Law at Uni (2 Viewers)

[NizDiz]

What is Law at Uni like? Who would suit law (what your good/ strengths)?

 

[Crobat]

Foundies are alright so far, thought-provoking and fun for the most part but I don't think they represent what the actual law subjects are like. I would say someone who is naturally a critical thinker would suit law quite well, and someone with patience enough to read through pages and pages for one or two lines.

 

[timeslowsdown]

I'm really not in a position to give you advice as I'm a first year - but from doing foundies and a bit of torts, I'd say if you're interested in how society works, is structured and governed etc then you may like law. If you like to question things and problem solve you may also like it. Obviously, it's a heavy text based course - there's lots of readings, but you get better at reading as you go. I didn't know if law was going to be right for me (I'm still not 100% sure), but I just went for it and I'm really enjoying it! Hopefully the enjoyment will last But yeah my advice is just go for it if you have an interest and not be afraid to drop out if you don't like it.

 

[wannaspoon]

if you are thinking about studying law get ready to get fat and become an anxious mess...

for instance:

this is me at the moment...

what I have become...

 

[Sathius005]

I went to law school for one subject (Business Law and Ethics) and managed to get 85 per cent (High Distinction) at the University of Technology, Sydney. This is a foundation Law subject. It covers a broad range of core LLB topics drawn from the traditional areas such as legal history, contracts, corporation law, tort law and consumer protection law. This subject imparts a risk management or proactive approach to law. This differs from the reactive and crisis management approach which used to be taught in the olden days (e.g. two decades ago). This subject is designed for law and business students.

Risk management is the process of reducing foreseeable harm to stakeholders.
Legal liability is the state of being responsible or accountable for something within the legal framework.

Proactive- controlling or managing a risk rather than responding to it afterwards. This approach helps get the right outcomes.

 

[Sathius005]

My friend Crobat said the following about my approach to the study of law. "Wow that's really proficient. Truth be told I don't make notes. I just simply read the chapter and make sure I understand everything as best I can. The only notes I take are definitions of the latin terms and anything that require a procedural approach like writing case notes, determining the ratio, etc. I find that knowledge retention comes from a solid understanding of concepts, so that's kind of my approach to studying in general and it's always worked for me."

 

[Sathius005]

How do you read a law textbook/ make notes?
I read the chapter summary for each chapter. Then I skim read the introduction/ topic sentences, key buzz words(definitions), read the chapter summary again, read the textbook/ tutorial questions and highlight the key points.

Then I read the textbook's highlighted points and chapter summary. I write the chapter summary into my notebook and use the textbook/ tutorial questions as the framework for forming my notes.

 

[wannaspoon]

best way of studying...

**COUGH!** download journal articles **COUGH!** Ctrl F **COUGH**

rock up to lectures, take notes... you will be smarter than the knobs who have the time to read everything...

 

[lawstu]

if you are thinking about studying law get ready to get fat and become an anxious mess...

Yeah. This a thousand times.

One change, though: "more of an anxious mess" or "more of an psychological/emotional mess", unless you're one of those freaks in law school who are balanced or normal. The rest simply fake it till they make it.

 

[Sathius005]

best way of studying...

**COUGH!** download journal articles **COUGH!** Ctrl F **COUGH**

rock up to lectures, take notes... you will be smarter than the knobs who have the time to read everything...

Downloading journal articles is idiotic. You end up failing the subject if you just rely on journal articles. I got HD in a law subject the way I did it was:
- do all the textbook, tutorial, online and past paper questions
- go to all the lectures and tutorials
-make notes
-read the textbook
- do the law assignment
- share notes/ network with other students
-work eight weeks ahead of the class
-have plenty of time for revision
- I did one subject each semester, for my weekly schedule I would do 3 days of reading the textbook/ making notes and 4 days of doing questions.
-aim to get 100 per cent (I got 85 per cent in Business Law and Ethics)

 

[lawstu]

I got HD in a law subject the way I did it was:

What about your other subjects?

As you are graded on a curve, what about the other students? What did they do?

-Aim to do all the textbook, tutorial, online and past paper questions
-go to all the lectures and tutorials
-make notes
-Aim to read the textbook and cases
-do the law assignment
- share notes/ network with other students
-work eight weeks ahead of the class (Are you serious?)
-have plenty of time for revision (Um, consistently revise throughout the semester.)
- I did one subject each semester, for my weekly schedule I would do 3 days of reading the textbook/ making notes and 4 days of doing questions. (What the hell?)
-aim to get 100 per cent (I got 85 per cent in Business Law and Ethics) (You must joking, or is this thing specific to your uni?)

Edit: Hold on... you do Comm., not Law. I have an excellent comic for that. Basically, Business Law and Ethics isn't law. On behalf of everyone who's studying law and who has studied law, please stop thinking that you do law, thanks.


OP, law is hard and sometimes it's plainly stupid or nonsensical.

There are a select few in each cohort that are made for the law and the law is made for them. Generally, those that are 'suited', if there's such a thing, to the law possess acute analytical skills, think quickly, respond well to stress, and have a way with words and the gift of the gab. Those are some of the characteristics of those that I've met who are excellent in the law.

That you have to be dedicated, persevering, studious, and diligent are givens too. You have to work hard and you have to work smart. If you don't put in the yakka, you fail, pass ('cause Ps get degrees and give you options!), or are thankful that everyone else didn't do so well either.

 

[Sathius005]

I studied Business Law and Ethics (BLE) at UTS and it is taught by the faculty of law. It used to be the first law subject (foundations in law subject in 2009 at UTS) for those doing Bachelor of Laws. Now BLE has been replaced by a subject called Perspectives on Law at UTS (the foundation Law subject in 2013 at UTS).

 

[Sathius005]

The other students who did Business Law and Ethics, a little less than 40 per cent failed. So I was lucky to get High Distinction but I did the hard yards that is why I prevailed.

 

[enoilgam]

Edit: Hold on... you do Comm., not Law. I have an excellent comic for that. Basically, Business Law and Ethics isn't law. On behalf of everyone who's studying law and who has studied law, please stop thinking that you do law, thanks.

Having done BOTH real Law degree units and the compulsory Law unit for a business degree, this is definitely true. The Law subject you do in Commerce is just a watered down and summarised version of Law for people who only need a basic knowledge of the subject (i.e. Business students). Real Law subjects are way tougher and far more analytical - I mean, they are just in another league. Also, I should add that even though I dont go to UTS, I'm pretty sure that most "Business Law" units are similar everywhere because the industry bodies which accredit certain Business majors (e.g. Accounting and finance) mandate that these students undertake such a unit.

 

[wannaspoon]

Downloading journal articles is idiotic. You end up failing the subject if you just rely on journal articles. I got HD in a law subject the way I did it was: was not referring to just journal articles, I was referring to anything electronic... cases, ebooks, austlii, your school library website, etc... ctrl f ftw... beats reading god know how many pages of jibberish before you get to something that's relevant... its a quick way to find out whether a certain article, ebook, case, etc is relevant

- do all the textbook, tutorial, online and past paper questions ... next to impossible for a full time student, be selective on your reading that's my advice... half the shit you read is not even relevant...

- go to all the lectures and tutorials - Important, do it... you learn a hell of a lot... but make sure you are really switched on and don't use class time as a social event

- make notes - Important for subject with exams!!!

- read the textbook - Not Important at all, just read it for your assignments and have them available for exams or whenever you need them (Don't buy them just borrow them from the library)... they are expensive as well, for instance, I would not pay about $250 for EU Law textbooks... I'm not bailing out the Greek Government to pay that much for text books... in relation to text books during exams... I never use them in my exams, you don't have time...

- do the law assignment - obviously, otherwise your prospects of passing are slim at best

- share notes/ network with other students - Probably, the MOST! important thing that would be beneficial to you... it also makes the course a bit less mundane...

- work eight weeks ahead of the class - Personal preference but I need the pressure behind me, otherwise I can never get anything done... I like to sit on things for a bit... But, people are different...

- have plenty of time for revision - you have 12 or more weeks to prepare for an exam... don't stress too much... that's not to say you should not revise... but revising is not sitting in front of books for your whole SWATVAC... if you have: taken proper notes as you should during your lectures and tutorials, and done your own notes that are easy to reference and follow during an exam, you should be fine...

- I did one subject each semester, for my weekly schedule I would do 3 days of reading the textbook/ making notes and 4 days of doing questions.

-aim to get 100 per cent (I got 85 per cent in Business Law and Ethics): Quickest way to prime yourself for disappointment, be realistic!!!

put in my input on that list... people are different... not saying this should be followed... call it my method of madness...

things that are important are bold and I underlined things that are not... but again people are different...

don't limit yourself to the prescribed text as well... step out of the boundaries, find your own shit, formulate your own opinion (don't just recite someone else's, but make sure what you say is educated)... that's where the real marks are

 

[lawstu]

I studied Business Law and Ethics (BLE) at UTS and it is taught by the faculty of law. It used to be the first law subject (foundations in law subject in 2009 at UTS) for those doing Bachelor of Laws. Now BLE has been replaced by a subject called Perspectives on Law at UTS (the foundation Law subject in 2013 at UTS).

Indeed. By analogy, those taught watered-down basic sciences by disciplines of medical schools are rightfully to consider themselves being in the same league as medical students.

If you're suggesting that the rigour of business law, criminology, government, etc. studies are similar to that of law or that bush league is comparable to major league, I suggest you reconsider that. Although your suggestions on how to study law, developed and curated from studying business law (at, what, a rate of 1 subject per semester) for business students, have been noted, don't take it too personally that everyone that under advisement with a healthy, but lethal, dose of salt.

Your advice is well-intentioned but portrays how to obtain decent grades, when facing other very actually or apparently intelligent or otherwise capable individuals at stellar institutions, in an unreality. Most of it will not only lead believing law students (I really hope they are in fact more critically thinking than this) not only up the garden path but also to the slaughter.

I do sound quite livid, but I think I have earned that, and I hope to think I have the huevos - or bad sense - to call you out on this shit. I have also the opportunity, privilege, or other entitlement to attend and be taught at a law school. My experiences at law school may be limited, but I have worked my arse off to do well thus far, at a reputable (qualitatively and quantitatively) and a reputable-for-being-brutal law school.

The other students who did Business Law and Ethics, a little less than 40 per cent failed. So I was lucky to get High Distinction but I did the hard yards that is why I prevailed.

Well, rest assured we don't necessarily think any less of you now that you've mentioned this and that you have credited luck.

In law school (and good ones, at that, such as UNSW and the University of Sydney), loads of really smart people fail, even in senior years. And those that don't fail don't necessarily secure Hs. There are some major issues in your argument.

Having done BOTH real Law degree units and the compulsory Law unit for a business degree, this is definitely true. The Law subject you do in Commerce is just a watered down and summarised version of Law for people who only need a basic knowledge of the subject (i.e. Business students). Real Law subjects are way tougher and far more analytical - I mean, they are just in another league. Also, I should add that even though I dont go to UTS, I'm pretty sure that most "Business Law" units are similar everywhere because the industry bodies which accredit certain Business majors (e.g. Accounting and finance) mandate that these students undertake such a unit.

I think this might have been a better way of articulating the nuances between business law for business and business law.

don't limit yourself to the prescribed text as well... step out of the boundaries, find your own shit, formulate your own opinion (don't just recite someone else's, but make sure what you say is educated)... that's where the real marks are

There is nothing new under the sun.

Definitely having something unorthodox helps, so long as you can justify it. That's appears to be what they have been looking for.

 

[wannaspoon]

Oh I did business law ethics... pfffft... ethics is piss... ive personally had the hardest time with contracts and real property... I try not to judge a subject by comparing how many people have failed... find it a bit demeaning towards those people who failed...

Failure is a really important part of life... ive failed at things, what matters is how you deal with failure and how you also finish

 

[ShayK]

If you are doing Legal Studies in high school, it's nothing like that.

For law you have to pretty organised and have an excellent time management skill. You don't really have to read word by word. What I do is firstly I look at the outline of the unit given to read and then have a look at the topics. Skim through and take notes (mostly - the purpose of the legislation, or why is the case so important?)
Moreover, I wouldn't say study guides are the answer, but have a look at the uni library and they will have heaps of resources recommended by the tutors, I found that pretty useful as I ended up using some points out of them, bumping myself to a better mark than expected.

As mentioned, yes always aim high BUT realistically. not say "hey I want 100%", know your abilities, strengths and weaknesses. Plus, as for assignments scheduling and time management = MUST!

In short and simple, as a first year second semester law student, I find it a lot better than expected. Just do the readings, be true to yourself and you'll end up acing the units. Oh and yeah heaps of analysis, sometimes you might have to read thrice or so or sometimes asking the heck were the authors/judges smoking whilst making some decisions :L

PS: I found HSC more fattening than Law I found that I have started to become a more healthier person since I started university.

 

[enoilgam]

Moreover, I wouldn't say study guides are the answer, but have a look at the uni library and they will have heaps of resources recommended by the tutors, I found that pretty useful as I ended up using some points out of them, bumping myself to a better mark than expected.

I found the study guides to be pretty helpful (I had the Oxford ones) - if you need a bit of help understanding a complex concept or whatever, they can help a lot. Obviously though, they cant be your sole means of research/study, they are just a quick reference thing. They have their place and I definitely think they are good for their intended purpose.

 

[Sathius005]

I believe in making your own luck at Law school by working eight weeks ahead of the class. I studied Business Law and Ethics at a top one per cent law school in the world. In BLE in the mid term exam+ individual law assignment+ three bonus marks I got 49/50. This would make me the smartest person in the world. I am very talented law student and way above the average Law student.