The Legal Cheek View
This ULaw outpost was only set up in 2016 but is fortunate enough to be within the acclaimed Streatham campus of the University of Exeter. Next to lakes and areas of woodland, the campus should be a stress-free study environment — unless you are doing the LPC in which case the setting may be entirely lost on you!
The LPC itself is a different experience at ULaw’s Exeter centre because it is attached to the main university and law school. ULaw students have access to all the facilities of a larger university, and have the opportunity to get involved with wider campus life. For example, you could be spending your Saturday nights at Lemon Grove, the cheesy campus club.
What about the LPC electives? There’s a “wide range of choice”. If there’s not enough interest for a particular elective, the centre is pretty flexible. An LPC insider says the Exeter centre offered “the elective online if an elective wasn’t running or if there was a clash on your timetable”. Meanwhile, there’s “good multiple choice question activities”, which help you “to prepare for the exams”. However, “more past papers would’ve been useful”, and some think the textbooks are “a bit wordy”.
A good handful of “great teachers” keep the LPC students happy. But there are “a few who couldn’t get across points very well to the class”. Bear in mind that the ULaw Bristol campus is relatively close by (just over an hour away) and has close ties with Exeter (and ULaw students have access to the Bristol facilities too). Indeed, some of the teachers actually commute from Bristol. The downside is that some teachers “are not always around if you want a meeting with them”. But there’s always email. Note that quite a few of the events promoted by the active ULaw Exeter careers service also take place in Bristol.
For a place to relax, head to the Firehouse in the city centre. It’s a dark wood pub that’s said to be the inspiration behind J.K. Rowling’s The Leaky Cauldron in Harry Potter. Filled with live music, rustic pizzas, candlelight, (and magic?) this student haunt will be a good antidote to all that LPC stress.
Scholarships
Law First Scholarship
The Lord Blunkett Widening Access Award
The Daniel Turnbull Memorial Scholarship
Law First Scholarship
Key Info
ULaw offers a total of 4,750 full-time LPC places and 2,000 part-time LPC places across its centres nationally; part-time fees are per year. Under its ‘Employment Promise’, ULaw offers to refund the course fees for any of its LPC graduates who fail to get a job within nine months of completing the course. The refund is made up of 50% cashback plus 50% credit towards further courses. All prices include the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) registration fee of £15.