In choosing my course I made what I now consider to be something of a mistake of valuing employability over enjoyability. By this I don’t mean to suggest that job prospects shouldn’t be a factor in choosing a degree, just that cynically picking something just because you think you’ll get a good career at the end of it is the wrong way to approach matters. I think I suffered in my first two years of university because I not only wasn’t inspired by my course but I actively disliked it at times. However, law is an incredibly diverse subject, far more so than most first year students realise, and while everyone will find certain topics dull, I don’t think anyone can fail to find some parts of the law interesting, even exciting, to study.
Law is an intensely heavy subject and because of this requires great amounts of discipline and time management, whilst this might seem (will seem) like a struggle at first, if it doesn’t burn you out you will come out of it a much better student; for those interested in journalism or the media, like myself, studying law can be invaluable in that it forces you to learn excellent research skills and how to draw numerous sources into a coherent essay or argument. Going back to slightly cynical reasons for choosing a course, in the shrunken post-recession jobs market an LLB can help one stand out from the sea of BAs, this might seem like a very slight edge but the perceived prestige of your chosen subject could help you get the job you want.
Liverpool University is an absolute perfect mix of ‘campus’ and ‘city’ university, managing to seem completely self-contained whilst at the same time being in the heart of the North’s most exciting and vibrant city. Unlike London or Manchester, Liverpool packs everything you need into a small, walkable area, possessing a genuine city centre where everything, from shopping to clubbing, is located. It’s also deservedly ranked amongst the best nights out in the country (higher than Manchester). As well as excellent facilities in the UK, Liverpool University offers numerous opportunities to study abroad; I spent 2010-11 working in China, a placement which was arranged through our sister institution XJTLU.
The best advice I could give to someone trying to choose a course is to research it thoroughly. Go to an open day and speak to staff about just what it entails; speak to current students if possible. As far as law is concerned, if it’s not too late, take a Law AS or A-Level. There is a tendency for students to be told, as we were in my school, not to study law at A-Level if you plan to do the degree, this is absolutely absurd; studying law at A-Level will provide you a detailed understanding of what the subject entails and whether you would wish to continue with it and will make your first year at university significantly easier. Finally, don’t be cynical about your choices; above all choose a course that interests or excites you, three years is longer than you think.
