried to make lectures funny (not quite successfully), their notes/slides/ideas were either from the textbook or not extremely well explained, but still whatever they taught it was well enough done, and they never left anything out from the module they were covering. And then there was Linda Linda was bad! She was the very definition of a crap teacher who should not teach.

Edited August 21, 2011 by Arrowhead

[scarlettjazz]

Arrowhead, just wondering if LSE is actually any good? Heard a lot of horror stories about how **** the teaching was.

Most certainly, some of the teachers are sh*t. But this varies from Department to Department regarding the extent to which they're sh*t. The students in International Relations are forever complaining because they say that they don't have a single good teacher. In the Law Department, I've rarely heard of people whinging. Proportionally speaking, you have to be realistic, there can't all be good teachers, there have to be some bad. My exposure has been limited to class and lecture time with up to 20 professors overall (give or take a few). Of them all, around 7 of them have been outstanding, to the point that they made their subjects interesting and made me excited to attend their lectures/classes. The remaining were good, in that they tried to make lectures funny (not quite successfully), their notes/slides/ideas were either from the textbook or not extremely well explained, but still whatever they taught it was well enough done, and they never left anything out from the module they were covering. And then there was Linda Linda was bad! She was the very definition of a crap teacher who should not teach.

Haha. Well I guess it's the same at most unis. Did you need an interview at LSE? Or LNATs? I think, out of the places I'm applying, only Oxford and Nottingham need the LNATS -- wonder how good Nottingham is. They also need an interview...

[Arrowhead]

Haha. Well I guess it's the same at most unis. Did you need an interview at LSE? Or LNATs? I think, out of the places I'm applying, only Oxford and Nottingham need the LNATS -- wonder how good Nottingham is. They also need an interview...

No, no interview for LSE and you don't need to send in your LNAT scores either. Of my chosen Unis, only Oxford and King's asked for LNAT scores. I doubt the LNATs are a bother though. I never studied for them, just went in for the exam the day I had to and sat through it. I got a 22 or 21 and the average was a 15 or 16 I think. It was all really common sense stuff.

[scarlettjazz]

Haha. Well I guess it's the same at most unis. Did you need an interview at LSE? Or LNATs? I think, out of the places I'm applying, only Oxford and Nottingham need the LNATS -- wonder how good Nottingham is. They also need an interview...

No, no interview for LSE and you don't need to send in your LNAT scores either. Of my chosen Unis, only Oxford and King's asked for LNAT scores. I doubt the LNATs are a bother though. I never studied for them, just went in for the exam the day I had to and sat through it. I got a 22 or 21 and the average was a 15 or 16 I think. It was all really common sense stuff.

That's great -- phew, not looking forward to interviews. In Oxford did you get asked questions about current day affairs and your opinions on them? Did they ask you about one in particular, or did they just ask you to talk generally about current affairs that you knew about?

[Arrowhead]

That's great -- phew, not looking forward to interviews. In Oxford did you get asked questions about current day affairs and your opinions on them? Did they ask you about one in particular, or did they just ask you to talk generally about current affairs that you knew about?

The conversation part of it developed organically I guess. We were talking about this one piece of legislation they had handed to me and I had used to help analyse a situation, then we were discussing possible avenues for the defendant, as we discussed, the conversation drifted towards a change in legislation. So Parliament came up, with Parliament coming up we talked of some of the things that affected the UK Parliament (the "pale, male, and stale" syndrome) and how its not adequately representative of all of the UK. Then we went back to Law and then moved onto other aspects about studying techniques and what interested in me in Law (this is when it went downhill for me).

Edited August 22, 2011 by Arrowhead

[Indre]

I have Lithuanian A1, English A2, French B, and History at Higher, while Mathematics and Physics at Standard level.

I'm also applying to Oxbridge for law, and I have a question: today my teacher told me that most UK universities (including Oxbridge, for sure) require work experience related to law before applying to law. Well, it seems a bit weird for me, for how can a simple student have any kind of job, which requires legal education, without actually having it? So I was just interested whether it was true. Well, I do have a job, but it's far from being related to law. It's actually related to insurance

[scarlettjazz]

I have Lithuanian A1, English A2, French B, and History at Higher, while Mathematics and Physics at Standard level.

I'm also applying to Oxbridge for law, and I have a question: today my teacher told me that most UK universities (including Oxbridge, for sure) require work experience related to law before applying to law. Well, it seems a bit weird for me, for how can a simple student have any kind of job, which requires legal education, without actually having it? So I was just interested whether it was true. Well, I do have a job, but it's far from being related to law. It's actually related to insurance

You definitely don't HAVE to have work experience. The tutors appreciate that not everyone can get it.

[Arrowhead]

Like scarlettjazz said, you don't have to have work experience, it's one of those things that will help your application with its presence but not hinder it with its absence. but try to find some employment (non-paid of course), even if it is difficult. Even being the assistant to the assistant to the assistant of the lawyer will help you. Maybe becoming a filing clerk's assistant at a legal researcher's office, or attending a few extra law lectures at the local university, or asking your parents to speak to any lawyer they know/are friendly with to allow you to accompany them and 'shadow' for a week or two will be invaluable to your applications.

They're not asking you to go all Elle Woods and lawyer the world up before even getting there, they want to see some initiative on your part. Hell, even fetching coffee for a lawyer at a pro bono office will benefit you.

Cheers,

Arrowhead.

[Indre]

Thank you guys, honestly, I felt such a relief after having read your posts that legal job is not required.

I have already attended some lectures held by one French university professor in our local university. However, my job is paid, but I think working with insurance (to be more exact, in the insurance broker company) policies is quite a serious work for a high school student, isn't it? So I consider it being worth mentioning in my PS. o.O

I wonder if a legal unpaid job would be reading one person's master study on suretyship law?

[Arrowhead]

I have already attended some lectures held by one French university professor in our local university. However, my job is paid, but I think working with insurance (to be more exact, in the insurance broker company) policies is quite a serious work for a high school student, isn't it? So I consider it being worth mentioning in my PS. o.O

I wonder if a legal unpaid job would be reading one person's master study on suretyship law?

Anything law-related will help you. Absolutely anything.

[scarlettjazz]

Well, applications are off! Good luck everyone! How were your personal statements in the end? I'm happy with mine although I think I might have dedicated a little too much to extra curricular activities. I'm really surprised by how quickly the people in my school who applied to Cambridge heard back. They got 'welcome' emails 2 days after they applied and 2 weeks later, were told they got/ did not get interviews. Wonder how quick Oxford is...

How is the LNAT going for all of you?