Hi,

I would appreciate any feedback on whether you think I would have success applying for a spot in the BCL/ Cambridge LLM.

I have a 2:1 degree (74%) in law from a top tier university in Australia. I also have a degree in commerce. While at law school, I topped a difficult commercial law subject, was a successful mooter and a research assistant to a well-respected professor. I have no publications. I currently work at a bulge bracket investment bank.

1) How important is the publications/written essay component to the entire process? Does the written legal essay have to have formed part of your assessment while at university, or can you write something independently (so long as in the correct format)?

2) Who are looked favourably upon as referees?

3) I understand a 2:1 immediately excludes applicants from the BCL. Will they review your application or throw it in the scrap heap? Is it even worth applying?

4) Which colleges are the best to apply to? I liked the look of Brasenose at Oxford, but beyond that, are there any colleges that are particularly good for law? I understand some colleges have good relationships with the different Inns. Any views on this?

I can't really comment on the admissions procedure at Oxford or Cambridge, but perhaps some anecdotal information will help. I have a 2:1 degree from a top 10 (non-oxbridge) university in the UK and 6 years work experience. I managed to get an offer from Cambridge, but not for the BCL.

If you foresee yourself practicing. It would behoove you to hold off and get qualified to practice before applying for a BCL/LLM. Reason. Having a BCL/LLM from a prestige uni will not suffice. You are only wasting a year learning about another jurisdicary when evidently you should have stayed in Australia. Not to mention, Australia's market for lawyers is better than the UK which has currently become overly saturated with lawyers (barristers/solictors).

Opinion: Do not waste your money and time going to Oxbridge before you become a practicing lawyer.

Fellow Prospective-Oxbridgians,

I also hold a Low-Mid 2.2 in Music. However, I have achieved a Cert.III in Lab Safety (Low Distinction) and a GradDip in Food Handling (Mid-Pass). I have also read half of E Gibbons' 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' and once attended a lecture on Kant.

Not content on restricting myself to academics, I currently work for a reputable fine food store and held a managers position at Harrods for three years.

I believe this real world experience will make me an excellent addition to Oxford. Like many applicants, I have spent years developing and cultivating a neo-burgeiouse hubris, providing me with an air of dignity and hauteur. Once I have graduated with a BCL (Dist), I intend to work for Bird & Bird; not the bar.

What are my chances?

Fellow Prospective-Oxbridgians,

I also hold a Low-Mid 2.2 in Music. However, I have achieved a Cert.III in Lab Safety (Low Distinction) and a GradDip in Food Handling (Mid-Pass). I have also read half of E Gibbons' 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' and once attended a lecture on Kant.

Not content on restricting myself to academics, I currently work for a reputable fine food store and held a managers position at Harrods for three years.

I believe this real world experience will make me an excellent addition to Oxford. Like many applicants, I have spent years developing and cultivating a neo-burgeiouse hubris, providing me with an air of dignity and hauteur. Once I have graduated with a BCL (Dist), I intend to work for Bird & Bird; not the bar.

What are my chances?

Fellow Prospective-Oxbridgians,

I also hold a Low-Mid 2.2 in Music. However, I have achieved a Cert.III in Lab Safety (Low Distinction) and a GradDip in Food Handling (Mid-Pass). I have also read half of E Gibbons' 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' and once attended a lecture on Kant.

Not content on restricting myself to academics, I currently work for a reputable fine food store and held a managers position at Harrods for three years.

I believe this real world experience will make me an excellent addition to Oxford. Like many applicants, I have spent years developing and cultivating a neo-burgeiouse hubris, providing me with an air of dignity and hauteur. Once I have graduated with a BCL (Dist), I intend to work for Bird & Bird; not the bar.

What are my chances?

I believe someone else answered this one for you but maybe you didnt get it.

At oxbridge, a first or a high 2.1 is a pre-requisite before the rest of your credentials are considered. Meaning that admissions officers will discard your app if it does not meet those criteria. Is that unfair - debateable, maybe it is. But I dont set the policy.

Furthermore a BCL is generally open only to those with a law degree, I doubt a degree in music would qualify.

Anyway FWIW your background shows you're a smart, well-read, intelligent young man byt there are thousands of smart, well-read, intelligent young men and women out there - not a rarity by any stretch.

In essence your chances at Oxbridge are N-I-L

Oh god....You are either a 10 year old or you have an attitude problem; or maybe both. What jsd told you is right; exactly what I told you in the other thread. You came on here, asked a question and we gave you an answer. You need to understand that everyone of us would want to get into Oxbridge; unfortunately want does not mean can. There are people with top firsts and awards; and years of legal work experience that get rejected. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get in with a 2:2...and the reasons you use to support your argument that you 'deserve to get in' are ridiculous....the fact that you worked in Harrods or in a food store does not int any way make you a suitable Oxbridge candidate....when you said you read HALF of Edward Gibbon's 'The History of the decline and fall of the Roman empire'..there I was like wtf??? I have read numerous historical, philosophical etc books in my life, and by numerous I mean NUMEROUS, using it as a way to get Oxbridge to accept me is. at the least, funny; and you expect that reading HALF a book is enough to use it to show that you are a suitable candidate? Well get over, you can't swear to people just because they are honest....the only way to get into Oxbridge is to enrol into a new degree, manage to get top grades and then, in three years, apply! but judging by your arguments you are certainly not oxbridge material pal.

Oh god....You are either a 10 year old or you have an attitude problem; or maybe both. What jsd told you is right; exactly what I told you in the other thread. You came on here, asked a question and we gave you an answer. You need to understand that everyone of us would want to get into Oxbridge; unfortunately want does not mean can. There are people with top firsts and awards; and years of legal work experience that get rejected. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get in with a 2:2...and the reasons you use to support your argument that you 'deserve to get in' are ridiculous....the fact that you worked in Harrods or in a food store does not int any way make you a suitable Oxbridge candidate....when you said you read HALF of Edward Gibbon's 'The History of the decline and fall of the Roman empire'..there I was like wtf??? I have read numerous historical, philosophical etc books in my life, and by numerous I mean NUMEROUS, using it as a way to get Oxbridge to accept me is. at the least, funny; and you expect that reading HALF a book is enough to use it to show that you are a suitable candidate? Well get over, you can't swear to people just because they are honest....the only way to get into Oxbridge is to enrol into a new degree, manage to get top grades and then, in three years, apply! but judging by your arguments you are certainly not oxbridge material pal.

Oh god....You are either a 10 year old or you have an attitude problem; or maybe both. What jsd told you is right; exactly what I told you in the other thread. You came on here, asked a question and we gave you an answer. You need to understand that everyone of us would want to get into Oxbridge; unfortunately want does not mean can. There are people with top firsts and awards; and years of legal work experience that get rejected. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get in with a 2:2...and the reasons you use to support your argument that you 'deserve to get in' are ridiculous....the fact that you worked in Harrods or in a food store does not int any way make you a suitable Oxbridge candidate....when you said you read HALF of Edward Gibbon's 'The History of the decline and fall of the Roman empire'..there I was like wtf??? I have read numerous historical, philosophical etc books in my life, and by numerous I mean NUMEROUS, using it as a way to get Oxbridge to accept me is. at the least, funny; and you expect that reading HALF a book is enough to use it to show that you are a suitable candidate? Well get over, you can't swear to people just because they are honest....the only way to get into Oxbridge is to enrol into a new degree, manage to get top grades and then, in three years, apply! but judging by your arguments you are certainly not oxbridge material pal.

I'm clearly joking you paunchy twat.

Oh god....You are either a 10 year old or you have an attitude problem; or maybe both. What jsd told you is right; exactly what I told you in the other thread. You came on here, asked a question and we gave you an answer. You need to understand that everyone of us would want to get into Oxbridge; unfortunately want does not mean can. There are people with top firsts and awards; and years of legal work experience that get rejected. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get in with a 2:2...and the reasons you use to support your argument that you 'deserve to get in' are ridiculous....the fact that you worked in Harrods or in a food store does not int any way make you a suitable Oxbridge candidate....when you said you read HALF of Edward Gibbon's 'The History of the decline and fall of the Roman empire'..there I was like wtf??? I have read numerous historical, philosophical etc books in my life, and by numerous I mean NUMEROUS, using it as a way to get Oxbridge to accept me is. at the least, funny; and you expect that reading HALF a book is enough to use it to show that you are a suitable candidate? Well get over, you can't swear to people just because they are honest....the only way to get into Oxbridge is to enrol into a new degree, manage to get top grades and then, in three years, apply! but judging by your arguments you are certainly not oxbridge material pal.

I'm clearly joking you paunchy twat.

well as i said you are probably a 10 year old troller.....i hope you know that the words you use will get you blocked from llm-guide....

Oh god....You are either a 10 year old or you have an attitude problem; or maybe both. What jsd told you is right; exactly what I told you in the other thread. You came on here, asked a question and we gave you an answer. You need to understand that everyone of us would want to get into Oxbridge; unfortunately want does not mean can. There are people with top firsts and awards; and years of legal work experience that get rejected. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get in with a 2:2...and the reasons you use to support your argument that you 'deserve to get in' are ridiculous....the fact that you worked in Harrods or in a food store does not int any way make you a suitable Oxbridge candidate....when you said you read HALF of Edward Gibbon's 'The History of the decline and fall of the Roman empire'..there I was like wtf??? I have read numerous historical, philosophical etc books in my life, and by numerous I mean NUMEROUS, using it as a way to get Oxbridge to accept me is. at the least, funny; and you expect that reading HALF a book is enough to use it to show that you are a suitable candidate? Well get over, you can't swear to people just because they are honest....the only way to get into Oxbridge is to enrol into a new degree, manage to get top grades and then, in three years, apply! but judging by your arguments you are certainly not oxbridge material pal.

I'm clearly joking you paunchy twat.

well as i said you are probably a 10 year old troller.....i hope you know that the words you use will get you blocked from llm-guide....

That's okay with me. Have fun.

- R S Gowers
BA (Law) (1:1) (Cantab)

Cambridge doesn't do overall rankings, my friend. Better luck (and prior research) scamming next time.