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is it worth keeping/using Law notes from A-level at Uni?

there’s a lot of content overlap in modules for Law at degree level as there was at A-Level, i still have all of my work (alevel grade A/A*) so is it worth keeping some of that or should i not bother and start completely fresh?
I suppose it wouldn't hurt, it's good to have an extra resource which you made so it isn't as generalised as an online guide, but even if you end up ruining them, don't worry since not everyone does/can do Law A-Level but they may go into law undergrad- sometimes however the A-Level courses don't teach it the way that particular university teaches it as, which causes some clash and unlearning having to go on.
Original post by koorgan
there’s a lot of content overlap in modules for Law at degree level as there was at A-Level, i still have all of my work (alevel grade A/A*) so is it worth keeping some of that or should i not bother and start completely fresh?


Oh god no - please do not do this!! The best thing would be to burn them, actually.

You will find that law at university is a completely different animal to A level. The original reason why some universities didn't like A level students taking law was that 'a little learning is a dangerous thing', and the A level simplified, condensed and omitted so much stuff that student came up to university and immediately had to 'unlearn' a load of nonsense they'd 'learnt' at A level.

Put the notes aside. Use them for composting, or shopping lists. But for God's sake don't try to carry any of it forward to your degree - apart from the skills you should have gained in writing a good, cogent, terse essay.
Original post by Reality Check
Oh god no - please do not do this!! The best thing would be to burn them, actually.

You will find that law at university is a completely different animal to A level. The original reason why some universities didn't like A level students taking law was that 'a little learning is a dangerous thing', and the A level simplified, condensed and omitted so much stuff that student came up to university and immediately had to 'unlearn' a load of nonsense they'd 'learnt' at A level.

Put the notes aside. Use them for composting, or shopping lists. But for God's sake don't try to carry any of it forward to your degree - apart from the skills you should have gained in writing a good, cogent, terse essay.

This is why TSR needs you - lots of people would be misinformed :colondollar:
Original post by AmIReallyHere
This is why TSR needs you - lots of people would be misinformed :colondollar:

hahaha - thank you :smile:

Law at A level does teach some good, transferable skills apart from the essay, like an introduction to legal method, and the idea of how to read statutes, etc, along with some basic consti and stuff like that. But it's so different from, say, chemistry A level, where what you've learnt is wholly foundational to going on to do chemistry at university. A level law is more like a 'greatest hits' album. I've known more than one student who thought that tort law began and ended with Donoghue v Stevenson, for instance, and that there was no more to Contract than Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. because 'that's what they did at A level law'...

As I said - a little learning is a dangerous thing!
Original post by Reality Check
hahaha - thank you :smile:

Law at A level does teach some good, transferable skills apart from the essay, like an introduction to legal method, and the idea of how to read statutes, etc, along with some basic consti and stuff like that. But it's so different from, say, chemistry A level, where what you've learnt is wholly foundational to going on to do chemistry at university. A level law is more like a 'greatest hits' album. I've known more than one student who thought that tort law began and ended with Donoghue v Stevenson, for instance, and that there was no more to Contract than Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. because 'that's what they did at A level law'...

As I said - a little learning is a dangerous thing!

Ah well good to note is has some positives - I was a little scared of taking it if it would all be useless when I got to university
Original post by AmIReallyHere
Ah well good to note is has some positives - I was a little scared of taking it if it would all be useless when I got to university

Definitely not completely useless, no - but it needs keeping in context.
Hello everyone!

From my understanding of A-level law, I would leave my A-level notes behind and try to approach law school with a fresh mind. There are a lot of nuances to the law which is not covered in A level law. Likewise, once you go into legal practice, you will realise how little uni-level law you actually use (depending on the areas you ultimately specialise in). I never touched my uni notes as a lawyer. I became a commercial lawyer and relied on my conceptual understandings of contract law to guide my research using professional legal databases that are far more nuanced than any of your law school materials. You will undergo learning and unlearning throughout your legal career as the law evolves and you deal with cases that require distinctively different approaches on their facts, even if they pertain to the same area of law. There is thus no need to feel bad about ditching your A-level notes it is enough to know they got you through A-level law!

Here is a law reference app worth checking out: https://apps.apple.com/sg/app/ginger-snail-study-uk-law/id6444161639
Ginger Snail also has a great Insta (@law.gingersnail https://www.instagram.com/law.gingersnail/) on which the team publishes interesting law facts and content about being a junior lawyer/trainee.
(edited 11 months ago)

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