Jasmine Luo is an international student studying the LPC at our London Moorgate campus. After coming to the UK from China, Jasmine decided she wanted to start a society to provide extra support to other international students. We caught up with her to discuss her experience at ULaw and how societies have changed her life.
By Editorial Team. Published 17 April 2020. Last updated 11 January 2023.
When I first started looking at universities I liked the location of Moorgate and the campus seemed nice. After I completed the GDL there, I decided to stay and study the LPC as I enjoyed the course and all the tutors were very helpful and knowledgeable. My ambition is to become a qualified solicitor in England and work internationally.
Annita Sophocleous from the International Team has really helped me through my transition from GDL (now PGDL) to LPC. I was unsure about which Master programme to study with the LPC and she explained everything to me and gave me a lot of insights. Later when I co-founded the International Students Society, Annita supported my initiative and helped us find a supervisor for our very first event.
Aditi from the Employability Service provided me with a lot of support and advice throughout my application process. She was very critical of my applications, which was crucial for me to improve. She also helped me practise for interviews and assessment centres, and encouraged me to be confident.
I am the co-Founder and currently the President of the International Students Society. Through founding and running the Society I have met two of my best friends and also built professional connections with future trainees and tutors at the University. Apart from the social aspect, the experience also helped me hone my organisation skills and my ability to manage projects and meet the deadlines, which are skills important to a career in law.
I am also a member of the LGBT+ Society, Women Solicitors Network and the Social Committee. I enjoy their events very much and met many friends through these opportunities. Through Women Solicitors Network, I met ULaw alumna Miranda Brawn who has been incredibly inspirational and supportive towards BAME students.
I met my best friend, Lenie at a Women Solicitors Network event. It turned out that weshare a lot of common interests and we both wanted to start a society for international students. We’re both international - she is from Canada and I'm from China - and we wanted to help fellow international students adapt to a new environment and make friends. So we decided to be the first ones to build aninternational community.
In July 2018, we founded the International Students Society and have since held three very successful events supported by funds from ULaw. We now have more than 65 members just at Moorgate campus and the next step on our agenda is to engage the students at Bloomsbury. It’s important because it builds a platform for international students to socialise and share their law-related experiences. We also invite speakers to share their professional stories to inspire students and provide them with career advice.
My friendship with Lenie grew with the Society and we actually became flatmates last September. Living with my best friend meant every day was a fun day - we would come home and cook dinner together, for example, and chat about our day. We also hosted a housewarming party and a New Year's Eve party, which were both huge success.
I’ll take away a lot of skills from ULaw; communication skills, organisation skills, resilience, professionalism, international outlook and teamwork.
I’d advise any students starting at ULaw to make the most out of your time here – study is not everything, join a society or start one yourself. Take advantage of the pro bono opportunities and attend the social events to meet people from all over the world.
If I hadn’t been a member of societies I would have missed out on lots of fun social events and helpful career advice. Most importantly, it has made a home for all the internationals as well as for everyone who is interested in learning about different cultures.
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