How to make a success out of online LLM study

Online LLM Success Studying an LLM program online is a bit different to studying it on campus.

You will probably have to be more self-disciplined and motivated, plus you will need to finely hone your time-management skills to make a success of your online LLM studies.

Here are some tips of a few things you can do in advance, as well as while you study, to make the most of your time as an LLM student and achieve the best result possible.

Plan your time

Take a little time to work out what your year or more, if you're studying part time, is going to look like. Understanding what will be expected of you will help, and many law schools will provide an indication of what they expect from their students, for example as the University of Edinburgh does, on their website. Pencil in all the deadlines for your LLM course and anything that you have to do or want to attend in your social or family life. Then, work around this planning out the weeks and months before you have an essay to write or exam to study for so you've got plenty of time to fit everything in.

Support of friends & family

Having support from those around you is the key to success in any form of studying that takes you away from the people in your life, even for short periods. If you have their support, then you will hopefully have their understanding making it easier for you to sit down and study without feeling guilty or like you’re letting people down.

Speak with your employer

If you are planning on studying whilst doing your job speak to your employer and make sure they understand what your career aims and goals are. This way you know that your hard work will be of help to your current job role or for a future one. If you keep communicating with your employer, then they might give you additional days off to study or you never know you might even get an offer of assistance to funding the course.

Work out how to network

Getting to know your fellow students on your course will help you in the future – and this is possible even with online studying. Use social media and the online platforms for interacting with your classmates to their full potential. Involve yourself with student networks online and any alumni associations after you've completed the online LLM program.

Attend local law events

Find out what you can join locally that is aimed at LLM students. There are lots of law societies and organisations and your local one might have an association for students or the recently graduated or qualified. Try to get involved, as you will find out about ways to improve your legal experience and understanding outside of the classroom. If you live locally to your law school then you may find that there are career events you can physically attend as an online LLM student.

Read the fine print

It’s important to know exactly how long you will be studying for and what it will cost you, as different online LLM programs cost different amounts in tuition fees and also have different time expectations, as this table demonstrates.