Hi, my name is Ronna and I’m studying the Master of Laws LLM Law and Business degree programme. I’m originally from Accra, a city in Ghana. My home town is a beautiful and busting city, filled with life, love and culture. However, it can also be incredibly busy. It’s easy to lose yourself, and feel drowned in the profound number of activities, people, cultures and perspectives around you. Especially when you’re in your twenties and trying to find yourself. The smaller city of Exeter offered me enough differing experiences in the form of people and places, whilst also being quiet enough such that I could hear myself.
I went to Exeter as an undergraduate student and by the end of my bachelor’s degree, I felt that my experience was not yet done, that I had more to learn, and more to experience. I always wanted to study a degree in Law and thankfully Exeter had just introduced the LLM Law and Business programme, open to non-law graduates. Many universities don’t offer this kind of degree programme and I felt it was perfect for me.
What I’ve been most impressed about thus far is how invested the lecturers are in teaching us as much as they can about their respective avenues of law throughout the course of the modules. My lecturers have opened areas of law to me that I had never considered before, and never thought I would enjoy. My favourite thing is how enthusiastic and creative our lecturers have been in designing modules, from curating mock proceedings to coming up with cases from our favourite TV shows, my modules have never felt monotonous. Our lecturers have also showed so much optimism and belief in our abilities, and its made me feel more confident about my potential future in law.
Thankfully, meeting friends in Exeter has been extremely easy. The postgraduate induction specifically was a great opportunity to meet people in the course, and it was where I met a good amount of my friends. Additionally, with so many societies, activities, and with how friendly the diverse postgraduate community is, I easily felt welcomed and at home in Exeter. I would advise prospective students to be confident! Try grabbing some course mates after a lecture and head to Comida in Devonshire house for a custom wrap, or la Touche Café in the business school for some loaded fries!
In Exeter, I chose to live in a private student accommodation near the city centre. One tip is not to bother worrying about transportation throughout Exeter. Not only does the UNI bus cover many routes towards campus, but most places in Exeter are a short walk away. The best thing you can do is to try to explore the beautiful city by going on walks, this will quickly help you to learn your way around.
Exeter also has amazing careers and employability support that you should be sure to take advantage of. I have personally had meetings with the employability team to discuss a host of things, from work visas to employment opportunities overseas. Many are not aware of the sheer number of resources available to students, and don’t know which resources may be most beneficial to them, so I would recommend booking a meeting with the employability team. Once you tell them what your goals are, they can point you in the best direction, and they are always willing to help! If you are a prospective student, or thinking of coming to Exeter I would say get excited! Despite being a small city there’s so much to do, so many things to explore and so many people to meet. Exeter has honestly been such a guiding light in my university experience, and I’m so grateful I chose to come here!