What I Wish I Had Known Before Studying Law

Starting university is exciting yet daunting; many of us move to a new city away from home, we’re being exposed to people from all walks of life and we’re getting used to a much more intense workload (*cue the intensified caffeine addiction*). In hindsight, I didn’t really know what to expect and here are just some of the things I wish I had known before studying law:

Take Effective Lecture Notes:

Whether they’re handwritten or typed, having an adequate set of organised notes per module is important as they’ll be your first point of reference for tutorial preparation and essay plans. It is a good idea to divide your notes based on key themes and ideas outlined in the lecture slides (make sure to download them beforehand) and summarise any ideas the lecturer adds (you don’t want to have excessive information in your notes). Significantly, it is also important you find a method of taking notes which works best for you and this is something which took me a while to figure out and something I wish I had known to figure out prior to starting my law degree.

Do the essential reading:

Whilst the amount of reading that we undertake as law students can feel quite overwhelming at times, it is extremely important that you do it. It allows you to consolidate your knowledge on that particular legal topic and ensures you’re not lost in the tutorials so you’re able to contribute to discussions (which is always a good thing). Also, doing the essential reading benefits you during the essay writing process; you’re already familiar with the debates academics have put forward on the topic so you’re not wasting time looking for and reading over irrelevant articles so you’re able to prioritise the quality of the way your debate is communicated in. In fact, for the modules where I focused more on the reading, my averages are typically higher so there does seem to be a direct correlation between doing the reading and grades.

Think about your career from the start:

It is ok if you’re unsure of what career path you want to take with your degree, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore your options. Many law firms offer various opportunities such as insight days and vacation schemes in a diverse range of legal practices, thereby helping you determine the area of law you would like to go into and whether the solicitor route is the right one for you. In terms of the exploring whether the barrister route is the one for you, undertaking court marshalling and even going to court viewings enables you to see first-hand how lawyers, barristers, clients and court staff interact with one another in a court setting. Undertaking such varied work experience opportunities will set you aside from other candidates when you go to apply for masters, LPCs and training contracts as recruitment teams will gauge that you’re extremely passionate about a career in law. Further, don’t let the competitive application processes deter you from undertaking such opportunities; it will help you in the long-run when it comes to other applications as you're aware of what to expect and how to approach them and this is something I wish I had understood the significance of much sooner than I actually did.

First year matters:

Technically, whilst first year doesn’t count towards your degree classification its importance shouldn’t be dismissed. The modules you undertake that academic year are the ones you need in order to obtain a classifying law degree and the grades you get are the ones used by recruitment teams for training contracts and vacation schemes to determine whether they should consider your application further. So, next time someone says “first year doesn’t matter” don’t listen to them!

The Importance of a good work-life balance:

As a workaholic, I tend to overwork myself at times and having a good work-life balance is definitely something I struggled with more when I was younger. In order to not overwork myself I have a schedule so I’m able to focus on my studies and other commitments (I’m an SU Student Representative and also hold an executive position in a society) whilst also ensuring that I have time for myself – I basically treat university as a 9-5 job and aim to achieve everything on my to do list by then. During first and second year, I aimed to strike a good work-life balance by coming back home from university every weekend which not only helped with homesickness, but it gave me a structure to the week and ensured that I didn’t burn myself out with university work. I prioritised spending a lot of my time during the weekend with my family and friends whilst also finding the time to complete any academic work. In turn, my relationships with the people in my life have improved considerably which definitely made lockdown more bearable!

Importance of Extra-Curricular:

As someone who currently holds an executive position in a society and as an SU Student Representative, taking part in extra-curricular activities is definitely something I wish I had done much earlier in my university career. It has allowed me to not only meet like-minded people, but has developed my soft skills (organisation, communication and teamwork) which is something that undeniably sets aside my various applications. Even if you don’t hold an executive position in a society, you can get involved in them by volunteering and taking part in events (even if almost everything is being done virtually). Additionally, these past couple of months I have also taken part in commercial awareness workshops and a client interviewing competition which has been enjoyable and has enhanced my knowledge on what to expect in practice.

Enjoy it!

University is a once in a lifetime experience which will stay with you for life so enjoy it as much as you can because it will be over before you know it!

I hope you've found this enlightening to read!