^ Thank you Jimmy this is such a helpful reply!!
Sorry if this is going off track a little, but I see in your signature you're doing law/arts at Monash. As someone with similar aspirations of studying law, I was wondering what made you choose LLB at Monash over say, BA/JD at Melbourne? I'm bouncing back and forth between Monash and Melbourne for law and I'm keen to hear different opinions Thank you!
Hi Prag, absolutely no worries with that question, and am happy to answer it. Whilst all my responses will be irrespective of 'non-uni specific' factors, I will admit I live a lot closer to Monash, so it was always going to be a higher priority for me than Melbourne. Anyhow, into the factors you're interested in!
One of the big bonuses of doing Monash Undergrad is the 'guaranteed' aspect of it. If you do well enough in VCE, you'll get an offer and
know that, as long as you pass all the units, you're guaranteed to get the degree. It may not seem like much, but it's a big weight off the shoulders. Also, I've heard the Arts/Comm degrees at Melbourne can get really competitive to try and get into those Post-grad spots. Whilst Monash Law will presumably be highly competitive also, I know I'm going to enjoy the initial process anyway so I'm getting something out of it.
I've heard Melbourne is far more theoretical, and a bit more 'old-school' with their teaching style of the JD, whereas if I wanted to excel my knowledge at Monash after the Undergrad, I could apply for the LLM (Masters) and do so there, in a process that 'sounds' less taxing than even getting into Melbourne Law in the first place. Also, doubling with Arts gives a Global Immersion opportunity, which means at the end of first year we can go to another country to study for three or so weeks which was super enticing, as it's pretty much all expenses paid. The LSAT would scare me, and I'm not the best examination guy, but have strengths in other areas, so grabbing the Monash offer seemed the logical choice. Also, whilst I loved the UniMelb campus, the Monash campus feels a lot more chill and relaxed in comparison.
I can't really 'sell' the Monash Law course yet, nor can I critique it until I go to some lectures, but I can tell you that Monash was always preferred for the Law course in my mind. Everyone I spoke to was in favour of Monash too, and the only people I really heard pumping up Melbourne were the former Melbourne graduates. I was also wary of the 'elitist' vibes that I've heard about at Melbourne. I know you can't necessarily take rumors with much more than a grain of salt, but there's still that grain of salt!
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.