Academic Advice TCD Law Soc

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1. Fore w o r d

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2. Meet t h e Advisors

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College Life 1. Star t i n g Off

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2. Term - t i m e Learning

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3. Assi g n m e n ts

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4. Exam s

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5. Law S o c i e ties

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6. How t o T h rive

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7. Eras m u s

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8. Pers o n a l Accounts

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Work Experience 1. Inte r n s h i ps

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2. Lai dl a w

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3. Fe1s

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Trinity Hacks

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FOREWORD FOREWORD Welcome to Law Soc’s first Academic Advice publication!

I’m Orla Hughes, the Careers & Academics Officer for the Law Society. I wanted to create this document to help out students in younger years with concerns they have about exams, studying, and college life in general!

You can think of this document as advice from your siblings/friends/cousins in the years above. I know that some students don’t have the benefit of having connections in older years, so this document aims to bridge that gap. We have contributions from a wide range of people All the advice is personal and informal, coming straight from our lovely third and fourth year Academic Advisors! Please remember that we have lots of amazing formal channels within Trinity where you can seek extra help, for example: Your tutor S2S Asking lecturers for tips/advice This resource: https://student-learning.tcd.ie/ I’d love to thank all our incredible Academic Advisors for their hard work in putting this document together; and Law Soc’s PRO, Jill, for her hard work in designing this (longer than expected!) publication.

I really hope that this document will be of help to students in years below struggling with any aspect of college life.

Thank you, and best of luck with the upcoming term!

Orla 3

Meet our

ADVISORS Alex Ines Hi, my names Alex and I am a fourth year law student in Trinity. I am originally from Wexford but I am currently living up in Dublin enjoying my final year in Trinity!

Conor Murphy Hi everyone, my name is Conor. I am a 3rd Year law student here in Trinity and I’m from Dublin. I am also the Student Union rep for the class, which has seen me take on a more interesting and involved role in the Law School this year.

Ursala McDonnell Hi! My name is Ursala McDonnell and I am a third year student studying law and political science currently on my semester abroad in Barcelona.

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Sophie Treacy Hi guys, my name’s Sophie and I’m a final year Law student from the Kilkenny. I’m also lucky enough to be the Librarian for the Law Soc, getting to slide into your inboxes every week.

I’m really excited to be part of this publication, let’s just say I really could have used it back in first year!

Adaeze Chukwuogor Hello! I’m Adaeze and I am a final year Law and Political Science Student .

Niamh Robertson Hi everyone! My name is Niamh Robertson and I’m from Waterford. I am a final year Law and German student. I am excited to share some tips with you so that you can maximise your overall experience studying law at Trinity!

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ISABELLE O'CONNOR Hi, my name is Isabelle. You may have seen me or my identical twin around the Berk! I am from Howth but I spend holidays in West Cork. I am in final year law.

Julia Best Hey, my name is Julia Best, and I am a final year law student. I am a Belfast gal but Dublin really has my heart!

Hanorah Woodward My name is Hanorah Woodward, and I'm writing as a final year law student! I'm originally from Laois, and I've lived in Halls, in privately rented accommodation, at home with my parents and on campus over my four years at college. I've also worked in hospitality part-time throughout my degree.

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Jill Rothwell Hi everyone, my name is Jill and I'm a final year Law and French Student. I am also LawSoc's very own PRO so you might recognise me from harassing you at every event for a photo. For that I am sorry. I shall see you in the section 6 where I will show you how you too can find yourself on Erasmus!

Sarah Bourke Hey guys, my name is sarah & I’m a senior sophister law student (ex Law and German) from Castlebar, Co. Mayo! Outside of law, my passions include rowing and telling people that I do rowing. I can at any time be found anywhere on campus except for in the library

John Grogan Currently studying the MSc Law and Finance course, completed my Bachelor of Civil Law degree in NUIG. I have 1.5 years’ experience as a paralegal in a top corporate law firm and completed the majority of the FE-1 exams.

Excited to share the experiences from my academic journey.

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Roisin Dillon Hey everyone! I am a third-year pure law student. I originally studied law and German before transferring to pure law. I will be covering the topic of balancing life outside of college (something I’m still working on!) based off my experiences over the past three years with mental health, college friendships and relationships, and work- for those working part time.

Colette Whelan My name is Colette Whelan. I am a mature student in my JS year, studying Law and Political Science. I am also a parent with three children. I am from Dublin, although lived and worked for several years in London.

Emily Duncan Hello! I’m Emily, a final year Law and French student. I grew up in Hong Kong, but with my dad being Irish, the idea of returning to my roots (via Trinity!) always held a strong pull for me. See you in Section 8.4, where I’ll be sharing my top tips for international students!

Georgia Dillon My name is Georgia and I'm a third year law student. I'm from Meath, Ireland. My legal interests include human rights and the intersection of law and social justice.

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Starting Off

Adapting to College Transition from School to University It is no exaggeration to say that your college years can be some of the best years of your life. However, it can be hard to believe this statement when you first begin your studies in university. University, and everything that comes with it, can seem very daunting at first. There is a whole host of new people to meet, new ways of learning to adapt to and new clubs and societies vying for your attention. The lifestyle can be quite hectic, leaving some students overwhelmed. However, there is no need to panic as this is a natural reaction that almost everyone goes through.

University life is a completely different ballgame when compared to secondary school. In my opinion, some of the biggest transitional issues are the change in workload, the difference in teaching style and he often overwhelming amount of extra-curricular activities on offer. Here, I am going to try my best to take you through each of these issues. While the transition is definitely a daunting one, it is also incredibly exciting!

Alex Ines

Change in Workload One of the biggest issues that students face when starting their university study is the change in workload from secondary school to college. As a law student, I was shocked when I started in first year to find out I only had 9 hours of lectures a week. It seemed like a breeze in comparison to the number of teaching hours we have to endure in secondary school. However, my 9 hours of lecture time was in many ways misleading. While students may have less scheduled hours, there is a lot of work to be done outside of lecture hours. Reading around certain modules is incredibly important.

Some lecturers cover only the very surface level material during their lectures, but almost implicitly expect students to take a deeper dive into almost implicitly expect students to take a deeper dive into the topics they mention, by looking at textbooks or articles on the subject. The amount of reading that is often assigned can seem daunting at first, but it is important to remember that it is a gradual process.

As long as you work gradually throughout the semester, the workload should not feel too crippling.

It is easy to disregard readings early on and only realise how heavy the workload really is closer to exams, something that I have been guilty of many times. However, if you simply work slowly throughout the semester, the workload should not seem that heavy, leaving you plenty of time to socialise and enjoy all of the extra-curricular activities that college has to offer!

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The Difference in Teaching Style The difference in teaching style between second level and third level is a stark one. In secondary school, students have quite a personal relationship with their teachers. This essentially goes out the window in college. While it is still possible to get to know your lecturers, it can be difficult when you share that lecturer with over a hundred other students. Some students may also struggle as the lecturer, as the name suggests, lectures the class as opposed to teaching the class.

Whilst this may sound like the same thing, the key difference is that the lecturer does not care if you completely switch off and take no notes for the entire fifty minutes. In secondary school, the teacher is actively trying to teach the class and will ensure that everyone is learning the material. A college lecturer is under no obligation to ensure that you are taking anything in, they are simply speaking to the group on any given topic. This change in teaching style means that students need to take on a lot more responsibility. It can be hard to motivate yourself to go to lectures or to pay attention when you do go. It is perfectly normal to miss some lecturers. The trick is not to become disheartened and feel like you have fallen too far behind if you miss a lecture or two. Make sure to do your best to catch up and stay on top of things to the best of your ability. It can be easy to miss a few lectures and then feel that you will never catch up and stop attending that module completely. Try not to fall into this trap, as college is all about independent learning. The burden falls on you to become responsible for your own learning. Some students may find this tricky, as secondary school definitely offers a lot more support in this area. I would recommend trying to seek support amongst your classmates. Everyone is going through the same thing, and it is always a good idea to try and motivate one another to stay on top of things when the going gets tough.

Extra Curricular Activities I cannot recommend getting involved in college societies enough. It is a great way to meet people with similar interests, and to become involved in things that you are personally interested in. In secondary school, students are made aware of any extra-curricular activities by teachers and the school itself. Students might find it harder to find out how to get involved with the plethora of different college societies, or they may be too nervous to attend the societies events. I can assure you however that societies are always delighted to see new faces! It is also never too late to get involved, so there is no need to feel like you have missed the boat. Keep an eye on society social media pages and on college emails. There is a whole host of different events and different projects to get involved in. Getting involved in society life is a great way to make friends and fully immerse yourself in college life!

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Term-Time Learning

Classes I think the best way to get the most out of lectures and seminars is to go in with some sort of idea about the topics that are up for discussion and don’t worry I am not preaching that you should read every case and fringe article on the reading lists. When it comes to lectures I think the main thing is just to be there and be listening, along with scanning through some of the seminal cases that the lecturer will highlight on the reading lists (they are usually marked with an *). Seminars require a little more work but nothing extreme, I think a knowledge of basic facts of the cases on the reading lists will really help. Armed with this knowledge you will be able to follow the seminars and understand the legal principles that they are designed to break down for you.

Connor Murphy

When it comes to taking notes in class I think that a laptop is the easiest way even if you can’t type all that quickly. Lecturers will often put the slides up on blackboard before the lecture starts and you can have these open while the lecture is taking place. The slides themselves won’t often be enough but if you copy and paste them across into a word doc you can fill in the extra details as the lecturer explains the slides. I think this is a far more effective approach than franticly trying to scribble down the slides onto a sheet of paper, that you will probably lose, before the lecturer changes the slide. That’s my advice, however, that being said there are different strokes for different folks and I have no doubt that a lot of students get more out of handwritten notes.

It might be worth doing some trial and error to figure out what works best for you.

When it comes to condensing your lecture notes into final exam notes I am going to recommend a slightly different approach as a result of the prominence of open book examinations in the Law School. I have found that having more information in your notes is far more useful than having shortened, heavily condensed notes. Open book exams are unique in that they do not require any learning off but a familiarity with your notes is crucial. I would add as much detail as you think is relevant to your lecture notes and go through and analyse them section by section, it is important that you become familiar with where the relevant information is. Make sure that you have each section headed and sub-headed, trust me this will help when the pressure is on and time is limited. Once these notes are finalised I would print them off to save yourself the hassle of constantly switching tabs during your exam. I guess in short my advice on how to condense your notes is… not to.

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Studying Study Tips that Work for Me As simple as it sounds, make a checklist of each topic on the syllabus so you do not forget to study one. Making a list of every past exam question available and making a plan of each of those questions. I will try to predict what questions may come up and will write full answers on those ones. However, it is important not to limit yourself and still study the other topics in the case that none of them come up!

Ursala McDonnell

When reading academic articles/book extracts, I like to take out direct lines from the author that you can quote in an exam but underneath it I will write my own understanding of it so as to show engagement and analysis of the course text in my answer.

Reading over my lecture notes after the lecture. Sometimes during lectures I find my notes become chaotic as I scramble to get down what the lecturer is saying and the slides so it is good to take the time to neaten them up and clarify anything that you would not understand if you went back to the notes at a later date. This is also good for learning!

Getting Through the Reading List Beginning the Week The first thing I do before the week starts is to make a checklist of the readings for each module I have to do that week. I like to put the date I need to do them and their page length beside each one so I can better grasp which ones to prioritise.

Would you prioritise reading cases, or prioritise reading assigned from books?

I would try to read assigned books/articles before reading cases. This depends on your preference but I do this because often the texts will explain the cases so when you actually go to read the case you will have a better idea of what it is going to be about/what to look out for.

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Using time effectively/getting faster at reading Finding summaries is a great way to understand the skeleton of a case. I recommend reading summaries (when available) before actually reading the whole case. Doing this enables you to more effectively identify what you should be looking for in the case. In reality, you do not have the time to be reading each and every case from all of your modules. You are not being lazy by doing this, but are working smarter.

Similarly with tackling readings, while this method cannot always be adopted, I suggest reading the introduction and conclusion before reading the whole text. This is so you can understand what the author is about to attempt to express throughout the text.

Sometimes with larger readings I used to find that (before I did this trick) by the end I was lost as to how the author came up with the conclusion based on what I just read.

Essentially, by reading the introduction and conclusion before engaging with the whole text you can look out for the important lines that indicate the main arguments of the reading.

I find also with reading summaries, introductions, and conclusions you tend not to take down too much irrelevant information. You have a better understanding of what is relevant, what is irrelevant and what you can skip. Work smart!

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Assignments

Writing Legally Writing Legal Essays vs Writing Essays in Secondary School Writing legal essays or essays in third level in general is quite different to writing essays in secondary school.

Writing legal essays requires a lot more autonomous work , research, and planning than in secondary school .

Legal essays are very evidence-based in the sense that you are expected to support your main points and arguments with peer reviewed sources, case law and other legal sources . You are also expected to demonstrate your critical analysis skills by including possible counter arguments and academic discussion on the topic. It is important for your essays to be organised , structured and coherent. You can do this by spending a little time making an essay plan.

Adaeze Chukwuogor

Writing Tips Speak Clearly and Concisely The first piece of advice I would give is to speak clearly and concisely in your assignments.

Remember that , fundamentally , your goal is to pass information from yourself to another person or other people. It is important that the information is clear and coherent so that it can actually be passed. No one likes reading confusing and convoluted work. Understandably, some students write feeling under pressure to sound impressive or simply just get carried away. This results in complicating things.

Minimal use of jargon or grandiose words In connection to my previous point, I’d advise against the unnecessary use of grandiose words, jargon or Latin maxims for the purpose of sounding “smart”. In other words, don’t force yourself to use “big words”. This is not what it means to write academically. When you do this, you run the risk of using words incorrectly and therefore not communicating the information you are trying to communicate. It’s similar to faking an accent when you’re just not good at accents. Usually, your reader will be able to see through it and it’s ultimately counterintuitive. Your main goal should be conveying a message and ensuring that you are laying out a logical sequence in your arguments. Your best bet is to speak naturally and clearly. As you progress in your studies, you will pick up the vocabulary in the field. There’s no need to force it.

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How to hone your legal writing skills or improve?

Practice writing -Practice , practice, practice! Clichéd advice? Yes. Is it effective though?

Yes. Talent is nice and everything but the prowess you gain from consistent hard work is invaluable. So, how do we actualise this? Write drafts of your assignments before submission, join societies that you can write for, write articles for journals, set personal weekly writing goals! . For the people who would be overwhelmed by the things listed here (I know I honestly would have been), I would advise you to start small. Something worth noting here is that consistency is key. Create tiny goals for yourself, you’d be surprised what working even 15 minutes a day on something would do for you.

Personally, I practiced by volunteering to participate in things like the FLAC Research Projects. I also wrote in the legal gazette called The Eagle. Essentially, I took advantage of opportunities that gave me a reason to write.

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Researching Assignments Research can seem overwhelming, especially when there is so much information at your fingertips. Having a good method is really useful for being productive, and making sure you are using your time effectively by reading things that are actually relevant to the question.

I have broken my research method into five steps, as outlined below:

Covering the course material

Orla Hughes

When approaching the very beginning steps of starting research for an assignment, I usually start by covering the most important syllabus readings and materials on that topic, and making sure I understand my lecture notes.

Unpacking the question When I have a good grasp of the course material, I “unpack” the question. This involves figuring out exactly what it’s asking, and working out a framework to answer it with.

For example, when tackling this question: “Are socio-economic rights adequately vindicated in the context of European Human Rights Law? Explain your answer.”

I would break down this question into several: 1. What are socio-economic rights?

2. How are socio-economic rights vindicated in the context of European Human Rights?

3. Is this vindication, or lack thereof, adequate?

4. How can adequacy be tested/measured?

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Targeted research Once I have broken the question down and figured out how I’m going to approach answering it, I target my research at each smaller question.

For this targeted research, I look for articles/books that match what I’m investigating. I type keywords into legal research engines such as TCD library’s Stella search function, Heinonline, Westlaw.ie, JSTOR, Google Scholar, Lexisnexis.

I add notes/quotes from these readings into a single document, making note of the citations as I go.

As I’m reading more material that addresses the question more specifically, my breakdown (outlined in part 2) often changes. This is 100% ok! My structure and plan for my essays usually change quite a bit as I read more and my thoughts are informed by scholarly materials.

Plan Once I have finished up with readings and research, I open a new document and write a concise skeleton for my essay. This is informed by my breakdown of the question and by the readings!

Having a really good structure that is directly tailored to answering the question is key to getting high marks. My structure is broken down into subheadings to ensure it’s easy to follow.

Write And that’s everything from the research side of things! Once I’ve finished these steps, I get started with writing.

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Writing Assignments Writing a Good Introduction It goes without saying that writing a good introduction to an essay is critical because it is your chance to make a good first impression on your reader and to spark their interest in reading the remainder of your work. The introduction is usually one of the last things I write when I’m approaching an assignment, because I like to have a good overview of my entire piece of writing in order to frame a good introduction around the arguments that I have made.

There are an unlimited number of ways to approach writing an introduction stylistically, and as you write more legal essays your own personal writing style will emerge.

Sophie Treacy

However, the formula I usually use for my essays is to begin with a general sentence or two on the topic, then to set out what my essay intends to achieve, then to briefly outline the structure of the essay.

For example, if I was answering an essay question for “Critically analyse the defence of provocation under Irish law,” I might write an introduction along the lines of: The defence of provocation as it exists under Irish law has been subject to extensive scrutiny in recent years from academics and the judiciary alike. This essay aims to critique the current approach to how the defence is implemented by the Irish courts and to propose that its archaic and cumbersome application is in need of urgent reform. Part One will outline how the defence currently stands under Irish law and highlight its shortcomings. In light of this, Part Two will set out proposals for reform.

This same structure can be applied to a case-note assignment, for example, if I was writing a case note discussing the significance of Donoghue v Stevenson, I might write: It is difficult to overstate the profound influence the case of Donoghue v Stevenson has had on the development of the Law of Tort. This case note aims to gauge the extent to which the Donoghue ruling still holds sway when the Irish courts are imposing a duty of care in claims of negligence. Part One will provide a brief outline of the decision and highlight its significance in forging the principles of proximity across the common law world. Part two will then assess the extent to which Donoghue remains a foundational authority in Irish tort law.

There are obviously so many other ways to approach writing an introduction- this is just an approach that has worked for me!

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Making sure you’re answering the question asked This sounds obvious, but so many times essays are prefaced by lots of irrelevant information before they actually get down to answering the question that has been asked. Before beginning to write your assignment, it is so important to be discriminatory with the research you have compiled and to only include the research that is relevant to the question in writing your essay.

How I make sure I’m answering the question is to make a basic essay plan that contains a bullet point for each argument I’m going to make. Then I organise my research under these bullet points. I find this a really helpful way to filter out research I’ve collected that is not directly relevant to answering the question.

Structure of essays vs case notes vs problem questions There are lots of different forms of assignment that you will be asked to write during your law degree, with each requiring a slightly different structure. In all types of assignment however, it is best to start with an introduction, use sub-headings to structure the body of the writing and to finish with a conclusion that draws all your points together.

The structure of an essay is very flexible and highly dependent on the question that is set. It is important that whatever form your structure takes, your essay follows a logical development throughout. Case notes are much like essays in terms of structure, expect it is best to briefly set out the facts that pertain to the case you are writing about before advancing your arguments.

The classic approach to structuring problem questions is the ILAC method, which stands for: 1. Issue (identify the legal issue that arises) 2. Law (state the law that applies to the issue) 3. Application (apply the relevant law to the situation 4. Conclusion (deduce the probable outcome of the case) When getting used to answering problem questions, it is best to devote one paragraph to each legal issue you can identify in the question and follow the ILAC method.

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How to get the right balance between critique, commentary and facts As a general rule, stronger essays will have less focus on recounting facts and more emphasis on critical analysis. Particularly in an assignment like a case-note, it is important that you don’t get too caught up in recounting the facts of a case at the expense of in-depth critical engagement.

The main component of your essays should, usually, be devoted to critical analysis.

Critical analysis techniques Critical analysis is a skill that you build up throughout the four years of your degree. For someone starting out, my biggest tip for engaging in critical analysis of the law is to be confident in yourself. I used to be frightened to say I disagreed with a judge or academic commentator, but as long as you can back up your points with research, don’t be afraid to express your views!

To help you get into a critical analysis frame of mind, some useful questions you can ask yourself are: Do you agree with what the judge/author is saying? Why or why not?

Are there any arguments that the judge/author has failed to consider or paid insufficient attention to?

Have there been any judges/authors that disagree with what this particular judge/author has written?

What is the stance on this issue in other jurisdictions?

What will be the possible effects of this judgment or article for the future of the law?

What policy considerations are underlying this judgment/ article?

Bringing your standard up to first class quality Unfortunately, there is no magic formula to bring a 2:1 grade up to a first class honours, but some tips I recommend to achieving a 70+ grade are: Make sure all your grammar, spelling and footnotes are correct.

Make sure you are abiding by all the presentation requirements of the assignment (e.g. using a certain font, 1.5 line spacing, page numbering etc.)

Give yourself plenty of time before the deadline to complete your assignment. This means you have more time to engage critically with the material.

Draw your research from a wide variety of sources, making use of both the books in the library and Trinity’s online data bases.

Ensure your arguments are clearly presented, follow a logical structure and are backed up by evidence.

Devote the majority of your word count to critical analysis, rather than description.

Be confident in your own writing ability!

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Exams

Exam Techniques Exam Planning Make a plan before the exam. You should know how many questions you will have to answer, based on this write down planned timing and word count, this will help you stay on track during the exam as a handy reference and ensure you use your time effectively! Save your work as you and back it up!

Standard Expected Write a coherent piece of work which answers the question. If your exam is online, typing will save you time and enable you to revise your language. You will likely want to cut to the point in order to use your word count effectively. Check with your lecturer what style of reference they require - is it Oscola or shorthand referencing?

Isabelle O'Connor

Structuring Exam Questions Essays Think about the structure of an essay like an assignment, read over an assignment you did well in for this purpose. Use headings, this will help clarify and focus your answer.

Problem Questions Start with general introduction setting out a brief plan for your answer.In my experience problem questions are designed to be open to numerous interpretations, so a strong answer will present the different ways an issue could unfold and then (question dependent) you ultimately advise why result is more likely. Maintaining a structure is crucial for clarity.

Headings and subheadings are your friends. Firstly, identify the clients who you’ve been asked to advise. The names of the clients will form the subject of your headings. Secondly, identify the issues that affect each client. Use subheadings for each issue relating to the problem(s) identified for each client.

When addressing the issues use the Issue Law Application Conclusion approach. It can be helpful to write ILAC in the margins when you’re dealing with each component of ILAC. Proceed like this for each client.

Finally, give an overall conclusion to sum up the position.

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Making Sure you're Properly Answering the Question Essays Read the question carefully. As you’re doing this identify key points. Focus on the directive language, what you are being asked to do? Review the question against o confirm you initial reading.

Use rough work to very briefly draft a few key arguments you will make. Often essays invite critical analysis, so make sure you are going beyond description of the law.

Refer back to the question after each point. .

Problem Questions For problem solving use the ILAC structure as discussed above. Again focus on directive language and isolating the facts that are relevant. Make sure you are answering by reference to governing law, and try and think if the fact pattern is similar to any seminal case you have studied.

How much should you write?

Online exams have a word limit, so check with your lecturer. I found it useful to find out what percentage each question was worth thus dividing my word count accordingly. Use your judgment, make sure you’ve answered the question within the word count.

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What to Expect The differences between inperson and online exams In-person and online exams are different, but neither is more difficult than the other. You can take a similar approach to prepare for both.

How Online Exams differ from In-Person Exam You can take online exams anywhere (the best place is a quiet room with good internet). You must set up your own exam space unlike in in-person exams.

They are most likely going to be “Open Book”. This means you will have access to your notes and books. Your notes are very helpful but only if you understand the content and how to apply the content to the type of question asked e.g., a Problem Question or Essay Question.

You may be given more time in online exams to allow you to upload your exam. Having more time does not mean you need to know less (learn from our mistakes!)

Niamh Robertson

How In-Person Exams differ from Online Exams In-person exams usually take place in the RDS or in a room assigned to you on campus if you have special requirements.

In-person exams can be open book, partially open book, or closed book exams. This means you may be able to bring in your notes, solely the relevant legislation or nothing but your pens. It depends on the lecture so make sure to ask what type of exam you will be sitting.

In-person closed book exams may mean that you need to learn off case names and facts but never the case references. Correctors are lenient in this regard so try not to worry about knowing all case names but try to know the seminal cases.

How tough are exams?

Law exams are challenging but if you are good enough to get here, we know with good preparation you will succeed!

How do they compare to secondary school examinations?

In secondary school, the focus appears to be on accepting any information given to you as gospel and regurgitating it in the exams. This is not how college aims to teach you and is not what they examine.. College exams differ as they expect you to understand the material and to apply it to different scenarios. They examine your ability to conduct research and critically analyse key legal themes and theories.

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Do they get harder each year, from first to final year?

It’s all relative! What is difficult to a first year may be equally difficult to a third year if they haven’t committed to continuously improving the skills required for the course. The standard required of you does get higher. However, if you grow with the course and continue to develop the skills and abilities required of a law student, you will be more than capable of succeeding each year.

How to Cope with the Pressure of Exams It is so important to look after yourself in the stressful exam period – we all know it, but rarely do it! As a final year student, the pressure of final exams looms- this is how I stay calm!

Preparation is key, do not leave everything until the last minute. Break long-term goals into short-term goals by making a study plan at the beginning of the year and again at reading week.

Routine. Make a weekly plan of everything you need to do and what days you will tackle each task. Commit to this routine.

Sleeping is underrated. Get 7-9 hours’ sleep, you won’t believe the difference this makes to your concentration levels.

Take regular breaks 10-20 minutes outside the library walking and talking clears your head. You lose a few minutes of study time, but your productivity will increase when you get back. More breaks and more work accomplished? It’s a win-win!

Breathe if you feel overwhelmed. Make sure to take a moment to BREATHE and talk it out with your friends.

Remember- one bad exam doesn’t determine your future.

Take the pressure off by reminding yourself you have done the work, you have done your best and whatever happens on the day, good or bad, be proud of yourself and learn from the experience! Wishing you the very best of luck.

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Law Societies

Getting Involved with Societies LawSoc

Julia Best

The benefits of getting involved in societies is twofold. Firstly, it’s really social! I have met so many people through being on society committees/ sub-committees and also just going to society events. When you go to a society event the chances are most other people there, especially in first and second year, are there for the same reason- to make friends (cute I know).

Society events are also really good at teaching your things which your course won’t. For example, the Law Soc run a lot of careers events which are brilliant for finding out information on the FE1s, masters programmes, Erasmus, the list on.

This type of information can be really inaccessible, so these types of society events take a big pressure off of you trying to find this info out for yourself.

When it comes to getting involved with society committees specifically, the main piece of advice that I’d give is to just put yourself out there! When I was in first year, I honestly applied to 20 society things, and I only got one- Law Soc Charities Sub-committee- but one was all I needed!

This was the perfect introduction into the Law Society. I’m now in my final year and I’ve come full circle, as I’m chairing the Charities Sub-committee this year as Charities Convenor. I couldn’t recommend putting yourself forward for society roles more, even if you think you won’t get them.

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FLAC Joining Trinity FLAC was one of the bestie decisions of my college years. FLAC is the Trinity branch of the Free Legal Advice Centre and is a society that focuses on social justice and raising awareness of peoples’ rights. The society offers Free Legal Advice sessions with qualified legal practitioners one a week, hosts panel discussions and guest speakers and works with local, national and international charities through fundraising and advocacy.

Joining FLAC was extremely beneficia, as I came into college not knowing anyone who had previously studied law. Joining FLAC allowed me to meet other law students who were always happy to lend a helping hand, many of whom became great friends. It also enabled me to explore a side of law beyond the corporate law route, as many of our guest speakers work in public policy, academia and research. Our yearly Alternative Careers in Law event really helped me see how law degrees can be put to use beyond the traditional paths.

Georgia Dillon

To get involved in FLAC I would recommend running for our committee, as this is a great way to form close connections with other students. I found the role of first year representative especially helpful as it helped me settle into college and I always had older students I could ask for help if I didn’t understand anything. If you would like to get more involved but not join committee, the FLAC Research Projects and Moot Competitions are great ways to get involved, improve your legal skills and meet other students.

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How to Thrive

How to ✨Thrive✨ How to go out but also be alive in time for a 9am Julia Best This is a tricky topic! Probably the most difficult thing about college is balancing going out/having fun and doing well in your degree. In my experience, when you are in first and second year, turning up to a lecture is honestly half the battle, even if you’re late, tired, or feeling a little worse for wear after the night before. You might not think you are typing anything useful, but you’ll thank yourself later- trust me!

I’d also recommend trying to separate your study and social time. Not sitting with friends in the library can really help maximise your study time, although I understand this can be difficult when you’re trying to make friends. Investing in a good diary is also a brilliant idea; having a diary helps you properly plan your social events alongside your deadlines and lectures and generally keeps you on top of things.

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Balancing a Part-time Job In an ideal world, we’d all be dedicating 100% of our time to classes, studying, and enjoying the college lifestyle. However, that isn’t realistic for most students in Dublin these days. Having a part-time job alongside your degree is not only financially necessary for most, but is also a beneficial addition to your CV as it demonstrates an ability to manage your time, balance concurring responsibilities, prioritisation, and be independent. Here are the basics you should consider, and some tips I’ve picked up along the way.

Choosing a Job There are several things to consider when choosing a part-time job that suits you during the academic year.

Hanorah Woodward

Experience: Most students don’t have any prior formal employment experience when they get to first year. If you do, you’re off to a flying start! If not, there’s no harm in trying to fill your CV with as much relevant information as possible. Anything that demonstrates a level of responsibility, collaboration, initiative or entrepreneurship is relevant. Everything from Transition Year work experience or babysitting to extra-curricular activities or school awards could be included. Don’t worry if you only have small, casual experience to start, these things should be knocked off your CV by more concrete experience as you move through college.

We all need to start somewhere!

Sector: Obviously we’d all like to be working in law firms and gaining legal experience as soon as possible, but lecture timetables and a lack of a completed law degree are likely to make parttime legal work difficult to find. For students, the best industries to work in are retail or hospitality, because these businesses tend to staff their operations in shift work, and their business hours are often longer than the usual 9-5. The industry you start out in can be important, as it’s much easier to find other jobs in the same industry than trying to move between different sectors. Hospitality is a very flexible industry generally, as it spans everything from independent cafés to large corporate hotels. Being a barista, a bartender or a waiter will provide endless transferable skills. Additionally, a little known fact is that Dublin employers tend to pay a starting wage that’s above minimum to account for generally higher living costs in the city, and, if you think it might suit you, there’s usually an additional premium wage for working “inhospitable hours” in a bar, restaurant, hotel!

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Location: When looking for vacancies, start with the area around college or where you live. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, cafés and hotels around college that may be suitable. This makes it easy to plan your library shifts around your work shifts if you can go from one place to the other within a short time. Otherwise, think about which public transport routes you use regularly, be it the green Luas line or the 140 bus, and see if there are any places hiring along it. Again, this avoids time-consuming commuting if you can essentially drop into work and earn a few quid on your way into or home from lectures. As tempting as it can be to keep the job you have in your hometown, travelling up and down quickly gets expensive and tiring!

Company: There are several benefits of working that slip under the radar, but are also highly dependent on who you work for. For example, working in food service usually means you’re entitled to a free meal during your shift, so that’s a day that you don’t have to worry about paying for or cooking dinner. Staff discounts should also not be underestimated. The best thing about finding a job you really like (or even just tolerate) during first year is that if you get on well, you could be asked to come back every September for the rest of your time in college! If that is the case, check what your employer’s policy is on pay rises, because an annual minimum wage increase usually means an annual pay increase for everybody. By your third or fourth year at the same job, you can expect to be earning a decent rate and theoretically you can cut your hours in your sophister years and earn the same amount.

Some bigger companies offer referral bonuses if you help them find someone to fill a vacancy, so you can make extra money while helping out a friend and adding someone you know to the team. Finally, if you work for a chain or franchise, there may be internal opportunities in other locations that you can transfer between if you change your address or transport becomes complicated.

Hours & Shifts Employers in the retail and hospitality sectors are used to hiring students and part-time employees. A lot of employers are willing to accommodate students, but you still have to make your priorities clear when you are interviewing for a position or signing a contract. A lot of students will ask for weekend shifts so as to avoid having to rush from classes to work or vice versa. This is convenient as the weekends are usually busiest for businesses, but it also means that many employers are looking for people who’ll work the random Tuesday night or Thursday afternoon that other students aren’t available for. Again, as law students, we have fewer contact hours than many other courses, and so highlighting big gaps in your weekly timetable in which you’ll be available to work is mutually beneficial to you and your boss.

It’s important to keep track of your semester structure, because chances are you’ll want to work fewer hours around assignment and exam seasons. Being able to give your boss advance notice of the busiest times of the school year means they can plan the roster in advance and co-ordinate your more flexible or non-student colleagues around you.

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This also applies to going home for the midterm breaks. It’s a good idea to volunteer to make up extra hours whenever you have a less hectic week, as this demonstrates your appreciation for their flexibility, and an ability to be flexible in return.

Balancing it all Having to work during the school year can sometimes feel like something else will have to be sacrificed, be it time in the library, a social life, society involvement, or sleep. This doesn’t have to be true, however. Without repeating the above, having a clear idea of the structure of your days, weeks, months, and semesters will make it easier to plan ahead and identify nights that are free for going out with friends, or lunchtimes that could be spent at a society event. The most important thing is that you have an idea of how many hours you’ll be working each week compared to how much time you need to attend lectures, prepare for seminars, and finish assignments. Having the extra money is great, but asking for an extension because you accepted too many shifts last week is not exactly a demonstration of stellar time management.

If all else fails…

If you really can’t make a formal part-time job work in college (though let's be real, law students don’t exactly have jam-packed lecture timetables), there is always the option of more casual, independent work such as giving grinds to secondary school students or babysitting. These kinds of jobs can be fully on your terms, which is great, but can also be difficult to find if you don’t already know people who need these services.

If all else fails, having a full-time job during the summer and Christmas holidays is a great way to make sure you have some spending money to take back to college each term. Seasonal work is quite significant in Ireland, given the winter retail rush and the summer tourist season. Especially during the summer, moving back to your parents’ house and finding a job nearby may be a good way to continue earning while cutting back on bills and rent. Alternatively, there are some hotels around the country that will provide low-cost or free accommodation to staff for certain periods of time, especially in remote or tourist areas.

As daunting as working and studying simultaneously can seem, there are several benefits of having a job beyond the financial necessity. It provides another social outlet, an opportunity to make new friends, and some life lessons for handling minor conflicts and spending time with people you absolutely cannot stand. Good luck!

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Erasmus

Erasmus I had been looking forward to my year abroad to France since I started in Trinity. However, I had a lot of worries about it too. The thought of integrating into a new country, adapting to new teaching styles and tackling a language barrier seemed daunting, and by the end of my second year at Trinity, I felt completely underprepared to take this next step.

But fear not! I’m here to help you, provide a little insight into my experience and hopefully relieve a few of the fears that you may have!

Jill Rothwell

Dealing with a language barrier Despite having spent six years of school and two years of college learning French, I was faced with a challenging language barrier. Learning grammar and vocabulary from a book was of little help when I actually went to use it in real life. I felt like I had never spoken a word of French in my life!

At the beginning, I was hesitant to speak, scared that I would get it wrong and some old French man would hon hon hon at me. After some time I realised that I was never going to get it fully right and I needed to stop trying to reach perfection. The reality is that, even if you butcher the accent, mix up the verbs, or call someone a baguette, if you say anything with confidence they will understand what you mean. In the end that’s all that matters! You can’t reach fluency without embarrassing yourself at one point or another. You will improve your language skills by ignoring those worries of sounding silly or stupid - practice makes perfect!

Adapting to a different style of teaching My Erasmus university was Université Panthéon Assas, Paris II, in Paris, France. It wasn’t my first choice, I had heard it was notoriously right-wing and harboured future members of Rassemblement National. I was also the only Trinity student going to Assas so it felt extremely daunting.

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However, Assas surpassed all of my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised about the uni, the teachers, my peers and the assessment. The students I met were so lovely and friendly which made making friends super easy. The teachers were also very helpful; I would recommend approaching them from the start and letting them know you’re an Erasmus student, because a lot of the time they will take this into account when assessing your work.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to ask for help. Other students are extremely willing to offer you help once you let them know you’re an Erasmus student. I got so many notes off French students from just approaching them at the end of classes. If I hadn’t had the help of other student’s notes from class, my final exams would have been a lot harder to manage.

My advice is to over-prepare for your classes. I was never one to do all of the readings before a class, but I found that knowing the content before entering the class makes it a lot easier to follow what a lecturer is saying, especially when it’s delivered through French.

When it comes to assessment, chances are the methods are going to differ from Trinity’s. This is something I struggled with at the start. The French have a particular essay style that differs from our own, so I was confused when an assignment I thought was of a first standard in Trinity was getting a 2:2. But again, my advice is to ask for help. Most of the time, lecturers are more than willing to spend a little extra time with you to go through this stuff. It’s just about learning what the lecturers want to hear from you, so once you know what that is, it will be easy to grasp and move forward. After asking for help, I understood what was being asked of me, so in the end I was very happy with my final grade coming home.

Grants My advice is to get your Erasmus grants filled out as quick as possible! It is sometimes a lengthy process with some delays, but the sooner you start the sooner you get that cash money in your account, which chances are, you will really be needing soon into the term!

If anyone is going to France for their Erasmus, I recommend applying for CAF. It’s a government grant for housing. The process can be extremely difficult to navigate and it takes a while to come in but it is well worth it. I ended up getting over a 100 euro a month and it was paid retrospectively from the time I started the application.

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Erasmus I went on my Erasmus to the University of Helsinki in Finland. I had transferred from Law and German to pure Law in first year, and my grades weren’t great- which worried me a lot about my Erasmus, since the places are allocated according to first year grades.

You often need a 2:1 average over your first two years to go on Erasmus, so it’s definitely something to consider when you’re in first year if you do want to go away - especially to a university which is competitive for places.

However, the good news is that you can definitely improve enough over second year to get to go away if you are below that 2:1, and the Law Exchange office is really helpful with allocating places- the year I went away, they prepared to offer me a place in any of the universities with leftover spots even if they weren’t in my top five choices. In the end, I got my top choice, which I was absolutely delighted with- I would highly recommend Helsinki to anybody who’s considering going away!

Sarah Bourke

Housing If there is student housing offered for exchange students it’s a great idea to go for it- it’s generally safe, and you’ll be living with other students, which is really important when you’re away! On that note- while it’s great to be with other Trinity students, expanding your circle is a key part of Erasmus, and living with students from other countries/universities can really broaden your horizons and circle of friends.

If there isn’t University housing, the most important things to look out for are: Public Transport Links Price (relative to the rest of the city) Distance to amenities (such as the Uni, the library, centre of town etc) Locality you’re living in (how safe the area is/whether many other students live around)

Official Bits Something that was really important for me when I was in Helsinki was registering as a residenthaving a Finnish Social Security Number made it a lot easier to travel in and out of the country, and meant that I was eligible for free Healthcare, which included trips to the public health nurse, blood tests, and covid tests. It was a big relief to be covered just in case of any emergencies, and it meant it was a lot easier to get seen.

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It isn’t necessary to get a bank account or phone number when you’re away- but for any official needs sometimes it’s easier to have one- a lot of the Nordic countries attach everything to bank accounts so official sites are all accessible online- definitely not necessary if you’re only there for a semester (and probably not even if you’re there for the year. I didn’t do it, and I didn’t encounter any major hassle, but it caused a lot more admin and phone calls whenever I did need to access anything from the Helsinki District.

Making Friends Making friends in a different country can be a weird feeling- especially if you’ve never lived away from home before. When you first move over, see does your university have any active societies/sports teams that you can join; in Helsinki, the Law Society (Pykälä) was really active and always ran events for exchange students such as picnics, nights out, activity days, and Erasmus student dinners. These were a great way to meet people and were really interactive- remember everyone is in the same situation as you!

The Erasmus Student Network is also very active in most EU Universities, and they run a lot of trips during the year which are reasonably priced and very conducive to making new friends, so it’s definitely something to keep an eye out for.

I know Facebook is next to obsolete now but it’s definitely worth having to see are there any visiting Student Groups you can join- the one from my year is still active! It’ll give you a great idea of what people are doing/where people are going and will help you to meet new people a lot easier! Otherwise, links to WhatsApp Group Chats and Student Instagram pages are worth keeping an eye out for!

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Living Costs Luckily (or unluckily) for us all, Dublin is literally one of the most expensive cities to live in, simply ever. It’s worth finding out what the cost of living is going to be when you’re abroad- I was surprised at what was more expensive in Helsinki and what was way cheaper. It might be worthwhile having a look in advance at what things are going to cost if you’re trying to budget.

I found that my first month away was an expensive one, but it definitely got cheaper after that.

I spent 120 euro on a public transport pass for Helsinki that brought me the whole way up to Christmas. If there’s an orientation week it’s good to get that sort of thing sorted there as the University will usually help sort you out.

Buying cutlery and pots and pans for my apartment was a nightmare- but second-hand shops were my friend (if you go to Helsinki, Fida is amazing for household bits, and Facebook Martketplace is really handy too).

Groceries abroad may be more expensive than home, but Lidl is your friend. Take your time to find out which supermarkets are more expensive than others- it’s so worth it in the long run.

Going out for food was sometimes cheaper in Helsinki than it is at home. Loads of places had lunch deals every day which were far cheaper than dinner and ran until relatively late in the afternoon. The student café was a lifesaver- we got subsidised university meals for 2.50, which were huge and very filling!

Culture Shock I found myself missing home a lot more than I thought I would. It’s a good idea to have a regular call set up with family/friends to check in if you find yourself getting homesick- especially during Covid we weren’t able to travel over and back easily at all which could be very isolating. I also used to really miss Denny’s sausages- there were little things which weren’t particularly available over there which I loved at home- it’s a small thing but weird to get used to. If you think you’ll miss something from home- stock up on it before you go!

Research the weather before you go as well - I went to a Nordic country which gets very little sunlight during the winter! It got a lot colder and darker than I expected- so sometimes knowing little things- like the importance of taking Vitamin D when I went over to help cope with the lack of sunlight, or the importance of having proper thermals, or the fact that off licences close at 9pm and don’t even open on a Sunday would have just made the ride a little easier.

I also used to get dire FOMO from everyone at home whenever I was feeling a tad homesick, but they’re definitely all as jealous of you as you are of them. I have slotted right back into my friend group since I came back, and actually know more people than I ever did before because I was away with people from Trinity too. It’s easy to get worried about how things are going when you’re away, but you’re not missing out on anything you won’t be able to catch up on.

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Personal Accounts

Navigating College Life Outside Academia College is a balancing act. While lectures and college society life definitely play a huge part of ‘college experience’, half of this experience happens outside of academia. This includes navigating different types of friendships and relationships, as well as the intense highs and lows of being in college. It’s a whirlwind of constant change. They say that college years are the best years of your life, and that can be true.

But it’s also confusing, overwhelming and lonely at times. And as with any stage of life, our happiness will depend on the quality of our relationships, and most importantly, with ourselves.

Georgia Dillon

One of the most stressful aspects of life outside academia is FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), especially in first year. Here is where the power No comes in. Because any decision made out of fear or anxiety has consequences. When we’re young we use our others to define and create self- image, which can make us choose bad friendships or relationships out of fear of being alone. On a night when it feels everyone and the Provost herself is out, having the time of their lives. But it’s absolutely ok and normal to not be socialising 24/7. There will always be another night out. I want you to remember that the longest relationship you’ll ever have with someone is yourself, so make sure you’re woke. In fact, just make you your bestie.

And while maintaining a healthy life-style in college often involves saying no, it is just as important to say yes, to ‘dare greatly.’ So say yes to applying for that society position. Go on a spontaneous trip with friends. Go to that event even if you don’t know anyone there yet. Make a fool of yourself for love, it always makes for a good dinner party story (Even though you don’t go to dinner parties). Dye your hair blue for the hell of it and watch it turn a disgusting shade of green over the next few months. Text them back, just because.

Another aspect of socialising whilst in college is protecting your energy. (I know it sounds cringe but hear me out.) Working part-time during college has made me value my time more, so I choose to spend it with people who are good for my mental health. That’s it. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, so choose wisely. Ask yourself: “do I feel energised or drained after spending time with them? Or more importantly, “Would I fight an arts bloc seagull for them?” Then proceed accordingly.

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On the other hand we can also chase people or friendships in order to try prove ourselves, to them and ourselves. This is one of the most fast-paced, spontaneous phases of our lives, which contributes to hook-up culture and situationships in college. Having a relationship in first year, or any stage of life, is great, but only if it’s healthy and adds to your life. If not, there is no better time to be single than in your college years. These are supposed to be our selfish years, which means that most of the time we are only focusing on our own goals, fears, needs or wants. That leaves a lot less time and energy for others, and vice versa. So to put it nicely, most college students are a mess; but a hot mess. So don’t take anything personally Queens and Kings, everyone really is fighting their own battle rn.

Toxic friendships can also be part of college life. It could be passive aggressive behaviour, the occasional back-handed compliment. But this can go from being ‘occasional to a daily. Fast. A useful metaphor for toxicity is to imagine a frog: if put straight into boiling water it will jump out immediately, but slowly increase the heat and it will take much longer to jump out, if at all.

So state your boundaries, and see how the other person reacts. They really may have been having a bad day (understandable, but not always excusable), or they may deny your experience of their behaviour; which is called gaslighting.

Many of you will also be working part-time during college. Being a student in Dublin isn’t cheap, and earning money is addictive, but college work should always be prioritised over a part-time job. Money will come back, but the time you could have spent on earning a good degree will not. Statistics say that the grades of students who work over 20 hours a week are lower than those who don’t work at all, or who work fewer hours. So if given the choice, choose 20 hours of work or less per week. And make sure you designate the same amount of time, preferably more, to college work. Regardless, a part-time job as a full-time college student will take up a lot of time and energy, so make sure you are ready to make these sacrifices (which could heavily impact your grades) if you decide to work.

You’ll experience burnout whilst in college. It may last an hour, or a week, maybe longer. But it will happen in some shape or form. First of all, it’s a normal response to the constant change of college life, and probably a lack of sleep and substantial food. And it can be very easy to take a bad day and make it out to be a bad life. But emotions are like guests, coming and going as they please, so all you can do is make them a cup of Barry’s tea and wait until they leave. But sometimes these ‘guests’ don’t leave, and that’s when it can become concerning. If you’re used to feeling down every few weeks, for a day or so, but now it’s been more than a week, something is hurting. Acknowledgement is taking the first step towards taking care of your mental health. The second step is taking action, depending on what you know is best. This could mean going home for a few days, to signing up for student counselling, to talking about it with a trusted friend.

This advice may seem intense, as it addresses a lot of negative issues than can arise in college. I have focused on these issues because I think that a lot of the time we make college years out to be the best experience you could have, when a lot of the times it isn’t. For full disclosure, I have adored my time in Trinity despite my ups and downs, and I hope my advice will help you to do so as well. Have the time of your lives, and don’t forget to dare greatly.

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Thriving and succeeding in college (and beyond) with a learning disability So what do Richard Brandson (Dyslexia), Agatha Christie (Dyslexia), Emma Watson (ADHD), Elon Musk (Asperger’s Syndrome) have in common? Well apart from being excellent at what they do in their own right, they all have a learning disability/difficulty.

Learning disability/difficulty SoI have dyslexia and so I’m going to focus on that due to my own knowledge and experience. Before I do, I just want to draw attention to the fact that there are multiple learning disabilities/difficulties (LD), that are unique in their own right and affect the people that have them differently in terms of severity. The common aspect of them all is that they are a part of a person’s story, not the identity of that person. Whilst an LD is permeant, it does not limit a person’s full potential.

John Grogan

Dyslexia affects 10% of the world’s population and is referred to as a learning disability/difficulty (LD) depending on the body which defines it. I considered dyslexia to be a difficulty and a challenge rather than a disability as it does not impact on my quality of life. It is important to have a proactive and ambitious attitude regarding any LD. More so it’s important to maintain an optimistic attitude in general otherwise it becomes very difficult to achieve anything. There are great resources and supports out there, research them, find one that appeals to you, use them and benefit from them.

My Experience - Academic As a student with dyslexia I always have felt I underperformed in exams. Simply put the traditional exam setting is not fit for the assessment of students learning in general but more so for students with an LD. Mass regurgitation of information isn’t particularly useful and skills which a student with LD may consider to be weaker than their peers. This explained well in the saying “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”. To that end I was always very well supported in terms of working with dyslexia. I attended an additional after school club who’s sole purpose was to develop skills that would generally be weak in the context of an LD. This additional work at a young age made life going forward an awful lot easier and so when I made my transition to secondary school and then university, I had established habits and approaches to academic work that equipped me to reach more of my potential.

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I still don’t excel in exams, but I do hold my own. My advice in that regard is to work hard on exam strategy. Things like exam timing, answer structuring, issue identification and condensing of major information points are all very important in exam preparation. When studying work to that model. This will focus your efforts and prepare you for the specific task of sitting the exam.

When possible make the absolute most of projects and continuous assessments as students tend to do better and realistically this represents a situation closer to real world work. I would also encourage students to be open with lecturers and the college about your LD, they are there to help you achieve your full potential.

My Experience - Career In terms of disclosing your LD when applying for job applications there are a few things to be aware of. First off you don’t have to disclose information in relation to your LD if you do not want to. You are protected against this by anti-discrimination laws so if you have any doubt as to how a potential employer may view your LD I would recommend a cautious approach and to not disclose your LD. It is absolutely your decision, and only yours to make.

Personally, whilst I am not embarrassed or ashamed of being dyslexic, I also don’t feel it forms a large enough part of my personality to warrant being declared in job applications. I don’t consider it an issue and certainly don’t think it puts me at a disadvantage compared to my peers in how well I can perform in my work. Part of the reason I am writing this submission is because I feel its important to be open and transparent about the reality that people with a LD can and do excel.

My Advice II have achieved a lot so far both in the academic, professional and personal aspects of my life.

There have certainly been up’s and downs along the way. The leaving certificate was a tough time, I never managed to secure a summer legal internship as a student and had my doubts about my ability at undergraduate level. No doubt most people who read this will be able to empathise with all of that to some degree. My advice in this regard is to persevere, and as I’m sure you’ve probably heard before, ‘What’s for you, won’t pass you’, take comfort in the realisation that it will all work out in the end.

After college I went on to work in one of the top corporate law firms in Ireland. I’m currently sitting the most prestigious master available in the country in my chosen discipline. I have passed the majority of my FE-1 exams and am awaiting the results for the remaining exams. I’ve achieved all of that with an LD, so I really do think with determination and perseverance it is possible to achieve your goals.

If anyone would like to talk about this more let the law society know, I’m happy to answer additional questions particularly in this area.

My Thanks I want to take this opportunity to recognise the invaluable help I received from Stephanie and all the wonderful volunteers at the Moy Valley Resource Centre, for the countless hours and selfless effort to help kids and teenagers with learning difficulties. I can’t think of a more fitting place to acknowledge your invaluable help. Thank you.

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Returning to education as a mature student I was a stay at home parent to my 3 children but wanted to go back to work. I had worked in logistics prior to having the children but didn’t want to go back into it. I had always been interested in law so saw this as an opportunity to see if I could study it.

As I hadn’t studied for years, I studied on the DIT (now TU Dublin) Access Foundation Programme in DIT beginning September 2018. It was an intensive year long course but covered so much of what is required for a degree course, including up-to-date computer skills, study skills, and communication skills.

I started studying Law and Political Science in Trinity in September 2019. I was really looking forward to

Colette Whelan

studying at Trinity but quickly found myself isolated and miserable. On the Access course, approx.. 50% of the students were mature students. I fitted in. We were in a building with just one other course, International Foundation Programme, and shared some modules with students from that course. It meant that we knew most people in the building. At any time of the day, if I went to the canteen, there would be someone I could chat to. Trinity wasn’t like that at all. I’d stand outside lecture theatres and be on my own. I was surrounded by masses of JF students, excitedly chatting to their new friends and envied them for their ability to make friends and belong. I didn’t belong. The first 5 weeks of college were horrible, although I never thought of quitting.

The 5th week was a turning point for me. I began to make friends with other mature students in my modules. It meant I had people to sit with in lectures, go for a coffee or lunch in the buttery, chat about the coursework. Through them, I met other mature students. All of a sudden, I wasn’t on my own anymore. It made my experience of Trinity much more enjoyable.

One lifeline for me was the Mature Students Society. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning they hold coffee mornings, although they are on zoom at the moment. I went to those as often as I could. Through the society, I met other students who were doing the same course as myself, which meant I could ask questions about modules, or potential module choices for the future. There’s a real sense of belonging in the society as we are all going through the same experience, even if we are on different courses.

There is nothing worse than bumping into an 18/19 year old on your course, saying hello and watch them get all jumpy because they’re worried they’re going to get stuck talking to the oldie. That happened to me. It was upsetting

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and irritating, particularly as I only said hello to be polite. Everyone in the society has similar stories to tell. It is important to note that, while this experience was not unique, there are some lovely younger students I study with who are great to talk to and treat me like a fellow student, which is all I want to be treated like.

As a parent, it is hard to juggle college and family life. It’s draining having a lecture until 6pm and being on parent duty when you walk through the door. The dinner still needs to be cooked, even if there’s an assessment deadline. I’m fortunate that my children are very supportive of me being in college, but that doesn’t stop the demands for lifts here, there and everywhere. When I have a deadline or an exam, I hide myself in my bedroom and they are understanding and let me be. I still walk the dog, as getting fresh air helps, as does the daily exercise.

As I have a family, I can’t spend all hours in the library and, therefore, can’t access books as often as I need to. One resource I have found invaluable was the Central Library. I discovered that you can order a book through their catalogue and get it sent to your local library. It’s free membership. The books normally arrive within a few days. Some of the books are older editions but are still handy to have for the concepts and for the older cases, particularly in tort or contract law.

Because I have family commitments, I don’t have time to get involved in many societies or competitions. I realised I’d have to find my own way of getting involved that fitted in with my other responsibilities. To date, I have written for two FLAC publications. I got involved with Donna Lyon’s Trinity Speaker Series and have been on the student panel for several of her talks. I helped her organise a virtual international conference, and was a member of the student panel. I have also become a TAP Mature Student Ambassador, to encourage other people they too can study at Trinity.

As a mature student, I found the approach of ‘we are all fellow students’ to be the best. I talk to people outside the lecture theatres about modules.

I have asked others for help if I’m not sure of something and have found them to be amazingly kind and generous with their time. While I think it’s hard for mature students as younger students don’t know quite how to deal with them. They aren’t their parents but might be old enough to be their parents. There’s an awkwardness there that isn’t there with students their own age. However, there can be an awkwardness with mature students too in not wanting to approach younger students in case they look clueless or are rejected. My experience is that everyone should treat each other as students, irrespective of labels like ‘mature’. We are all there for the same thing, to learn, both from the lecturers and from each other.

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Adapting to Ireland as an international student Dublin is a very easy city to adapt to by virtue of how genuine and welcoming its locals are. The city’s multiculturalism means that wherever you come from in the world, you can find home comforts in the form of food via restaurants and specialty stores. Understanding the accent and learning how to pronounce the myriad of Irish names seems daunting at first, but you catch on fairly quickly.

A shortcut to making friends is that there are many student societies established at Trinity, some of which are culture/region-focussed and others which are interest-focussed. You might find that joining one where you can meet like-minded people, or people with similar backgrounds to you, helps you adjust to life in Ireland. If you’re in first year, Halls is an unparalleled experience on a social level and can also jumpstart those life-long friendships everyone hopes to find at university.

Emily Duncan

Missing home is the most natural thing in the world, especially when you come from a country that arguably has better weather and food. Different people will find that different approaches to dealing with home-sickness are more effective than others. I found that throwing myself into my university experience by joining societies, ramping up the social commitments, and trying to keep on top of lectures and readings meant that I had very little time to feel homesick. Setting up a weekly call schedule with my family back home was essential given the time difference, and I found that getting into a routine with our calls gave me something to look forward to during the week, while keeping me from latching onto the comfort they provide and over-contacting them. Being in a city as multicultural as Dublin also means that wherever you come from in the world, you can find home comforts in the form of food via restaurants and specialty stores. The days the homesickness affected me the most were those when I was sick or hungover, and wanted nothing more than to be with my family eating a home-cooked meal. The only advice I have for these days is to take some time off, treat yourself to something yummy and try not to dwell on the feeling.

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You should get both an Irish sim card and an Irish bank account if it helps simplify your life! Irish phone numbers aren’t essential but having a local plan (ie. with data and minutes etc) is indispensable if your home-country plan charges extortionate rates for overseas roaming.

Ireland uses IBAN/BIC codes for transfers whereas Hong Kong and the UK (this is the extent of my knowledge) use SWIFT and Sort codes. While you can still extract one set of codes from the other, not having to convert the codes makes the transfer process a lot smoother. Among university students, most people use Revolut as well. If you don’t want to go through the fuss of opening a local bank account, opening a Revolut account is easy, quick and can be done completely online. When I went to France on exchange last year, Monzo was a popular alternative. I still prefer Revolut though that might be just because it’s more familiar.

Even just knowing which shops to get my groceries at was something I had to consult my coursemates on: In Hong Kong, I didn’t grow up with Lidl, Aldi and Tesco. These shops have literally sustained my life here these past few years.

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Internships

Corporate Law Internships John Grogan Working in a corporate law firm is brilliant, for me it was everything I had expected and more.

Whilst there were some challenges along the way there were just as many wonderful opportunities to develop and learn from. I never secured a summer internship and still progressed, so don’t be disheartened, just trust in the process, it will work out.

Applications It can be quite challenging to secure an internship, despite how personal it may feel to be rejected, it isn’t meant in that way. Personally, I was never called for an internship or even an interview for an internship, whilst I felt I was a strong candidate, I wasn’t getting past the application stage. The best way to address this is to review your application in a frank and realistic way. Ask friends, trusted colleagues, attend the law firm CV clinics at law fairs and even the careers clinic on campus to understand what other people perceive from your application, after all it is essentially a sales prospectus of you as a candidate. Identify weak points, maybe you don’t have legal work experience or if you do is it similar to the type of work the firm you’re applying to does. Maybe your application is weak in terms of voluntary work, or doesn’t display your social side enough or it can be as simple as spelling and grammar issues. The good news is, all of those issues are easy to rectify.

Interview In terms of interviewing, be yourself, you’ve been selected on the strength of your application, so the firm considers you competent enough to be part of their ranks. The interview is designed to figure out if you and the law firm are a good match. Put your best foot forward, take reassurance from the fact that you were good enough to be called for interview, show them your personality and how you could contribute to the overall culture of the firm.

Advice Regardless of whether or not you secure an internship there are numerous opportunities to build experience and skills, be passionate about developing yourself and creating opportunities to learn. That’s what will really set you apart in life and when the right opportunity arises that will be your time to shine.

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Balancing internship applications with studies Isabelle O'Connor Firstly, planning will relieve stress so invest in a planner to mark your deadlines. Time management is key. Starting early will enable you to breakdown your tasks for the day by setting targets based on workload.

Secondly, many applications consist of some basic common questions e.g. CV so once you finish your first application you should have a template structure you can follow.

Thirdly, while time may seem constrained don’t neglect your hobbies and have fun over the break. Hobbies are an important outlet that can bring clarity to your head for the exam. They provide talking points in an application.

Applying for non-legal internships without existing legal connections Georgia Dillon It can sometimes be hard to find internships beyond those advertised by large firms, especially if you don’t have any legal connections. I found the MyCareer platform incredibly useful in finding internships that may not be advertised by the law societies in Trinity. I found my internship, with Dublin City Council, through MyCareer. The internships were a collaboration between Trinity College Green Campus Committee and Dublin City Council. There were a number of internships looking at sustainability and the environment including science, engineering, psychology and legal research. The internship entailed researching local and EU climate law and cases and. I got to work with three members of the Council legal team to assemble a document outlining Dublin City Council obligations and potential next moves.

Whilst I do not know the selection criteria for the internship, I believe that getting involved in campus activities was a great way to gain experience in sustainability and environmentalism. I had not yet studied environmental law, something I was nervous about going in, but had a huge interest in environmental policy and sustainability. When applying for internships like these I’d recommend trying to find some experience in the area beforehand – societies and committees can be great for this! I especially think my time working the Green Campus Committee was a great tool in achieving this internship as I got to work with staff who have worked in sustainability for a long time, as well as PhD students working on sustainability projects. My main piece of advice is to just apply for these internships, even if you feel underqualified or are not confident that you’ll get the role as you never know what recruiters are looking for!

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Laidlaw Scholarship

Laidlaw Scholarship Georgia Dillon The Laidlaw Scholarship is an undergraduate research and leadership scholarship funded by The Laidlaw Foundation. The scholarship is awarded at 12 universities across the globe, including Columbia University, Durham University and Trinity College Dublin. The scholarship provides a stipend for students to do a summer of research, as well as a summer of leadership placement. The scholarship is a really great way to gain research experience, get to work closely with an academic, learn new leadership skills and meet really lovely students from across Trinity and the partner universities.

Application Process The application for the scholarship consists of two parts, a research project proposal and a leadership statement. The research project proposal will outline your research idea, methods, timeline and ethics requirements. Whilst this seems daunting, your research supervisor should be super helpful in outlining what information is necessary. They’ve done a similar process many times before so don’t be afraid to ask questions! Research projects come from a large number of disciplines and students can research in their own area of study, or choose to explore another area that they’re interested in.

A key element of the process is finding a research supervisor. It can be intimidating to reach out to academics, especially those whom you have not met or interacted one on one with, but it’s important that you find an academic whose research is in a similar vein to your own and who has the time and enthusiasm to supervise your research project. Many students ask a number of academics to supervise their project before finding someone who has the time and correct expertise, so don’t be disheartened if this is you!

As far as the leadership statement goes, applicants can explore what, in their opinion, makes a good leader, their current leadership skills and what leadership skills they want to gain from participating in the programme. The programme accepts all types of leaders, introverted and extroverted, from many different backgrounds. It is emphasised that scholars do not need to be fully formed leaders upon applying to the programme, but have to be open and willing to learn.

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Benefits This research allows students to carry out a research project on any chosen topic. The programme encourages multidisciplinary projects, which offers students a really wonderful way to explore subjects outside of their degree pathway, or further explore subjects that peak their interest within their degree. I found this opportunity great as I got to reach out to an academic from the School of Global Health, who helped me explore the intersections between public health, the law and poverty alleviation. It was really wonderful to get to work so closely with an experienced academic. It was invaluable to learn research skills and how to get ethics and data protection approval from someone in the field. Doing qualitative research also helped inform what direction I would like to take my career in after college, as it was something I really enjoyed.

The programme also gives students a stipend in their second summer so that students can partake in an in-field application of research or a leadership placement, with an NGO, partner university, etc.. Having the funding for the two summers also allowed me to take on an unpaid internship after the six week research period, which I never would have been able to do without the summer funding, which was another perk of the scholarship. The programme also hosts leadership training days on networking, time management and inclusion and diversity. I would absolutely recommend this programme to anyone who is curious about a research topic and seeks to improve their leadership skills!

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FE1s / Bar Exams

FE1s / Bar Exams John Grogan

Exam Prep To be successful in the FE-1 law exams there are a few pieces of advice that I can offer. Firstly keep in mind the reality that the curriculum for the fe-1 exams for every subject is far broader than the curriculum for college exams as the fe-1’s aren’t split by end of semester exams. Also you must answer five questions on the exam and I wouldn’t recommend cutting out topic areas unless it’s very clear that they never come up. Know everything, even if only by name and principle, to be able to identify the issue in the question. Many people describe the necessary preparation for the exams as ‘an inch deep and a mile wide’.

Exam I suggest students adopt this approach, with a particular focus on exam paper preparation and time management. Don’t forget, in the exam you will only have 35 minutes to get all your knowledge onto the page, it is better to identify all the relevant issues and apply it in lesser detail, than give a highly detailed answer and only identify 2 out of the 5 big issues in the question. Note that the exam itself is quite similar to college exams in terms of using the ‘IRAC’ approach, it’s just the volume of material that needs to be covered and recollected increases by about double. Try and start as soon after college as possible to stay in ‘Study mode’, it’s certainly easier and try to take subjects that compliment each other such as a combo like property, equity and contract.

Stress Management In general, it’s also very important to maintain a social life, these exams are tough and can leave candidates feeling isolated. I can’t recommend highly enough taking time away from the books. Establish a social group of people in a similar position, check in with each other and talk about the pressures/stresses/concerns you might have in relation to the exams. Given their importance in progressing along in your career, it is natural to be anxious and stressed about them. The worst thing to do at that point though is to remain isolated. With proper time and stress management from the outset, you’ll have a greater sense of control and composure throughout which will make the process easier. Last of all don’t compare yourself to anyone else through out the process, everyone’s circumstances are different, persevere on your path and you’ll be at the end before you know it.

Check out our Legal Careers Booklet via this link: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/64416643/legal -careers-booklet

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Trinity Hacks

Trinity Hacks What is something you wish you knew in first year?

Roisin Dillon - Use the communal study spaces in the arts block from floors 1-4, if you want to take a break from studying in the library.

Conor Murphy - I wish I got more involved in LawSoc in First Year. They organise and run great events that allow you to get to know everyone in the all of the law courses and beyond.

I think this is definitely the best way to find your feet in college.

Sophie Treacy - I wish I had started assignments earlier in first year and given myself more time to succeed at them. If you give yourself a few weeks instead of a few days to work on them you’ll be surprised at what insights you’ll come to!

Ursala McDonnell - The importance of using past exam papers for studying!

Georgia Dillon - That it's okay to not always know the answer! I think that there's a lot of pressure to always be correct, especially in seminars, but it's important to remember that you are in college to learn, not to be right all the time.

John Grogan - Grab a pint (or preferred beverage of your choice) - At the time of maximum stress in preparation for exams, don’t forget to blow off some steam, meet friends, do something fun, give your mind a break, stress isn’t conducive to learning. Don't forget, pressure is for tires.

Adaeze Chukwuogor - I wish I knew that sometimes it’s necessary to fail and make mistakes to succeed at something. I wish I knew how important values like discipline, consistency and balance were for maintaining growth and success.

Niamh Robertson - I wish I’d known it wasn’t embarrassing to ask questions in lectures. If something isn’t clear to you, your peers probably didn’t understand it either and they will be glad someone had the confidence to ask!

Hanorah Woodward - One thing I wish I knew in first year is that almost everyone who looks like they have their sh*t together absolutely does not. We've all just become very good at looking like we're on top of everything, but really, no one knows what's going on. No one has everything figured out, and you don't have to either. Take your time, do your best, and things will fall into place eventually.

Julia Best - Going to your lectures really helps even if it doesn’t feel as though it does at the time.

Emily Duncan - The business school cafe, the Forum, is a great study space and welcome respite from the stressful silence of the BLU, and the energy-charged environment also known as the Arts Block and its resident cafe, the Perch.

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2. What is a college resource that is underused/underappreciated/not commonly known?

Roisin Dillon - First year is amazing but also exhausting and overwhelming at times. So give yourself a completely college free day maybe once a week to completely relax. Also, don’t buy a slow cooker, you’ll never use it.

Sophie Treacy - I think the workshops run by the Student Learning Development at Trinity are really under-used. They run drop-clinics that can help you get to grips with tackling academic essays and are such a helpful resource!

Alex Innes - If the library is full around exam time, or you’re just looking for a change of scenery or a more chill spot to study where you can chat with friends, upstairs in the arts block isa great spot!

Ursala McDonnell - Digital libraries such as JSTOR- they have great articles on everything and you can login to gain access via. your trinity account.

Georgia Dillon - The MyCareer platform. I found both my part time job and my internship on it, out of the blue, so it's a great platform to keep up with.

Colette Whelan - A college resource that is not commonly known is the mature student resource room. It’s a room in Foster Place that is solely for the use of mature students. It’s very quiet and a great alternative to the library.

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Adaeze Chukwuogor - Societies geared towards improving your health, (including mental health) . I’d advise people to take advantage of joining societies that help keep you healthy, sometimes trying to maintain your health can feel like a chore but if you join a society, it could help with motivation and consistency. E.g. Sports societies, Meditation Society etc.

Niamh Robertson - The careers service is underutilized by first and second years. They can help with understanding what you might like to do in the future, with your CV, cover letters, and even conduct mock interviews with you. You can also subscribe to their emails to see daily career and internship opportunities.

Hanorah Woodward - My favourite college resource is currency closed as a result of the pandemic, but it's the Phil Conversation Room on the ground floor of the GMB. When it's operating as normal, the room is spacious, full of natural light from the big gothic windows, and is full of the most comfortable leather sofas on campus. It's the ideal spot to chill between lectures, catch up with pals, eat lunch, watch netflix (with headphones obviously), or honestly? have a post-lecture nap.

Julia Best - Reaching out to your lectures/seminarists for help and feedback: lecturers generally write feedback when they are marking your work so it’s no hassle/work for them when you ask for it!

Emily Duncan - The Careers service is so helpful, and is only available to us for a finite amount of time (ie. while we’re students); the Trinity alumni database helped me identify and get in touch with ex-Trinity students who were working in fields/at companies, and who were offering advice to students interested in following similar career paths.

en p wh l e h or t!

Ask f eed i you n

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Orla Hughes career@tcdlawsoc.com

Jill Rothwell protcdlawsoc@gmail.com