In September 2013, at the impressionable age of 53, I embarked with some trepidation on a taught LLM in Medical Law and Ethics at the University of Kent. Not only was this a significant step up from my undergraduate comfort zone, but it also entailed moving from Ireland where I had spent my entire life. Only four years earlier I had taken the equally daunting step of commencing a night-time LLB at the University of Limerick; my first engagement with formal education since I left secondary school more than thirty years earlier.
So why, you may ask, did I leave it so late to pursue third level education; and why an LLM in Medical Law and Ethics at the University of Kent? Like so many people, my particular personal circumstances were a determining factor. Upon completion of my secondary education I went directly into employment. I later married, had two children and proudly became, what is now commonly referred to as, a “stay at home mum”. However, in 2009, a void was left in my life following the death of my mum and the departure of my youngest child to university. The need to fill that void provided the inspiration and motivation to pursue the LLB.
During my four years at university I felt revitalized by new found friendships with people from different backgrounds some of whom were in employment and some not. I was equally surprised at how my ability to learn the law gave me a new inner confidence not only in the subject but in life generally. On successful completion I was able to contemplate pursuing a masters, something that would have been absolutely unthinkable only four years ago.
So far the postgraduate experience at the University of Kent level has been very positive. In the Medical Law and Ethics programme I have been able to feed the desire that attracted me to law as an education in the first place. My life experience of ‘nursing’ homes and the manner in which vulnerable elderly people are dealt with by the medical and health care establishments has convinced me that they need advocates who are well versed in the law and human rights. Vulnerable children have the same need. I see the LLM programme as tailored to equip me with the knowledge and skills to make a contribution in those fields. An added bonus, actually a privilege, is being taught by some of the country’s foremost experts in subject areas that appeal directly to my interests. Already, so early in the course, this is being complemented by guest lectures from practitioners.
Equally stimulating is the mix of International students on my course; a feature that was almost entirely missing from my Irish experience. Not only does this give me an entrée into other cultures and outlooks, but it also gives me a first hand introduction into how issues that concern me are dealt with in a whole range of other countries and societies. Just as important is the social dimension! For me university is not only an educational experience. It is also a social one, which I look forward to everyday. The ease with which a small group of students from diverse cultural backgrounds and ages mix in a mutually supportive manner is surely one of the greatest strengths of the University of Kent. I have felt accepted and at home from the first week. If I can do it, anyone can do it. The first step is always the most difficult in overcoming doubts about age and social background. In reality, all you need is the desire to succeed.