Now we know what it’s like studying a Bachelor of Law (Honours) at ANU, but are you wondering what the study experience is really like?
Khushi Arora is a Bachelor of Law (Honours) student and she talks about her experience studying at ANU — the good aspects and the not-so-good parts of the degree.
Let’s get right into it!
Why should you study a Bachelor of Laws at ANU?
Top 3 Pros of a Law Degree
Top 3 Cons of a Law Degree
Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make
Things to Know Before Starting an ANU Bachelor of Laws
What Makes this Degree Different
Motivations for Studying an ANU Bachelor of Laws
Potential Career Paths
Why should you study a Bachelor of Law (Honours) at ANU?
Compared to other universities in the States and Territories, ANU is a smaller university meaning that students are able to access support from both their peers and academics easily. ANU runs smaller classes for their students, enabling everyone to get support directly from their students.
Furthermore, students are able get in touch with academics who are higher up and emails are replied to in a timely manner.
Khushi talks fondly of living on campus, noting that help is always easily accessible whether it be from the College of Law or from their peers — there is always someone to go to for advice who is within walking distance.
Furthermore, ANU is located right in Canberra, providing students with access to some high profile figures and experts.
“The Foundations of Law are in Canberra and ANU provides opportunities here and after the degree in Courts, Parliaments and embassies,” Khushi notes.
Top 3 Pros of a Law degree
#1: Convenience
Most students who study at ANU will either live in college or live close to university.
Everything is conveniently located and Khushi says, “My favourite thing would be having access to the Law library and all my lecture halls, like five minutes away. I think the convenience of everything is probably my favourite.”
#2: Support
Being a smaller university, ANU is able to offer students with individual support from their teaching staff. “Very much like high school, you get the support you need from your Law tutors. They all want to be there and it is very obvious that they want to teach,” Khushi describes.
Additionally, with most students living on campus, someone is always just down the hallway to help you with Law or offer you a listening ear when things get tough.
#3: Passionate and knowledgeable academics
Khushi continuously emphasised the passion and expertise of the lecturers and tutors who teach in ANU stating that “they really want to see you succeed”.
ANU is one of the top law schools in Australia with several notable law lecturers as academics. The Head of ANU Law, Profession Anthony Connolly is the Editor-in-Chief of Australia’s leading journal on federal law, the Federal Law Review.
Top 3 Cons of a Law degree
#1: The Law bubble
When asked what her least favourite thing about studying Law at ANU was, Khushi took a really long time to think of an answer before joking, “There’s a lot of Law students at ANU, so you can’t escape the Law bubble.”
Many students at ANU are part of the Law cohort, so if you want to expand your network and meet students who aren’t studying Law, you should consider joining societies of interest to you!
#2: Being organised is key
Studying Law is no walk in the park — despite enjoying her degree of a Bachelor of Law (Honours) at ANU, Khushi admits that it can be hard. With strict deadlines, mandatory tutorials and class participation being marked, Law demands its students to keep on top of their workload and to be organised.
#3: Finding a work-life balance
Khushi talks about needing to allocate time to a social life, to yourself and extracurriculars to maintain a holistic life while studying.
Any regrets?
Although Khushi has no regrets about studying Law she advises high schoolers that:
She continues stating, “I don’t have any regrets doing Law because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. But when I did it, I realised how full on and how high the expectations were so the only regret I have is not doing my research and learning more about a Law degree before I started.”
What do you wish you had known before starting a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at ANU?
Law is a massive commitment, and this is the case for studying a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at ANU. Khushi warns that studying Law is not easy and it can be very competitive and cut-throat.
Although there is support and solidarity among Law students at ANU, at the end of the day, each individual is striving to do their best. Khushi adds, “Law is definitely not a degree to do because you meet the ATAR requirements or because you don’t know what else to do.”
Despite the challenges that come with studying Law, Khushi notes that she has grown a lot as “a Law degree makes you realise you are in the real world. A Law degree pushes you to be an adult and realise the consequences of your actions”.
In an Honours course a Distinction average needs to be maintained. In our conversation, Khushi notes that there is certainly a pressure to do well, however it does not impact on how she studies for her Law degree on a day to day capacity.
She states that it is inspiring and motivating to be accepted into Honours and while there may be pressure felt in every exam and assignment you submit, it motivates her to work harder.
Shortly before moving to the next question, Khushi exclaimed, “Oh! I wish someone told me how expensive law textbooks are and how heavy they are!”
What makes this degree different from the ones offered at other universities?
ANU is the top university in Australia, and its location in Canberra presents undergraduate students with a range of Law opportunities. To study Law in Canberra, where the foundations of law are, provides students with many opportunities to find jobs and internships in the Courts, embassies, parliament or private law with access to some very high profile figures and experts.
As Khushi has pointed out before, ANU is a smaller university in comparison so there is easy access to help and support whether it be from your peers, tutors, lecturers or even the College of Law. Furthermore, with most students boarding at ANU, you can save time on travelling so that you are able to focus on your education.
What inspired you to choose this degree?
“I always knew I wanted to do Law. That’s something I’ve always been passionate about and I didn’t have any other degree in mind. I’m really happy it is something I wanted to do and not something I was pushed into. I can see how it will be a very hard degree to do for five years if I did not enjoy it,” shares Khushi.
Khushi chose to study in ANU as she wanted to live away from home and be independent. Besides being able to study at the best university in Australia, she has been able to come into herself as a person and make friends from all over Australia and overseas!
What are the possible career paths?
While a Bachelor of Law (Honours) is often viewed as leading straight into a legal career, depending on what double degree you pair it with, there are a range of career options.
Graduating from a Law degree, you may find yourself working in private and public sectors, in law and legal practice roles. Though, by studying a Bachelor of Laws at ANU, you could also end up in careers such as:
- Law and legal practice
- Politics
- Journalism
- Public policy
- Global diplomacy
- Government
- The Arts
- Finance and business
To learn more about other careers you can pursue as a Law graduate, head here!
Tiffany Fong is currently completing a double degree in Media and Communications with Law at Macquarie University. She currently contributes to the university zine, Grapeshot where she enjoys writing feature articles, commentary on current affairs or whatever weird interest that has taken over her mind during that month. During her spare time, Tiffany enjoys reading, writing, taking care of her plants or cuddling with her two dogs.
