im so stuck

I'm on a gap year, I want - don't know at this point to be honest - to study law next year at Newcastle uni. However, the amount of pages of reading is putting me off. I truly don't know how I'll cope, I feel sick thinking about it and work myself into a panic attack. I can't just not think about it like everyone tells me to because I just constantly think about it.

And even if I don't do a law degree, i don't know what else i could do with my life.

I have a levels in history, religious studies and criminology.

Reply 1

Stiffy Byng

Please don't worry too much about being uncertain about your future career at this stage in life. That's quite usual. One of the many good things about university is that you have time to think about what you might like to do afterwards. It is very common for people to make up their minds about career paths only near the end of their time at university, or afterwards. And in one life you can have one or several careers. The job which you obtain aged 22 does not have to be the job you do until you are middle aged or old.

I suggest that you study a subject that you are interested in and likely to be good at. If you are thinking of a legal career, you can do a law degree or a law degree in any other subject, and take a PGDL later. But please don't even think of becoming a lawyer unless you are willing to take on a huge amount of reading. Practising lawyers read a LOT of stuff, all day every day.

A person's capacity to read and to absorb large amounts of information develops as they study. A good university teaches you how to process information fast. Being able to do that is a requisite in many types of job.

Reply 2

Frxstyx

Original post

by Stiffy Byng

Please don't worry too much about being uncertain about your future career at this stage in life. That's quite usual. One of the many good things about university is that you have time to think about what you might like to do afterwards. It is very common for people to make up their minds about career paths only near the end of their time at university, or afterwards. And in one life you can have one or several careers. The job which you obtain aged 22 does not have to be the job you do until you are middle aged or old.
I suggest that you study a subject that you are interested in and likely to be good at. If you are thinking of a legal career, you can do a law degree or a law degree in any other subject, and take a PGDL later. But please don't even think of becoming a lawyer unless you are willing to take on a huge amount of reading. Practising lawyers read a LOT of stuff, all day every day.
A person's capacity to read and to absorb large amounts of information develops as they study. A good university teaches you how to process information fast. Being able to do that is a requisite in many types of job.

So are you saying it's still possible for me to do a law degree and just get better at the reading aspect

Reply 3

Stiffy Byng

Original post

by Frxstyx

So are you saying it's still possible for me to do a law degree and just get better at the reading aspect

I cannot determine what is possible for you. Only you can do that. You would have to acquire the habit of reading a lot. Have a look at "Letters to a Law Student".

Reply 4

Frxstyx

Original post

by Stiffy Byng

I cannot determine what is possible for you. Only you can do that. You would have to acquire the habit of reading a lot. Have a look at "Letters to a Law Student".

I'm used to reading a lot I think, I did a level history. My main concern is not understanding it or having the time to get through it all

Reply 5

Stiffy Byng

Original post

by Frxstyx

I'm used to reading a lot I think, I did a level history. My main concern is not understanding it or having the time to get through it all

Try reading these two cases, one easy, one less so. Do you think that you could get into this stuff?

https://www.scottishlawreports.org.uk/resources/donoghue-v-stevenson/case-report/

https://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKHL/1966/3.html

If you treat studying for your degree as your job, and study for 35 to 40 hours a week, you should be able to get through the work. Rest and have fun as well.

Junior lawyers often work more like 60 to 80 hours a week. Being a lawyer is not an easy job. The big money doesn't come for nothing.

Reply 6

Frxstyx

Original post

by Stiffy Byng

Try reading these two cases, one easy, one less so. Do you think that you could get into this stuff?
https://www.scottishlawreports.org.uk/resources/donoghue-v-stevenson/case-report/
https://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKHL/1966/3.html
If you treat studying for your degree as your job, and study for 35 to 40 hours a week, you should be able to get through the work. Rest and have fun as well.
Junior lawyers often work more like 60 to 80 hours a week. Being a lawyer is not an easy job. The big money doesn't come for nothing.

I really enjoyed when I'd study cases at criminology in a level. No idea if it's alike at all but I remember briefly doing donoghue v Stevenson in relation to statutory interpretation.

Say if I wasn't able to understand cases, are there resources online that can help and will I get better over time?

Reply 7

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

Original post

by Frxstyx

I'm on a gap year, I want - don't know at this point to be honest - to study law next year at Newcastle uni. However, the amount of pages of reading is putting me off. I truly don't know how I'll cope, I feel sick thinking about it and work myself into a panic attack. I can't just not think about it like everyone tells me to because I just constantly think about it.
And even if I don't do a law degree, i don't know what else i could do with my life.
I have a levels in history, religious studies and criminology.

Hi Frxstyx,

It’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed when thinking about the demands of a law degree. The reality is, law involves a lot of reading, but that doesn’t mean it’s insurmountable. You’re already coming from subjects like history and religious studies, which require strong reading, critical thinking, and analytical skills—so you’ve got a great foundation.

Instead of focusing on the whole picture, think about manageable steps. University courses often include support, like workshops on reading strategies and time management, that can help you keep up. It’s also worth reaching out to current students or attending open days to get a better idea of the workload and resources. For instance I tend to visit the law librarian when feeling stressed about reading and referencing and she's an amazing help!

If you find that law doesn’t feel right, that’s okay too. Your A-levels open up paths in related fields like criminology, sociology, philosophy, or even history-based degrees. Many of these still connect to law-adjacent careers, such as policy-making, advocacy, or working in criminal justice.

Take time to breathe and remind yourself that this decision isn’t final—you’re allowed to adapt and change paths as you go. University is about exploring your interests, and you don’t need to have everything figured out right now.

Best wishes and good luck,

Sabba | Coventry University Student Ambassador | Law LLB

Reply 8

Stiffy Byng

Original post

by Frxstyx

I really enjoyed when I'd study cases at criminology in a level. No idea if it's alike at all but I remember briefly doing donoghue v Stevenson in relation to statutory interpretation.
Say if I wasn't able to understand cases, are there resources online that can help and will I get better over time?

There are ample resources online.

Please bear in mind that at university you are taught by people who are often experts in their subject. But also please bear in mind that you are encouraged to learn by yourself, with guidance. Good university teachers do not spoon feed their students. University is a big step up from sixth form.

You can build capacity to study and to understand complexity by experience. You will be able to tackle increasingly harder tasks as gou go through the course.

Learning is itself a skill that can be learned. Most humans can learn almost anything if they try hard enough. But there are no short cuts. You have to put in the time and effort.

Donoghue v Stevenson (above) is an easy case. Vandervell v IRC (above) is a more difficult case. Below is a case on private international law (aka "conflict of laws") in the context of insolvency. It's not an easy case. It took the Supreme Court a year to decide the case. But you would not be studying such a case until your third year.

https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/uksc/2024/39

Reply 9

Stiffy Byng

This is a great resource -

https://mcbridesguides.com/

Reply 10

Stiffy Byng

Original post

by Frxstyx

I really enjoyed when I'd study cases at criminology in a level. No idea if it's alike at all but I remember briefly doing donoghue v Stevenson in relation to statutory interpretation.
Say if I wasn't able to understand cases, are there resources online that can help and will I get better over time?

PS: Donoghue v Stevenson is not a case about statutory interpretation. It is the leading case on the common law test for negligence in the law of tort (or delict).

Criminology and Law are quite different subjects, wth a small amount of overlap between Criminology and Criminal Law.

Reply 11

Frxstyx

Original post

by Stiffy Byng

PS: Donoghue v Stevenson is not a case about statutory interpretation. It is the leading case on the common law test for negligence in the law of tort (or delict).
Criminology and Law are quite different subjects, wth a small amount of overlap between Criminology and Criminal Law.

Sorry you're right, it was to do with judicial precedent I believe

I'm going to try my hardest to do the degree, I never know if I can or not.

I'm also curious, do you always have to read the cases in full or is it just sometimes, and are you able to use like summarised/edited cases instead?

Reply 12

Stiffy Byng

Original post

by Frxstyx

Sorry you're right, it was to do with judicial precedent I believe
I'm going to try my hardest to do the degree, I never know if I can or not.
I'm also curious, do you always have to read the cases in full or is it just sometimes, and are you able to use like summarised/edited cases instead?

There is no subsititute for reading the judgments in full. You learn how to read fast, and to focus on the key parts of a case. The common law is not, as some incorrectly suppose, about pattern matching. It's about principles. The facts of a case are the most important thing only for the parties to the case. Years later, when the case is in the books, it's not the facts that matter, it's the principle that the judgment establishes or expands upon.

The law is laborious. It's arduous. Don't go near it if you are looking for short cuts.

In TV lawyer shows, you almost never see the lawyers reading thousands and thousands of pages of documents and hundreds and hundreds of pages of cases and statutes.

You see them wearing great clothes, having cool offices, and doing mega deals or mega cases. They have cool cars and cool apartments.

OK, in real life the mega deals and the mega cases are there, but there is a pile of work behind them. Some deals are deadly dull. Some cases are boring and pointless.

The clothes are great, but those clothes are expensive and have to be paid for. Barristers' chambers are often pretty cool (each barrister gets to furnish and decorate his or her room, so expect either trendy modern or antique Donnish style, and lots of books). Law firm offices are only cool in the bits which the clients see, not in the cubicles or plain, shared rooms where the fee earners sit for hour upon hour.

The cool car is in the garage underneath the cool apartment, but the lawyer is only at the cool apartment to sleep, and not for long. If the lawyer is a young barrister, he or she will get to drive the cool car every so often, and can sometimes throw a party at the cool apartment. His or her barrister mates will show up (late). His or her solicitor mates will send texts saying "sorry, stuck at the office".

If the lawyer is a young solicitor, he or she might as well sell the car. The flat too, it's easier to sleep under your desk.