Things to look forward to about Law at York

The diversity of Student Law Firms

I’ll be the first to admit, it‘s quite daunting thinking about working with a group of people you’ve never met. That was certainly the view I had when walking into my first Problem Based Learning (PBL) session. My opinion quickly changed once I began to speak to my peers. Here, although we came from all walks of life, were able to bond over a common ground; finding a solution to the PBL scenario.

My fears of speaking out in a group were overtaken by my genuine desire to contribute to the PBL discussions. I realised how important diversity is for fostering creativity and I could confidently reflect on my own weaknesses. I knew my team would be there to support me in every step of my personal development. So my advice to you is to get stuck in. No answer is ever a wrong answer and you certainly won’t be judged for being passionate about your opinions. The staff want you to develop not only individually, but as a team so you feel confident no matter where your career takes you. 

The support of lecturers

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: law is a degree designed to stimulate you intellectually thus requires an understanding of complex legal concepts. The general role of a lecturer is to provide course content. Here at York, our lecturers take it one step further. You won’t just receive lecture content, it’ll be given to you in a manner that constantly grabs your attention. My highlight? Having a lecturer hand out Jaffa Cakes in class to make a point about legal concepts. You’ll see genuine passion for the role and feel comfort in knowing that lecturers have a breadth of experience behind them in their chosen module. They are always keen to help students, be it after a lecture, via email or through their office hours.

I feel one of the best things at York is seeing a lecturer passionately talk about their module. Quite often it makes me forget I’m studying a degree because they make you feel as though you are their intellectual equals. They ask for your opinion on legal matters and take your responses into genuine consideration. 

The availability of careers services

When I first started my degree, I was unsure as to what the role of a lawyer truly entailed. I didn’t know what the starting point of research was until I received excellent advice from the Careers Advisor, who pointed me towards resources such as ‘lawcareers.net’ and ‘allaboutlaw’. I cannot emphasise enough how useful this advice has been to me throughout my time at university. The School gave me a plethora of resources to explore my career options; I realised that my degree could take me down so many different paths I wouldn’t have even known of.

You are given multiple opportunities to brush up on your networking skills through alumni events. These events are an excellent way to let your skills shine and make your CV stand out by immersing yourself in stories of people who stood in your shoes not so long ago. My advice to you is therefore make the most of the careers service we have.

The careers advice you receive at York is essential, not only for your understanding of career paths, but for having that feeling of guidance throughout the application process. I felt I understood the steps required to achieve my goals and I had a team supporting me every step of the way. I’ve experienced this throughout my time studying at York, and I’m confident you’ll feel the same way too.

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