Letters to a Law Student: A guide to studying law at university

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Something I deal with is burnout. It has hit me hard at times when2 I push and pushes meanwhile that light and spark slowly begin to fade. Something I know I am likely to face in law school is exactly this. Many studies, articles, and polls have proven that law school students are at high risk for depression and other mental issues. - The stress, work, competition, and idea of perfectionism are detrimental. Thus, I knew that it was perfect for me to hear out what Mcbride had to say on this matter. Letters to a Law Student is essential reading for anyone who is doing, or thinking about doing, a law degree at university. Having confirmed that Law would be a suitable path to pursue, the second section provided useful guidance relating to how to make a successful application. One of the letters gives advice on how to interview well, another on the common traps to avoid in your application, and another on the LNAT (the compulsory admissions test for law at Oxford and a handful of other universities). All of this helpful information ensured I felt equipped with the essential preparatory knowledge I would need to successfully stay afloat and swim through the next few years of my legal studies.

Rewritingscruffynotes...Iwouldimaginethat'slesstodowithreassociatingyourselfwiththemandmoretodowithmakingsurethatthey'reactuallylegiblewhenit'stimeforrevision!!Again,thisprobablywouldn'thelpmebecauseI'mquitecapableofcopyingoutvastquantitiesoftextwithoutactuallytakinganythingin.how to acquire the necessary skills and develop the fundamental qualities to make a good law student As you can see, Nicholas Mcbride is an intelligent man and his book has greatly impacted lives, saved grades, rescued many from endless stress, and helped many improve not only how they work in school, but also, at work! The law tends to be pretty boring when you view it from a great distance- it’s only when you get close up to the law and see it in all its glory that you can give yourself a chance of getting really interested in it.”

Letters to a Law student is, as the title suggests, a series of 20 letters written by a law teacher to a student who is deciding whether to read law at university. Assimilated together the letters form a collection of essential advice, guidance and words of wisdom given throughout the significant period from first thinking about becoming a law student, through to embarking on university applications, obtaining a good law degree and subsequently, thinking about becoming a lawyer. Letters to a Law Student relays all that a prospective law student needs to know before embarking on their studies. It provides a useful guide to those considering a law degree or conversion course and helps students prepare for what can be a daunting first year of study. Learn the skills it takes to succeed as a law graduate with this essential text. Letters to a Law Student, 5th edition, Global Edition by Nicholas J McBride, provides a thorough introductory guide to higher education and learning context for law studies. Voted in the top 6 books that future law students should read, it is an approachable and easy-to-follow guidebook. The text flows as a series of letters between a lecturer and aspiring student, divided into chronological parts from thinking about a law degree to preparing to study law, studying law, writing like a lawyer, and thinking about the future.It is well written, readable and wholly absorbing…My only regret is that this book of letters was not available to me when I was a student. Written in a lively and entertaining style, this book offers clear and helpful answers to your questions about studying law, including: In my view, Letters to a Law Student provides an appreciated offering of strong, concise, practical advice and direction for anyone about to study law at university. McBride offers advice on: Ipersonallywouldn'tdreamofhavinga"studygroup"becauseIknowitwouldn'thelpmeintheslightest.Iworkbestbymyself.

Overall, Letters to a Law Student provides a creative, candid and enlightening guide to studying law at university. Lord Grabiner QC, who writes the preface to the book consolidates this view:I found Letters to a Law Student very useful in helping me decide that I wanted to study law, and helping me to make a successful application; I still have a copy sitting on my bookshelf in case I need to turn to it again.

Some judges like to say that the most important person in court is the party who is going to lose. Every effort must be made to persuade him that his views have been listened to.” What makes McBride’s book sparkle is the innovative way that he uses imagery to turn the seemingly daunting task of studying law into a fun and thought-provoking experience. Interestingly, he explains how studying law ‘is very much like flying a helicopter’ , how ‘reading cases is a bit like riding a bike ’ and teaches readers about the sources of English law by telling us to ‘imagine…standing on a riverbank, watching the river flow by. The river is English law .’ And if you are not already besotted with the exhilaration of studying law for the next three years, reading Letters to a Law Student will certainly have you feeling that way! Nicholas McBride gives succinct advice suggesting students ought to ‘imagine law is a person…[and] manage to “fall in love” with law’ . Law isn’t for everyone. But as a subject for study, I think it’s tough to find another that is as fascinating, as significant, and as transformative as law is.” To lightly touch on this, Nicholas Mcbride included many extra details in the book that gave you a few extra tips on how you can succeed in law school and outside of it. I appreciated these extra touches of advice! While I learned many things, these were definitely my top, selected few. Forinstancethelecture/readingbalancewillvarydependingonyourcourse,obviouslyatOxfordyou'llbedoingalotmoreself-studyduetohavinglesshoursoftuitionandamoredemandingworkload.Itwillalsodependonhowhighyouraspirationsare.Noteverybodywantstoputtheworkinforafirstandsowillprobablybedoinglessreadingthanthosewhodo.

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Immediately, the first thing I noticed when reading the book was the cover image; it happens to feature a young woman walking towards the end of a jetty looking out onto what appears to be an ocean or great sea, before a great horizon. About to become a law student myself, I held the book in my hand and I felt just how strongly I could relate to that image, nearing the end of a pathway of sixth form studies staring out into the expansive open ocean that would soon become my future in legal studies. Doing well in studying law shouldn’t be beyond anyone; whether someone does well or not depends in whether they want to become the sort of person who can do well at law.”