MissPrism

My daughter has a history degree. She did the Common Professional Exam which was very intensive and difficult. There was quite a high failure and referral rate. She then did Law Finals. In those days the results were published in the newspapers. She was so sure she'd failed that she didn't even bother to look.
She then worked in university admin before getting a traineeship. They were still called articled clerks in those days. It was quite a hard slog.
Btw, a friend of hers lost a pupillage because she shook hands at her interview. Barristers do not shake hands

annhig

Btw, a friend of hers lost a pupillage because she shook hands at her interview. Barristers do not shake hands>>

we do now. [that bizarre rule was abolished about 5 years ago]. I'm sorry that your DD's friend lost a pupillage that way but sounds like a dreadful place and she was probably well out of it. We have also stopped [mainly] referring to each other by our surnames [a public school thing; I once received a letter from another barrister addressing me just with my surname, which I thought very weird], and mainly our clerks call us by our first names, not like when I started pupillage when my clerk, a real misogynist, called me "Sir" for a whole 12 months.

I still call my opponent in court "my learned friend" even if I'm calling him/her "Bob" or "Sue" outside.

latedaytraveler

Hi ANNHIG,
I guess that one difference between the educational system here is that most students do not concentrate in one specific area like LAW leading to their BA or BS degree. Some law schools are paring down their programs from three to two years - again, horrendously expensive. Student debt is a huge problem over here - but that is another discussion.

"... if ever I do get up to London, i must try and do some of the things you did!" I take that as a compliment from one who knows London well.

Appreciate your input....

MISS PRISM

Wow, your daughter really worked hard for her current position. Hope it was worth while in the long run...

Thanks for following along.

ANNHIG,

"...not like when I started pupillage when my clerk, a real misogynist, called me "Sir" for a whole 12 months." LOL

annhig

MissPrism, certainly when i did the Bar exams, the solicitors' exams were reputedly much harder.

annhig

I take that as a compliment from one who knows London well. >>

lateday - I certainly got to know certain parts of London well - much better than I would have liked in some cases. you would be amazed where what used to be called the Lord Chancellor's Dept. thought of putting court buildings. Some were old Magistrates' courts of course, but others were quite modern County or Crown courts which they seemed to delight in building as far away from public transport as was possible.

Tottenham for example, Waltham Forest, Wood Green, Shoreditch [and I'm sure that there were others] - all places that i could well have done without knowing at all.

sassy_cat

LDT,
The Old Operating Theatre existed pre anaesthesia and weren't even the least bit sanitary.
The operating table was wooden and may well have not been wiped down between patients!
Apart from the actual theatre there is also a small museum which displays medical equipment from the same era and other related paraphernalia mostly donated by the local hospitals and King's College . Quite fascinating!

My daughter wants to study Pharmacy or possibly Biochemistry. She's applying to both UK and US universities; some big decisions to be made next year!

latedaytraveler

Hi ANNHIG,

Re knowing London well "... I certainly got to know certain parts of London well - much better than I would have liked in some cases."

That is certainly true of any big city. Many neighborhoods surrounding Boston are not too pretty or safe. Being a tourist, I stick to the agreeable parts...

SASSY_CAT

"My daughter wants to study Pharmacy or possibly Biochemistry. She's applying to both UK and US universities; some big decisions to be made next year!" Best of luck to this ambitious young woman.

If you folks are ever in Boston, you would enjoy visiting the ETHER DOME where the anesthetic was first used in 1846.

http://www.massgeneral.org/history/exhibits/etherdome/

europeannovice

Annhig--no problem. Law is actually not an option for a major at undergraduate universities. It is just expected that if one wants to become a lawyer they will go to the three year law school after they receive their undergraduate degree.

Latedaytraveler--This thread has become a very interesting one indeed with many fascinating topics discussed.

latedaytraveler

Hi again EUROPEANNOVICE,

" Latedaytraveler--This thread has become a very interesting one indeed with many fascinating topics discussed."

Thanks. It is interesting to compare differences between cultures/customs/ practices such as the requirements to practice law in the UK and the States or elsewhere. Good to have such well informed posters on board.

PatrickLondon

>> they seemed to delight in building as far away from public transport as was possible. >My daughter wants to study Pharmacy or possibly Biochemistry. She's applying to both UK and US universities; some big decisions to be made next year!

latedaytraveler

PATRICKLONDON,

Thanks for chiming in - you always have an interesting perspective.

MissPrism

Yes, pharmacy looks a difficult one to get into, even in "new" universities
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Pharmacy_Degree

sassy_cat

Patrick, no change I'm afraid to say, Pharmacy is as competitive as ever and on both sides of the pond.
Biochemistry is her backup plan!

LDT
Thanks for your good luck wishes for my daughter.

"If you folks are ever in Boston, you would enjoy visiting the ETHER DOME where the anesthetic was first used in 1846."
This is an example of not really knowing 'your backyard' or at least not being a tourist at home as we live about 30 miles west of Boston.
Never even heard of the Ether Dome but we do have a tour of MCPHS (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences) in a couple of weeks so we will kill two birds with one stone and visit both on the same day
Thank you for suggesting it!

sassy_cat

MissPrism,

That is a very helpful link! Thank you

TDuTwo

Boston and Chicago on my U.S. bucket list, LTD. Hermitage overseas.

annhig

The objects of the exercise, of course, either had transport provided for by Her/His Majesty, or a long walk was the least they could expect at the hands of justice......>>

not all of us sully our hands with crime, Patrick. I am told that the latest Palais du Justice [aka "Family Court" ] in north London is an absolute pig to get to by public transport, with many of the punters turning up late on a regular basis, but on the day it opened, there was a tube and bus strike so none of them got there at all!

sassycat - good luck to your DD. I'm not sure that there are any easy courses to get into but certainly pharmacy is one of the hardest.

latedaytraveler

MISS PRISM,

Thanks for the link about pharmacy.

TDUDETTE,

Chicago and Boston sound good. Can only speak for the latter. You must spend some serious time at Boston's MFA, particularly the new "Americas" wing - really spectacular. Then there are so many Impressionist paintings too.

SASSY_CAT

Hope you make it to the ETHER DOME at MGH. My daughter made a career change from teaching math (before she had her children) to becoming a nurse at the MGH INSTITUTE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, a 15 month rigorous program for those already holding their BA or BS degree.

On the first day of the program, the new students had a tour of MGH starting with the Ether Dome - it's quite a place.

latedaytraveler

************************************************** *****

"London has the trick of making its past, its long indelible past, always a part of its present. And for that reason it will always have meaning for the future, because of all it can teach about disaster, survival, and redemption. It is all there in the streets. It is all there in the books.”

― Anna Quindlen, Imagined London: A Tour of the World's Greatest Fictional City

A few reflections....

This was my first entirely SOLO trip about which I was somewhat apprehensive- but it worked out well. As I mentioned above, I usually join a tour after exploring a city, but did not this time because I had been to most of the most popular destinations in England before. My goal was to visit/experience those places/venues that I had missed in the past. And there are so many in London!

This was my third stay at the STRAND PALACE, only five minutes walk from Trafalgar Square. I love the location and its affordability. But this time I ventured on the Tube beyond my comfort zone to other parts of town:

PIMLICO - location of the TATE BRITAIN. When I was in London in 2011, I enjoyed a private tour of Parliament because one of my students was the niece of a MP from northern Wales. They lived in Pimlico which appears heavily residential.

"LITTLE VENICE" - upscale enclave where I took a delightful REGENT'S CANAL RIDE on a sunny Sunday to the eclectic, raucous CAMDEN TOWN. I recall that in Dickens's CHRISTMAS CAROL, Scrooge directs the butcher on Christmas morning to send his largest turkey to Bob Cratchit in "Camden town."

SOUTHBANK - after the MATISSE CUTOUT exhibit at the TATE MODERN, I then proceeded to SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL, BOROUGH MARKET, and a quick look at the GEORGE INN.

HAMPSTEAD - charming, exclusive "village" north of central London, home to artists, writers, and media types. An easy ride on the Northern line, near to the 800 acre Hampstead Heath

NORTH GREENWICH - site of the enormous 02 complex where I attended London Mayor Boris Johnson's "State of London Debate."

CANARY WHARF - as seen on a day trip to Kent, enormous financial district in the Tower Hamlets, developed in the old wharf area to augment the financial services of the City


We can never "do it all" on any trip. Some things I did not get to:

* "Evensong" at either WESTMINSTER ABBEY or ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

* A return visit to the WALLACE COLLECTION http://www.wallacecollection.org/

* Walking across the MILLENNIUM BRIDGE which links the City with Southbank

* Even though I am not a shopper, I should have drifted through Piccadilly/Regent Street area again to observe those berobed potentates with security guards and chauffeurs spending freely in upscale establishments.

Things about London I noticed:

* Keen interest in WORLD WAR I, whose centenary commenced this summer with many exhibits throughout London. I recall the conversation I described above with the older fellow who worked at the Silver Vaults, a real WWI buff whose grandfathers had served in the conflict.

* The continued development of upscale housing and towering office complexes - evidence of "big money" everywhere which must make options for the ordinary Londoner more challenging.


Places/venues new to me on this trip that I would heartily recommend others to visit:

SILVER VAULTS, REGENT'S CANAL boat ride, tour of the BRITISH LIBRARY, tour of MANSION HOUSE (only on Tuesdays at 2PM), the village of HAMPSTEAD, the SUPREME COURT in Parliament Square - to name o a few.


Many thanks to all those who have followed my journey, especially to those who have contributed to such lively discussion. I am truly grateful because you all appear to love LONDON as I do and wish to share your past experiences or future plans to enjoy this great city.

LCBoniti

Just getting back to your fantastically interesting trip report - fascinating on so many levels.

Thank you, latedaytraveler, for posting and thank you to all who added to it. Definitely a keeper for future reference.

latedaytraveler

Hi LCBONITI,


Thanks for following along. I really did a lot of planning to keep myself busy on the solo jaunt and most of it worked out. Of course, I could not get to everything....