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Posted July 22, 2016

How To Best Use Your Summer To Prepare For Your LLM

Postgraduate study is a big undertaking and it's worth considering what you need to do in the run up to a postgrad course to prepare yourself. Whether that means extra study, working to get yourself financially ready or just taking some downtime, there's a lot to consider in that final summer before you start your LLM. As with most postgraduate study, your LLM will be a high stress course, requiring you to submit high-level work regularly, and be in the right frame of mind to soak up a lot of knowledge. What you need to do as a prospective LLM student is get yourself in a positive position to learn as much as possible and come out with a great qualification.

EXTRA STUDY

The likelihood is that if you are going for postgraduate study, you already have a pretty solid academic grounding in your chosen field. Whether you are a law graduate that's looking to specialise with your LLM or a professional that wants a deeper understanding of your professions laws, you should know what you want to get out of it. Take some time to read up on the subject, look into the course prospectus and check if there's reading you can be doing in the summer prior to your course. As with all of academia, the amount of reading will be high and it's good to get started early so you can hit the ground running.

A SUMMER OF WORK

If you are going straight from your undergraduate study into an LLM then it's likely you'll be running on reserve in terms of finances. Even if you are coming in from a professional position, your postgraduate study isn't going to leave a huge amount of time to make up any shortfall in your finances. Either way, it's a good idea to get some extra padding in monetary terms before you start. If possible try and get some work that will give you beneficial experience for your study, but if that's not possible, try and earn as much as possible so you don't find yourself having to divide time between much needed study and working to put food on the table. The less stress you have during your period of study, the more beneficial and successful your course will be. If you are worried about financing your Master of Laws consider applying for a tailor-made LLM loan from student loan specialists Prodigy Finance – they have low rates of interest and long-term repayment plans that are ideal for LLM students. And don’t forget once you have been accepted at a law school you can apply for a Global LLMstudy Bursaryworth £500.

ENJOY YOURSELF

Whatever you do in your lead up to study, make sure you set aside some time for yourself. You are going into a very intense period of learning and if you're not in the right headspace, you may become disillusioned with the course. Book some time away if you have the finances to do so and if you don't, at least try and block off some time to get involved in rest and relaxation. Read books that don't necessarily relate to your learning and see friends when you can, because soon you'll have little time to indulge yourself in either. The course you are taking is worthwhile but it's time intensive and will force you to make some sacrifices in the short term.

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