My name is Chidumam Onyewuchi, and I am a Nigerian. I was on the law & politics IFP for the 2019/2020 academic session, and I am currently a law undergraduate at the university of Warwick pursuing an LLB Law. I chose to study at the IFP due to its prestige as one of the most respected foundation programmes in the UK and its high progression rates to top UK universities. I chose to study on the law and politics pathway as I saw it as an ideal means for a progression to Warwick to study law. I was also further attracted by the module composition that the Warwick IFP offered in stark comparison to other foundation programmes in the UK. Warwick IFP offered law modules such as Contract law, Tort law, Constitutional law, administrative law and more theoretical modules like Politics and International Relations.

I was pleasantly surprised by how the module content was taught; the law was simplified and made learning typically ‘difficult’ areas of law such as contract law very easy. I remember how in my first contract law class we unknowingly signed contracts agreeing to buy chocolate every Monday for the rest of the year and although it was in a joking context, it immediately stimulated my interest in contract law right from the first class we had. The way module materials such as lecture notes and seminar sheets were also delivered made it extremely easy to understand. I also had amazing teachers who made learning fun through activities like crime-solving exercises, linking pictures to case facts and doing presentations and debates, which enhanced my personal and academic skills. I also enjoyed doing reflections after assessments which gave me an opportunity to internally reflect on things I did right and wrong in preparing for an assessment and helped me to self-reflect and improve before the next assessment. The IFP also had modules tailored to adjust and assimilate international students into the UK system of learning such as Inquiry and Research Skills for Law and English for Academic Purposes where we learnt skills essential to our future degrees such as referencing, research and essay writing.

Additionally, I had exciting experiences that made my year even more interesting. We got to do a moot court session where we were given case facts and split into groups to build compelling cases for and against. We had to research and prepare moot bundles, dress up in formal wear and argue before a judge which had me feeling like a real barrister and was the highlight of my foundation experience. I also enjoyed getting to visit the houses of Parliament and watch a case argued at the supreme court!

It was not all academic though as I got to join numerous societies whilst I was an IFP student such as the hip-hop society, and the African Caribbean Society and I even became the Secretary of Warwick’s Nigerian Society whilst on the IFP.

I am currently going into my final year at Warwick on the LLB 3 Year qualifying law degree and I gained a lot of knowledge on the IFP which has transferred to my degree, especially in my contract, constitutional, administrative and tort law modules which I have also studied whilst at Warwick. I even sometimes refer to my old IFP notes in modules which I do in uni. Additionally, I have participated in mooting events after the IFP created an interest in mooting for me which has continued to uni.

My experience on the Warwick IFP helped assimilate me into the UK system of learning and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering doing a foundation programme in the UK.