A Day In The Life of a Law Student (3 Viewers)

[Aquawhite]

On the conference call with a client and bosses:

Client: [rather distressed] I've been unlawfully fired, and would like to sue for unfair dismissal.
Boss: What happened?
Client: My supervisor told me that I was being fired for being ineffective, dishonesty, and performing tasks inefficiently. But it's all bullshit
Me: How do you know that, m'am?
Client: It's because I smoke, and took a few smoke breaks a day.
Me: Where abouts did you work, m'am?
Client: NSW Cancer Council

Me: *facepalm*
Boss: *bashes head onto desk*

That seriously happened? bahaha

 

[Aerath]

That seriously happened? bahaha

No joke.

 

[Aquawhite]

Must spread more rep! That story is gold.

 

[TehAzner]

On the conference call with a client and bosses:

Client: [rather distressed] I've been unlawfully fired, and would like to sue for unfair dismissal.
Boss: What happened?
Client: My supervisor told me that I was being fired for being ineffective, dishonesty, and performing tasks inefficiently. But it's all bullshit
Me: How do you know that, m'am?
Client: It's because I smoke, and took a few smoke breaks a day.
Me: Where abouts did you work, m'am?
Client: NSW Cancer Council

Me: *facepalm*
Boss: *bashes head onto desk*

lol best story that I've heard in a while.

And as a side note, BoS sure has changed since the last time I logged in last year. Also if you think 2000 word essays are bad, wait till you get till 4th/5th year when you'll be doing 3000 word problem questions and possibly 5000+ research essay on things like Migration law

Also good luck to everyone who are in exam mode at the moment. Might troll the forums here more once again.

 

[Aerath]

criminal law sucks horse testicles

I can attest to this. FML, freaking defences.

 

[jaychouf4n]

Some say yes, some say no. At the end of the day - your law degree is what you make it to be.

One of the greatest things about UNSW Law is open book exams. It saves people like me who are horrendous at memorising cases/statutes.

I also love the fact that law lectures are ALWAYS from 9-11, 11-1, 2-4, 4-6. The consistency makes me happy, because it means you can get 2 day time tables even when full timing.

 

[Aerath]

One of the greatest things about UNSW Law is open book exams. It saves people like me who are horrendous at memorising cases/statutes.

I also love the fact that law lectures are ALWAYS from 9-11, 11-1, 2-4, 4-6. The consistency makes me happy, because it means you can get 2 day time tables even when full timing.

I actually prefer closed book. I'm not too bad at memorising cases. Statute is usually provided in any case.

Ergh, I wish I could get my timetable into two days. USYd sucks.

 

[annagurl]

On the conference call with a client and bosses:

Client: [rather distressed] I've been unlawfully fired, and would like to sue for unfair dismissal.
Boss: What happened?
Client: My supervisor told me that I was being fired for being ineffective, dishonesty, and performing tasks inefficiently. But it's all bullshit
Me: How do you know that, m'am?
Client: It's because I smoke, and took a few smoke breaks a day.
Me: Where abouts did you work, m'am?
Client: NSW Cancer Council

Me: *facepalm*
Boss: *bashes head onto desk*

ahahaha :')

oh my god

 

[izzy88]

I actually prefer closed book. I'm not too bad at memorising cases. Statute is usually provided in any case.

Ergh, I wish I could get my timetable into two days. USYd sucks.

ugh i very much dislike closed book exams, and I have two this week I think the thing that is difficult is that you get used to open book, and the fact that sometimes it just seems pointless. In the workforce you will research stuff/look it up. I can kind of understand it if the course assesses basics they think you should know, and that doesn't really change with time (eg. equity this afternoon). However, closed book for corporations law (exam on thursday) is just silly. There is so much is legislation, and there's hardly any point memorising it, since in all likelihood by the time I get to practice, the legislation will have changed anyway :S

At usyd, you can get two day a week timetable in 5th year and generally 4th year. However, as with anything, in 5th year it purely depends on which subjects you choose. ie. you can choose subjects you want to do, with the acknowledgement that since they only run one stream, you're stuck with whatever timetable that occurs. Or you can choose any subjects based on a timetable of 9-6 two days a week. You may not do the subjects you want, but you can get a two day a week timetable.

 

[izzy88]

one exam down, and now another closed book for thursday! what makes it worse is that facebook status' from my '5th yr law' friends have started popping up along the lines of 'i'm finished with uni forever', and I've still got a year and a bit to go.

 

[Bobbo1]

Wow, want to know more about your lives as a law student!

 

[izzy88]

Wow, want to know more about your lives as a law student!

in summary: fun yet tiring/stressful. little sleep was had the past couple of days. luckily now though I've only got exam to go next thursday, and its open book. The only downside is its probably one of the more complex/confusing subjects ive done this semester (real property).

 

[Bobbo1]

Hmm, still can't decide whether to do commerce/science (adv maths), i.e. actuarial at unsw or do law at a different uni...

 

[Aerath]

Bleh. Criminal Law exam. Thought I bombed it pretty badly.

 

[Bobbo1]

Could I ask what makes up your exams? Is it just straight out essays or is there like m/c and short answers as well?

 

[Aerath]

Find attached.
View attachment 067610A.pdf

 

[izzy88]

Could I ask what makes up your exams? Is it just straight out essays or is there like m/c and short answers as well?

depends on the subject and the lecturers. Generally, there will always be at least one problem question - one page factual scenario and either a 'advise x' or shorter subquestions you have to answer based on the problem. This is pretty standard for law. Although my corporations exam had a two and a half page factual scenario (which is pretty long in the scheme of things), and three questions based on it.

Sometimes an essay question. And this year I had my first exams that also included multiple choice and true/false questions. Some law exams will give you choices (eg. there are four questions, answer two), and some will just all be compulsory.

Most law exams tend to be open book (can bring in any notes/textbooks etc), but some are closed book. Some have a variation on that (ie. can bring in annotated course outline or something).

 

[apollo1]

Find attached.
View attachment 23585

lol

lol 30 minute reading time plus its annotated open book. they must mark pretty harsh.

 

[Bobbo1]

Idk, whether it's just because its 1 week after HSC or whether I'm having second thoughts but that block of text just really looks unappealing :S, although the questions look really interesting (so unlike HSC English!!). How much are you expected to write, going off HSC standards, it'll be 45 mins per question, so like 1100ish words??

 

[izzy88]

lol

lol 30 minute reading time plus its annotated open book. they must mark pretty harsh.

The reading time is to read the questions, pick which ones you are going to do, and allow you to start planning answers. When the factual scenarios are quite long, its really good to have that time.

What makes exams difficult is the application of what you've learnt - the rules, the principles, - to the problem questions. Its tricky, and there are always things they can throw in to complicate matters, make it difficult. You can't just memorise and regurgitate stuff (most of the time anyway). The other thing, is with law, there is a lot of the time not necessarily a 'right' answer - it can be up to discretion as to which way an problem may turn - you have to argue what you think is the right approach (and discuss the alternatives).

They will also expect more from answers where it was open book and not closed book.