Harper May ’24 is in her first year studying law at the University of Bristol, ranked No. 3 in the United Kingdom for legal research and is among the Top-5 most targeted universities by top UK employers.
“Being at Bristol has been a refreshing new experience,” she said. “I’ve met so many new people and I’m enjoying the challenge of law school.”
Harper was relieved as she arrived feeling academically prepared, thanks in part to SMUS’s Law 12 and AP Comparative Government courses.
“Law 12 gave me a confident foundation,” she said, pointing to her early recognition of key legal concepts—like being able to distinguish a valid contract from “mere puffery,” thanks to the famous Carbolic Smoke Ball case. She strongly encourages future SMUS students interested in direct-entry law programs to take both courses.
Bristol’s law degree spans three years, and the first is pass/fail—designed to give students time to adjust.
“Students seem worn out after their A-Levels,” Harper said. “They need a year to recover.”
Only her second and third-year marks will count toward her final degree classification. One of her favourite courses is Law and State, which explores constitutional rights. Her week includes just seven contact hours, supplemented by seminars every two weeks and several hours of independent study each day—often in the silent law library in the historic Wills Memorial Building. Wednesdays are reserved for extracurriculars, with no classes scheduled.
Settling Into Life Abroad
Harper lives in a single room in a residence hall in Bristol’s North Village, not far from a scenic green space called “The Downs.” Her meal plan covers two meals a day, so she buys lunch on campus and prepares dinner on weekends. A student bus pass makes commuting simple. She was surprised to have to secure housing for her second year so soon after arriving, but she’s looking forward to moving in with seven female students next fall. Having a UK-based guarantor made the rental process easier—a significant help, considering rent is about £200 a week (roughly $1,500 CAD plus bills, over 12 months).
Her residence is near the university’s sports centre, where she trains with the women’s rugby team. At SMUS, Harper captained the Senior Girls Rugby team, and now, after recovering from a torn ACL, she’s thrilled to be running again.
Making new friends has come easily for the outgoing and friendly student, though she’s opted out of any “party culture” in favour of occasional social outings to the local pub. Though she assumed the UK would feel similar to Canada, she’s been surprised by the cultural differences.
“It’s a very different place,” she said, noting the “massive class divide” as one of the most eye-opening aspects of life in Britain.
Harper began planning to study law in the UK during Grade 10 and applied in Grade 12 through the UCAS system. She also completed the LNAT, a standardized test required by many UK law schools.
“It’s quite similar to the AP Language and Composition exam, with reading comprehension, multiple choice, and essay writing,” she said.
Her advice? “Keep up with current events—I subscribed to the Sunday Times online—and do lots of practice tests to get used to the format and the types of questions.”
This summer, Harper will return to Victoria for an internship. Next year, she hopes to find summer work in Bristol or London. After completing her degree, she plans to begin the accreditation process in Canada to qualify for legal work back home.
Reflecting on her time at SMUS, Harper says she misses the sense of community. “You go from knowing most people on campus to hardly knowing anyone. There are almost 30,000 students here. I really value the connections I made at SMUS.”
