Alice Porcaro

What motivated you to study at university?

Beside its outstanding academic reputation, I have decided to join City St George's to pursue my undergraduate degree to experience its vibrant, diverse and multicultural community. All my life I have always had a strong interest in discovering the world and learning new languages with the aim of becoming a ‘citizen of the world’; for this reason I have started learning many different foreign languages early on (Spanish, German, French) and took every opportunity to get to know more about other cultures. So I thought, what better place than London?

Studying at City St George's is giving me the opportunity to broaden my horizons, both morally as a human being and academically with a solid foundation for my career perspectives. Thanks to City St George's, I finally have the opportunity to follow my dreams while getting to know more and more about our world through people from completely different backgrounds. The best of it, is that there are no differences or gaps when it comes to forming a single and strong community in which, just like a puzzle, every single of us can contribute by adding a little piece of our knowledge or culture.

Why have you chosen to study Law?

As someone deeply committed to making a positive impact on society and giving back to the community, I wanted to study law because l have always believe that law has the potential to be a tool, offering a unique opportunity and skills to be able to make a in impact on society.

Studying law doesn’t only just mean I can practice law in the future, but also use my knowledge as a tool to help people navigate and advocate for their rights. A good lawyer is, in my opinion, a pillar of a community. A laywer's role extends beyond the mere paperwork but it encompasses being an advocate for justice, a trusted advisor and most importantly, an empathetic listener.

Someone who generously shares one of the most valuable wealth ever known, is knowledge. Throughout my life, particularly coming from a disadvantaged area, I’ve dreamt about becoming a solicitor to fill a gap by being able to tailor my knowledge to clients, upholding the rule of law within the society and ensuring equal access to justice.

How are you funding your studies? Did you secure any financial support?

As an international student, I am funding the studies privately.

Having this opportunity has been a real sacrifice for my family, who luckily had the opportunity to support me in this journey and is extremely proud of me!

What does a typical week at university look like for you?

A typical week at university can vary a lot according to the year. I usually have lectures only on Thursdays and Fridays, which has been life-saving for me as I am undertaking a placement as part of one of my modules and I am also writing a dissertation!

“Why are you doing law? It's so much work!” might be one of the most cliché questions that every single law student has to answer throughout their studies.

I believe thanks to City St George's schedules and assessment seasons, the programme is well structured to allow students to do some independent study and research throughout the week, having time to enjoy your social life as a student during the weekend!

What has been your favourite module or aspect of your course so far?

One of the things that particularly surprised me about my academic journey at City St George's is the opportunity that the University offers to its students to connect and learn through an expert-international range of academics.

Many of my lecturers have in fact qualified internationally in top-ranking schools, contributed to international research and most importantly, to policy-making itself. This gave me the opportunity to have a broader perspective of law through their knowledge, dreaming to have a brilliant career ahead of me just like them!

Thanks to the many connections within The City Law School, I was also able to attends numerous events that profoundly changed and enhanced my perspective, helping me in choosing what may be best for my career.

From the Royal Court of Justice to the United Kingdom’s Parliament, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in places that have made the history of this country, making me feel like a part of it myself.

What are your career plans and how is City St George's preparing you for them?

Choosing my career plan has been extremely complicated. I feel like no one can really prepare you to start your adult life and enter the 'grown-ups world' until you are in the situation. After a lot of contemplation, I have decided I want to become a solicitor.

As someone deeply committed to making a positive impact on society and giving back to the community, I want to become a solicitor because l have always believe that law has the potential to be a mean, offering a unique opportunity to fulfil my mission.

Thanks to City St George's, I have had the opportunity to train with the Pro Bono Community, and am currently working on my placement at Debt Free Advice. This experience has made me realise how much being a lawyer goes further than paperwork and deadlines.

A solicitor is, in my opinion, a pillar of a community. A solicitor’s role extends beyond the mere paperwork but it encompasses being an advocate for justice, a trusted advisor and most importantly, an empathetic listener.

Have you spoken to careers consultants to help you formulate plans for post-graduation? If so, what did you think of the advice and support you received.

As my undergraduate experience is coming to an end, I can say I’ve had the best academic advisor. I have not personally spoken to the career consultants yet, but have relied lots on my academic advisor.

Dr Patrick Goold has in fact demonstrated to be a kind lecturer, a good advisor and most importantly, a good listener. He has always recommended to me all the suitable future avenues for my career and ensured I was never discouraged from how competitive the industry can be.

As part of my modules, I have also had the opportunity to further expand my skills and commercial awareness thanks to the Legal Skills & Practice modules. It helped me in so many ways to understand the industry, and most importantly, helped me writing successful CV's and interviews.