Hi everyone,

I received an unconditional offer from Bristol last Saturday for the LLM in Public Law programme. I was absolutely delighted as I did not meet their entry requirements - I am the very non-proud recipient of a 2:2 and am pretty sure that it was my personal statement that got me through. And it's obviously one of the top universities in the UK.

I am eager to send my acceptance form back, but am trying to be sensible about it, take a step back, and get some of your esteemed opinions on the matter, as it's obviously a big financial commitment and I don't want to rush into it.

Firstly, what is the value of an LLM in Public Law? Ideally, I would like to do a PhD afterwards. Would a good score at LLM plus a good research proposal make me virtually nailed-on to be accepted at a upper-middle university (e.g. Bristol, Nottingham) or am I being idealistic here?

I don't want to completely tie myself down to an academic career, however, so what would an LLM in Public Law do for my position in the job market? Presumably not as much as an LLM in something like Public International Law or Commercial Law? However, I am fascinated by Public Law and am not too interested in the commercial side of law.

Finally, does anyone have any idea of how I might fund my year at Bristol? My family are prepared to pay for it, but I would much rather secure funding from an external source, e.g. a scholarship. Any sources of potential funding would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing your opinions.

Steve