The new City Law School building announced in September 2020, has provided another great space for students to study and socialise whilst on campus. On numerous occasions, I have had the privilege of being able to visit this building and enjoy the facilities and resources that it has to offer.
In this blog, I am going to highlight three key reasons why I believe the building is a great study place! I will discuss the topic areas of: Library (Open Spaces for Group Work and Quiet Zones); Computer Resources and Break Areas.
Library
On the first floor of the building is the brand new law library. It has an extensive collection of legal books and journals which are of easy access to law students to use as and when needed. This access is applicable both towards use for on campus study and by loan for home study.
I believe it goes without saying that having access to a library when it comes to studying for a course, irrespective of the stage in where you are in your education, is so important and useful. It is crucial to be in close proximity to an environment that enhances your studying and working capabilities, particularly during exam season! From first-hand experience, I have enjoyed the comfort of studying in this library. The great thing, I must add, about this library is the low level of distraction that it comes with. Even though it has spaces within the library for individuals to complete group tasks, the noise levels are at a minimum so you are still able to have full, interrupted concentration when studying.
Open Spaces for Group Work
As mentioned above, there are open spaces for group work at the rear end and front of the library. Just outside before you enter the library on your right, there is one line of extra studying facilities if you want to complete individual and/or group work and don’t necessarily want to be in the library. These open spaces extend to the ground floor of the whole building and the lower ground floor areas.
Quiet Zones
If you are an individual working on your own, the library has a place for you too! In the middle of the library there are a number of study block rows that you can use for studying. These rows have been built around the bookshelves within the library. This is a great aspect of the building’s design – you are able to locate a study space near a bookshelf filled with resources you needed to use for that specific study session. As with the open spaces within the building, you are also able to have access to using them as a study space, even where you are not working in a group.
Computer resources
Also on the first floor, there is access to a library computer suite separate from the library, and access to computers in the library itself for you to use. On days where you realise last minute that you have left your laptop at home, or where you don’t have access to a laptop at home, the law building offers you with these resources!
Even though I bring my own laptop to campus for tutorials, I am always using the computer resources on campus. They are easy to use, they already have you signed into all of the tabs you may need (Student Hub, Moodle, Email, Microsoft Teams etc) and they are connected to the printer facilities within the building for quick printing.
Break areas
It has been scientifically and medically proved that you MUST take frequent breaks when you have been studying for a short and/or long period of time. Fortunately, the new City Law School building has areas for when you need a break! The great thing about this is that it is just a mere few metres away from the library and computer resources area. Also, with the many layers of the building’s design, if you need to take a walk around as a way of rest from studying, you can do it all without needing to leave the building! I have done it and would highly recommend it, especially when it’s been a long day of studying for hours on end.
Also, down on the ground floor of the building, there are café facilities if you need to buy a snack for energy or drink more coffee to help you stay awake! I think what’s really nice about having access to these facilities in the building, particularly if you were studying by yourself, is that they heighten the probability of meeting other law students and engaging in conversations as a way to take a break from the work you had been doing. A great way to make new friends!
Final Advice
If you are ever in the area, I would highly recommend visiting the new City Law School building and using it as a study space. Take it from me – it has the ability to produce effective outcomes for when you need to study and/or work on numerous tasks.
I hope I have been able to provide insight into how City is helping me to prepare for my future plans, through the ability to study on campus with ease, and I wish you the very best of luck in your course and future.
Written by Olubusola, LLM Bar Vocational Studies student at The City Law School