Moving from undergraduate study to postgraduate study can be an exciting step in your academic career. That being said, moving to a new graduate level of study is a big change. In this article, Giles Proctor, CEO at the College, explores what students and tutors have highlighted as the key things to consider before embarking on your Masters in Law or LLM as its often known. Read on to explore if Master’s study suits your goals, motivation, and learning styles.
How Master’s study differs from undergraduate study
Let’s take a closer look at how Masters level study differs from what you have likely experienced in your undergraduate degree. You’ll find a Masters really stimulating, because it develops your skills, but it’s also quite demanding.
Firstly, you’ll find that Masters courses usually have much smaller class sizes, and by extension, an expectation that you’ll participate more fully in discussions. You’ll bring with you your degree experience and knowledge, and you’ll be expected to collaborate with your peers and tutors at an advanced level. On the flip side, there will be less hand holding on a Masters. It is expected that you’ll be able to lead your own learning, study, and progress with the support of your tutors, not the other way around.
We like to use an iceberg analogy at Masters level - at undergraduate you gain a broad understanding of the surfaces of legal understanding. Get into Masters study, and you’ll be going a lot deeper into particular areas you’re most interested in. Think to yourself - does pursuing a deeper understanding, experiencing small class sizes, and more following independent learning styles sound like the right next step for you?
The intensity of study and assessments
With a deeper understanding and ability also comes an expectation that you will work at a faster pace. This is particularly true for our LLM course which incorporates preparation for the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments. SQE1 includes 13 practice areas to cover, and you’ll need to start strong with your study routine from week one. You can’t really afford to take your foot off the pedal with this. It’s important to consider if this is an intensity you have capacity for.
Equally, Masters level study on our LLM covers a breadth of assessment formats. You may have got used to undergraduate study where your main assessment format is essays, or single exams. In the LLM, however, we’ll be training you up on coping with the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) that form the SQE1 exam, as well as, later on, the skills tasks required from you in SQE2. You’ll also be working on a Capstone project, sometimes known as a dissertation, so that’s a lot of formats to get used to. You should also expect an increase in the pass mark for each Masters module. Most undergraduate degrees require you to achieve 40% in your assessments to pass, whereas in postgraduate study, this will probably move up to 50% across the board. Do new assessment methods and a more challenging level of assessment sound like an exciting challenge for you, or bewildering? This should help you assess your potential next steps into further study.
Motivation, mindset and resilience
Getting your head around the expectations of postgraduate study also comes down to self motivation and mindset. Your tutors will expect you to keep up with your work and study with minimal prompting, and you need the motivation to do this. You need to study from day one of the Masters and follow the timetable set, as this will really help you settle into your course and gain confidence. This requires resilience, and active participation in development of your own learning. Masters level study is tough but incredibly rewarding. Are you up for the challenge?
It’s important here to also factor in your intended career and goals before committing to a course of Masters study. Try and make sure that you’re very clear that you’re doing the course for a particular purpose. Whether it’s to improve your knowledge in some legal subjects or practice areas, or as part of your legal career path. You want to perform your best, so you want to be as sure as you can be that this is the route you want to take.
Questions to ask yourself include
- Is this LLM, or alternative Masters qualification, part of your future career plans?
- Do you directly recognise that working hard now will create future opportunities in your career trajectory?
If you’re not sure, you risk starting your course without clarity, which can often lead to a lack of motivation to continue.
Support is available
While I’ve made it clear that Masters study requires a heightened level of personal responsibility, this doesn’t mean you’ll be alone if you pursue this route. Support is available throughout your time studying at the College and we’ll be on hand to guide you, especially around workload, time management, and keeping up with your study priorities. The key difference is that you will be in the driver’s seat, as opposed to a passenger. We’re your helpful co-pilot!