HELP! Arts/law or commerce/law? (1 Viewer)

kaloobshaz

New Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2013
Messages
7
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
Hey guys I really need your help right now. I’m relatively new to this forum and I’ve already started two threads that so many people have viewed but basically ignored. So please write something. Anything. I'm sure it'll help. I know I write a lot but I just have so many questions to ask.

So idk whether I should do arts/law or commerce/law. Genuinely, I am more interested in arts/law. However that doesn’t mean I have no interest in commerce or that I would completely bore myself by doing it.

However, I'm only contemplating arts/law as I hear that commerce/law graduates generally have better job prospects. Is this true? Also, ppl are telling me that arts/law grads tend to get into politics and policy making and stuff whilst commerce/law graduates tend to work at law firms. Seeing that I’m looking at working for law firms in the future, would an arts degree disadvantage me over a commerce degree? Are arts/law grads more, less or equally likely to be employed by law firms in comparison to commerce/law grads?

Also, if I study arts/law and major in history, linguistics and anthropology, would that disadvantage me over arts/law grads who major in subjects more closely related to law?

Finally, ppl tell me that UNSW is better for commerce/law while USYD is better for arts/law. Is this really an important consideration? Isn’t UNSW’s arts faculty pretty good too? And isn’t USYD going to launch some project to improve its business school in 2016 or something? Does anyone know more about this?

Remember, if commerce/law is a more viable option in terms of finding a good job in the future, I’m more than happy to do it. Generally, I learn to love whatever I choose and get, even if it’s not my biggest interest.

So thanks so much for your help guys. Anything relevant would be very much appreciated.

EDIT: Guys I was also thinking about criminology/law. It sounds good but idk anything about it. Does anybody know what it involves? Any thoughts? How are the job prospects for crim/law grads?
 
Last edited:

Trans4M

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2009
Messages
1,225
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
Uni Grad
2016
If you are looking to work at law firms, it doesn't really matter whether you do Arts/Law or Commerce/Law. Arts and Commerce degrees equip you with different skills and depending on the firm, they find certain skills more valuable. I have lots of friends in senior years who did Arts/Law and are now working at Ashurst, Herbert Smith Freehills and King Woods & Mallesons. Same goes with major. The same friends are doing different majors e.g. Philosophy, Languages and History.

A commerce degree probably has higher job prospects because, depending on your major, you can work at accounting firms, KPMG etc, or banks, CBA etc.

The Arts faculty at USYD is known to be one of the best and similarly, the Business faculty (ASB) at UNSW. If you want to do Commerce at USYD or Arts at UNSW, that is also fine. Both USYD and UNSW are great univiersities and so it doesn't make a huge difference where you do Arts or Commerce.

I don't know too much about Criminology/Law sorry. I had a friend who did it and changed to Commerce/Law after a few weeks. At UNSW, you will be doing 3 law subjects in your first semester instead of 1 like every other law degree so it's a bit more challenging. I guess in terms of job prospects you open yourself to law reform and policy work.
 

Crobat

#tyrannosaurusREKT
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
1,151
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Take everything I say with a grain of salt because I'm no expert, just trying to help you out with what I have heard.

However, I'm only contemplating arts/law as I hear that commerce/law graduates generally have better job prospects. Is this true? Also, ppl are telling me that arts/law grads tend to get into politics and policy making and stuff whilst commerce/law graduates tend to work at law firms. Seeing that I’m looking at working for law firms in the future, would an arts degree disadvantage me over a commerce degree? Are arts/law grads more, less or equally likely to be employed by law firms in comparison to commerce/law grads?
This is likely to be true only in the respect that commerce degrees hold more employability potential than arts degrees generally. And people might be saying that because most politicians hold arts/law degrees, probably because of the interest in politics from the arts side of their degree, while commerce/law students would hold more of an interest in working in firms for the big money. I don't think it means you can't work in politics with a commerce/law degree, and neither would it mean you can't work in a law firm with an arts/law degree. I have heard that law firms generally don't care about what your second degree is with law, only that you haven't gone full retard on the law side of your degree, but I would imagine still that commerce/business dual degrees would be preferred due to the practicality of the degree, since they would likely be working closer with other businesses and having employees who understand business as well as the law side of things would be more useful and efficient to them.

Also, if I study arts/law and major in history, linguistics and anthropology, would that disadvantage me over arts/law grads who major in subjects more closely related to law?
Following on from what I said about law firms supposedly not caring about your second degree, it's the same for your major in your second degree and it shouldn't disadvantage you - in fact, studying another language will advantage as long as it's not Celtic or Latin or some dead, obscure language. If your competition was purely arts/law, I would say no entirely, but because you will be competing with commerce/law students I can't really say for sure beyond law firms not paying as much attention to your second degree.

Finally, ppl tell me that UNSW is better for commerce/law while USYD is better for arts/law. Is this really an important consideration? Isn’t UNSW’s arts faculty pretty good too? And isn’t USYD going to launch some project to improve its business school in 2016 or something? Does anyone know more about this?
It would sound that way because USYD Arts is the renowned as the best while UNSW Comm is renowned as the best, but that doesn't mean USYD has a bad business school or that UNSW has a bad Arts school. They are both superb unis with greats departments for both, but considering that on the Law side of things they are both equally regarded as the best (some traditionalists will say USYD has the best but realistically it's not seen as much different any more) the separating factor is literally the Arts school of USYD and ASB at UNSW. This part of your question I can answer with a bit less ambiguity - basically, go to the uni you feel more compatible with. There is no point choosing a uni you don't actually like just because you've heard they are the best in so and so. You will not enjoy your time at uni which will impact on everything from your marks to your social life to your networking abilities. Attend both unis' open days if you like, learn more about the atmosphere/social life at the unis and figure out which one you like more and go there.
 

flashyGoldFish

Active Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2013
Messages
465
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
Best thing is to base this on your political views
Are you a strong leftie, liberal douchebag? Then go arts/law.
Are you a right wing who just wants to make all the money imaginable? go com/law
 

wannaspoon

ремове кебаб
Joined
Aug 8, 2012
Messages
1,401
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
Uni Grad
2014
com/law for sure...

/thread...
 

kaloobshaz

New Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2013
Messages
7
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
Thanks everyone. I've basically figured that studying arts/law isn't going to screw me up, but that studying commerce law would be a bit better in terms of finding a job in the future.
Anyone else have anything to share?
 

OzKo

Retired
Joined
Jul 17, 2007
Messages
9,892
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Uni Grad
2013
What areas of law interest you?
 

ncoul

Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Messages
259
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
I've heard that regarding employability from top tier firms, arts/law and int'l studies/law graduates are the most sought after. I previously thought a finance background would naturally suit a corporate position, but it turns out that the rounded graduate is prioritised - That's not to say you'd have no luck with commerce though.

Do whatever you want.
 

kaz1

et tu
Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
6,960
Location
Vespucci Beach
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2009
Uni Grad
2018
mate did this and he's now working at mitre10 full time

/thread
it's probbly because he's you're mate not because of the degree

unsw has a nice acturial studies/law degree.
actuarial is sooo bad, they take all the shitty boring parts of maths and they put it all together in one subject and that's actuarial and on top of that you have a faggy law degree where you constantly do shitty readings. jumping off a skyscraper degree if i ever saw one
 

Spiritual Bean

The only
Joined
Jun 12, 2012
Messages
290
Location
Suburbia
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
it's probbly because he's you're mate not because of the degree



actuarial is sooo bad, they take all the shitty boring parts of maths and they put it all together in one subject and that's actuarial and on top of that you have a faggy law degree where you constantly do shitty readings. jumping off a skyscraper degree if i ever saw one
even then, he still knows the difference between your and you're
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top