Hello....i am Mary Johnson...LLM (Cantab) and LLB (Oxford). ive been visiting this site for some time. I have found that people usually argue that which university is good and which is not. Almost every one praise Oxford and Cambridge....but when it comes to University of London....there is always never stopping debate. ive read users of this forum prefer'in the colleges of their own choise as the BEST. So what i am writing here would help you a lot in chosing between the UOL Colleges. First of all, Ranking is not everything. i dont believe in ranking stuff...it always keep changing. Having done my LLB from oxford and LLM from cambridge....i can give you my honest opinion. Apart from Oxford and Cambridge.....All UOL Colleges are in the same league. I dont beieve in the stuff that LSE is better than UCL, SOAS, QMUL and KCL and vice versa. All Schools/Colleges are very very well reputed institutes.In fact UCL and KCL are the founder colleges of the University. And when it comes about doing an LLM....other than Cambridge....LLM (London) really matters. i dont mean to say that Edinburgh, Warwick, Bristol, Durham are not good...i am just saying that from all 5 London University Colleges....each college/school has its own speciality. But unfortunately you people only go after brand name...like LSE, SOAS, UCL....no one gives a damn to QMUL. But as a matter of fact, QMUL is not bad either. in my opinion, LLM in Commercial law from QMUL is better than all other 4 colleges.
When we talk about Human Rights, Law and Development....there is no comparison of LLM from SOAS. LSE, UCL and KCL are famous for International Trade law, Banking and Finance, Business and Finance etc......What i'm trying to say is that dont judge any college (London one) from its ranking alone. Judge it from its area of specialization. Its always rude to say that QMUL is not good....KCL is not better than UCL or UCL is not better than LSE or SOAS is better than KCL.....etc. Every single College of London University is famous in its own area. For students from Asia....who want to work back in Asian countries....LLM from SOAS would be the best option. For Those seeking career in European Countries....LSE, KCL and UCL would be the right options. And for those who want to excel in Commercial Law.....must do an LLM from QMUL. i was born in London but did my school from India (Dehli). After my High School....i came back to UK....to do LLB from Oxford and LLM from Cambridge. But i always loved to study in London Colleges. Now ive decided to pursue my PHD from SOAS since i wantwork back in India...mainly in Government or NGO sector.
So, i would like to say without any fear of contradiction that....all five colleges of London University are the top ones to do an LLM....but after Cambridge :) What should really matter in chosing the college.....is the area of your interest and the modules which suits you more.

thanks for the insight ;-)

Piya...pleasure is all mine.

For those who believe in the ranking stuff.....Ranking does'nt mean anything. All UOL Colleges are of same standard. And specifically talking about Law, UCL, KCL, SOAS and QMUL have very strong law schools. LSE also has a very great law school....but as its name suggests, it mainly has a edge in Economics, Media studies and politics (no offence).

thnx mary for the info and i quite share your thoughts regarding the ranking issue. Being a graduate myself from a top law school in India, I too come to the conclusion that rankings are all a farce( with no offence to the law schools who are definitely good in their own terms)...the professors, library, moot exposures and the last but not the least, law students themselves matter the most about how they make the best use of the facilities available to them.

Mary, as it apparently seems you do have some fair idea about the modules, can you tell me whether a Commercial Arbitration/ADR course of QMUL is good or KCL is better?

reet....pleasure is all mine. Well, i am not sure since i hav'nt been to these college's....but taking into account the commercial expertise of QMUL, i think the course of ADR at QMUL would be better. Do also check who teaches the same course (if it is taught) at KCL. That would be the deciding factor regarding your query. As far as college is concerned...both are great. But mainly, QMUL is famous for its Commercial Law aspect. And if i am not wrong...QMUL do offer an LLM in Comparative and International Dispute Resolution....while KCL does'nt.

yes you are right. QMUL does offer this course. However even KCL does and in the latter you also have the liberty to select modules of your own choice and compose it as per your own needs and suitability.

Oxford does not and has never offered a ¨LLB¨.
Due to historical reasons, Oxford´s law degree is the BA (Jurisprudence )

well thats great....now the ball is in your court. You have both options...and i am sure you will decide, what is best for you.

oh really....i forgot that people like you dont know that its equivalent to LLB in your LANGUAGE. Yes, i did the undergrad in Juris (Course II....4 years programme). But it is equivalent to LLB. And in my CV i simply put BA/LLB (oxford). Got it?

Seriously "mary johnson"? LLB/BA (Oxon)? and in 4 years??

Mary Johnson, the only thing your post tells me is that Oxford is slipping on the writing skills front.

Otherwise, much of what you say in your post is true.

I agree with the post from Mary, however for example, I am not Asian but I decided to study the LLM at SOAS.

Just really liked the school.