TC Holder preparing for PGDL

[gdoug]

Hello!

I've just finished my English degree at Oxford, graduating with a First. I'm taking a year off before starting the PGDL at BPP (and then eventually joining Freshfields as a trainee solicitor).

I've been living at home and working to save money for travelling, but I'd also like to prepare for the PGDL as much as possible. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thank you

 

[Lulu95049]

Hi Gdoug,

Congrats on your training contract offer, and well done for being so proactive in taking control of your law studies at this early stage.

As someone who has just completed my SQE studies without doing a conversion course, and from a non-law background, I would advise against doing lots of prep before you start your PGDL course. I just don't think it will be necessary. Your PGDL course will not assume that you have any previous legal knowledge, and you should have enough time to learn everything that you need to know before your actual SQE exams.

Whilst there is lots of content to learn, which can feel overwhelming as a non-law graduate, it is certainly do-able without doing months of preparation before you start your course. For now, it might be useful to focus on understanding the structure of your PGDL course and the SQE exams, but I don't think there's much point in trying to gain a 'head start' on the legal content.

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope this is helpful!

 

[LauraWhite0502]

Hello!

I've just finished my English degree at Oxford, graduating with a First. I'm taking a year off before starting the PGDL at BPP (and then eventually joining Freshfields as a trainee solicitor).

I've been living at home and working to save money for travelling, but I'd also like to prepare for the PGDL as much as possible. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thank you

I also did an English degree followed by the PGDL at BPP! I think that gets you off to a good start because the PGDL at BPP is assessed through a combination of multiple choice questions and problem questions, where part of your grade in relation to the problem question is how well you're able to articulate your reasoning, which is a skill you'll have honed throughout your degree.

Whilst it's great you're being so forward-thinking, the best thing you can do during this time is to really make the most of being able to spend high quality time with family/friends and visiting places you're excited about. I found the PGDL and (to an even greater extent) the SQE hugely timeconsuming and even when I wasn't actively doing the readings for class/revising, I struggled to switch off, so enjoy being able to have a complete mental break from academic work for now.

However, if you would still like to do some light prep work, as soon as your digital learning platform is set up, you'll be able to access all the learning materials, including online versions of the workbooks (which at BPP are the textbooks you'll learn from). If you speak to BPP's IT desk (you can call them on +44 (0) 3300 603 850), they might be able to give you access to the platform further in advance of your course starting. The Public Law module might be a good place to start: it's the most content heavy and there's a summative essay, so if you've understood some of the content in advance of starting the course you'll have more time for doing the wider reading needed for the summative essay when that rolls around.