Griffith/Portobello

Armani-style

Hello everyone,

I really want to do an LLB and have just done the leaving cert. I have missed out on it by only a few points.
What I want to know is,(please be unbiased you trinity people),should I
A) spend a year repeating the leaving and get the LLB

Do a BALB

C) Go to one of these colleges,Griffith or Portobello.

Is the LLB you will get at G/P on a par with the 'normal' Universities,and will they prepare you for Blackhall.Also, are the job opportunities as good after these places? Or are they just a lazy 'rich boy' way of doing a course,and would smart people be pulled back because of that?

If you could help me I would be very grateful,as I want to do law very much.

Thanks,John

With a name like that I'm sure you'll fit in well in Portobello.....!!

Joking aside, I don't see really how people here could answer that question.

Maybe talk to a couple of career guidance people? A couple of lawyers??

EdgarAllenPoo

I can answer it, I went to Portobello. Do not waste your money, it's disorganised and unprofessional.

Sisu

If you're just a few points off, might you get what you want if you get a successful recheck or if the points drop? If your aim is to be a solicitor, do you know that you don't need a law degree for that? Maybe you have another offer for something you would enjoy and then you could take a preparatory course and sit the FE-1s to get into Blackhall afterwards. I don't think solicitors or hr people look down on lawyers with arts degrees (though it might come down to the individual prejudices of the people doing the hiring). Lots of them would have taken that route. Your main question about universities also comes down to the subjective preferences of the people doing the hiring. If I had to guess, I'd probably say many of them would prefer a degree from one of the public universities. This could be unfair and unfounded, but it could still be their preference.

By the way, what's a BALB?

Endymion

Yes, definitely go to portobello, from my deep and personal knowledge of you, I feel confident making this life decision on your behalf.


As for "lazy rich boy", Yea, I mean it would seem to me that most people would have gone else where rather then pay hand over fist for a private college. So read into what you want.

EdgarAllenPoo

From my experience you don;t have to be a stocking of ****e to go to Portobello but it helps. Some people there will really fry your brain,roight. I wasn't rich but I didn't get the points to do law in a public college, my parents( a bus driver and a nurse,how rich could they be?) offered to pay for the three years of Portobello, after three months in the place I made a speedy exit, only cost €2800 which I have since given back to my parents. You can study any undergraduate degree and apply to Blackhall Place.

Armani-style

OK, so I have taken the point about the private colleges.
What then, do you think I should now do

A) Repeat and get straight law in NUIG,TCD etc.

or

Accept the BA that I have been offered and take mostly law subjects,then do the one year of a BCL/LLB that is then required.

Armani-style

Which is better,LLB or BCL. What is the difference?

Heyes

I really dont understand this attitude of describing ucd, tcd etc as normal colleges and saying that portobello,grifith etc is not... yes you have to pay a fee, but you are not handed a qualification, you still have to work hard to actually get the grades and in turn get your degree qualification !!!!!! :mad:

Armani-style

Excuse me,but did I say I would walk in the door and be handed a qualification? I am not scared of work. The only reason I missed out on straight law in a University(I wanted to go to NUIG) was because I got sick halfway through the year. I am now considering my options. Think before you type.

Endymion

What are you asking us to make this decision for you. I could say, yea definitely repeat, or yea definitely take BA, but I've nothing to base that on.

If you feel you will do signifcantly better if you repeated, then I'd consider it. The choice is yours and you'll have to live with it.

As for little letters at the end of you name, they normally don't mean much. I get a BAI for instance, desipite doing eng.

Thirdfox

Do remember that a law degree doesn't entitle you to too much in terms of practising law. Indeed most judges on the benchs now had a History or English degree before joining King's/Blackhall (as far as I know).

In the end it should be a personal decision - if you want to do well then the third-level institution that you go to will not matter (but it helps )