The Student Room Group

Intensity of Law Degree

How intense is a law degree, as in the workload and reading/theory material?
I am interested in doing the degree but i am worried about the intensity of the course and the effect it will have on my health. I am not sure of my ability to work under stressfull situations since becoming unwell a year ago.

But i am interested in the degree, especially any modules on human rights and medical law and would consider a law degree an achievement to gain and also very respectable to have.

Is anybody studying a law degree who suffers from a mental illness such as depression or bipolar?? I would appreciate any advice about how you are finding the course and how you cope with the studying??

Thank You

xx
University can be stressful, and Law does involve a high workload. However, the way it affects you depends on your own particular disposition. I know a couple of people taking non Law degrees that have taken anti depressants as a result of the stress of Uni, but that doesn't mean that it would affect you in the same way.
Laaibah
How intense is a law degree, as in the workload and reading/theory material?


A law degree anywhere is likely to be very intense. The workload seems quite heavy to begin with but once you get your footing then most people seem to do just fine. There will always be lots reading and theory material that you will need to cover and digest quickly.

By way of numbers, a university "year" is about 25 weeks long. In the average week you will have about 7-8 lectures (lasting about an hour), 3 seminars/tutorials every 2 weeks, 8-9 tutorials for each module, about 4-5 modules covered in an academic year.
Preparing for tutorials takes a lot of time. Ranging between 10hrs-30hrs depending on which university you go to.

Laaibah
I am interested in doing the degree but i am worried about the intensity of the course and the effect it will have on my health.


Laaibah
I am not sure of my ability to work under stressfull situations since becoming unwell a year ago.

Obviously health should come first, but in my view it really is the case that once you become adapated you will enjoy doing the work and it won't seem as laborious as it did initially.

Laaibah
But i am interested in the degree, especially any modules on human rights and medical law and would consider a law degree an achievement to gain and also very respectable to have.

Perfectly good reasons to want to study law. It is a good challenge and one that most enjoy. It is a very respectable degree to have and employers, not only within the "law" but also outside, like it.

Laaibah
Is anybody studying a law degree who suffers from a mental illness such as depression or bipolar??

I knew somebody at the beginning of my first year of the law degree who dropped out due to depression. It wasn't as a result of studying law however, it was because she couldn't adapt to university life.

Laaibah
I would appreciate any advice about how you are finding the course and how you cope with the studying??

The first year of a law degree is usually enjoyable for everyone. Most people put their highest performance into their studies during the 2nd and 3rd year.
As long as you try to find a good work/play balance everything should be fine, although I appreciate that some find this difficult. As long as you think that you could plan (so as not to create undue stress on yourself) ahead and make sure you don't have to pull an all-noghter on a single essay/all-nighter revising for an exam, then you should be ok.
Reply 3
Why not think about studying part-time?
Reply 4
Thank you for all your replys. I really appreciate it because i am finding it so hard at the moment to adjust to this new lifstyle with this illness, so thanx again.
It does sound like there is alot of work involved and i did get abit confused about all the hours/lectures/tutorials information, but thank you for that information superdillion.

I'm just really uncertain about alot of things at the moment and need all the information i can get.
I think i should be ok with going to university because i dont really intend on moving away, i would prefer to stay more local and commute or live with relatives, just because my health is such a big concern. I also have a team of health professionals working with me, so i think they will help me adjust to uni.

I am abit worried about if the style of teaching will have a negative effect on me. But i am doing an access course to get me back into education. The course also prepares you for university in alot of ways, so i should be ok.

But i am still worried because i'm new to living with this illness so i dont know how much stress i can handle before i get unwell.

But i know that i dont want to study part time. I'm really dissapointed that i have fell behind with my studying and i really want to get back into it. I really want to spend the next 4 yers studying and then i have other things in place.

But thanx again for your help.
I have PMed you with some information but the most important thing once you have settled into the work load is to always talk to and voice concerns with people who understand the illness. There is a broad division between depression, bi-polar and a bit of stress- sally being silly because she came top of her year and is complaining about nothing. The vast majority of people are very sympathetic and understand, plus there will be people in your university who are trianed to do just that. So always make sure they are the people you talk to!! Even some lecturers just don't get that mental illness affects co-ordination and reading. They just do not understand that is unavoidable, just like people with dyslexia who cannot spell. They'd understand that automatically

A law degree is a very good thing to do and I am sure you'll do well at it,
Reply 6
Have you considered a part time law degree? THis may be a better option as it spreads the workload out over a longer period and would probably save you a lot of the stress as long as you keep up.
Reply 7
Suzi_law
Have you considered a part time law degree? THis may be a better option as it spreads the workload out over a longer period and would probably save you a lot of the stress as long as you keep up.


If you read Laaibah's 2nd post, she said she definitely doesn't want to study part-time. I thought it sounded like a good idea as well, though.
Reply 8
Well i didnt see it... but i dont see whats wrong with studing part time... especially in this circumstance i thought it was a good compromise lol. O well.
Laaibah also said that she only has the next 4 years to study after which she has something else planned, so probably not enough time to do a part-time law degree anyway.
my friend who is dyslexia asked to spread the degree out over 4 years, taking four modules a semester, instead of 6. He was full time in year 1 though and found it hard.
LauraWalker
my friend who is dyslexia asked to spread the degree out over 4 years, taking four modules a semester, instead of 6. He was full time in year 1 though and found it hard.



4 modules a semester doesn't really sound like its being spread out that much!
Reply 12
I have considered studying my degree part-time but i plan on getting married after university and would rather not study when i'm married. I would like to get my Phd at one point, but for now i just want to get my degree before marriage.
I'm really uncertain about my ability to cope under stress with this condition and so i am a little frightened about doing the full time degree but i am going to find out all the support i can get at university before i apply.

Laurawalker, i'm sorry i havent checked my msgs yet, but i will do in a sec. I dont think many people understand that menatl illness can affect your conentration and reading. It can sometimes make you complelety unable to do the smallest task. But hopefully i should be ok.
superdillon
4 modules a semester doesn't really sound like its being spread out that much!


Well he was full time in year 1. Trust me two less commitments made a hugh difference to him and sometimes his marks. For example, at Hull we had one set of exams before christmas. These collided with coursework due. Whilst everyone else had to revise he could spend all his time on his one essay because it was his only commitment. As a result he got 80%. Obviously he was good as well but he could spend hours extra on it.
Reply 14
for those who know about the intensity of a law degree- would you say the 1 year conversion course for non law graduates is equally intense? i can't understand that you can know the same volume of work done in 1 year as graduates in law have done in 3 years. does doing the 1 year conversion course decrease your chances of getting a contract if people with a law degree are more experienced?

sorry for hijaking the thread- i just thought it'd be interesting to compare...
cielo
for those who know about the intensity of a law degree- would you say the 1 year conversion course for non law graduates is equally intense? i can't understand that you can know the same volume of work done in 1 year as graduates in law have done in 3 years. does doing the 1 year conversion course decrease your chances of getting a contract if people with a law degree are more experienced?

sorry for hijaking the thread- i just thought it'd be interesting to compare...


You don't do the same amount of work as in a 3-year degree, because you only do the 7 core modules (crime, public, eu, property, equity, tort and contract) plus one other area. On a 3-year course you do these areas in more detail and also do optional modules in other areas. Having said that, the conversion course is really intense!
Reply 16
dragon_1706
You don't do the same amount of work as in a 3-year degree, because you only do the 7 core modules (crime, public, eu, property, equity, tort and contract) plus one other area. On a 3-year course you do these areas in more detail and also do optional modules in other areas. Having said that, the conversion course is really intense!


yeah, that is what scares me because the degree course is intense enough!! my parents and everyone think i am applying for english this autumn term, but i might suggest law intstead, but i'll have to take the LNAT, i always used to want to do law since i was about 11-15 but then i changed for silly reasons etc. i might look into it again.
Reply 17
Yeh, i have a friend whos going to do that course too. She also got work experience and spoke to people in the Law profession to prepare herself for the course. But yeh, it is really intense.

My local university also offers the Law degree over 2 years. During the first two semesters you do the same modules as students on the three year degree then semester 3 is from July to September and you study by what they call blended learning (distance learning combined with some face-to-face learning). Then during the first two semesters of the second year you will study the remaining foundation subjects and the final semester will be over summer again and you study two options by distance learning.

I enquired about the course and they said they ask for high entry requirements so that they know you will be able to cope with the course and it is very intense. You only get a small break for christmas and easter i think, in both years.

But that is another option if you want to do law degree and you dont want to do it over 3 years.

xx
cielo
does doing the 1 year conversion course decrease your chances of getting a contract if people with a law degree are more experienced?


It doesn't decrease your chances of getting a training contract with a law firm (if thats what you mean).
Most law firms recreuit about 50% law graduates and 50% non-law graduates (i.e. those who have done the conversion course). There are a few firms that recruit more law graduates. The highest percentage that I have seen is 60% from law graduates.
Reply 19
cielo
yeah, that is what scares me because the degree course is intense enough!! my parents and everyone think i am applying for english this autumn term, but i might suggest law intstead, but i'll have to take the LNAT, i always used to want to do law since i was about 11-15 but then i changed for silly reasons etc. i might look into it again.


Only to apply to certain unis. Most unis don't use it.