Nicola Howlett Law LLB, 2018

Undergraduate

Within my degree, I have participated in speed mooting and negotiating competition in first year and in second year I was a first year PASS mentor and I took part in the Streetlaw scheme. I represented the law school on open days.

I chose Southampton as it was a good distance away from home-not too far but far enough. I also wanted to go to a Russell Group university, which Southampton is. I was also really impressed with the Law School and the amount of extra-curricular legal activities you could get involved in. The staff also seemed to really care about which legal route you were aspiring to pursue, and they wanted to help you achieve that.

It was very rewarding and motivating to have received a 2.1 in my first year and in my second year coursework assignments. Attending the open day at Macfarlanes in my first year was also a highlight as it involved a tough and competitive application process.

The speed mooting and negotiation helped me to realise that I preferred the setting of a negotiation compared to the formalities of advocacy and mooting, but that I’m not averse to improving my advocacy skills. Outside of my study, I have been involved with Showstoppers (the musical theatre society), the Latin and Ballroom Dance Society and the Law Netball team.

It’s been great to build confidence in meeting new people, and in particular it was challenging and rewarding to learn a new skill in the Ballroom dancing.

The PASS and Streetlaw scheme helped me hone my leadership, teamwork, communication and organisation skills. These are all attributes that law firms look for and want you to demonstrate in applications, so I feel these activities have helped me to prepare for applying to firms next year.

It’s satisfying when you’ve been spending time on a particularly tricky topic and then by chance you see an example of it in real life. It helps to see how the law is really applied and the impact it can have.

In my first year, I attended a networking and employability programme in conjunction with the University of Law. This taught me the correct ways to approach people during a networking event and how to ask questions appropriately which has been invaluable when attending law firms.

I also attended the law fair in my second year which was a great opportunity to meet employers at law firms, talk to trainees and ask questions that you can use to show your knowledge of the firm in applications.

Whilst being at university I have also attended two open days at top London law firms (Macfarlanes and Bird & Bird) which were really motivational and was great experience in seeing how a big law form operates.

Southampton is great as it has a large student presence and caters for typical student night outs but also has a great non-student social scene. It had loads of opportunity for part time employment and has a good mix of city and greener areas.

The bus services are also really handy to connect everywhere and are simple to use for when you are getting used to a new area.

My advice would be, don’t just stick to do what typical students do, branch out and explore Southampton as a city. Also, get involved in as much as you can in first year when there’s less pressure and the work load is easier. Make and meet as many friends as possible.