Hello everyone! [...] For the essay submission, would it affect my application if the topic of my essay is different [...]

However maybe you want to do something totally new where that would be impossible.

(mine did not match at all!).

Thank you so much for the advice from both of you. It's really helpful :)

I also have a further question about college preference. Which colleges would you recommend if I want to choose one that is near to the law faculty with en-suite accommodation, provides a wide range of activities (e.g. high table dinners, clubs etc) and academic scholarship?

Thank you so much for the advice from both of you. It's really helpful :)

I also have a further question about college preference. Which colleges would you recommend if I want to choose one that is near to the law faculty with en-suite accommodation, provides a wide range of activities (e.g. high table dinners, clubs etc) and academic scholarship?

I personally am choosing the college based off of their amenities (library, gym, societies, sports) and how strong their law graduate pool is, rather than distance. At the end of the day even if you aren't right next to the law faculty, the trip shouldn't take you long wherever you're coming from.

And although most colleges offer places to students from all subject areas, some focus more on law than others. I have heard that Brasenose, Balliol, Univ, Trinity and Magdalen are some of the colleges law graduates tend to concentrate in.

So personally, I wouldn't put a massive weight on location as recentBCLgraduate said but more on the atmosphere.

Incidentally, all of the colleges mentioned are centrally located (and I would add Merton and Wadham to the list of colleges with strong law reputations)! At the end of the day, being at Oxford is great regardless of what college you are a member of. While college membership will shape your Oxford experience, it will not impact your future prospects (since graduating, only one person has asked me what college I attended in a social, not professional, context). Thus, choose the college that speaks to you and do not stress too much as the allocation process is out of your hands!

Hey,
I also have a brief question, which I wasn't sure how to answer last year either. Specifically: "Do you intend to apply for a research degree after completing this course?"
Unfortunately the answer is only yes/no. Though I am hoping on doing a bar course afterwards, I don't want to straight up rule out the possibility of doing a PhD.
Any suggestions or info what role this plays on the app?

Hey,
I also have a brief question, which I wasn't sure how to answer last year either. Specifically: "Do you intend to apply for a research degree after completing this course?"
Unfortunately the answer is only yes/no. Though I am hoping on doing a bar course afterwards, I don't want to straight up rule out the possibility of doing a PhD.
Any suggestions or info what role this plays on the app?

Hello everyone! I am going to apply for BCL this year.

For the essay submission, would it affect my application if the topic of my essay is different from the subjects which I indicated an interest in pursuing in my personal statement (e.g. submitting an essay on criminal law, while indicating an interest in commercial law in my personal statement)?

By the same token, do the fields which my referees specialize in have an impact as well?


Thanks so much!

Hello everyone! I am going to apply for BCL this year.

For the essay submission, would it affect my application if the topic of my essay is different from the subjects which I indicated an interest in pursuing in my personal statement (e.g. submitting an essay on criminal law, while indicating an interest in commercial law in my personal statement)?

By the same token, do the fields which my referees specialize in have an impact as well?


Thanks so much!

Hi all,

I have two years of experience working at law firms, including a Tier 1 US firm and a magic circle law firm, and I hold a GPA of 4.93 out of 5. I'm uncertain about my chances of being accepted into the MLF program. For those who have gone through the process, I would greatly appreciate your insights.

Additionally, I’m contemplating whether to submit only academic LORs or if it would be beneficial to include one from the partner I’m currently working with in ECM practice.

To provide more context, my recommenders are as follows:

1- The Vice Dean of my undergraduate college
2- A professor with whom I studied capital markets law and worked as a research assistant
3- A professor who holds a PhD from UCL and taught me one course
4- A professor with a master's degree from UCL who taught me two courses and supervised me during my required training at the university

Moreover, I would like to understand what Oxford prioritizes in these LORs. Should each letter highlight different aspects of my qualifications or experiences?

[Edited by SEEYOUNEXTYEAR on Nov 07, 2024]

Moreover, I would like to understand what Oxford prioritizes in these LORs. Should each letter highlight different aspects of my qualifications or experiences?

Hello!

I recently graduated from the BCL and wanted to make myself available on this forum to answer any questions that might arise for applicants and prospective students. In the past, forums have been littered with information that has proven to be inaccurate and I hope to provide as much clarity as possible regarding the application process and studying at Oxford. As a disclaimer, I do not work for the University. I simply want to share the knowledge that I have obtained during the application process and my studies at Oxford to help ease as much anxiety and uncertainty as possible. For added context, I also applied to Cambridge (for the MCL and LLM) and LSE (for the LLM) and was accepted to all programmes but chose to study at Oxford.

Looking forward to future correspondence and wishing you all the best of luck!

Thank you for the assistance, just to be sure. is it a must that every applicant has to attach the sample written work essay. PS I am applying for the MLF

"Thank you for the assistance, just to be sure. is it a must that every applicant has to attach the sample written work essay. PS I am applying for the MLF"



Yes, I believe the MLF also requires the written work and if so, I doubt there is any way to get an exemption for that as it forms a big part of the decision process.

[Edited by UniWork76 on Nov 08, 2024]

Hi! I am a fresh graduate. I recently applied for BCL. I do not have any medals in any subjects in my undergrad but I am 5th in my cohort and have graduated with 79%.

Besides that, I have recommendations from my co-author (assistant professor at IIMA); the former research dean cum professor of law at my undergrad Uni; and the academic dean of my undergrad Uni.

More importantly, I do have an international publication. I am the first author. The article has been published in the European Intellectual Property Review. Plus, I have couple of more international blog publications and my work experiences range from volunteering work, to working under prominent legal professionals, to even as a teaching assistant in my final year. Currently I am a research assistant. I have a working paper currently in progress as well.

Is this a competitive background for getting into Oxford BCL?

Is this a competitive background for getting into Oxford BCL?

Is this a competitive background for getting into Oxford BCL?

Is this a competitive background for getting into Oxford BCL?

Reiterating what I said above, it sounds like you have an amazing CV and while I personally think that your prospects should be good, I am not sure how the admissions team will assess your application relative to the strength of the other applicants also applying for the BCL.

[Edited by Addy GT on Nov 12, 2024]

Is this a competitive background for getting into Oxford BCL?

I concur with what recentBCLgrad said. As we have already discussed the BCL is very competitive every year and there is unfortunately no way for us to assess how the admission commitee will assess your application. I am pretty sure the admission committee looks far beyond merely your cv or grades, as with me personally I had a friend with higher average marks, that did not get in, as opposed to me who did. It may also look at how your uni grades their students.

Furthermore, some universities in the UK do not go above 75 (or very rarely, where you may have 1 maybe 2 students graduating with 75 and above), while some go far beyond. So altough 79 is very high for UK standards, if your uni has multiple people around that mark - as compared to a different uni where getting for example a 75 is much harder - it may skew the way the marks are assessed. However, I am pretty sure Ox has all this figured out already.

Your recommendations will most likely play a big role, so having good LORs from reputable sources is always good.

As said above, there is unfortunately no way for me, you or anyone to assess our chances of getting in. The chances from last year were approximately 9,5 applicants for 1 spot. All we can do is make our applications, cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Thank you for the assistance! And I do understand that assessing the prospects may not be fruitful right now. I just wanted to have a general idea if applying is worth it with this background since the application does cost 75£. And this helps! So thank you for that.

Thank you for the assistance! And I do understand that assessing the prospects may not be fruitful right now. I just wanted to have a general idea if applying is worth it with this background since the application does cost 75£. And this helps! So thank you for that.

In my opinion, it is absolutely worth applying. The BCL experience is truly life-changing from an academic and personal perspective. This is why some people will, and validly so, apply year after year until they get accepted. If you are worried about the fee, there is a possibility that you can have it waived (see here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/applying-to-oxford/application-guide/declaration-and-payment/application-fee-waivers). My best advice would be to focus solely on your application and not the application of others, which was the approach that I took. Much in life comes down to luck, including being accepted onto the BCL. It goes without saying that all who apply are courageous, brilliant and ambitious but the margins are razor thin and besides the application materials that you submit, are out of your control. Indeed, during one of the induction events (which occur during the first week at Oxford), one of the faculty members told us that they could have easily accepted 1000 students onto the BCL (given the strength of the applicants) but that we were the lucky 100 that got a place. So do not dwell and find peace in the fact that you are doing your best!