Which Uni?

[ivrytwr3]

Morning all,

My lad has had a few conditional offers to study Law and has narrowed it down to these (should he get the required grades!)

• Warwick - has an e-sports centre + an hour and a half away from home (attended open day).
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• UEA - the Law facilities look good and the smallish campus seems friendly + an hour and a half away from home (attended open day).
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• Kent - a good Uni, but 3 and a half hours away + most likely an expensive area?

A sensitive lad with a mum who does EVERYTHING for him, very little experience of the real world. I want him to go to a good Uni, but i also want him to be safe and have a good experience and if needed, we are close-by, but not close enough that Mum will be visiting every weekend - lol.

Anyone been to any of the above? Any comments or advice? I never did the Uni thing first time around and ended up with a degree later on in life - so no idea what's good and what isn't.

 

[ivrytwr3]

Can he work a washing machine, cook a meal for himself (bunging something into a microwave doesn't count). Does he pay any bills e.g. mobile phone ? Does he buy stuff like clothes himself out of an allowance or is it all "bank of mum & dad".

Those are some basics he'll need wherever he goes.

No and it boils my **** that he's still mothered to death.

 

[ivrytwr3]

And based on your summary of him - gap year and gain some life experience first. He'll be far more mature/prepped and likely to do better.

That's interesting, but my worry with that is, he is in the learning mode now and if takes a gap year, he may meet someone, get a job and like the feel of money now etc and potentially limit his future earning potential - basically there is a worry by taking a gap year, he may not go to Uni at all.

I don't think that's an option now anyway, he is getting his offers and is keen to go. I guess i need to step up and sort out basic life skills

 

[ivrytwr3]

@ivrytwr3 Why have you allowed him to be so mothered? It will be a big shock to him when he has to face the world alone.

He's a good kid getting great grades with offers to great Uni's - and you're questioning the parent skills?

Meh - he gets his meals made for him, clothes washed and ironed - he does have his own bank account which he pays for stuff himself. Due to covid, he missed out on work experience and other social activities, much like most other kids at that age.

 

[ivrytwr3]

Warwick is a nice gentle uni. He should do well if he's a tad on the coddled side. It's also very well respected.

That's good to hear - thanks.

 

[ivrytwr3]

Really, really useful stuff - ty.

I'm sending all these messages to him - you know what it's like, they'll listen to other people rather than mum and dad

 

[ivrytwr3]

Well you did say your annoyed that he is mothered so much , so thats why i asked.

I am, i'm crap at home too. Mrs does all the cooking and cleaning and take care of the financial side of everything. We will make an effort to get him to learn to cook basic meals etc and maybe i'll learn something too!

 

[ivrytwr3]

I can't vouch for the calibre of the course, however my other half went to UEA. She enjoyed both the University and living in Norwich, which is compact and has good transport links. Has an excellent music venue on campus too, so positive from a social and nightlife perspective. Main negative is the aesthetics - the campus is a bit of a concrete jungle. I visited twice and felt much the same. Enjoyed Norwich, felt comfortable both in the city and on campus. That info is a few years old though.

CUG table ranks Warwick ahead for law. A similar table by The Guardian has Kent ahead, but all 3 Universities within the top 30 (out of 101).

We got bussed in on the open day and the first thing you see is the concrete jungle - immediate disappointment But then we saw the Law building/accommodation which is away from the main area and a completely different aesthetic (thankfully!)

 

[ivrytwr3]

What sort of experience does he want? Lively, sociable, serious, campus, sports, etc. I don't have personal experience at any of those unis, but I imagine the experience will differ greatly.

Purely for reputation I'd imagine Warwick is top of the list.

Sociable, friendly, no interest in sports and no interest in getting wasted (at the minute!)

 

[ivrytwr3]

@ivrytwr3 my brother went to Warwick and had a great time.

As @Voltar said it's also the best for law out of those three and the best out of them in general.

Thank you.

 

[ivrytwr3]

"has an e-sports centre" LOL

Come on, be serious...

Warwick is a total no-brainer here regardless of the other stuff, it's just not even close.

A relative of mine went to Warwick, she ended up at a top London law firm earning a ridiculous amount (pay at these sorts of firms has gotten even more ridiculous these days with US firms paying £150k starting salaries in London). She also got sponsorship for her LPC. Plenty of her uni mates from Warwick ended up in decent jobs too.

I doubt grads from the other two courses would be competitive for those sorts of roles. Not that he necessarily will want to end up working in a big fancy firm in London but he might as well have the option to do so and/or be as competitive as possible for various other areas.

We don't know Unis', so the league tables were the main focus, but the fact it had an e-sport centre put another tick in the 'for' box as this is something he relates to.

Very useful other info too - ty.

 

[ivrytwr3]

I believe Warwick is ranked the highest; #9 here: https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings

Being the nearest is mutually beneficial too. Far enough away so he learns how to cook toast. Near enough that visits aren’t a chore.

I am not a lawyer myself. I do work for a law firm. Many of my family are in law; a lawyer, a retired judge, two barristers, and a parol officer.

A regular topic of conversation, at work, or with family, is how hard it is to become a trainee lawyer. They general mantra proclaimed goes something like, “if you don’t have a 2.1, from a Russell Group university, don’t bother.” Warwick is a member (https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/advice/choosing-a-course/what-is-the-russell-group)

So while I hate to say it, unfortunately, I have to agree with Luckystrike123. I’ve seen the decline in junior and trainee posts in some legal areas. The barrister’s chambers would offer 3-4 junior spots 15-20 years ago. Now they mostly offer only 1 junior role. The competition is fierce. Unless they’ve something special, high grades, from a Red Brick, their CV tends to get lost in the tide. I really wish that wasn’t the case

Damn, that's grim

Just wondering what would be available with a law degree if solicitor etc wasn't to be

 

[ivrytwr3]

Loads of stuff there EP - thank you.

 

[ivrytwr3]

Here’s my 2p worth as (a) a law graduate and now family lawyer; and (b) someone now employing law graduates and training them.

Warwick is by far the best option from those listed. It’s well respected, a decent course and there’s a good structure in place for pushing students in the right direction for job applications.

UEA is bottom of the list for me.

Hope this helps and good luck to your son with his exams.

Thanks for posting, my son may be in touch in a few years time

 

[ivrytwr3]

So he's had conditional offers for UEA, Kent and Keele - still nothing from Warwick

We attended an open day at UEA earlier this week, accommodation, lecturers, meet other students etc. There were loads of plus points, namely:

Opportunity to 4th year in the US
Local law firms come onto campus and set up clinics which students sit in on and eventually lead.
Focus on getting students internships, placements etc due to UEA's contacts - so will help getting into jobs not just their education.
Very student focused, loads of stuff to do with Mental Health, support etc

Negative:

Not Warwick.

I feel son will be safer and more looked after at UEA and get a better rounded education. Is Uni more about the experience or should he be focused on the institution name on his degree at the end of it all?