Case studies: University of Law: Meriel Hodgson-Teall

Meriel Hodgson-Teall is currently studying for a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) at the University of Law

Having studied history at undergraduate level, I really wanted my next move to be either to go straight into a job or to do something that would give a marketable skill and clear direction, especially as further study is so expensive.

Thinking about my general interests and experience, I decided that law was something that was relevant to all of them and so started to look more specifically at the legal sector.

This style of learning has been a complete contrast to what I had grown used to at university, where I mainly had one-on-ones and two-on-ones with tutors and other students.

At the University of Law, there is a great deal of emphasis on how well you can function in a group and work with others. This has been particularly beneficial as, in addition to studying the law, I feel that I'm gaining skills that are relevant to the world of work and will be useful in any job.

I have found the course to be enjoyable and well-structured so far and the group workshops have been a really fun and effective way of getting through the material we have to study.

The structure of the course is such that we end up covering most things three times - workshops are bracketed by 'preview/review' lectures, which makes it much easier to process and remember the information. The learning is piecemeal rather than being an onslaught.

I also really like the fact that I can schedule all my contact time into two days a week, meaning I've got plenty of time to dedicate to securing work experience, writing training contract applications and doing a part-time job. Without this flexibility juggling everything would be much more difficult.

For other students considering starting the GDL, I would urge them to think carefully about whether this is definitely the career they want as job applications for lawyers start early and are incredibly competitive.

Also, try to do something law-related before starting. This experience doesn't need to be monumental - it could be a vacation placement, shadowing or volunteering for Citizens Advice, for instance - but it does need to be enough for you to be sure in yourself that law is something you want to pursue and for you to really convince employers that you're committed. It's not essential, but it will certainly make things easier in the long run.