I am about to finish my third year of LLB Law, and I wish I could talk to first-year me about to embark on an amazing and life-changing adventure at City, University of London. Coming from a non-English speaking country, I did not know much about the many layers of a traditional LLB Law degree needed in order to succeed in your future academic and professional career.
After being paired with a Citybuddy, and managing my way up until my final year of my LLB, I believe to have understood my experience at City and gained various skills needed to be a well-rounded law student. So, if you are an upcoming law student, keep reading to find some of the tips that might help you gain a head start into your future!
Always reach out when you are struggling
You have studied your whole life, however, being at university has a different feeling and expectations compared to your high school or college. The workload can be double or even triple the one you might be used to, and the hours of independent study might destabilise you or time might not seem enough to complete every reading. If you are good at managing your time and succeed in this, hats off to you! However, it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed and burnt out. Being proactive will help a lot and prevent many of these bad feelings, for example keeping in touch with your personal tutor and your lecturers. Academic staff are also there to help you get the best university experience and aid you if you are struggling with your learning – go ahead and book an appointment directly with them. They were students like you once and will likely understand what you are going through – they can also recommend you to the health and counselling staff at City, University of London, who can help you overcome these times.
Create a LinkedIn profile
What better social media is there to build up your research on a future career? LinkedIn, of course! This blue app is perfect for upcoming law students, you can connect with people that share the same interests as you, talk with legal professionals or experts in your field of interest, find useful resources in groups or posts or even talk with alumni from City, University of London. It’s as easy as sending a personal message to connect with the people within your area of interest and earn professional and life-changing advice. I personally connected with various legal professionals and gained an insight into their day-to-day life, explored further opportunities such as summer schools, and browsed different job opportunities inherent to my interests. It’s an amazing tool for law students and, best of all, it’s free.
Be open to opportunities
Any opportunity can be a learning experience and worthy of being added to your CV. Being a law student will take up a lot of your time, but you still have a life outside university! A good tip for incoming university students is not to neglect your professional and extracurricular activities. Start working, if you can, or volunteer in your local area or with the university. Try to have a go in your first formal placement through the Micro-Placement programme or check out the volunteering opportunities.
from City, University of London. Moreover, if you would like to earn your own money, then feel free to have a go dropping your CV in your local café or restaurant, or even at a law firm. These opportunities will enable you to acquire an invaluable set of skills involving leadership, communication, time-management, and logic to name a few.
Enjoy your time
One of the joys of starting fresh is that you can become whoever you want. Attend City’s fresher’s week and get to know the students and societies there. Brush up your language skills or learn a new language with City’s own LGP school. Cherish this time and make the most of it! Experience is also valuable outside of university and getting some time off will certainly benefit you in the long term.
Your time at university will be an amazing memory and will probably fly by really quickly: these tips might give you more confidence to start on the right foot. You will crush it!
Written by Elisa, third-year LLB student at The City Law School