Our Courses: Why does it matter?

Supporting Material

Thank you for visiting our Course Portfolio on our website.

Below contains a more detailed account of this section which sets out why our courses matter and why we encourage every student to be as prepared as possible before they embark on further studies at university. In addition it contains a list of relevant referenced material for your perusal. If you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to get in contact with us, using the Contact Form on our website.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Starting out at university can be tough!

Starting university usually marks a period of change and transition for most students. For some, this will mean moving away from home for the first time, facing the challenges of a more independent learning environment, meeting new people and generally juggling the demands of student life! This is without taking into consideration the academic rigour and pressures that come with studying a law degree. 

For many students they start on a degree unsure of what to expect and are then disappointed when the course isn't as they expected. Students may be disheartened that the course is more challenging them they thought, or feel that the course is not a good fit for them. We know of students who didn't realise they were on the wrong degree pathway and panicked when they realised that they wouldn't be able to achieve their career goals.

Our pre-university preparation courses have been designed to allow students the opportunity to investigate whether law is the right course for them. We provide a general introduction to certain topic areas that they will be covered within an LLB degree, so students can quickly ascertain whether this is going to be the right area of study for them. In addition, we develop key legal academic skills that students will need to have for higher education. This means our students enter their first day of study knowing that challenges will lie ahead but that they have the tools to tackle them and learn. 

Getting an offer to study law can be tougher!

However, students need to be accepted to study first! With only 10 Scottish universities accredited to offer the LLB qualification (Law Society of Scotland (a), 2023) this can often mean that places are competitive (more so, depending on if you have a particular university in mind!). In 2022, the University of Edinburgh was featured quite heavily in the news as their 150 spaces for law undergraduates filled quickly meaning that some students were rejected despite having a very strong portfolio of Higher qualifications (Scottish Daily Express, 2022; The Times, 2022).

Students shouldn't underestimate the power of a strong personal statement, especially one where you can show that you already have a foundational grounding in key legal areas offered on the LLB and that you have prepared yourself as much as possible before applying for university. Demonstrating a foundational understanding of the subject area, an awareness of the academic demands of the course, and exemplifying that as a student you are serious about your future field of study could be very important in terms of UCAS applications and we believe our courses can give you the confidence and knowledge to do just that!

Staying the course is hard too!

The Higher Education Statistics Agency has suggested that Scotland has an overall drop-out rate of 6% for full-time undergraduate students in 2019/20 (HESA, 2022). Worse still, some universities had an individual drop-out rate that was close or reached double this percentage (The Herald, 2020; The Scottish Parliament, 2018, The Insider, 2020). 

In addition, law itself is a challenging degree; technical language (a good amount in latin!), abstract legal principles, a seemingly never-ending list of case law to absorb, with lots and lots of reading. Perhaps, just some of the reasons that the national undergraduate drop out rate sits at around 5% for law students (Legal Cheek (a) 2019). 

So why study an LLB?

Firstly,  in terms of higher education, let's consider Scottish universities. In this year's Good University Guide, 5 out of the 20 top law schools were Scottish, with Glasgow sitting at No. 3 (Legal Cheek, 2023). Other universities offer award-winning law schools, exceptional employability rates and excellent student satisfaction (Legal Cheek (b) 2019; Complete University Guide, 2023)

If we consider future career options, law can be a rewarding profession to enter into and students know this! This is why law attracts large student numbers year on year with the Law Society of Scotland stating that there are around 3,500 LLB students (Law Society of Scotland (b), 2023). Judges, advocates and solicitors have to start somewhere and that somewhere is with the LLB.

The LLB degree as a qualification in itself, proves very popular with employers outside of law and the Law Society of Scotland advertises that the degree can help students pursue careers in alternative areas (Law Society of Scotland (c) 2023). The Strathclyde Law School highlight their impressive positive pathways with 96% of their law graduates going into employment or additional study (University of Stratchclyde, 2023). This means for law students they have many opportunities within or outwith the legal profession. 

What Scots Law Talks offers

Starting on higher education is such an important journey. At Scots Law Talks, we want you to start it on the right foot so that:

• You are confident that you are on the right course for you

• You have a foundational understanding of some key topics

• You have the basis for continuing to develop your legal academic skills

• You are excited to learn more about law

We hope this blog proved useful. If you have any questions about the courses or about Scots Law Talks, then please get in touch with us.

List of References

1: HESA, (2022). Non-continuation: UK Performance Indicators. HESA. [Online] Available: Non-continuation: UK Performance Indicators | HESA Accessed: 15th November 2023.

2: Law Society of Scotland (a) (2023). Where can I study the LLB? Law Society of Scotland. [Online] Available: https://www.lawscot.org.uk/qualifying-and-education/qualifying-as-a-scottish-solicitor/llb-degree-in-law/where-can-i-study-the-llb/ Accessed: 15th November 2023.

3: Williams, M., (2020). Scots universities top the UK student dropout rate rise rankings. The Herald. [Online] Available at: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18134767.scots-universities-top-uk-student-dropout-rate-rise-rankings/ Accessed: 15th November 2023.

4: Beattie, E., (2022). Top students miss out on law course places at Edinburgh University due to 'postcode'. Scottish Daily Express. [Online] Available at: https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/top-students-miss-out-law-27224054 Accessed: 15th November 2023.

5: The Scottish Parliament, (2018). Drop-out and returns: UK students at Scottish universities. The Scottish Parliament. [Online] Available at: https://spice-spotlight.scot/2018/03/20/drop-out-and-returns-uk-students-at-scottish-universities/ Accessed: 15th November 2023.

6: Connely, T., (2023). UCL and Glasgow beat Oxford in latest law school rankings. Legal Cheek. [Online] Available at: https://www.legalcheek.com/2023/09/ucl-and-glasgow-beat-oxford-in-latest-law-school-rankings/ Accessed: 15th November 2023.

7: Law Society of Scotland (c) (2023). Alternative Careers with your LLB. Law Society of Scotland. [Online] Available: https://www.lawscot.org.uk/qualifying-and-education/qualifying-as-a-scottish-solicitor/llb-degree-in-law/alternative-careers-with-your-llb/ Accessed: 15th November 2023.

8: Mawardi, A., (2019). Law students more likely to quit uni than their maths, languages and history-studying peers. Legal Cheek. [Online] Available: https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/08/law-students-more-likely-to-quit-uni-than-their-maths-languages-and-history-studying-peers/ Accessed: 15th November 2023.

9: McKinney, CJ., (2019). Lincoln, Glasgow and Aberystwyth Unis home to nation’s happiest law students. Legal Cheek. [Online] Available at: https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/07/lincoln-glasgow-and-aberystwyth-unis-have-the-nations-happiest-law-students/ Accessed: 15th November 2023.

10: Law Society of Scotland (b) (2023).LLB Degree in Law. Law Society of Scotland. [Online] Available: LLB Degree in Law | Law Society of Scotland (lawscot.org.uk) Accessed: 15th November 2023.

11: University of Strathclyde, (2023). Law School: Employability and Practical Legal Skills. University of Strathclyde. [Online] Available at: Employability | University of Strathclyde Accessed: 15th November 2023.

12: Complete University Guide, (2023). Law - SUBJECT LEAGUE TABLE 2024. [Online] Available: Law Scotland - Top UK University Subject Tables and Rankings 2023 / 2024 - Complete University Guide (thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk) Accessed: 15th November 2023.

13: The Times, (2022) No Places At Edinburgh University Law Course for Top Students. The Times. [Online] Available: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-places-at-edinburgh-university-law-course-for-top-students-tlqssqqwm Accessed: 15th November 2023.

14: The Insider, (2020). Scots university suffers UK's largest increase in drop-out rate. [Online] Available: Scots university suffers UK's largest increase in drop-out rate - Business Insider Accessed: 15th November 2023.