Law is one of the most competitive disciplines in universities. Once you graduate, you’ll compete with your peers on a professional level. Your skills and experience will make the most difference at that point. However, knowledge is an important part of your expertise, and we should never underestimate it.
You have the greatest opportunity to invest some time in online courses while you’re still at college. Every student who wants a degree in law will take similar university courses. You want to go beyond that point if you want to be a better expert before you even graduate.
Reasons for Law Students to Take Additional Online Courses
Table of Interests
1. Online Courses Boost Your Writing Skills
University professors often demand law students to complete essays and other written projects. Academic writing is an essential skill for them to develop. It’s connected to conducting research, debating, and making a strong point. But many students think: “I’m not good enough at academic writing, so I’ll hire a pro to write my law essay for me.” That’s a fair point. Your professors teach specific subjects, and none of them is 100% dedicated to academic writing.
Teacher comments for students’ writing are often related to weak thesis statements, lack of logical flow, and even bad grammar. The only way to improve your research paper writing skills is to learn the rules and practice. A dedicated online course can help with that. It will teach you about research, logical writing, referencing, and the process of grading college papers. Once you master this foundation, it will be easy for you to write essays.
2. They Are Flexible And Convenient
Although online courses are an added responsibility to your regular university courses, they are still convenient. You can take them at any time, without the need to attend any scheduled lectures. You won’t need to make trips to the library, since all studying resources will be provided.
Online courses give students more than enough time to go through the entire material and complete the assignments. There’s no magic spell for good grades; you’ll still have to dedicate time and effort to complete a high-quality online course. Still, the process is much more relaxed when
compared to on-campus courses. Some online courses include a student contract for grades, which transforms the grading process into an agreement between the student and professor.
3. You Can Learn Anything Online
General law courses are available online, but there’s so much more than that. You can learn anything, from communication to computer science. Some niches may seem irrelevant to your future profession in law, but they can help you develop different parts of your personality and
intellect.
For example, a high-quality course in human resources won’t turn you into an HR professional overnight, but it will help you understand the human force behind each organization. This knowledge will help you develop important professional connections in the future.
Best Online Courses for Law Students
The choice will ultimately depend on your preferences. But these are some of the most useful courses that law students can take online:
1. Academic and Business Writing by BerkeleyX
You can take this course through edX. It introduces you to academic and business writing. You’ll find these skills useful during and after your university studies. The lectures help you understand different styles of writing and referencing. You’ll also go through the different stages of writing: research, writing, and revision/editing.
The course is supported by assignments. The lecturing team will offer tips on how you can improve your writing style.
2. Public Policy Short Courses by Oxford University
The Blavatnik School of Government Online offers a variety of courses in Public Policy through
Keystone. The course doesn’t specify any entry requirements. But keep in mind that it’s a Masters- level course, so it’s more challenging than casual online programs.
The course teaches you how to rely on evidence to evaluate policy impacts and bring decisions. You’ll see examples of how policymakers use evidence in practice. The lecturers also cover the ethics of moral leadership.
3. Chemerinsky on Constitutional Law – Individual Rights and Liberties by UCI
The beauty of online learning is that you can take courses from the most renowned legal scholars even if they don’t teach at your university. Erwin Chemerinsky is a distinguished Professor of Law.
This course, which is available on Coursera, is for beginner-level law enthusiasts. It focuses on the individual liberties that the Constitution protects, and provides a deeper understanding of the First Amendment. When you complete the course, you’ll earn a shareable certificate.
Stay Competitive!
The legal industry is fierce. It’s hard for legal experts to stay profitable and find clients on a regular basis. It’s important to expand your knowledge and skills into different areas of law and other disciplines. Online courses make that easy!
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