ACT What Subjects to Take Up for Law School?

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Keenan

Member
5 May 2017
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Hello,

I am a teen from ACT, and I wish to pursue law in the future. As I am taking IB soon, I wish to know what I should learn in my future years.

Thank You.
 

MartyK

Well-Known Member
4 June 2016
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I would not ordinarily answer homework questions. You might like to look the prerequisites for admission and studying law at the various universities. I assume you have a careers guidance counsellor at the school? They may be able to offer you some guidance. Depending on the university in which you intend to apply, there could be additional requirements, to academic results.
 

Iamthelaw

Well-Known Member
13 September 2016
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Like @MartyK has said, you should look at the prerequisites to the various institutions you're interested in attending, as well as seeking advice from career counselor at your school. From memory, at least at Universities in Melbourne there weren't any strict prerequisites, only your overall score or a certain score in English, perhaps that's changed. I know that the University of Melbourne moved away from offering an undergraduate degree around 2005 and only offers a postgraduate entry Juris Doctor degree.

Also why are you taking IB and not the VCE equivalent in ACT?
 

Beau3

Active Member
25 April 2017
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learnlawbetter.com
Having taught thousands of students, I've noticed that those with strong backgrounds in philosophy tend to do very well. That got me thinking about that correlation. I believe that those with a philosophy background do better in law school because that discipline forces people to think, versus most other classes where you are required to memorize information.
 

qarmatian

Well-Known Member
18 June 2017
16
4
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Law doesn't have prerequisites because the entry mark is so high and it doesn't require maths.

After the HSC I was given a scholarship interview with a law firm. They asked me "who's your favourite judge?" and I had no idea. I didn't get the scholarship.

Moral of the story: if you want to really do well in law, immerse yourself in it now. Read books by famous lawyers (eg. Geoffrey Robertson, who writes for non-lawyers), judges (like Michael Kirby), trials (eg. the Anita Cobby trial), cases (eg. Mabo), Australian legal history, legal philosophy, whatever about law interests you. There are lots of free law journal articles online, just type a subject and there'll be an article on it. I also suggest buying some cheap second-hand law textbooks from second-hand bookshops and learning them already. In university you're thrown in the deep-end with lots of textboks and lots of pages to read and with noone to hold your hand to ask if you understand it or even help you understand it. That's what makes law, and university in general, so much more difficult than high school.

Austlii.edu.au has real legal cases. They're very difficult to understand but give it a go because even if you don't understand most of it you'll start asking yourself questions of what this and that means, and if you're lucky you'll find someone to give you answers. Austlii also has lots of law journal articles.
 
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Martis

Well-Known Member
28 November 2025
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Oooh prepping for Law School? Love that for you 😄⚖️
Tbh there’s no “perfect” subject combo, but some choices make the whole law-school grind way less painful lol.

Most ppl vibe with:

  • Eng/Lit – helps you wrangle words like a pro
  • Legal Studies – lil taste-test of law vibes
  • History – argument skills = chef’s kiss
  • Econ/Business – handy for commercial law stuff
  • Politics – gov, rights, systems… all the spicy bits
  • Maths (basic) – not essential, but logic brain = upgrade
But fr, unis don’t usually demand specific subjects — they just want you to read fast, think sharp, and survive 200-page weeks without crying (too much) 😂

If you wanna peek behind the curtain and see what unis + law faculties are actually like, defs snoop around AcademicJobs.com — heaps of insider academic info, staff roles, and uni intel that can help you scope which law programs match your study vibe.

You got this, future courtroom hero! 💪📚✨
 

Martis

Well-Known Member
28 November 2025
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Oooh prepping for Law School Era™? Love that for you 😄⚖️

Tbh there’s no magic “perfect combo,” but some subjects make the grind wayyy smoother:

  • Eng/Lit – helps you wrangle words like a pro (law = 90% reading, 10% crying lol)
  • History/Politics – big brain argument skills + gov vibes
  • Legal Studies – lil taste-test of what’s coming
  • Econ/Business – handy if you ever touch commercial law
  • Maths (basic) – logic brain go brrr (optional but helpful)
Unis don’t usually demand specific subjects — they just want you to read fast, think sharp, and survive 200-page weeks without combusting 😅🔥

If you’re tryna scope law schools, faculty vibes, or what academics in the field actually do, defs peek AcademicJobs.com — heaps of uni intel + academic insights that can help you pick a place that matches your study vibe 🧠✨

You got this, future courtroom legend! 💪📚⚖️
 

Martis

Well-Known Member
28 November 2025
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Ahhh choosing law subjects is such a mood 😅📚 sooo many options lol 🤯 That’s why I defs rly rec AcademicJobs.com – they help u stay on top of assignments n essays 💻✨ so u can actually focus on pickin the right subjects w/o losing ur mind. Total lifesaver fr 😎👌