2022 OGA Year 12 Leavers Panel - Lily Ben Dekhil (Class of 2019)

About me

I am in my third year of studying a Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/ Bachelor of Environmental Science at Griffith University. During my time at university thus far, I have been involved in many extra-curricular opportunities, including being on the committee of the Griffith University Law Society, ENACTUS, partaking in negotiation and client interview competitions and research projects. I have mentored first-year students through the Law Society’s mentoring program and Griffith Honours College and am an active member of the Griffith Honours College. I was awarded three research bursaries to undertake research on the Right to Repair movement.

I am also the recipient of the following awards and prizes while at Griffith: The Griffith University Academic Excellence Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Biology (2019), Griffith Academic Excellence Award (2020 and 2021), United Nations Millennium Fellow (2021), the Gosewisch Family Prize for Contracts 2 as recognition of receiving the highest grade in the course (2020), the Dean’s Law School Award for Academic Excellence in recognition of being one of the twenty highest achieving Bachelor of Law students at Griffith (2020 and 2021) and the McCullough Robertson Prize for Law and Environment in recognition of being the student with the highest GPA studying Bachelor of Laws / Environmental Science (2021).

Q: Is it hard to study law?

A: I think it can be somewhat overexaggerated that law is hard to study. It is intellectually challenging but that shouldn’t be a deterrence. I find that one of the hardest aspects is discipline. The workload becomes easier if you are well organised and focus on working efficiently (e.g. getting an early start on assignments and revising content on a week-by-week basis). I won’t lie at times the material can be dense and tricky to understand but going to workshops and asking questions 99% of the time clarifies any confusion. Pro tip: take advantage of lecturers’ office hours- this is time academics set aside each week where students can come and ask questions about content and assessment. This is also how real practices works, if you run into an issue, you ask someone more experienced for help.

Q: Is doing a double degree too much workload straight after grade 12?

A: A double degree does not mean double the workload. Your workload stays the same if you are studying a single degree or double degree.  

I personally find my workload studying Law and Environmental Science is actually less intense than if I was just to study straight Law. For example, a typical full-time workload is 4 subjects a semester. This means that I study 2 law subjects and 2 environmental science subjects per semester. However, if I was just studying straight law, I would be studying 4 law subjects which from friends’ experiences can be a little dense and dry.

With a double degree you can get both degrees in less time than you would get them as single degrees studying them back-to-back. For example, my course (Law and Environmental Science) is a 5 and a half year degree. A Bachelor of Laws (Honours) is 4 years full-time, while a Bachelor of Environmental Science is 3 years full-time. So, studying them at the same time is technically saving me 1 and a half years. 

Another aspect I like about double degrees is that you’ll graduate with two different degrees, which will give you more career flexibility and opportunities. A double degree can give you a niche. For example, I’m interested in law, but with a focus on environmental justice. It also allows you to explore interests you may have in different disciplines (e.g., business and arts, psychology and criminology and criminal justice, engineering, and aviation).

University is super flexible! You can start off with a double degree, but then later down the line if you find you’re only interested in one degree, you can drop the second degree. Alternatively, you can start with a single degree and then add a second degree (assuming both courses are offered as a double degree). You can also vary your double degree. For example, I have a friend who enrolled in a Law/ Commerce degree, but then in second year decided to switch to Law/ Arts and was able to get credit for the commerce courses she completed.