You’ll never take your law school for granted again
It’s safe to say that it hasn’t quite been the university experience that law students were expecting this year and sadly it doesn’t look like things are set to change anytime soon.
But, as a way to lift your spirits, we’ve put together a list of all the things you can be looking forward to once COVID-19 is gone for good. From fancy law balls to the less than fancy law socials — we guarantee there’s something in this list that will bring a smile to any self-pitying law student’s face.
1. The law library
There’s nowhere else quite like it. A place for bouncing half-baked ideas off your fellow course mates or fighting to be the one who stays the latest. A place for crying with laughter after your mate’s half-eaten sandwich gets confiscated by the no-nonsense librarian, or for crying in despair after misreading your essay deadline. You can complain about the endless hours spent in here all you like, but admit it — you feel lost without it.
2. In-person seminars
There’s some that you miss and some you wish you never had to go back to ever again *cough* equity & trusts *cough*. Whether it’s the banter with your favourite professor, the ‘healthy’ debates with classmates, or even the struggle to make it there on time after a messy night out, there’s a seminar-shaped hole in everyone’s hearts right now.
3. On-campus lectures
There’s nothing quite like that comforting feeling of sitting in a lecture hall with 300 other law students and knowing that there isn’t a single person in the room (sometimes not even the lecturer) who has any idea what is actually going on.
4. Printers
In a fight between the industrial-sized super printer in the library and the cheap plastic one you have at home, there’s a clear winner. You haven’t known true frustration until you’re trying to print off a 50-page case study at home and the printer gets jammed on page five.
5. Physical textbooks
The optician industry won’t know what’s hit it after a year of students having to read everything on a screen, especially with many law schools having moved hard-copy resources online. I don’t know about you, but somehow Anson’s Law of Contract just doesn’t bring the same level of excitement when you’re reading it as an 800-page PDF.
6. Law fairs
@legalcheekA year’s supply of stationery? Thank you so merch ✍️ ##lawstudent ##merchlife ##futurelawyer
♬ original sound – legalcheek
Surely, the single greatest privilege of being a law student is that you don’t need to buy pens, highlighters, notebooks or water bottles throughout the duration of your degree? But, as social distancing restrictions have seen law fairs move online, the lack of free merchandise this year has been dealt a heavy blow. How is anyone supposed to factor all this stationery into their student loan?!
7. The legendary law ball
Without a doubt, the law ball is the most anticipated event of the year. The expectation? A night to remember — extravagant venue, a very posh three-course dinner and a chance to wear the most fabulous suit or ball gown that your student loan will allow. The reality? Everyone is sloshed before 11pm and the majority don’t even make it to the afterparty.
8. Networking events
@legalcheekWhen law students hear “complimentary wine”
♬ Genie In a Bottle – Christina Aguilera
Virtual networking events are great but there is one thing they can’t give you: free wine.
9. Crazy law socials
It’s been so long since we’ve heard someone say: “I really shouldn’t go out tonight, but…” From humble pub golf to flexing the number of swear words you know at an infamous white t-shirt social, a night out with your uni law society is never a disappointment. At this point, I’d take anything other than yet another Zoom quiz.
10. The law school common room
No matter the time of day, there’s always something occurring in the law school common room — whether it’s someone crying down the phone to their mum after scoring a 2:2, a group presentation meeting slowly descending into a passive aggressive stand-off, or someone ranting about how much work they have to do (while simultaneously looking at dresses on ASOS). Trying to find an empty table amongst a sea of empty crisp packets and piles of flyers for random nightclubs is a daily challenge that will never be taken for granted again.