Hi,
I'm just wondering if anyone currently doing LLB (final year) got an unconditional offer from anywhere? I've already obtained conditional (2:1) offers from LSE and Nottingham, but I'm wondering if there's any chance that I'll get an unconditional offer from anywhere. The reason for asking is that I just want a safety net in case something goes wrong and I end up getting a 2:2! (Well, it shouldn't be the case but...just in case) What about some mid-ranked univs ?

I think it's impossible to receive an unconditional offer when you haven't graduated yet.
So far I've received conditional offers from LSE and Queen Mary. LSE is very demanding though: I have to graduate with 75% (which will be hard to achieve... ).
What happens when you do not attain the required percentage? Will they withdraw their offer when I graduate with 73-74%?

Hey Koen, I am slightly confused by your post. Are you doing an LLB? if you are there is no way LSE require 75% - that would equate to a high first class honours.

Hi Koen,
Are you doing an LLB in the UK? If so, oh gosh, LSE is so harsh! Even Cambridge normally requires 67%!

I am doing a Master in Law (Licentiaat in de rechten) at the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) in Belgium. You need 78% to get a First Class degree and 68% to get a 2.1 at the University of Leuven and I guess that about 7-10% of the students are able to obtain 75% or more.

I'm sorry if I have caused confusion.

Hi folks, I'm a Canadian, and all this talk of "first class / second class" standing is unfamiliar to me.

I finished in the top 10% of my law class for my LLB (at a very well respected Canadian university).

Would this be considered first class or high second class standing?

Your marks would place you very highly in the First Class!

A First Class paper is one that is graded 70%+. The Second Class runs from 50% - 60%, but there is a cleavage between the 'Upper' Second Class (60%+) and the 'Lower Second Class (50%+). So a '2.1' is an Upper Second and a '2.2' is a Lower Second. A Third is anything below 50%.

Firsts are very difficult to achieve. You will hear many people in the UK saying things like 'Strong 2.1', or 'Good 2.1'. That means that they will have been awarded a cluster of marks in 65%+ region.

A 2.1 is the most common mark, and the low numbers of students attaining Firsts or 2.2s has led to charges against universities of grade inflation and/or poor differentiation between able students. But the reason why so many people get 2.1s is that, realistically, you need a 2.1 for a decent job.

jw, I am also Canadian and in a similar position to you. The grading scale in the UK is quite different from Canada. As you know, a 70% in Canada isn't all that great. I would almost say that you would have to add 10% to the UK grading scale to make any sort of reasonable comparison in grades. Studentbarista has summarized the UK grading scale well above.

I don't think that a lot of the UK schools have strict cut-offs for international students, rather, I think they will consider your grades relative to others at your school. As such, I think being in the top 10% places you in good stead.....at least that is the assumption I have been going on in applying to these schools!

Hope that helps.