The honest answer is...you can't! However, there are a few things that are useful to know.
It might sound cliche but you really cannot know what the BPTC is like unless you're on it and it's often a very different experience for each person. The issue is that this uncertainty can often be quite stressful. I remember sitting in my room in August 2019 stressing about starting the course and not knowing what it was going to be like. I watched YouTube videos, I read articles and student room forums, all of which actually made me freak out more. If you are someone like me, who doesn't like the unknown, then sit back, relax and read on.
Here are some of my top tips for preparing for this crazy adventure of a course:
Organise yourself!
In my weeks of trying to research what the bar course was like I stumbled across an article that said 90% of the course was organisation and the rest was working hard. The figures might be slightly off, but the principle remains the same.
When you start the course it can be really overwhelming. You will study around 11/12 modules over 10 months. Unfortunately, it's not like uni anymore where you do a couple of modules then sit and exam and move on to the next. No, on the bar course you usually do a mix of the modules all at the same time, as well as sitting assessments for some in between.
What this means is you need to be organised to stay on top of the work for each module. My way to do this was to BUY FOLDERS!! If you're starting the bar course in September 2020 and you do not have a million ring binders, dividers, plastic wallets and sticky notes already then pop down to the shop asap. We were often given example questions, feedback sheets, case documents and other bits of paper during the course, so having designated places for these for each module was key for staying organised. Especially if you are someone who takes handwritten notes a physical filing system is necessary. It will also help you out a lot when it comes to revision and assessments!
How many folders you need will differ depending on the materials you will get and how you like to work, but this was the format which worked for me.
1 lever arch folder EACH for - Criminal Litigation, Civil Litigation, Ethics (the big ones)
1 lever arch folder for - Criminal Advocacy + Civil Advocacy (split with a divider)
1 lever arch folder for - Opinion Writing + Drafting (split with a divider)
1 lever arch folder for - ReDoc + Conferencing (split with a divider)
1 lever arch folder for - any optional modules you take later in the year!
Apart from just buying trolleys full of colourful stationary, make sure that you have whatever you need around you to stay organised. This might be syncing your online calendars, sorting out folders on your computer or even just buying a new daily bag to fit your books and laptop in.
The key is to prepare the little bits like this so that when you start the course you feel slightly less overwhelmed.
2. Plan ahead!
My next tip is something that might be super natural for some people, but might also be a completely new concept, so bare with me. One way of making the course less intimidating and overwhelming is to be prepared for each step.
My weeks on the bar course were super busy, I would be in small group sessions around 3/4 days a week, sometimes from 9am-4pm. This meant that there was often very little time in the week to prepare for the upcoming classes. My hack for this was to try and stay one week ahead of everything. If I had 4 small group sessions coming up next week I would make sure that I prepared for those the week before, using my days off and weekends. (Yes your weekends are now dedicated to reading books and prepping advocacy, if they weren't already!)
In practice this is quite hard to do, especially when motivation is lacking or you just want to spend the day out with friends, but it is possible! Most providers will give you some pre-reading to do before you officially start the course...do it, and don't just do it the day before, do it a week before. If you start this practice of working ahead at the beginning your chances of keeping it up are much higher.
But, if you really aren't someone who can be that prepared then the step down from that is just planning out your time efficiently as you go. There are 3 very easy ways to do this depending on what works for you.
Buy a paper diary/planner and write in your weekly classes (this lets you see what free time you have to prep for other classes and complete work).
Sync your online uni timetable with your phone and laptop calendars so it's at your fingertips.
Make weekly or daily to-do lists for you BPTC work.
3. Read up on legal news
As boring as this might sound it can be really helpful for 1) getting you into the legal frame of mind in the weeks coming up to the course and 2) for fuelling your interests around certain areas of law.
There are lots of different platforms out there, so find some that work for you. Here are a few that give some nice overviews and insight.
If you have a particular area of law you are interested in then look online for specific websites such as www.familylaweek.co.uk (you guessed it it's for family law). Another easy idea is to follow some barristers and chambers on LinkedIn or Twitter for more practical updates from the bar.
It doesn't have to be laborious, it can just be a little dip into the legal world every day. I used to do this for around 30 minutes every morning or evening just to keep my legal mind ticking!
4. Get yourself excited
It is scary, it is the unknown and it is completely new, but it's also super exciting! So, make sure to spend some time doing just that, getting excited. Whether that be buying knew suits and briefcases or just chatting to friends about it. This new chapter of your life will no doubt be a completely crazy one, it definitely felt like that for me and my colleagues, but try not to worry about what you can't do and just get ready to enjoy it.
I hope some of these tips come in handy for any of you getting ready for the BPTC this year.
And remember:
"Sometimes the most productive thing to do is relax." -Mark Black
Thanks for reading!
Monica x