Law

Law is a subject that requires a wide range of skills: strong reading and interpretive skills, logical problem-solving, attention to detail, creativity, and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Primarily, we look for evidence that candidates have already been developing these skills, and that they have potential to continue developing them at Murray Edwards. 

Studying Law at Cambridge is not easy, so we also look for evidence of strong academic attainment to date, a hard-working and resilient attitude, and genuine enthusiasm for the subject. That doesn’t mean we expect you to have wide-ranging legal knowledge already, but you should be able to convincingly explain why Law interests you!

Remember the two key ‘goals’ that the statement is supposed to fulfil. It is your opportunity to show us: (1) that you are genuinely interested in studying Law, and (2) that you are able to write clearly and convincingly. 

In terms of the first goal, reflect carefully on what experiences of Law you have already had, and pay particular attention to what you took from them. Perhaps you have had some work experience, paid a visit to a court, read an interesting book, article or case, done some further law-related reading around your A-Levels, or maybe it’s something else entirely. Don’t just write a shopping list of these things – explain why they were interesting to you, and how you followed up on those interests afterwards. We care much more about your reflections on those experiences than the experiences themselves.

In terms of the second goal, try to make sure that your answers create a coherent narrative that properly conveys your interest and engagement. Your personal statement should be a carefully crafted argument demonstrating that you are the kind of candidate we are looking for – and it should be cautiously proofread!

The exact format of the interviews changes slightly year on year – we don’t ask the same questions every time, just as every College will set different questions. However, the general kinds of questions we ask are usually similar, and are designed to let you showcase the skills that we’re looking for. 

There might be some general questions that help us get to know you (about your motivations, your personal statement, your current interests and so on) but most of the interview will be working through legal problems. Those might involve a pre-reading exercise to test your reading comprehension and interpretation skills, or an unseen problem that lets you showcase your logical thinking and response to being challenged on your answers, or maybe even a broad debate-style question that allows you to show your creativity, communication and flexibility of thought.

Interviews are never a test of your existing knowledge, but instead a test of your skills and aptitude. Ultimately, they work very much like the supervision-style teaching you receive once you’re here, so try to enjoy them!

Again, it’s important to think about what we’re looking for in an applicant – someone who is capable, hard-working and enthusiastic. Your preparation should be all about finding ways of developing and demonstrating these attributes.

The most obvious way is to do some wider law-related reading. There are a number of good introductory books available (I usually recommend some combination of (1) ‘What About Law?’ by Catherine Barnard, Janet O’Sullivan and Graham Virgo; (2) ‘Letters to a Law Student’ by Nicholas McBride; (3) ‘The Morality of Law’ by Lon Fuller; (4) ‘The Rule of Law’ by Tom Bingham). However, the amount that you read is nowhere near as important as how engaged you are with it. You should focus on drawing out the key points made in that reading, and your opinions on it – what is interesting and helpful, and what is unconvincing or wrong?

There are plenty of other ways to develop those skills and interests. The Supreme Court website (https://supremecourt.uk) keeps an up-to-date list of the cases they are hearing and their recent judgments – this is a good way to get a sense of the kind of issues that the legal community is thinking about, and to practice some of the kind of reading you would be doing as a law student. Seeing the law in action at a local court is also a good way to witness first-hand the kind of logical and intellectual rigour needed in the practice of law; work experience can be helpful for this too, but is by no means a ‘must’. You are applying to study the academic discipline of law, not to practice it!

My favourite thing about Murray Edwards is how central education is to the mission of the College. Whilst also being truly amazing researchers in their own right, the Fellows here really care about delivering the best possible education for the next generation of world-leading women. I really enjoy working in a College which puts that support first.