Open University Law Degree

[md25]

Thanks Mel's mum will look into this, has anybody else got any info on Law degrees, are they really as hard as i have heard?

I know a guy (well, friend-of-ex-boss) who got his LLB through the OU. It was hard, and took him years to get. However he's doing the barrister training thing now so it all went well for him!

[*Twinkle*]

Thanks Mel's mum will look into this, has anybody else got any info on Law degrees, are they really as hard as i have heard?

 

I'm at SHU on the full time LLB. For us, its a lecture per week for each of the 6 modules you undertake, then a seminar per week on the 6 modules in the 1st year which then reduces to a seminar a fortnight in the second and third years. So not that many hours in uni at all. Thats why I work 3 nights a week (roughly 21 hours) to pay for the car, going out and holidays etc... I could possibly have time to work 4 nights but I'd not have time to spend with my BF or go out with the girls...

 

I'm starting my third year on Monday... I've got to put a bit more into it this year as I want to come out with a high 2:1. Its a case of you get out what you put in... Some people treat it like a 9-5 job and get 65+ for each assignment... I've been a little more laid back (or lazy) and can do really well (for example my 81 in welfare law) or really bad (like my 51 in Tort law) But I came out with a 64 average which is acceptable for the level of work I put in.

[big_g]

I did my degree through the OU. Passed in 2001. It took a total of 8 years – although I had to take a year off when I moved house/changed jobs and I also ‘lost’ a year near the start as, in those days, you had to do a foundation course and there weren’t enough spaces for all the students.

 

Would I recommend the OU? For a course like mine which was basically a mixture of geology, environmental stuff, computer programming and then a bit of animal psychology thrown in – yes. If you wanted to do a degree in something specific like maths or Sociology, then I’d still recommend it.

 

Regarding doing a law degree, if there is a part time degree available at Hallam, if it was me then that would be the route that I would go down. Having regular tutorials and more contact with fellow students must lighten the load a bit. Also, 4 and a half years seems a good timescale to be looking at.

 

Back to the OU in general. For my degree, I needed a minimum of 360 points to get the degree. I didn’t go for honours but if you are intending to go for honours, you need to do some planning – 120 points need to be from level three courses. Previous study can count towards your points – I think a HNC/D bought you 60 points whilst a degree got you 120.

 

I wouldn’t class the work as overly difficult – but it is a shock to the system. I packed in once – fortunately the tutor talked me back into it! You’ll also find that jobs you previously put off, like washing the dishes, are much more inviting.

 

Summer schools are a laugh, or a nightmare – depending how you look at things. But, if your course includes a summer school, it is mandatory.

 

Once the kiddies have grown up a bit more and are a bit lower maintenance (does that happen?), I may do some more study.

 

 

G

[ey up]

Thanks for all the help,

 

I am looking into the Hallam degree

Edited September 28, 2009 by ey up

[Womerry2]

The main problem I had trying to do the LLB through the OU was access to a proper library - you need a specialised library to read Law, and I was out in the sticks. I tried it for a year and decided that the only way to make it happen was to go back to Uni, so I did the LLB at Sheffield University in two years. The teaching sessions only take place during term time (obviously), and I found that I could swap so all the sessions worked around my (part-time)job. I enjoyed it hugely. Good luck!