BlogUniversityPros and Cons of a Bachelor of Laws at UTS

Pros and Cons of a Bachelor of Laws at UTS

Are you interested in studying a Bachelor of Laws at UTS?

We’ve talked to Raagavi, a fourth year Law student at UTS, and she’s told us all the positives and negatives of the degree.

If you’d like to know more about Laws at UTS, in terms of assessments, the culture of the cohort, and the sorts of subjects you take, check out what it’s like studying a Bachelor of Laws at UTS here.

So, let’s jump into it!

Why should you study a Law degree at UTS?
Top 3 Pros of a Law Degree
Top 3 Cons of a Law Degree
Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make
Things to Know Before Starting UTS Law
What Makes this Degree Different
Motivations for Studying UTS Law
Potential Career Paths

Why should you study a Bachelor of Laws at UTS?

As with any degree, it’s important that you’re interested in the subject area and the potential job prospects. If you really enjoyed legal studies in high school, it’s a pretty good indicator that you’d be interested in Laws.

“I find that the people at UTS are pretty nice. Law in general is renowned to be full of privileged students… but when I came to UTS, not knowing anyone, I found that everyone was super welcoming and the community in general is really good at the Law faculty!” Raagavi said. 

Top 3 Pros of a Law degree

#1: Flexibility!

“The flexibility in general!” Raagavi said, “Even with classes you can swap things around. The staff are really accommodating and you can ask them anything at any time.”

A huge stand out for Laws at UTS is the flexibility in numerous aspects of the degree. UTS also acknowledges Laws as a particularly difficult degree, and aims to make it easier on the students.

“For a lot of our assessments you can choose whether you want class participation to count or if you want an additional essay to count. It’s up to you, if you’re an introverted person you can choose the essay option, but if you’re really comfortable and out there you can choose the participation option… so it’s really good in that sense!” Raagavi said.

#2: Student community and staff

Raagavi mentioned the stigma of Law students being competitive and unfriendly, however this isn’t the case for her experience at UTS. The community of students and staff in the Laws faculty are considered incredibly helpful, supportive and overall friendly!

“I haven’t ever come across anyone that’s snobby — which is a huge stigma for Law… So anyone that feels like they’re not a Law student, it’s not a big deal [at UTS].” 

#3: Career support

Although there are no compulsory internships within a Bachelor of Laws at UTS, there is the opportunity to choose an elective that has accredited placement. Nonetheless, UTS have a range of career support programs and facilities to help you find employment after your degree!

Bachelor of Laws UTS - Quote

Top 3 Cons of a Law degree

#1: Heavy workload

As one could expect with a Law degree, there’s a pretty substantial workload, and as Raagavi said, “The reading can be quite excessive.”

Raagavi recommends completing Laws in a double degree, so that each semester you’re only doing two Law subjects (and two subjects from your other degree). You’ll be able to manage your time and workload better, because the majority of the time, that second major will have a lighter workload.

“Don’t pick Law by itself, make it a double degree… There’s a likely chance you’ll be able to merge the two [degrees] together.”

#2: It’s a demanding degree

With such a heavy workload, a Bachelor of Laws becomes quite a demanding degree. Of course there are a lot of readings as we just mentioned, but the expectations are considerably high, and markers can be particularly harsh.

So, you’ll find yourself dedicating a lot of your time towards the degree and upcoming assessments. “It can become hard to balance life and uni,” Raagavi said.

Similarly, Law is a pretty competitive degree. Although the students and cohort are generally friendly, everyone is working to very high standards, making it a demanding course.

#3: There are no internships

Not having internships is a pretty big let-down for the degree. As jobs in Law can become pretty hard to find, not having the university place you in internships or other relevant job experience opportunities is a big con.

Although there is the option of choosing an elective where you can complete an accredited internship (meaning it counts towards your degree), this has to be sourced on your own. Don’t be disheartened however, as we mentioned in the pros section, there are a range of other career support programs and opportunities available. 

 

Any regrets? 

“I anticipated it to be difficult… but it changes your perception. I went in thinking I would love the business-law subjects, but I ended up hating them. The good thing with law is that every subject is super different, so you’ll definitely hate some stuff but you’ll definitely love some stuff too.”

“So I guess I don’t really have any regrets, but definitely what I thought it would be like, and what it actually is, was different,” Raagavi said.

What do you wish you had known before starting a Bachelor of Laws at UTS? 

“100% the readings… When I was in Year 12 I was mesmerised by the fact that I was gonna do Law and I was going to be a lawyer, but what Year 12s don’t understand is that the unemployment is huge,” Raagavi said.

“If you’re choosing to study law it’s not because you want to drive a BMW, it’s because you’re interested in it… You should do it only if you’re passionate!”

What makes this degree different from the ones offered at other universities? 

A significant differentiating factor for studying Laws at UTS is the overall vibe and community. Although Laws at UTS can arguably be competitive at times, the cohort is largely friendly and welcoming. 

For Raagavi, she was also looking to do Business. She said, “Their business degrees were quite renowned. I also know people from UTS who said Law or Business was really good at UTS.” 

“The trimesters at UNSW didn’t interest me and I heard that the Law at Macquarie wasn’t as reputable… Word of mouth is a big thing really, if you know people from there, it’s proof that it could be a good choice.”

What inspired you to choose a Bachelor of Laws at UTS?

“When I was in high school I always hated Science and Math, I really liked English and History. I remember Googling what you could do if you liked these subjects… and Law was one of the things that came up!

“Honestly I got really into law shows as well. I liked the law side of Commerce and did Legal Studies in Year 11 and 12. Law is along the same lines as Legal Studies, but it’s just a way more intense version,” Raagavi said. 

What are the possible career paths?

Bachelor of Laws UTS - Careers

There’s a whole range of job prospects that you could enter after completing a Bachelor of Laws at UTS. These career paths also vary depending on whether you completed Laws as an individual degree, or in a double with Communications or Business for instance. 

With a double degree, you might find that there’s a calling for you to enter a communications agency as a lawyer, or work with a certain business as an in-house lawyer. 

Generally speaking, here are a couple career paths that you could pursue with a Bachelor of Laws at UTS:

    • Criminal lawyer
    • Corporate lawyer
    • Intellectual property lawyer
    • Employment Lawyer
    • Immigration Lawyer
    • Bankruptcy Lawyer

So there you have it, the pros and cons, and little details of studying a Bachelor of Laws at UTS. Hopefully this gives you a better idea of what to expect, and can help you decide where you want to go after high school!


Nandini Dhir is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Marketing) and a Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Media and Communications), as a Dalyell Scholar, at Sydney University. She enjoys covering local issues in her area and writing about current events in the media. Nandini has had one of her pieces published in an article with the Sydney Morning Herald. In her free time, Nandini loves doing calligraphy, ballet, and sewing, or is otherwise found coddling her cats.  

 

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