Life of a postgraduate Law student: Part 1

On 11 December 2013 I graduated with a BA Language and Culture (majoring in English and Theatre Studies) at Stellenbosch University.

Mom and dad in the background (my biggest support)

Throughout 2013 I had my heart set on becoming a Journalist. I love writing, so I figured writing for a living would be perfect for me, leading me to apply for Honours in Journalism. However, things didn't work out as planned. The Journalism department commended me on my writing, but they weren't impressed with my minimal general knowledge (even though my nerves only got the better of me - leading me to forget half of the things I knew)and my lack of experience. The interview clearly went downhill (as you can see) and I left feeling like I was pretty useless.

Nevertheless, I picked myself up again and decided to go ahead with a Postgrad LLB (an application I filled in for fun, might I add). I never thought the Law faculty would even consider me, but when they did I was pretty impressed with myself and I decided to take the plunge after being rejected from Journalism. I visited a career guidance counsellor before deciding and he said one of two things could happen this year. One, I could fall in love with Law and find a passion I never knew I had (like Elle Woods? You know?). Or two, I could simply hate it and then I'd still have the option of applying for Journalism or a similar postgrad in 2015.

So far, so good. No, I lie. It's just okay. A Law degree is no joke, especially at postgrad level. I am doing two years in one this year and it's not fun. At all. Interesting, yes. But fun and easy, no. I've learned so much in this first term, that I feel like my head is about to explode with legal terms and Law jargon. And maybe Law isn't exactly what I want to do, but I need a year to decide that. Two months just isn't enough to just say, "oh well, I'm leaving".

So as an escape and a way of making a decision about my future, I have decided to document my experience. This will be the first of a four part series. I will keep you all updated at the end of every term. Offer support, comment, let me know what you think.

Lisa-Marie