Dear Universities – Save your law students now before it is too late!
Law students are known for being rational, intelligent and capable of handling pressure. After all, they have to perfect these qualities on a daily basis. However, universities should not exploit these qualities and believe that they can get away with offering very little support during these challenging times to students who clearly deserve so much more.
Naturally, we can sympathise with every business right now (including universities), given the unprecedented challenges we have all had to navigate. But, we need to be clear, this DOES NOT give businesses (including universities) a free pass to take money and provide significantly less value. THIS IS WRONG regardless of the circumstances!
Sadly, this has been experienced by many law students, most of whom are likely (by now) close to their breaking point. They have, for over 1 year now, likely neither received any formal and structured teaching nor lived in their university accommodation. Yet, they have had to continue paying full price for both and take exams as if nothing has changed.
We therefore wish to emphasise the following message to universities – STOP taking your students for granted. They are PAYING customers and deserve a level of service akin to what any reasonable customer would expect. Just because they are ‘students’, living in ‘student accommodation’, this does not mean that they should be treated with any lesser degree of respect.
PLEASE, do not take these ambitious, determined and (in our experience as law tutors) appreciative people for granted, it will eventually be your last regret. As the world has recently seen an exodus of city workers from cities, universities will witness a significant decline in students going forward, as both classes of people realise they are receiving a raw deal. DO NOT make the mistake of thinking that this cannot happen, because it can and it will.Â
Thankfully, some progress has already been made by many universities and student accommodation owners, as discounts and extension options have been given. On behalf of the law student community (and our law students specifically who often rant to us about this) – THANK YOU! Your efforts have not gone unnoticed. To the rest of the universities and accommodation owners, PLEASE please please learn from these moral acts and follow suit, at least in some way. People do not forget, you will be rewarded in the long-term.
