How does legal studies compare to university law? (1 Viewer)

nrs1990

Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2006
Messages
99
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
I'm doing legal studies at the moment, but I'm not really enjoying it... Not nearly as much as my other subjects. I'm wondering - how does it compare to law at uni? Because, I worry that if I'm not enjoying legal studies, I won't enjoy doing law, either...

I have heard that it gets more interesting this year, though. Maybe the problem is my class, which is fairly disinterested in the subject... The girl who topped the grade in the subject last year is considering dropping.

I'd be grateful for any advice.
 

ari89

MOSSAD Deputy Director
Joined
May 30, 2005
Messages
2,618
Location
London
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Having never done legal studies but knowing the calibre of HSC subjects my answer is so simple.

Legal studies does not compare to law at university
 

xxJTxx

Member
Joined
May 15, 2006
Messages
266
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
I'm about to start a combined law degree at UTS.

From my siblings who have been through uni (and one is going through uni atm)...HSC subjects cannot be compared to the DEPTH of knowledge you are taught at university.

HSC Legal Studies merely skims the surface. Magnify what your learning maybe 10 fold, and then you have some kind of comparison :)
 

melsc

Premium Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2004
Messages
6,365
Location
Chasing ambulances in the Inner West...
Gender
Female
HSC
2005
What you do in legal studies is the sort of introductory stuff about the legal system you do in your first introductory law subject, you will cover all of legal studies in a few weeks.

The rest of your law subjects are nothing like legal studies. Each are of law is studied in detail reading the law and actual cases in detail and applying the law to fact situations. Its a lot more analytical and involves you trying to find new definitions for words to suit the case at hand.

Edit: Ur sig doesn't even say you're doing legal
 

lcx

Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2006
Messages
84
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
if that is so then is uni law more interesting or boring than legal studies??
is the crime focus topic studies in legal studies simialr to the criminal law stuff learnt in uni?
cause i think legal studies in same areas is interesting but if uni is meant to eb 10x more in depth... it sounds kinda boring havin to go that much in depth.
cause basically the legal studies course is "evaluating" the "effectiveness" of Australia's legal system. is that like uni in anyway?
 

jazzbaby

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2007
Messages
398
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2005
legal is THE SHIT haha

probably coz i have such an excellent teacher :D
 

melsc

Premium Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2004
Messages
6,365
Location
Chasing ambulances in the Inner West...
Gender
Female
HSC
2005
lcx said:
if that is so then is uni law more interesting or boring than legal studies??
is the crime focus topic studies in legal studies simialr to the criminal law stuff learnt in uni?
cause i think legal studies in same areas is interesting but if uni is meant to eb 10x more in depth... it sounds kinda boring havin to go that much in depth.
cause basically the legal studies course is "evaluating" the "effectiveness" of Australia's legal system. is that like uni in anyway?
Its hard to say whether it is more or less boring, everyone is different. I find university law at times much more interesting, that said some subjects are really boring.

No its not like the crime stuff at all, heaps more in depth, not only do you go through the elements of a crime but how they developed, how cases define the words andwhat magical legal loop holes people try to find. Plus heaps of funny cases.

Uni isn't really about evalutating the effectiveness, that is left for one of two subjects like Jurisprudence and some normal law subjects do a week or so of it but not really, you might do that sort of thing in a criminological arts subject but not really in law. In law you study the LAW, the cases, the legislation. How to apply them. Most assignments are like the crime problem question but harder!
 

lcx

Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2006
Messages
84
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
melsc said:
Its hard to say whether it is more or less boring, everyone is different. I find university law at times much more interesting, that said some subjects are really boring.

No its not like the crime stuff at all, heaps more in depth, not only do you go through the elements of a crime but how they developed, how cases define the words andwhat magical legal loop holes people try to find. Plus heaps of funny cases.

Uni isn't really about evalutating the effectiveness, that is left for one of two subjects like Jurisprudence and some normal law subjects do a week or so of it but not really, you might do that sort of thing in a criminological arts subject but not really in law. In law you study the LAW, the cases, the legislation. How to apply them. Most assignments are like the crime problem question but harder!
ah ok, i see that you're doing a combined degree. is it worth it doing the course for 5yrs? or is it better to do law by itself. however the onli uni that i've seen so far that does 'b laws' alone is uts and thats still 4yrs.

i suppose its like all topics, in hsc legal studies not everything is interesting. but yeh is it the reading of all the legisaltion that gets boring? because i was thinking it might get tedious having to read even just one full case...let alone many.
 

yennie B

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
133
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
really!

i find legal to be one of the most INTERRESANT subjects

depends if you're really into current politics and issues of the world then legal is A plus.

and also if your class is enthusiastic with discussions

dnt think you should jst learn it from the surface... you got to think thru it explicitly perhaps
 

lcx

Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2006
Messages
84
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
yennie B said:
really!

i find legal to be one of the most INTERRESANT subjects

depends if you're really into current politics and issues of the world then legal is A plus.

and also if your class is enthusiastic with discussions

dnt think you should jst learn it from the surface... you got to think thru it explicitly perhaps
its true that u look into currnet issues etc. but politically legal studies doesn't go as much into it as economics does as economics covers fiscal policy etc and the budget and how aust. relates to the world.
legals of coarse is more on the side of law and huamn rights, world order etc. so more the ethical side of it.

but if one enjoys legals in high school, doesnt mean it will be the same in uni. so thats kinda wat i'm interested in, will it be interesting? or sjut reading case laws etc... all the time.
and is it HARD??
 

tessery

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2006
Messages
40
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
Hey! i;ve just started a combined degree in arts/law at macquarie this year (most uni's don't let you do straight law as an undergraduate, so yeah you are stuck there for 5 years lol)

I am really liking - but it is ENTIRELY different from legal. thats mainly because we start with jurisprudence, which is like legal philosophy. its so hard and confusing! but next semester we do legal foundations which is more like legal

i think if you like legal then there is a good chance you will like law, but i guess ytou never really know unless you try it!
 

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

Top