An excellent law degree at an excellent institution (Law At University of Nottingham)

Member Name: nunoidia

Product:	Law At University of Nottingham
Date:	08/09/09 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent teaching, excellent facilities, opportunity to study abroad

Disadvantages: Not enough course choice, poor library selection. Not enough cash machines on campus!

I studied at Nottingham University from 2004 til 2008 doing law, and this review is as it was then; obviously some things may have changed!

Firstly, law is a hard degree, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If you want to get a 2.1, unless you are insanely clever, you will need to work a harder than your hall-mates / housemates, and probably still won't get it all. The teaching at Nottingham, although by and large excellent, is still the traditional method - go to lectures, prepare for tutorials, then revise like a slave at exam time. Don't follow my example and not pay attention to your tutorial notes when revising; tutorial subjects and cases invariably came up in the exam.

That doesn't mean you won't get a social life. The law society is excellent, and university wide, there are lots of social activities and clubs, and Nottingham is an excellent place to live in terms of the entertainment available. It's also cheaper compared to universities down south, although housing in Lenton seemed expensive compared to other University areas like Beeston and Wollaton. You also do need to be careful; it is true what they say about crime in Nottingham, and if you aren't careful, you may get burgled or mugged, especially in Lenton (so don't walk around looking like a rich toff in your Uggs on your hugely expensive mobile phone).

In terms of the facilities available on campus, the library has recently been refurbished. My main complaint whilst I was there was that there was nowhere 'quiet' to study, and seemed to be the social hangout. However, I understand this was something they were addressing in the refurbishment completed last year, and hopefully you can now study in the library without having to listen to someone else's conversation! The availability of books for the course was rubbish except in the short loan section. I know some did get buy just using these for tutorials, however, I bought all my textbooks so I could prepare for tutorials at my own leisure, and prepare for lectures. The majority I was able to sell on after the course, and the law society organises a book sale every year.

As far as course availability, you will be required to study the core subjects as on any LLB course; that is: Contract, Tort, EU, Criminal, Trusts, Land, and Constitutional Law, together with any introductory module. Outside of this you can study subjects such as Commercial law, Intellectual Property, Environmental law, Consumer law, and Human Rights law to name a few. You can also elect to do a Dissertation if that's your thing (I did, and it was the sole reason I managed a 2.1!). Don't expect any courses on media law or the internet just yet; I did push for one, but the university is perhaps a little too traditional to look at newly emerging subjects just yet.

The University also offers an excellent year abroad opportunity, enabling you to do a four year degree with the third year spent at an institution abroad; any number of European universities, together with options in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and America. I would thoroughly recommend applying for this opportunity (which you do at the start of second year); I went to America for a year and had an amazing time, and everyone I know who did the year abroad said the same. It also gives you an edge over your colleagues in terms of your experience, and the ability to compare with a different legal system.

The university has excellent links with leading law firms if you ultimately want a career in the law, and holds a law fair every autumn, together with presentations by law firms. However, don't be fooled, you will still need to be an excellent 2.1 getting student for the firms to look at you, and by no means does a Nottingham law degree equal a training contract - I should know, I still haven't got one and don't anticipate on getting one now, given that in my exams I mainly got 2.2s, and this doesn't interest firms unless you are exceptional in other ways (clearly I'm not!). This situation is likely to be even more pronounced in the current credit crunch, and many of my degree colleagues who obtained training contracts have had theirs deferred for a year meaning they are having to find alternative work for a year.

Ultimately I would recommend Nottingham to anyone, and particularly for law. The quality of teaching is, on the whole, excellent, and the degree a valuable one.

Summary: An excellent law degree at an excellent institution