Monash Law/Commerce or Law/Engineering

[DavidSheena]

Hey guys,

I was just wondering what you're opinion is on the two combinations mentioned in the title. What are the contact hours like? What's the workload like for Engineering? And what you think would be the better option? I have Law/Commerce first but Law/Engineering seems as appealing to me.

Cheers

[ninwa]

What do you want to do after uni?

Engineering/law is a very very demanding course load and honestly I can't think of a career where you'd need both degrees.

[DavidSheena]

I want to become a solicitor/barrister after uni. The other degree is just for the sake of having something to fall back on if Law is not my cup of tea, which it may or may not be.

[ninwa]

If you want to be a lawyer you need stellar marks. You're likely not going to manage that if you have engineering subjects to stress out about.

Also, the 6.5 years is with a compulsory overload semester. My friend did that and had about 30 contact hours. She was at uni from 8am to 6pm every. single. day.

She is very bright, but still has several fails on her academic record, not because she's not smart but just because it's ridiculously tough.

If you're so uncertain of what to do then perhaps consider the Melbourne Model?

[waffles19]

I know someone who does eng/law and it is quite tough and demanding.

I'd say commerce/law if you just want a general fallback degree to do along with law.

[Biceps]

eng/law is waaaaayyyyyyy toooooo demanding (possibly more than medicine).
comm/law is more laid back but it is still a lot of work.

[Hancock]

I don't really see the point of Eng/Law except for some bragging rights. There are only some very niche fields such as patent law that require both degrees and when you enter the workforce, you'll most likely be neglecting one of your degrees completely. 6.5 years of torture doesn't seem worth the ability to say "I do Eng/law" to others (not that I think that this is your reason for doing Eng/Law). However, if you are truly passionate about both fields, I saw go for your life. Just be prepared to work very, very hard.

EDIT: It sounds kind of harsh, but I'm not meaning to be. Hopefully you choose the best course for you next year.

[Planck's constant]

I don't really see the point of Eng/Law except for some bragging rights. There are only some very niche fields such as patent law that require both degrees and when you enter the workforce, you'll most likely be neglecting one of your degrees completely. 6.5 years of torture doesn't seem worth the ability to say "I do Eng/law" to others (not that I think that this is your reason for doing Eng/Law). However, if you are truly passionate about both fields, I saw go for your life. Just be prepared to work very, very hard.

EDIT: It sounds kind of harsh, but I'm not meaning to be. Hopefully you choose the best course for you next year.

Very true.
Of the three  possible  pair combinations from Law/Commerce/Engineering, Law/Engineering makes the least sense.

[ninwa]

I understand that it's kind of frightening having to choose one career path when so many are open to you.

But remember:
- you can transfer out of law if it's not for you;
- the time you spend on engineering might just make the difference between a HD/D average (hello mid/top tier law firm clerkship!) and a C average (good luck getting a clerkship) in your law degree;
- the average person switches careers something like 6 times in their lives - you don't have to be (and probably will not be) a lawyer forever;
- life is not about collecting as many degrees as you can; and
- you're an adult now, and you are going to have to make some tough decisions about your life that don't involve unnecessarily wasting 3-4 years (and years off your lifespan from stress) on a degree you'll never use.