Subject Advice Guide

Law

Overview

A highly demanding degree which combines the abstract thinking required in most humanities with the application of rules found in the sciences. It requires you to absorb large amounts of information and apply it in hypothetical scenarios, and to use it to construct arguments about the law. Once you start getting used to it, studying Law becomes highly rewarding. It is also a highly employable degree and will equip you with many sought-after skills.

Choosing Your Course

Think deeply about what you care about. I was split between doing History/Politics and Law, so I began looking at what aspects of each subject I was drawn to. In both subjects, I found myself very drawn to things I considered wrong in the world, trying to understand these issues in-depth and then creating viable solutions to change the status quo.

Once you find your interest, dive into these interests, find books that relate to it, articles, podcasts and even YouTube videos.

The reason for this is two-fold. The first is that we have all been in situations where we have found something deeply interesting at the beginning and through focussing on it more, we could either fall out of love or gain a further passion about it. In regard to academics, one’s interest should be more than mere surface level.

The second reason is that by homing in on your interests for the sake of quenching one’s curiosity would show within one’s personal statement and interviews.

The issue that I found very interesting was that of joint enterprise. I saw many things wrong with such a law and began searching around to find more on the topic. Not knowing where to start, I began with a quick google search. A few hours later I was down a deep rabbit hole from articles to essays written on the topic.

Career Prospects

A law degree in general, and especially one from Oxford, opens many doors. Many graduates do indeed become barristers and solicitors, but some remain in academia or go into a wide range of other sectors.

Course Structure

Year 1:

Three modules; Criminal law, Roman Law and Constitutional law with exams at the end of the second term (Moderations) which do not count towards the final grade. Compulsory mooting and legal research course.

Years 2/3:

Nine modules; Tort law, Contract law, Trusts, Land law, Administrative law, EU law, Jurisprudence and two optional subjects, chosen from a very wide range of options. All exams are at the end of third year, with Jurisprudence coursework in the second year.

What to Expect

Law is a subject with little contact hours and a lot of independent studying. Most of the working time will be devoted to reading, thinking, and writing essays in preparation for the tutorials.

There are roughly one to two essays per week with an average length of 1500 words. This is accompanied by one to two tutorials a week.

Lectures are optional and most students go to two or three lectures per week. Classes are between your tutors and your college course-mates. How many classes you have depends on your tutor, though its usually around one 2-hour class a week. Tutorials are usually with one other course-mate and are also organised by colleges.