Lawyer Salary

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Don’t understand why people are comparing which university is better when there are two accredited global ranking lists - QS and THE world rankings. Degree mill or not please check the rankings and you will know.

I think this is historical. Coz usually due to strong domestic demand, nus and smu A levels cut off are generally higher than uk. (Exception of cambridge and oxford)

So a lot of singaporeans view that you only go to uk univesities because you cant get into nus/smu.

Hence this account for the relative degree mill perception.
Govt policy did not help too. Delisting of some of the uk unis.


But this only apply to local context. If you are aiming for a job in uk, uk unis degrees are much better.

An analogy would be jcs.
For example they you could be a very smart guy in pjc and got perfect score at o level, and you may score Straight As at A level. But When ppl ask what jc you come from,while standing next to a ri guy, just by jc alone you may lose out. but pjc im terms of some arbitary cherish/moe awards (THE/QS ranking) may not be lousier than ri.

However it still face the same fate of merger (delisting)

So ultimately it is a matter of perception. Value is accorded by the context. (In both cases singaporeans perception)

But we must not be blinded by perception, if you work hard irregardless of where you graduate, you will still have a fulfiling life.

Going to UK unis AND doing well opens more doors than staying in SG.

This includes:
(i) UK firms
(ii) Relocating to HK or China (assuming mandarin speaker)—links and FF actively recruit for chinese speakers in the UK doing a UK/Asia TC.
(iii) coming back to Singapore to international firms (Latham, A&O only take E/W qualified candidates)
(iv) Middle East training contracts (if this is ur thing lol)
(v) UoL (king's, ucl, lse, not sure if there's more) tie-ups with the Columbia JDs. Google this, many of the candidates are now NY qualified lawyers on Cravath scale. So employment outcomes are pretty good.

It is hard to see NUS and SMU doing this anytime soon for graduates.

None of this was told to me when i chose to go overseas, but this makes for a very compelling argument looking back.

^same anon as above. don't forget the sweet offshore 'magic circle' gigs available subsequently for E/W candidates.

Does not change the fact that Kings is a degree mill

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Does not change the fact that Kings is a degree mill

King's is not a degree mill. Anyway if you wanna stay in the UK, UK degrees are definitely more recognised.

If you intend to come back, then Singapore degrees are favoured.

It depends. If you want to go to Singapore Legal Service - better to be from NUS/SMU Oxbridge.

If you want to go CC/Bakers, best to have Oxbridge or LSE/UCL or NUS (First Class).

If you want to go big four, priority given to NUS and SMU.

If you want to go good mid size (SLB, KW, RHT etc), priority given to NUS.

If you want to go small firm, any uni is alright including delisted.

I assume people use degree mill loosely because they are unhappy that it is easier to get first class in UK. Not true anymore as NUS has increased first class ratio to 10%. This is broadly in line with UK unis.

Secondly, it may be that entry requirement for UK unis are lower. Bear in mind that if you still mess up A Levels too badly (maybe BBCC), you still need to do foundation year. That costs S$20k approx. There is no shortcut in life.

Thirdly, it is true overseas grads have better prospects in life. Look at the current cabinet. The majority of cabinet ministers are schooled in Oxbridge (Desmond Lee, LHL, CCS, Tharman, etc), LSE (Tharman, OYK, TCJ etc). Very few cabinet ministers are from local unis.

Fourthly, there are intangible benefits of studying overseas. That is why local unis tied up with foreign unis like Exeter, Leicester, Manchester, Soton, SOAS (so called delisted unis), because they see the value of sending their local grads to overseas for cultural immersion and exposure.

Fifthly, brand name matters. Otherwise why would so many NUS grads go on to do their LLM at renowned prestigious universities like Harvard, Oxbridge and Stanford? The pedigree is invaluable.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I assume people use degree mill loosely because they are unhappy that it is easier to get first class in UK. Not true anymore as NUS has increased first class ratio to 10%. This is broadly in line with UK unis.

Secondly, it may be that entry requirement for UK unis are lower. Bear in mind that if you still mess up A Levels too badly (maybe BBCC), you still need to do foundation year. That costs S$20k approx. There is no shortcut in life.

Dont forget local unis grade on the bell curve and UK unis don't.

Its not that difficult to do reasonably well in a law exam and cover all the main points in your essay. its the ultra competitive nature of the bell curve that makes even a straightforward subject a killer to study for if you want to get anything higher than B or B+

Traditionally it has always been the double whammy of killer bell curve + only 5% deans' list (first class honours) that's given NUS and SMU Law the reputation for being a real grind.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

It depends. If you want to go to Singapore Legal Service - better to be from NUS/SMU Oxbridge.
Thirdly, it is true overseas grads have better prospects in life. Look at the current cabinet. The majority of cabinet ministers are schooled in Oxbridge (Desmond Lee, LHL, CCS, Tharman, etc), LSE (Tharman, OYK, TCJ etc). Very few cabinet ministers are from local unis.

.

Not true. For law/med it is almost certain their first degree was from nus. Desmond Lee, halimah, shanmugam , vivian , eng hen.

Hence contribute to perceived superiority of nus law/med.

NUS Medicine is superior to all other degrees - indisputable. NUS Law versus Oxbridge Law - Oxbridge Law far more superior.
SMU Law versus NUS Law - NUS Law superior.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

NUS Medicine is superior to all other degrees - indisputable. NUS Law versus Oxbridge Law - Oxbridge Law far more superior.
SMU Law versus NUS Law - NUS Law superior.

and King's is right at the bottom