With the recent Times Online article asking “Why is it so difficult for law students to get a first?” it really brought all of the frustrations of my course to the forefront of my mind. Okay, so there are plenty of second year law students out there all in the same boat, or a similar one nevertheless, but I kind of feel like the propeller of my boat has stopped working and I am bobbing on the waves, not getting any closer towards the shore.

As pointed out in the article, us law students have to have a plethora of skills which are rarely found in one person; we are meant to “be a linguist, a researcher and have scientific analysis skills” as well as work our backsides off to walk away with excellent grades.

But, like many other law students, I am also currently trying to juggle the heavy workload and part time job with applying for vacation placements, and these skills are really just the start. Being a well rounded individual doesn’t cut it – prospective employers expect you to be super-human, in part at least. I thought university was meant to be about having fun and doing what you want to do, but it feels like even the societies I join have to be well thought out. And as if balancing lectures, work, netball and a volunteering society is not enough, the careers advisors are telling me to do pro-bono work and debating and mooting and read the Financial Times and the Independent , and to be frank I am going a little stir crazy!

And on top of all this pressure lecturers are so stingy in how they award marks and heaven forbid they should mark someone a first, they might just get a heart attack. In some subjects walking away with a first is a breeze but yes, I do understand that law is a ‘hard’ degree. What makes it harder, and even more unfair, is that across different subjects and different universities even the scoring systems aren’t the same – negative marking is a prime example of that. On my one multiple choice exam last year I could not really guess an answer as I would be deducted marks if I was wrong. My friend in psychology however was guessing away. Surely we should all play by the same rules?

Well, I must shoot and continue with my mass of reading, my tutorial work and my next vacation placement application. I also have to fit some food and sleep in there somewhere. Good luck future lawyers, I think we’re all going to need it.