3 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Studying Law

Although (thankfully) I am very happy with my choice to study law at university, there are a number of things I do wish I had known before embarking upon my adventures as a law student. I was inspired to write this post after after reading 'Ten things I wish I'd known before becoming a law student' (which you should also read!) on The Guardian and giving my own two cents on the matter. I think it is extremely important to make a well-informed decision when choosing a degree considering that it can now set you back up to £27,000 or more. My year group was unfortunately the first to experience the smack of the tuition fee rise in the UK! Here are three top things I wish I had known before becoming a law student. Hopefully they may shed some light upon the queries of you prospective law students and current law students may relate to them.

1. The workload IS heavy and planning and organisation is vital

I am sure you have had at least one person tell you that the law degree involves an insane amount of reading and studying. I too, was told this before I applied to university - by law students, teachers and relatives. Some even tried to put me off studying law by attaching the stereotypical 'boring' and 'dry subject' labels to it. But I somehow thought I was invincible. I thought, surely they must be exaggerating. 'I'tll be fine', she said. However, reality soon hit home before the end of the first term of my first year. I was pretty shocked at the pace of the teaching and the intensity of the topics and found that it was very difficult to keep up with everything. I was rather naive and learnt this the hard way. But the point is, it is true - the workload is heavy.

However, there is hope. Luckily I recognised this issue rather early on and the second term progressed much more smoothly. I started planning, preparing and organising my time efficiently and discovered tips and tricks (which I intend to share soon!) to make my studying and revision a little easier a long the way. The bottom line is, the workload can be manageable if you work hard and become organised. I personally believe that a heavy workload should be the last thing to put you off from studying law - you just have to be prepared for it!

2. Career prospects

We all know that law is a very respectable degree and the legal profession is often described as highly reputable and a big money-making one, too. However, law graduate prospects is a topic that should be researched carefully. There are more law students than there are training contracts and pupillages available, and only the best of the best get the ones that are on offer. I have learned that it is important to research potential career routes within the legal profession as early as possible and ensure that everything you do is heading towards that direction.  Find out more here. 

3. The Undergraduate Law School Environment

This is something that may differ for everyone depending on the institution they are studying at and the types of peers that they have. I have personally found that there is a lot of competition between law students. Lecture theatres and tutorial rooms often become stages where two students respond to the queries of the lecturer or tutor in a tennis match manner, giving dramatic monologues and trying to outshine one another. I always think that a bit of friendly competition is healthy and motivating, but not everyone may find this kind of environment an appealing one for learning. Another issue is one of study partners or groups - although a lot of students try and form these, the arrangement does not always work out ideally and some may take advantage of others or drop the workload on them during mandatory group work and it may turn into a big, old drama. I have seen this happen quite often! So, it's not always unicorns and rainbows. 

The Best Academic Planners for Law Students

The summer is slowly coming to an end and the autumn season is steadily approaching. That can only mean one thing - 'back to school' signs everywhere. Hooray. Although most students probably dread the thought of starting or going back to university, I always have an impending sense of excitement for university and getting back into the student life routine (of course, come December/ January that excitement is long gone!)  Part of the excitement stems from the back-to-university preparation. There is nothing I love more than spending hours and hours in WHSmith, Paperchase and Staples to stock up on my study supplies and stationary. I know I cannot be the only one!

The first thing on my back-to-university wish list this summer was a planner. Although I have always been quite an organised person, my obsession for planning and preparation has definitely escalated since I started my law degree. Law is just the kind of subject that requires planning and organisation.

'If you fail to plan, you plan to fail' - Benjamin Franklin

This quote could not be more true for us law students! 

So, without further ado, I present my top planner recommendations...

For the Fresher

The Palgrave Student Planner 2014-2015

Oh, how I wish I had found this planner two years ago! This planner is unique in that it is not just a generic 18 month diary - it has been designed specifically for the university student. It has so many useful features:

- calendars

- blank timetables/ term dates tables
- week to view diary pages (split into times)
- deadlines tables

- personal finance guide
- work experience info
- stress management info
- useful contacts and websites
- spelling rules
- washing symbol meanings
- basic recipes
- space for notes

And so much more!

Aside from all of the great content mentioned above, another practical advantage is the fact that it has a plastic front and back cover, page marker and sturdy ring-binding. This means that it will not end up wrecked and torn at the bottom of your bag by the end of the first month. 

This planner has truly been designed with typical student life in mind and is perfect for new students - it structures your entire academic year so well and is bound to keep you organised efficiently (if used well!) The 'recipes' and 'washing symbol meanings' extras are a sweet addition and are likely to come in handy for those living out that are hopeless with laundry and cooking. 

This planner has everything a new student could ask for.

More information and pictures here.
Cheapest online price (£5.59) available here.

For Second/ Third Years

Noteletts Edge L5 Week to View
18 Month Diary

I think this sophisticated little diary will work perfectly as a planner for students in their second or third year. It does not have that completely 'young student' feel as the planner above, it's a little more basic and allows room for personalisation. With that being said, it still offers most of the same basic and essential features including:

- calendars
- personal notes
- blank timetables
- week to view page alongside lined page for notes
- yearly planner

I love the layout of this diary. The week to view page makes it easy to keep track of the whole week and the added page for extra notes is great for penultimate and final year students who may just have a little more to jot down! I often find that week to view layouts never really offer enough space per day, so discovering a diary with this ideal layout was quite a surprise.

Aside from the contents, I love the sleek, sophisticated design of this diary - matte, PU leather effect cover with the simple elastic closure, page marker and cream pages. A final added bonus is a sweet, little storage pocket at the back - perfect for storing any small pieces of paper that will definitely accumulate throughout the year. The cherry on top. Sold.

This diary is currently on offer - 20% off online at WHSmith (£10.79). It also comes in a tempting red colour.

(P.S. this is my planner for my upcoming and final year.)

More information and pictures here.

The Super Pocket-Friendly One

This one is the budget friendly option. At just £1.49 (+99p delivery), this is by far the cheapest academic diary I have found that also looks pretty good. Features include:

- calendars
- blank timetables
- week to view layout with appointments/ times from 8am-5pm with 1 hour slots - perfect for planning studying/ revision sessions
- yearly planner
- space for notes

And more!

Sturdy hard back cover, grainy leather effect and page marker. All the basic contents plus more. For that amazing price, you can't really go wrong.

More information, pictures and reviews here.


Good luck finding the perfect planner to suit your needs. And remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 

Note: These planners are all mid-year 18 month diaries and would be great for most other subjects too.

The Law Student Diaries.

Greetings, fellow law students, prospective law students and any other soul who may have stumbled across this page!

Well, hello there

Having successfully completed my second year of law at a University of London, I thought it was about time I created a little outlet to share my thoughts and experiences of the dreaded degree that is the LLB! (Just kidding, it's not that bad... Just a little.) Whilst there are now a multitude of websites dedicated to educating prospective and current students on the formalities of the law degree, I personally believe that there may be some value in interacting with those battling with the three year course themselves and gaining from their experiences (fingers crossed).

'It is best to learn wisdom by the experience of others' - Latin Proverb

I will keep this introductory post short and sweet, as if you won't have enough reading to do already! Expect to find upcoming posts on my experiences, tips and tricks on studying, revision, law student life and more. This is no self-help manual, just an outlet for me to channel my thoughts and experiences in the hope that it may just help someone out there.

Good luck!