Unit Choices

As the year draws closer to an end, we get the exciting job of being able to pick our optional units for year two. So far we have only had compulsory units, and now we really get to personalise our course and tailor it to our future.

The University of Bedfordshire provides fantastic optional units which cater for everyone. There is also a unique opportunity the University offers, whereby you can gain an extra qualification on graduation for a one off fee payable by the student. The Higher Diploma in Paralegal Practice is integrated into the LLB undergraduate course and this is a bespoke arrangement that the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP) have decided with the University of Bedfordshire.

The NALP option is not compulsory but offers extra chances of employment and it is an offer that I decided to choose. Opportunities like these are just a small part of how the Faculty of Law help their students gain employment after graduation. So my options for next year will coincide with the NALP programme and this is something I am really looking forward to. 

Another anticipated event coming up that I am very much excited for is for Annual Law Association Ball this Saturday.  We have some fantastic guests coming along, including the Deputy Mayor of Luton and legal professionals from around the UK. 

I cannot wait to blog next week to tell you what a great night it had been! 

Balancing home and studies!

I am very excited to get back to University this week, we have had three weeks off to recoup and to start preparing for end of year exams. I really cannot wait to catch up with my friends and see how their Easter break was.
I had a lovely family Easter and put on a little egg hunt for my two young kids and little brother, the weather held up too and it has been a lovely week to spend with family.

I feel its really important to find a good balance between academic work and family life. By taking the Easter weekend off I got to spend some valuable time with my family and now I feel happy and confident to take on the rest of the year at University. I am not going to say it is easy trying to balance home life with University, because at times it can be very challenging, however it is do-able and I would not change the way my life is. The University of Bedfordshire acknowledges that every student is unique and that each person has different lifestyles. The University has been nothing but supportive throughout my first year, and without the support I probably would have felt like I couldn't make it through. The staff are always on hand to make appointments with, so you can talk to them about your workload and they always offer great advice on time management and organisation.

This week I have been getting all my revision material together ready for the revision classes, and these will really test me on how much I have managed to learn this year.
Unfortunately, this week has been slightly uneventful, but I know when I start back up at University there will be plenty more activities and experiences to share with you all.
I hope everybody had a lovely Easter break and did not eat too many chocolate eggs! Although I believe you can never have too much chocolate!

Self Motivation Tips

Sometimes I feel really lazy and unmotivated. At the beginning of the week this is exactly where I was. My mind was stuck in the 'let's do it tomorrow' phase. 
So I have thought of a few tips on how to self-motivate myself and I thought I would share them with you. 

• Firstly I like to start slow. Instead of jumping into something at full speed, start slow. Getting started, even if it’s at a slow pace, is a whole lot better than not getting started at all.
• Secondly, sometimes I act like it. If you don’t feel motivated or enthusiastic then act like it. The strange thing is that within a few minutes you actually start to feel motivated or enthusiastic for real.
• Thirdly, I try and do something small to create a flow. Just clean your desk. Or pay your bills. When you have finished that small task you’ll feel more alert and ready to go do the next thing. 
• Lastly, I write down my goals and reasons for working towards them. Tape them on your wall, computer or bathroom mirror. Then you’ll be reminded throughout the day and it becomes easier to stay on track and stay focused.

There are so many other little things I can do to keep me self motivated, taking out distractions would be good one. For example whatever you do, do not turn on the television. Daytime television will slowly be the death of me, getting entwined with the dramas of Jeremy Kyle is never a good start to the day. It becomes addictive so best not to turn the television on at all. 

As it is Easter weekend, I will spending my bank holiday with family in London, organising a Easter egg hunt and tucking into a lovely roast dinner made by my dad. 

Whatever plans you guys have for the Easter bank holiday try to stay motivated and positive.

New Developments

It is now officially Easter break, but unfortunately it still means work. Although I have taken this week pretty slow, I have been preparing my notes and started to make some exam revision material for May examinations.

I know the main areas I need to revise for each unit, so for each one I have constructed some mind maps in a book. I am hoping the colour co-ordination and little doodles will help me get all this information stuck in my mind.

The 24/7 library at the Luton campus is a major contributing factor to my revision. I am hoping that it will be quiet next week so I can go in with my headphones on and find a nice spot to revise, next year will be even more stimulating as the new library development is due to open in early 2016. 

An Artist Impression of the new Learning Resource Centre.

The new library building will be spread over seven floors, connecting to the rest of the University’s Luton campus via bridge link. The new library marks the latest stage in the development of the university. There will be a ground floor cafe, study spaces and a 30 per cent increase in book stocks.

The most common misconception of libraries are that they are old dusty and boring, the library at the Luton campus is far from that. It is a comfortable learning environment and dare I say it, a place we all meet up with friends and get some work done. The new library development will definitely be a popular building on campus and I cannot wait to see it when it is completed.  

Let Diversity In!

At the beginning of the week I attended the ‘Aspiring Solicitors’ event at the Law School. ‘Aspiring Solicitors’ offers FREE career and academic advice for us future solicitors! This amazing initiative helps hundreds of unrepresented law students and graduates to secure placements, training contracts and vacation schemes across the UK.

‘Aspiring Solicitors’ is the creation of former Norton Rose Fulbright corporate associate Chris White, who was our speaker for the afternoon and I cannot express how invaluable Chris’ advice was. You could tell from the atmosphere in the room, that every person in there was hanging on his every word. Chris not only gave advice on how to further our careers but opened a new window on diversity in the legal profession.

It can sometimes be difficult for students from non-russell group universities to excel in the legal profession. However, Chris’ presentation enhanced how important diversity is and how diversity should be a positive element in the recruitment of trainee solicitors. He emphasised that no one should be judged by any other factors, than their knowledge and their personality.  His organisation gives opportunities to unrepresented groups and for that I cannot be more thankful. Chris' presentation gave me hope and motivation. It made me realise that nothing is out of my reach if I work hard for it. I now feel more confident in getting a job in the legal profession after graduation and I know that the University of Bedfordshire is the perfect starting block for the rest of my career journey. 

Dr Andreas Yiannaros, from the School of Law, who hosted the event said:

“Chris and Aspiring Solicitors are committed to increasing diversity throughout the legal profession; this is in line with our own philosophy as an institution and enhances our strong commitment to equality and diversity here at the University of Bedfordshire. What Chris has achieved in such a short time is astonishing; I urge our students to become actively involved in this wonderful initiative”.

I could not agree more, with Dr Yiannaros. The University of Bedfordshire is all about diversity and accepting diversity into our life. I have made friends from all over the world, of different ages, cultures and sexual orientation in my classes. Each one of them have their own stories to tell and share experiences I would never have known about before.  

So Let Diversity In!

For more information on ‘Aspiring Solicitors’ you can visit their website or catch them on all the social media platforms. 

Why I chose law at Bedfordshire?

So this is my first blog, and I want to tell you guys about my University and what I am studying! 

I am studying the LLB Law degree at the University of Bedfordshire. I am studying full-time, which at the moment, means I am on campus three times a week, but the other two days are spent studying and preparing for seminars and lectures. I chose the University of Bedfordshire because it fits nicely with my home life, I live local and have two young children so the University of Bedfordshire was an ideal choice however I didn't pick Bedfordshire just for its location.

I attended one of the Open Days the university puts on throughout the year, and I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. The facilities were more than what I expected and the students and staff were friendly and informative. I was particularly blown away by the business school and the new moot court that the University had recently built. (A moot court is a mock court used for making court simulations)

I have been at the university for five months now and I still enjoy every day like it was my first. What I like the most about the university is my course and the subject I am studying. Everything is new to me so I am never bored and get great satisfaction knowing that I am constantly learning. 

The next few weeks are all about preparing for the summer exams, we are coming up to the last couple of weeks of teaching and then the revision begins. 

We also have some great extra- curricular activities coming up like the invitational moot competition, where we have invited different universities from across the UK to Bedfordshire to compete to win a mini-pupillage in London. Another anticipated event coming up is the Annual Law Ball in April which is put on by the Bedfordshire Law Association.

So spring looks like it is

going to hold some exciting times ahead and some daunting exams too but I can’t wait to share it all with you in the coming weeks and months! 

GG, Well played

So after much anticipation, my Company Law grade finally came through. That morning; I woke up to find that I had apparently failed the module. Closer inspection revealed that my efforts at the final exam yielded a G. Needless to say; I got worried. I had no idea what G meant. All I know is that eVision stated that I had failed Company Law!

So it turns out that G means a "non-submission". This was difficult to believe as I DID turn up to the exam and I submitted a completed exam paper. Naturally, I called up the University to see what was going on. My presumption was that they had misplaced my paper. Calling the University directs my call to a help desk. Once there; I requested to be wired through to the Law department. After leaving my details and information about what I was after; there was not much else for me to do. Overall, it was pretty straight forward.

But to ease my conscious, I felt it was necessary for me to try and contact my lecturers directly.  I didn't know who to e-mail so I e-mailed everyone. And I mean EVERYONE. Someone then got back to me on the same day. Of this fact; I was very thankful. She said that I received a G due to the fact that the faculty was unable to locate my paper.  She went on to say that they found it in the end and that my grade will be amended after a couple of days. For my efforts; I received a B-

Peace of mind at last.

Paul G,
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Results Day

E-vision now features the results for everyone studying the 3rd year of LLB Law within the University of Bedfordshire. My initial thoughts of my grades were that it was average. I achieved a B+ in Equity & Trusts,  B in Evidence, and for E-commerce; I got a B+. One interesting thing to note is the fact that my results for Company Law are yet to be posted. I was made aware of the fact that everyone else's Company grades are up; but mine seems to be an exception to this consensus.

To segue from that, I've heard that a lot of people achieved low marks for their exams, lower than mine. I find this very hard to believe... and yet, apparently, its true. These students work hard. Most of them exert more effort than me. This then changed my outlook on my grades; it appears they were above average after all. This news makes me feel very undeserving. My current results, in conjunction with my performance in the previous years, gives me a forecasted grade of a very high 2:1. Its a border-line 1st class degree and the results for my Company Law exam or the good will of my lecturers may well tip it over the edge. This of course is subject to the accuracy of the University's award predictor; though I have no reason to doubt it.

But I digress. The point of the matter is; the work I do is minuscule in comparison to my fellow colleagues. They should be the ones getting high grades. When they partake in late nights studying; I am snug in my bed. When they surround themselves with books in the study spaces dotted around the University; I am at home playing video games. It is unjust for me to get higher grades than them :( Ive been asking around to see if anyone got good grades; maybe some of them will tell me they got good grades :D

Paul G,

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Job Hunting

So now that my course has practically finished (except for the actual graduation); I've been focusing more on job-hunting. Legal knowledge can apparently be applied to various different things. As an LLB student; your options are not limited to being either a solicitor or barrister. A world of possibilities are available. For instance; we could be a legal executive, legal secretary, paralegal and other jobs that may not seem to require legal knowledge at first glance.

For instance; this week, I attended a workshop kind of event in a new establishment over in Bedford. It was
owned by a company called European Oat Millers. From what I gathered from the talk; a new branch has recently been set up in Bedford and they need workers from all walks of life; so to speak. One of the open jobs they talked about was for "new product development" as well as something about packaging. They continued to talk about that fact that regulations and Laws need to be followed when designing new products.

Another thing to note about this company is because of the fact that they are interested in sourcing workers straight from the University of Bedfordshire (either for graduate jobs or placement years). This is very welcome news. If an employer WANTS to hire; your chances are greatly increased. And I intend to capitalize on this opportunity. On that note; I left them a copy of my CV (Note: always have a copy of your CV on you). Fingers crossed :)

Paul G,
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Cross Animals

Now that most of the activities for University have finally been completed; I have recently found myself with
more time than I can occupy. On that note; I picked up a copy of Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City. You may have noticed that this blog was posted a tad bit late. This is due to the fact I left my laptop in my girlfriend's flat for the weekend. The same flat where my Wii is currently placed.

This of course leads to be late in both my blog post AND my duty to water the plants for the animals in Funky Town. So if any of you are mad at the concept of tardiness; so too are the animals.

On a more professional note; I saw one of my friends in Uni today. He had just finished his viva voce and gave me a heads-up on what approaches. He was allowed a PowerPoint presentation and was told that it is just a formality. So this makes me feel at ease. However, it also means that I have to work on my presentation some more now. But hey, I have time to spare so why not?

He was also wearing clothes that is more formal than what he normally wears so I reckon I'm going to go formal too. Anything to potentially make my childish presentation about gaming as formal as possible.

After his viva voce, he went out for a victory milkshake.

I too will have that victory milkshake soon!

Paul G,
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Finalés Funkeln

I have now finished all of my exams. All that remains is my viva voce. Apparently that's latin for "with living voice" or "word of mouth". Basically; this is when you present to your dissertation/thesis to your examiners. This is done orally so good communication skills and public speaking is definitely a plus.

From what I've heard, it is not compulsory to have a PowerPoint presentation with you. Although I can definitely see the benefits of being equipped with one. Having slides to lean on during a presentation means that you can have bullet points infront of you for your benefit. This results in you not omitting anything that is really important. I've always been taught that failing to plan equates to planning to fail; but that's a "glass-half-empty" kind of attitude!


Plan the work; then work the plan!


So on that note; I am definitely preparing one for mine. I'm not even too sure if my supervisor will allow it; but regardless: I'll make one anyway. One: because I have more free time due to my exams having been concluded. And two: because I like PowerPoints animating it to have awesome effects has a certain charm about it. I would highly recommend that everyone do the same.

Paul G,
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Examinations

I apologise for the inconsistency of posts these last couple of weeks. It's exam season and we're all studying hard. I have 3 exams left. Starting from tomorrow; I have an exam every day. And what's worse; my exam tomorrow is at 6pm in the afternoon! That means that the exam finishes at 8pm. So my plan is to stay up late for the sole purpose of having the ability to sleep in till noon. Then thats around 5 hours of revision time and leave the last hour prior to the exam to relax and calm your nerves.

If you are reading this; I suggest you do the same (if you dont already do). One of the biggest factors of decreased performance in exams are nerves. Take a moment to step back from all the knowledge osmosis you are trying to attempt: and just be. Keep your chin up and dont let the stress defeat you. For my exam a couple of days ago; the sun was actually out. During the last hour towards the exam; people were eqquipped ith their notes for some last minute revision. I on the other-hand was under the shadow of a tree, laying flat on the grass and playing with small pine-cones. Or whatever those things are:

The important thing is, although it might sound contradictory; the last thing you want to think about in the final hour prior to the exam: is the exam itself. It has something to do with your psychology or something. I'm no expert so I'm not going to claim I'm right. But I reckon that it stems from the fact that we used to need adrenaline whenever we were about to engage in combat. Obviously in this particular setting: adrenaline just acts as excess stimulants which might be detrimental to your cognition. But hey: thats just a theory: A PINE-CONE THEORY!... thanks for reading

Paul G,

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My Weakness

Video games. I cant stop playing video games. My first exam is in a week's time and I'm still playing games. Sure I've studied every now and then, and I'm pretty confident with the level of my knowledge. But whenever I take a stroll around the university, I see my colleagues nose deep in notes and text books. Which begs the question; should I be doing the same?

Ive been learning and absorbing the information my lecturers dish out throughout the whole year. So when I look at the few notes that I have; it all just sinks in and I get it. But the fact that everyone else is working so hard is a bit daunting. I study a few hours a day and spend the rest of it on my Wii or PS3. I really really hope that what I'm doing is sufficient for the exams. Maybe I'm just doubting myself; my tactics have gotten me this far. No reason why it should come up as inadequate now.

So I shall carry on the way I am now. Still in the process of completing FarCry 3 and I just bought myself a new JRPG! It's been an eventful day today anyway (went to the airport to pick up my parents and my brother's fiancé); so I guess I'll put off studying for abit to spend time with the family :)

To those of you who are strong enough to resist the temptation of procrastination; Kudos to you!

Paul G,
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Just Dissert.....ation

Today is the deadline for 3rd Year LLB dissertation. Whilst everyone's idea of celebrating is either getting drunk, eating out or something called an Ann Summer's Party (I have no idea what that is), I'd rather plug my laptop into a 50" TV and play some Hearthstone! Though this is a happy occasion, it is important to keep in mind that we still have exams just over 2 weeks away.

I'm so glad that the Law supervisors allowed us to contact them for feedback when it was close to the deadline. Other courses apparently didn't do that. So I count myself fortunate. It's such a sigh of relief to hear from your supervisor that your work is alright. It is very reassuring considering that they are the ones marking it too. I even made an acknowledgement page thanking mine.

In the faculty meeting; some of the supervisors made a comment that not many students actually contacted them for feedback, guidance and/or support. This is very puzzling. Why wouldn't you make use of the resources you have at your disposal? They are literally one click away.

But never the less; it's finished now. Time for the home stretch. Once the post-dissertation day(s) off are finished, its back to the books. Life is hard as a Law student. But I wouldnt change a single aspect of it :)

Paul G,
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I take requests now!

Due to feedback from some of my readers; I am addressing a point one of my friends made. Mohammed Alarifi; my colleague in 3rd year LLB Law has asked what my opinion were with regards to exams. Well my thoughts on this subject isn't exactly original; but still, might as well vent it out.

As a whole I think exams are flawed. It's become more of a memory test than a test of knowledge. If I wanted a memory test, I'd whip out my Nintendo DSi and play some Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training. But since I don't at this point in time, the impending exams are a bit of a burden. Don't get me wrong, exams do have their merits. It's like peeling off a band-aid (or "plaster" as my girlfriend keeps reminding me.... "we aint in America sweet-heart"). In comparison to coursework; exams are quick to get over and done with. Coursework on the other hand drags on and saps your time.

Sure, coursework can be easy at times and you can leave it till closer to the deadline (though not too close mind you), but during those few weeks in between the set date and the days in which you actually work on it, it just sticks at the back of your head. Making you feel a tad guilty about not doing it. Or maybe that's just me.

I used to prefer exams due to the facts stated above. I could revise for it a few days before and still come out with As. But oh boy was I wrong with that attitude. Ever since A-levels I learnt my lesson (get it; "lesson"....hahahaha...ha..ha.....ha....sorry). Exams are not to be messed with. I've grown accustomed to coursework more. It felt like it was a much more accurate portrayal of what I know. The self-guilt tripping thing my mind seems to do is easily outweighed by the fact that coursework is just easier and less stressful to tackle.

Paul G,
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Easter Scrambles

With exams looming in; a majority of my Easter is spent studying and doing dissertation. Despite the fact that lecturers are not running sessions over the Easter break; a few other students and I have been going into the University practically every day of the week for at least 5 hours of straight study. That's more hours than some days of regular Uni.

Needless to say; I got some work done. Dissertation is up and running, "super-notes" of a couple of my modules are completed and there is only a couple of modules left to do. These notes are concise versions of the everything you need to know for each exam. This is derived from the known topics which are going to be featured in the exam (we wouldn't want to waste precious memory space on information that will not come up now; do we?) I then set it out in a format that is easy to understand and I employ diagrams if a concept is too complicated to explain in words.

What I normally do with these documents is to disseminate them to as many fellow colleagues as I can. That way; it helps them too. I seem to have received possessive feedback on my previous super-notes last year. I even saw multiple students gripping copies of the knowledge I somehow cobbled together in the few hours prior to the exam. It's satisfying to walk into the ICT suit to see several students benefiting from your work; then proceeding to the social learning space to see even more.


And I intend to recreate that again. The notes I have prepared consists of each topic being condensed to about a page and a half of A4. This way; the information is easier to absorb. It's worked well for me so far!

Paul G,
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Easter Break Blues

With Easter Break hitting the uni-students' calendars, there are still plenty of things left to do and not allot of time to do it in. As a 3rd year, I have to use this break to do 1 more piece of coursework, wrap up my dissertation and prepare for 4 exams. Thats alot to handle and leaving it to the last minute is a bad idea. a VERY bad idea.

Thankfully, I just finished my coursework yesterday and I have done plenty of research for my dissertation. Ive started pulling it all together into one coherent article today and so far; its looking good. I got to write about Pac-Man IN my dissertation. I also get to talk about YouTubers who cover gaming. It doesnt get any better than that. Though I fear that I may get tired of writing the words "video game culture" after a while, so far I'm really enjoying it :)

The way dissertations are set out in this Uni is really great. At the start of 3rd year, you get a list of supervisors and their broad specialities (each one usually has about 4-6). Then it is up to you to decide what to pick and what precisely about that topic do you wish to write your piece about. For me; it was Copyright Law with regards to video game content. I am so glad that I picked my supervisor for his speciality. Its advisable that you dont pick one purely because you like him/her ;)


Paul G,
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LinkedIn Loaded

I have recently been enlightened with the importance of LinkedIn. Its another way for you to build your network. And as a student trying to start a legal career; networking is key. It pays to watch an advert in front of YouTube videos. That, coupled with encouragement from professionals has convinced me into giving my profile more love.

So I've spent a fair  bit of time trying to understand the inner workings of the site. It was confusing at first but I think I've got it sorted. So unless I'm missing some fundamental function; my profile is pretty much complete. Now it's time for a shameless plug. Should you want to check out my profile, you can visit https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=293814218&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile . I apologise for that, but that had to be done :) hope you don't mind.

Anyway, I'd advice you to start using it as it seems like a worth while investment of your time. That's of course if you are not already on it. As the advert described it; it's your CV that never sleeps. So where's the harm in that?

All Nighters!

Right! We are students and every now and again; circumstances call for an all-nighter! It's important to stay nourished. I cooked my girlfriend and I some nice noodles. But no no; this isn't your ordinary noodles where you just add hot water: I cooked this from scratch.

Nice fresh noodles, chopped spring and red onions, sliced pork and mini peeled shrimps. All nicely seasoned with soy sauce and lemon juice. Noodles... with style. It's also time for a little experiment. Cookies.... soaked a little bit in milk (so it doesnt burn).... warmed up in the oven.... then a scoop of ice-cream on top. BOOM! dessert.

Now doesnt that sound nice? Now what could all this prep be for; coursework? revision? dissertation? Nope. It's for playing Pokémon and Monopoly. We all deserve a break sometimes

Paul G,
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Vision & Revision

Today I'm stuck in London without my trusty laptop. So it took me ages to get a some piece of tech that would enable me to write this post. But I did it! I know that the last post is supposed to have a video on it; but for some reason it wouldn't upload properly so you were not able to view it. I'll meet with somebody from the marketing team of the University of Bedfordshire tomorrow to see if anything can be done about this. (I tried to upload multiple times to no avail). The people from the University did mention some equipment I could use to help me with the vlogging so I'll investigate that some more.

Anyway; the deadlines for the dissertation and my other coursework is coming up so I should probably get going with those. The exams are also en route so I will start to prepare for those too. Time for a whole lot of speaking to myself. (It's how I revise).

Paul G,
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