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Course review
Review by: Sarah L
University: University of Manchester
Course: Law and Criminology
Year of study: 3rd
Level of Study: Undergraduate
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The course in general
How many contact hours do you have in the average week?
Between 9 and 12
Ideally, what 3/4 subjects would you recommend doing in order to be in the best position for your course?
Essay based ones like english or history. also iv found religious studies helpful for its ethical and philosophical background which does crop up in areas of law such as medical or war.sociology or psychology would be useful for the criminological side
Why did you decide to study your degree programme?
I didnt know what else to do and i was told lawyers make alot of money.
Explain the things you wish you'd known about your degree before you applied:
how dull lectures can be, dont expect it to be exciting. the majority of law is very dull and it isnt until my last year when i have been able to choose modules i like that i have found any of my lectures more than vaguely interesting.
lectures can also be very daunting, i came home and cried after my first one because i didnt understand a word the lecturer said. but you soon get used to it and if you dont understand, it doesnt matter, you can go and find it in a book at a later date, if it isnt on the wikipedia page it probably wasnt important anyway.
Describing your average day
Explain how your day is made up. For example, do you have labs/seminars/tutorials/lectures?
i would normally have one or two lectures, do some seminar prep for seminars (i have 3 seminars every two weeks) then go home and spend the rest of the day in bed or watching tv. unless there is a coursework deadline or exams coming up and cramming is required, but iv found that there's long periods between deadlines where theres plenty of time to bum round.
How much extra work/reading are you required to do out of lectures?
reading lists tend to be quite long and daunting but its possible to pick out key readings for seminars and then just do the extra reading for subjects that are definately on the exam or coursework.
id say there is quite alot of reading compared to other subjects, but given the limited contact hours you dont end up doing it into the night like other courses do who are in lectures 9 till 5 then expected to read more. And like i say, you can get by by just reading the key texts.
Is there anything else you think is relevant or that you would like to add in respect of your course?
as dull as it is, it is rewarding when you get your results and youve managed to pull it off, and you'd be surprised how often what you've learnt crops up in real life and when you apply it to real situations it is actually interesting.
The best and worst parts of the course
What do you like best about your degree programme?
plenty of time to sleep in between lectures. limited coursework, maximum 3 assessed essays a semester.
also, the variety of having a criminology module, doing straight law probably would have killed me. i find criminology easier to understand (although not necessarily easier to get good marks in) so its a break from all the hardcore boring law modules.
What do you like least about your degree programme?
unlike other courses, most of your marks are gained in exams, some modules are a hundred percent on one exam which is scary and very stressful at the time.
some of the compulsory modules are insanely dull... for example E.C law is an absolute killer.
Academics and course content
What do you think of your university's academics and facilities?
facilities are good, the library im told is very good although i tend to avoid it. plenty of computer clusters and easy to access the reading material. however during exam period people have been known to sit on the floor in the library and get in for 6 oclock to get a seat.
Explain how you expected your course to be and how it compares to how it actually is. Give an outline of the content of the course.
teaching is by 3 lectures a week and 1 seminar every two weeks for each module and you do 3 modules a semester. there is very little interactive learning, basically you go and listen to someone babble on in the lecture, go and read about it and then answer a question in the seminar to prove you understand it.
some seminar takers do take a more pro active role and make you do presentations, but most are more of a general discussion of the topic between a seminar taker and 8 students.
content is 2 law modules and 1 criminology module each semester for the first two years, these are compulsory and you get no choice in what you study. but in the third year you get to choose your own options and can choose a mix of either.
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Other reviews for Law and Criminology
Abigail C, 1st Year doing Law and Criminology at The University of Sheffield
Charlotte D, 2nd Year doing Law and Criminology at Nottingham Trent University
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University review
Review by: Sarah L
University: University of Manchester
Course: Law and Criminology
Year of study: 3rd
Level of Study: Undergraduate
Visit the University of Manchester forum and see what people are discussing right now!
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Describing your university
Sum up your university in one paragraph:
Manchester university is a fun and exciting place to study, not only does it have a good reputation so will look good on your C.V. but its an amazing place to live.
What is the academic life like at your university?
there are plenty of law socials and chances to meet law firms etc but to be honest i havent experienced many.
uni in general is enjoyable though, its a nice atmosphere and always something going on.
Describe your Freshers' Week - was it as you expected, better or worse? Why?
freshers week was a big let down. no one knew anyone, everyone asked you the same questions (what course you doing, where you living....) and it was just really scary so it was really hard to enjoy yourself. but everyone was in the same boat and everyone i know had a similar experience. you meet people in freshers week that you will never see again, and you also might meet the people you could be living with for the next 3 years. im not saying its not enjoyable, because it is, but freshers week does not hit anywhere near my top 100 best times of university, it gets so much better than freshers!
Are there any other notes you would like to add about life in general at university or anything else which would be relevant to a prospective student?
everyone expects uni to be an amazing exciting experience, which it is, but it doesnt happen straight away. first year can be daunting and scary and it can take a while to get used to it. but by third year you wont want to leave, it suddenly starts going very fast!
What is the best and worst thing about your university?
best thing is the city, manchester is amazing, always something going on, so many nights out and something to suit everyone.
worst thing would be the bus ride in to uni, most students live in fallowfield which is a short bus journey which is not enjoyable on a hangover at 9 oclock in the morning.
Sport and extra curricular
What are the sport and other activities on offer like at your university?
there are loads of sports and clubs that you can join up to and will introduce to you to loads of new people and have socials and nights out. I cant say i have been part of one myself but if you want to join a team or a group there will be one for you.
The social scene
What is the social scene (and/or nightlife) like at your university? Is it particularly alcohol orientated?
Social scene in manchester is so good. theres always a student night on somewhere. in the past semester alone i have been to a reggae night, a 70's night, an international night aswell as the standard club nights so you will never get bored of going to the same places. alot of nights are alcohol orientated with deals on cheap drinks, but there is other activities like comedy nights and theatre and stuff.
What do you think of the city your university is based in or near (as a city)?
Manchester is amazing! so big and diverse, curry mile, china town, deansgate... something for everyone, so many nights out, pretty good shopping! buses are really regular so really easy to get around. everywhere you go there are students so there are student deals everywhere you look.
the only down side.. the weather, it rains alllll the time.
Accommodation
Do you live in a halls of residence or a student house (or college)? What would you suggest is best in your opinion?
I lived in halls in my first year which i would whole heartedly recommend as this is where you will meet friends and get involved in student life.
the past two years i have lived in student house with people i met from halls. although halls were fun, its nice to have a more settled and comfortable place after the madness of first year.
If you are in a hall or college, is it catered or self catered? Which is better for the first year in your opinion and why?
i lived in owens park tower first year which is catered. is was easy not having to cook for myself and dinner time was sociable, but the food left alot to be desired and the set up mean that in between meal times was less sociable because the communal areas weren't so nice.
Approximately, what is the average cost of accommodation per week in your first year for catered and non-catered halls/colleges?
I think it was £95 a week including bills, food, internet, which looking back was pretty cheap for saying you never had to worry about leaving the heating on too long or where your next meal was coming from.
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