Student Connor from Radyr Comprehensive School conducted work experience with the UWE Bristol Law Team.
My name is Connor and I am a 17-year-old 6th Form student at Radyr Comprehensive School, Cardiff. I am currently studying Geography, History and a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in ICT having recently finished Year 12 and am now awaiting my results this summer. I hope to continue studying these subjects at A level next year and eventually go on to study a law degree at university.
The study of law first caught my eye upon attending a family friend’s inaugural lecture in financial crime, at the University of the West of England in 2013, from where my admiration for the complexities of a system that consolidates society itself grew massively. My A level subject choices complimented my chosen career path well, as there are several transferable skills learned throughout Geography and History such as source evaluation and structured essay writing. Developing my ICT ability will be universally useful as it is appropriate in nearly all areas of today’s working world.
This week I have been undertaking a work experience programme alongside Professor Nicholas Ryder as part of my A level education. On Monday, I undertook some research and summarised my findings on three separate pieces of legislation, most importantly the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, to support the article he is currently writing. The following day, he guided me through the different methods of research that he often uses to construct different pieces of text, which consisted of cross-referencing separate sources through different specialised databases such as Google Scholar or legislation.gov.uk. Tomorrow I will be travelling to UWE to interview several PhD students and a qualified solicitor.
After visiting UWE, I have gained a great deal of vital information regarding my future career path and the options available to me down the road of Law, as well as information that solidified my understanding of how the university system works, and the options for further postgraduate education that some students may take up instead of a work placement. I think it is crucial to be able to look at two different viewpoints, one of a postgraduate student and the other of a former solicitor, to open my eyes towards pros and cons of each choice that these people made.
The experience I have garnered at UWE has contributed overall to my decision making in the near future and has allowed me to be ever more informed upon choosing the right path for me. I would like to thank Sam, Henry, Amy and Diana for giving up their time for me on Friday. It was truly a fantastic and unique opportunity for me, and I am eternally grateful for their insight.