What should i do to prepare to study Law in Uni?
I am in year 12 and i am not sure what i should prepare or do in order to successfully apply to a course in Law in Uni. Advice would be greatly appreciated🙏
(edited 1 year ago)
hey! im in year 12 too and here are the things im doing for my law app:
-I listen to the guardian in focus podcast almost every day so that i can keep up with the news
-I subscribed to littlelaw and the law gazettes newsletters so that i can stay up to date with the law industry (https://www.littlelaw.co.uk/subscribe?ref=vykCsNsaTT - littlelaw subscription link)
-Wider reading! I am currently reading all about law and letters to a law student however there are many different options
-MOOCs. I recently completed one by Cambridge but there are so many other ones that can give you an insight
-Work experience - i have pending applications for in person ones but i completed some virtual ones on Forage.
-Essay comps. I only entered one though because I just do not have time to do another hahaha
-I am also doing a law-related EPQ
Here is a link for more supercirricular ideas: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/super-curricular_suggestions.pdf
Also ofc if you are applying to an LNAT uni then start prepping for the LNAT in the summer.
-I listen to the guardian in focus podcast almost every day so that i can keep up with the news
-I subscribed to littlelaw and the law gazettes newsletters so that i can stay up to date with the law industry (https://www.littlelaw.co.uk/subscribe?ref=vykCsNsaTT - littlelaw subscription link)
-Wider reading! I am currently reading all about law and letters to a law student however there are many different options
-MOOCs. I recently completed one by Cambridge but there are so many other ones that can give you an insight
-Work experience - i have pending applications for in person ones but i completed some virtual ones on Forage.
-Essay comps. I only entered one though because I just do not have time to do another hahaha
-I am also doing a law-related EPQ
Here is a link for more supercirricular ideas: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/super-curricular_suggestions.pdf
Also ofc if you are applying to an LNAT uni then start prepping for the LNAT in the summer.
Hi there,
I think I may have some good news for you in that, for the most part, there is minimal expectation to come into your Law Degree with heaps of existing knowledge or as an already well-rounded Law student! Universities know that not everyone, in fact most people, will never have studied Law before and so Law courses are structured to reflect that most people will be learning this information for the first time. Therefore, I would say there are minimal expectations for what you should already know in terms of existing/current law.
My advice in terms of preparing for starting a Law Degree are thus not perhaps what you may have imagined...
- Commercial awareness - Trust me, by the time you finish your degree you will be sick of this term, but it is all for good reason. Commercial awareness refers to a student's general knowledge of current legal industry news and developments. Generally, keeping up to date with current affairs will automatically develop this for you as most of the stories on the news each day will have some sort of involvement with the law (whether it be a stabbing (criminal law), a business takeover (M&As), political drama (public law), etc...). Identifying where the Law/Lawyers come into play will develop your commercial awareness with minimal effort. When it comes to applications specifically, this kind of research/info is key for showing a real-world interest in the subject!
- Create an organisation/planning system - The content load of a Law degree is particularly strenuous. There are large amounts of readings, endless online sources to fight through, and long statutes to make sense of. It is for this reason then that I would recommend setting up some sort of organisation system (e.g. a diary, bullet journal, calendar app, digital planner, etc) where you can make note of the topics you cover each week, the readings you need to prioritise, etc. This will help you massively when it comes to revising whole modules and for staying on top of a heavy workload.
- Do anything not-study related! - Your time at university will be full of study time, more than enough in fact, so for now... relax! You've worked incredibly hard over the past few years and more so to get into university. Enjoy your time now without so many responsibilities, the studying will come in good time.
I hope this provides some insight and food-for-thought!
Leah
UEA Law
I think I may have some good news for you in that, for the most part, there is minimal expectation to come into your Law Degree with heaps of existing knowledge or as an already well-rounded Law student! Universities know that not everyone, in fact most people, will never have studied Law before and so Law courses are structured to reflect that most people will be learning this information for the first time. Therefore, I would say there are minimal expectations for what you should already know in terms of existing/current law.
My advice in terms of preparing for starting a Law Degree are thus not perhaps what you may have imagined...
- Commercial awareness - Trust me, by the time you finish your degree you will be sick of this term, but it is all for good reason. Commercial awareness refers to a student's general knowledge of current legal industry news and developments. Generally, keeping up to date with current affairs will automatically develop this for you as most of the stories on the news each day will have some sort of involvement with the law (whether it be a stabbing (criminal law), a business takeover (M&As), political drama (public law), etc...). Identifying where the Law/Lawyers come into play will develop your commercial awareness with minimal effort. When it comes to applications specifically, this kind of research/info is key for showing a real-world interest in the subject!
- Create an organisation/planning system - The content load of a Law degree is particularly strenuous. There are large amounts of readings, endless online sources to fight through, and long statutes to make sense of. It is for this reason then that I would recommend setting up some sort of organisation system (e.g. a diary, bullet journal, calendar app, digital planner, etc) where you can make note of the topics you cover each week, the readings you need to prioritise, etc. This will help you massively when it comes to revising whole modules and for staying on top of a heavy workload.
- Do anything not-study related! - Your time at university will be full of study time, more than enough in fact, so for now... relax! You've worked incredibly hard over the past few years and more so to get into university. Enjoy your time now without so many responsibilities, the studying will come in good time.
I hope this provides some insight and food-for-thought!
Leah
UEA Law
i did nothing for my application apart from the personal statement and law taster at some uni
- you don’t need it. yes it’ll help, if you’re someone who takes a bit longer to understand things.. but it’s not really necessary as the first year of law is made so it’s accessible to those who’ve never done law before.
but some important things to prepare you for a law course might be:
- keep up with the news, new stories about law changes etc happen all the time. familiarise yourself with law in every day life
- watch some law related podcasts
- look at your curriculum and see what topics you need to familiarise yourself with, and read about them on a surface level
- in law, there’s a lot of latin, like a lot. so maybe learn some law latin terminology, as it’ll be easier for you later when you need to learn a lot of latin at once
- read some cases relating to your curriculum. i mean read them fully, not just the judgements. familiarising yourself with them will make it easier for when you have to read them all the time. they’re long, so you’ll know what to expect later.
- you don’t need it. yes it’ll help, if you’re someone who takes a bit longer to understand things.. but it’s not really necessary as the first year of law is made so it’s accessible to those who’ve never done law before.
but some important things to prepare you for a law course might be:
- keep up with the news, new stories about law changes etc happen all the time. familiarise yourself with law in every day life
- watch some law related podcasts
- look at your curriculum and see what topics you need to familiarise yourself with, and read about them on a surface level
- in law, there’s a lot of latin, like a lot. so maybe learn some law latin terminology, as it’ll be easier for you later when you need to learn a lot of latin at once
- read some cases relating to your curriculum. i mean read them fully, not just the judgements. familiarising yourself with them will make it easier for when you have to read them all the time. they’re long, so you’ll know what to expect later.
THANK YOU!! you’re the best!!!
this was so helpful i will try anb apply to MOOC’s and work exp soon hopefully!!🫶🫶
this was so helpful i will try anb apply to MOOC’s and work exp soon hopefully!!🫶🫶
Original post by TazmeenX
hey! im in year 12 too and here are the things im doing for my law app:
-I listen to the guardian in focus podcast almost every day so that i can keep up with the news
-I subscribed to littlelaw and the law gazettes newsletters so that i can stay up to date with the law industry (https://www.littlelaw.co.uk/subscribe?ref=vykCsNsaTT - littlelaw subscription link)
-Wider reading! I am currently reading all about law and letters to a law student however there are many different options
-MOOCs. I recently completed one by Cambridge but there are so many other ones that can give you an insight
-Work experience - i have pending applications for in person ones but i completed some virtual ones on Forage.
-Essay comps. I only entered one though because I just do not have time to do another hahaha
-I am also doing a law-related EPQ
Here is a link for more supercirricular ideas: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/super-curricular_suggestions.pdf
Also ofc if you are applying to an LNAT uni then start prepping for the LNAT in the summer.
-I listen to the guardian in focus podcast almost every day so that i can keep up with the news
-I subscribed to littlelaw and the law gazettes newsletters so that i can stay up to date with the law industry (https://www.littlelaw.co.uk/subscribe?ref=vykCsNsaTT - littlelaw subscription link)
-Wider reading! I am currently reading all about law and letters to a law student however there are many different options
-MOOCs. I recently completed one by Cambridge but there are so many other ones that can give you an insight
-Work experience - i have pending applications for in person ones but i completed some virtual ones on Forage.
-Essay comps. I only entered one though because I just do not have time to do another hahaha
-I am also doing a law-related EPQ
Here is a link for more supercirricular ideas: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/super-curricular_suggestions.pdf
Also ofc if you are applying to an LNAT uni then start prepping for the LNAT in the summer.
Original post by sannsjahahbsw
THANK YOU!! you’re the best!!!
this was so helpful i will try anb apply to MOOC’s and work exp soon hopefully!!🫶🫶
this was so helpful i will try anb apply to MOOC’s and work exp soon hopefully!!🫶🫶
np
you don't need to 'apply' to MOOCs - they're pretty much free and open to everyone. you just select the one you want to do and you have to complete it in a specific time period (unless you pay for premium or buy the course - if you do this you also get a certificate but idc about that lol).
Original post by TazmeenX
np
you don't need to 'apply' to MOOCs - they're pretty much free and open to everyone. you just select the one you want to do and you have to complete it in a specific time period (unless you pay for premium or buy the course - if you do this you also get a certificate but idc about that lol).
you don't need to 'apply' to MOOCs - they're pretty much free and open to everyone. you just select the one you want to do and you have to complete it in a specific time period (unless you pay for premium or buy the course - if you do this you also get a certificate but idc about that lol).
ahhh thank youuuu
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