My Master

One major part of the first term was to start on (and hopefully, submit) the University application. This application is done through a website known as UCAS, and each applicant has a total of 5 choices of Universities. There are so many Universities in the UK to choose from, but the fact that there is a specific list of Universities approved by Singapore’s Ministry of Law did make it easier for me to shortlist my final choices.

Tanya Prescott, my tutor, gave me many advices on my personal statement and my University choices. In October, Bellerbys College also organised a trip for us to visit a University Fair in London, where students had the opportunity to meet and speak with the University representatives that were present. It was a pretty informative trip. I managed to bring home a few University prospectuses and had a better understanding of the entry requirements for some law courses.

Applying for Universities is a stressful process, not just for the application itself, but also for the various tests that have to be taken. One of the biggest concerns was the Law National Admissions Test (LNAT), which is an admissions test acknowledged by most law schools. Blessed Mereki, a law teacher, even organised a LNAT club for law foundation students to practice writing LNAT questions and essays.

CIT is a term 3 module that teaches students IT skills, practically in the areas of Microsoft word and excel. When I was first informed that there is a computer-related course in the law foundation, I was not very keen on it as I have always been getting marginal grades for my IT subjects back in Singapore. However, I changed my mind about CIT after I have attended the first lesson and learned about the subject content.

The 3 important areas taught in CIT are: Microsoft word, Microsoft excel, creation of a website. These are the tools that are inseparable from our everyday lives. As a student, I often use Microsoft word to type and edit essays. Therefore, it is useful to test and learn the skills needed to use the software. I was taught how to create a letterhead in the first lesson. Subsequently, I was able to learn techniques such as “format painting”, changing the aspect ratio of a picture, and many ways to enhance the way documents are presented. I also learned the difference between serif and sans serif, which are details that I have never paid attention to, despite using the word document on a daily basis.

Microsoft excel was more complicated to me than Microsoft word. One of the many reasons being that excel is a software that I rarely use. It also requires the understanding of several mathematical calculations, the appropriate formulas for the calculations, and the general appreciation of the purpose of those calculations. I was a little confused with the “IF” and “SUMIF” formula at first, but after practicing in class, better understood what the formulas are for and when it should be used.