Hello everyone,
I was hoping someone may be able to shed some light on a question that I had regarding the GDPL at The University of Law.
I have recently accepted a TC at a magic circle firm as a non-law student and being asked to apply for a GDPL course soon. The firm says you can apply to any institution that offers it but preferably University of Law.
I wanted to ask if anyone can speak from experience / have knowledge regarding it, if the GDPL course the University of Law offers has a campus/hybrid studying mix? How much of the learning is via remote, and/or what do you need to go on campus for if you do have to go in? I was considering applying for the online only course that they offer (not sure yet if my firm allows this) but wanted to get a good idea of how much remote studying is possible on the original GDPL course.
I appreciate any guidance on this, thank you!
Hi hi - I can't answer about the hybrid option from experience, but I did do the GDL (the predecessor of the PGDL) in person at U Law Moorgate. I'd been offered a place at BPP as well (getting on the course didn't seem to be a problem) but was really pleased with my choice. I felt that some of the tutors were great and that it was an organisation that seemed to know what it was doing for the most part. I am critical of the actual teaching (no OFSTED 'Outstanding' headed there any time soon) but it's basically a delivery system that works fine.
I think we had a choice of a two-day or two-day schedule and, with my two-day option, I was with the same group on Mondays and Thursdays. When we were in college it was a 9 am start with up to three, two-hour workshops and sometimes a lecture or two. Being in class with a group (of around 22) was in many ways the most helpful aspect. I'm a career changer and it was a bit of an eye-opener being back with people fresh out of university - most of whom had their parents funding them. I found that the 20% of students with TCs had a bit more about them, that they were generally more well-rounded, well-travelled (in life and around the world) and very motivated. Overall the human aspect was really important. It was great to have a cohort and I am sure your firm would prefer you to enjoy that privilege.
In the second half of the course, I opted for the Law of Organisations module which required an extra day in college. If there is any choice about this, which I doubt from an MC firm, then avoid it - the year I did the module it took stupid amounts of time because not only did I have to commute an extra day but also we weren't taught the correct content for the 'problem question' assessment. I learned a lot from the exercise and got a great mark, but I really felt I'd made the wrong choice - doing a research project was the other option and this would have been wiser.
We went into lockdown partway through the academic year and U Law took a while to adapt but they did manage. This was partly because they already had some online infrastructure. They certainly got better press than BPP but I can't say much more than that.
I researched the hybrid vs fully online LPC at U Law and there is a massive price difference - something like £4k from memory. I also looked at campuses outside London but that didn't make sense in the end either - Moorgate had suited me. The fully online version was delivered entirely by pre-recorded lectures, which you could only access as they were released, so there was no way you could be mega-organised and watch them all in the first two weeks, for example! I compared this with the hybrid version they were offering to keep up with COVID-19 restrictions and personal comfort zones. I decided that if I were going to do the LPC I would definitely want a more 'live' version so would pay the extra for that hybrid model, without the commute. In the end, I decided against self-funding the LPC at this point, so I can't speak from experience.
Lucky you that your firm is happy for you to explore different options!
