Uni dilemma, please help
 

Hi all,
I am still in a dilemma at this point of time as I am unable to decide what I should study at university.
I have these offers: Real Estate at NUS, Law at University of Leeds and Commerce at ANU and UniMelb.
I know this should be a personal decision, but i would like to hear you guys opinions as I am torn between the above options(career options, worklife balance etc.)
As some basic background info, I do not have any course which i like more than the other. Basically, I do not love any particular course that much, but I know which areas I totally do not have any interest in (eg. engineering/science )
Also, would like to know at Ministry of Law is reviewing the current list of approved schools, how would I be affected if they decide to take Leeds off the list.

Thank you for your help, I appreciate it :)

Questions you can ask yourself:

(1) Can I see myself as a lawyer? Do I think I like doing litigation? Corporate law? Being a legal counsel in some company drafting agreements and contracts? Have I spoken to friends or relative in the legal sector - do they seem happy with their work?

(2) Do I know what my interests are? Will a general business degree be a reasonble foundation for me to start off on, then perhaps accumulate experience in some sector?

(3) Do I know enough about the Real Estate sector? Is it too narrow?

(4) Do I want to study abroad? Will a Leeds or ANU degree give me some advantage? Or is it better to be in NUS and maintain the friendships and network I have with my JC mates?

(1): I am pretty sure that if I were to study law, I would not want to do litigation due to the long hours involved and I am more of a family person. That being said, I hope to specialize in corporate law if possible or perhaps study international law so that I can work in the UN or NGOs. I personally enjoy reading so I believe I would not suffer to much in the course. As for speaking to friends and family, no one in my family is a lawyer. However, seniors I have spoken to are still studying so the advice they can give me is more towards life in law school, such as having to do lots of reading and self study in advance.


(2): I do not intend to get a business degree but a commerce degree and choose my major as accountancy and finance. As of yet, uni melb and anu are not approved schools on the new QP system so I'm not sure it's worth doing so. Having said that, I feel that due to my family background and early exposure to the world of finance (due to parents) I have actually have got a greater picture of the finance world( I read up on stocks, bonds, ETFs and such) Only concern is that I am scared accounting work is over repetitive and I may end up being bored in the future.

(3) real estate is something unique to me in the sense that I never knew such a course existed till recently after my A level results. Surprisingly, I ended up quite liking the course, hence I am even considering it now even though it is a non professional degree. I have seen the course modules and generally feel that I am interested in them (which should increase my probability of doing well?)
Only doubt I have is that it is not a professional course and am I making a wrong decision to give up my overseas offers just to study this in singapore. Any input from Real estate people?

(4) I honestly have a yes-no relationship as for studying abroad. As for yes, I feel that as I am quite sheltered in singapore, I would like to experience living away from home. Though my parents said that it is not as 'awesome' as I'd think so when I'm trying to study for exams and balance all other household chores etc. I also would like to do so and meet new people! Like perhaps just have a break from the singapore education system? As for no, I am honestly scared to stay away from my family for the next 3 years as I think I may be homesick having come from a closely knit family. I believe I would still be able to keep in touch with some of my jc friends in any case. However, as we are all going to different courses in singapore, it's hard to stick to them always.

Would like to ask, is Leeds for law respectable in employers eyes? Like it is usually seen as the lower tier schools for law in uk vs Oxbridge ucl lse etc. how is the local employability for such overseas law grads be? How about australia for commerce? Does it give employees the feeling that you are unable to make in into local uni and hence considering options in Aussie? (no offence to anyone, that is the general stereotypical view i get after asking people :/)I hope you guys can give me honest responses thank you :)

I would choose law at Leeds because of the better prospects.
Why didn't you try commerce at UNSW or USyd?

Very unlikely. They have been expanding the list, NOT reducing!!

Singapore Law Watch - It took four years to learn I'm no lawyer

I think this article can inform TS on the realities of law practice in Singapore. Even an above average NUS Law student is having difficulties getting into Corporate Law.

"I had hoped to join one of the big firms, but since I finished only above average in my law class, that didn't happen - the big guys took in mainly the best graduates and, it seemed, the pedigreed.

The rest of us ended up in smaller firms and had two choices - to do conveyancing (dealing with people buying or selling property) or litigation (everything else under the sun). Mergers and acquisitions, hostile takeovers, corporate litigation and other sexy legal stuff did not usually happen at the smaller firms."

I think the TS would agree that the University of Leeds isn't exactly your first-tier UK approved university, so I would think that it can be difficult for TS if you are aiming to specialise in an area that all the best and brightest are aiming for.

Thanks for you reply, I didn't try unsw because my parents didn't really like that school. And I didn't do well enough to make it into usyd. I am kinda worried for law as I feel that law is an elitist profession where the name of the uni matters alot and Leeds may not be able to give me the edge. Still considering and thanks alot :)

Thank you for your reply. Yep, I read the exact same article a few weeks back in the Sunday times too. So is it right to say that if I were to do law in uk I would have to excel extremely well (ie 1:1) to make up for the university reputation in order to be able to specialize in a popular area?

Hi Student1994

Getting a first would be a huge achievement, since Law professors don't usually give above a certain mark for Law - unlike the more quantitative subjects like engineering and science.

As difficult as it is to get a first in Law, there would always be a large number of Singaporeans getting a first due to the sheer number of Singaporeans studying law in the UK. In 2012, the London schools' and Bristol took in at least 40 law students each. There are also a large number of Law students in Notts, Exeter and Durham. In Singapore, there are about 9-10 local middle to large law-firms specializing in an area that I believe you would be interested in. Even in an optimistic economy, I do not think that the number of pupillage places between this places would exceed 250. Factoring the 400 graduates from the local universities, I think you should really consider your options.

Thanks for your truthful reply. I am glad to know more and have a realistic picture painted for me. This is because so far whenever I consult others, a very rosy picture of law is being painted for me due to people's perceptions of pursuing a law degree(being prestigious and what not). I would certainly consider your views greatly as I believe this is a huge investment to undertake (both time and money). Once again, I hope potential law students could come across this post and see the true picture of what a law degree entails :)

for the benefit of people considering law:

the rosy picture of law (insofar as getting a job is concerned), even if it existed before, no longer does. We are in the midst of a (massive) oversupply of law graduates, the effects of which we will continue to feel for the next 5 years. With the number of fresh lawyers fast approaching the 1,000 per year mark, and the already-bad job situation now, there are plenty of good law graduates who aren't getting jobs.

TL;DR / in summary: new law graduates -> no jobs