It’s been 16 frantic months into my journey as a student at SUSS School of Law. Perhaps now it’s time to take stock of my experience thus far and hopefully, this will give an insight into the law programme at SUSS for those who are thinking of applying to our beloved school. I’ve been getting some queries from prospective applicants, presumably, they read my entries on this blog, and here are my thoughts halfway through year 2.

 

It’s really fun! If you love to read and think about stuff…

Call me weird but I am genuinely enjoying my time pursuing this degree. I am extremely appreciative of the opportunity given to me to learn how to think critically. I do look forward to class, to readings, to assignments and, weirdly enough, to examinations. Although this is consuming a large chunk of what previously was leisure time, I really love what I am learning. That being said, I can see that some of my fellow coursemates do find it tedious. The tail off in enthusiasm levels is very real. I believe some may feel jaded going from assignment to assignment. However, it is key to remember your enthusiasm the very first day you stepped into law school and that level of enthusiasm should be the same on the very last day you leave law school.

 

You must be extremely disciplined.

Juggling studies, work, family and some leisure time is not easy. However, ever since I entered law school, I’ve been really structured in planning out my time. I spend 1 to 1 1/2 hours reading my study units and cases every single day. This is usually done at night from about 1030 pm to 12 midnight. If I work late and am unable to clear my daily reading, I will do my reading during lunch the next day. Over the weekends, I spend about 6 hours a day studying. I have to clear 22 hours of focused studying every week. Even though my company has seen a huge uptick in the amount of work that we take since 2022 started, the structured nature of my days seem to aid me in my work. Apparently, I am more productive when I follow a structured timetable. Law school has helped me with my work just because it forced me to plan my time. I was extremely busy for the first 3 months of 2022 and at times I ended work past dinner. However, sticking to the allocated 22 hours of studying a week meant that when the semester concluded, I do not feel like I am lagging behind in my readings.

 

Some will leave the course…

Up to this juncture, quite a number have left the course. I would place the number at perhaps 10? While typical myopic speculation might pinpoint this to other factors, the truth I believe is that the course demands discipline and dedication. If you do not really want it, you may feel like leaving the course when the going gets tough. I personally find the juggling of work and studies extremely challenging, however, I really want to complete this course and I am doing all I can to make sure that I do not drop out from this.

 

Remember what the faculty told you about mooting and other extra-curricular activities? It’s all true…

In my previous stint as an undergraduate and during my time in junior college and secondary school, extra-curricular activities formed a large part of my time in school. At the start of law school, some students from my cohort did post questions about whether there will be a SUSS mooting team and other extra-curricular activities. I can now see why. Understanding the concepts and trying to master concepts is supposed to be at the forefront of learning to be a lawyer. Your extra-curricular activities are your work and your family. Any spare time for me would be spent on trying to master topics to maintain my grades. Trust me, in most cases, time is a premium. You will not have time for anything else. I’ve never attended any other talks or seminars other than those that are related to the course and I’m glad I’m laser-focused on maintaining my grades to keep me on track to graduate.

 

Torts and constitutional law are my favourite subjects

I get quite a fair bit of stick for this and most of my friends do find me weird. I find these two aspects of law very intriguing. The balance of societal values against an individual’s freedom is sometimes a strange dichotomy that pulls me into a deep train of thought and it is this weird sense of brain-wreckingness that I enjoy. Last semester I looked forward to “what Ms Lin is going to tell me about human rights!”. This semester it’s “Mr Ng is gonna tell me why public policy means that we should not hold someone liable for negligence”. If you are a student at SUSS School of Law, you will know who these people are. If you’re coming to join our beloved school, you will get to know them soon! So please do not fear these subjects. Whatever people who have gone before tell you about a subject, it is what you make of it. If you want my take, it is really fun!

 

Year 1 semester 2 is tougher than year 2 semester 1

I prefer two 10 CU modules as compared to four 5 CU modules. Basically, CUs are the credits that are attached to each module. Essentially 10 CU modules are about twice the content of a 5 CU module. I find it challenging to switch between 4 different modules. Hence I do think that if you are like me, getting past year 1 semester 2 is perhaps your toughest challenge. That being said, it does not mean that I think I will do better in year 2 semester 1 than in year 1 semester 2. I was referring to the difficulty of having to switch between 4 different modules.

 

Well, examinations are about a month away and we are done with all contracts classes save for the last revision class. As for torts, it’s down to the last lecture. To all my fellow year 2s, study hard and all the best for the examinations!

 

What a semester!

 

Yours sincerely,

Daryl