The Case of Law v Business
My diverse learning experience as a double degree student in the School of Business and the Faculty of Law
I’ve recently started watching Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. For those of you without a Netflix subscription, this series tells the story of a teenage half-witch caught between the magical and mortal realms. While I don’t plan to pledge myself to the Dark Lord anytime soon, Sabrina’s journey jumping between two different worlds did remind me (in a much more dramatic, supernatural way of course) of my own experience navigating life as a dual Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Business (Economics) student.
Studying a double degree has been a fantastic way to diversify my university experience. In particular, constantly adjusting to the different conventions and expectations of two QUT faculties has allowed me to develop into a more flexible and adaptable learner. However, I realise the intricacies of living this kind of double life may be unfamiliar to students who have studied exclusively in the Faculty of Law. With this in mind, I decided to compile a list for all my single-degree friends out there of some of the differences I’ve encountered in my first two years at university.
Week One Tutorials
Law students, prepare to feel envious! While you may have to attend your first tutorial bright and early on the first day of the semester, business tutorials almost never start until week two. This is based on an understanding that tutorials are designed to reinforce the content covered in the previous week’s lecture. As there was no lecture the previous week, there is nothing to learn in a week one tutorial. In saying that, holding a law tutorial in the first week can be a good opportunity to get those dreaded ‘get to know each other’ activities out of the way, lest they eat into valuable learning time the following week.
Referencing
As a law student, I’ve read through the Australian Guide to Legal Citation so many times I’ve probably started reciting it in my sleep. However, when I start writing a report for one of my business units, I have to switch to APA referencing. This entails complying with an entirely new set of citation conventions, many of which differ significantly from the AGLC rules. Nonetheless, I’m grateful I’m able to rely predominantly on the succinct APA referencing guide provided by QUT Cite|Write (and, to a lesser extent, the APA Blog) rather than spend even more time analysing over 300 pages of frustratingly-specific AGLC rules. This is especially true now AGLC 4 has been released!
Formatting Assignments
The guide to Written Assessment in the Law School can feel like the bane of my existence when I’m putting the finishing touches on a long essay or research report. ‘Why does it matter how wide my margins are?’ I feel like shouting angrily into the night. But there are moments when I’m working on an economics assignment that I long for the business school to adopt a similar assessment guide. Style and formatting requirements frequently differ between business units and sometimes even between tutors within the same unit. This inconsistency can prove very frustrating and time-consuming.
Word Limits
As a student with a propensity to dramatically exceed the word limit on my first draft, I am a BIG fan of the 10% leniency I’m generally afforded in my business assessment. Unfortunately, the law school has no such policy. This may be a good lesson in the importance of being concise, but cutting down large chunks of (hopefully) well-crafted prose is an agonising process nonetheless. On the other hand, unlike APA referencing, AGLC does allow me to avoid including in-text citations and instead rely on footnotes. This can be extremely advantageous as footnotes are generally excluded from the overall word count.
Exams
It may be a shock to law students, but if you plan on taking a business exam, expect to leave your notes outside the exam room! While the vast majority of law exams are open-book, this is rarely the case when it comes to business exams. In spite of this, I generally find my business exams easier as they tend to rely on demonstrating a general understanding of relevant theories and concepts. By contrast, a significant portion of marks in law exams are awarded for citing dozens of cases and specific sub-sections of legislation. This would be near-impossible without notes on-hand.
Article written by Morgan Lynch
This article appeared in the Torts Illustrated Diversity (2019) Publication