MEET THE QUTLS FIRST YEAR OFFICER

MEET THE QUTLS FIRST YEAR OFFICER: HANNAH CLERC

Hi First Years!

Welcome to QUT and to law school!

My name is Hannah Clerc, and I am QUT Law Society’s (QUTLS) First Year Officer for 2022. As the title suggests, my role is all about you – to support you and assist your transition to university. I do this by encouraging first year involvement with QUTLS’ events (of which there are many) and first-year focused initiatives. Your upcoming events are O Week and the First Year Pizza Party. I’m also a friendly face on campus and at QUTLS events, and your point of contact to the QUTLS.

A little about me: I moved to Brisbane for university from Central Queensland after completing a 12-month student exchange in the Czech Republic. Clearly, I enjoy new places, spaces, and faces. I’m currently in my third year of a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film, Screen & New Media) / Bachelor of Law (Honours) double degree. When I’m not at university or working in hospitality, I like to spend my time reading, drinking tea, baking, and crocheting.

A little about my first-year experience: I’m not going to lie, when I began university back in 2020 it was tough. Moving away from my parents and friends, living in a new environment, and being taught and learning in a completely different style compared to high school was NOT improved by COVID lockdowns and restrictions. I was disappointed that my university experience was not what I expected. Online learning? This was so not what I signed up for.

It was difficult to get involved and make friends when you couldn’t be on campus. I felt even more isolated in semester two when I moved back home because there wasn’t much point to staying in Brisbane when all of my lectures and tutorials were online. I hardly did anything besides work and study. All in all, it wasn’t a great time to be a first year.

But then! New year, new me. On campus classes and activities restarted in 2021 and things were slowly approaching a new post-lockdown ‘normal’. I got to connect with my peers! I joined the Law Revue! I FINALLY made some friends. “Ah yes,” I thought, “This is more like it”.

Though nothing is a guarantee in these ‘unprecedented times’, I’m hoping that I can help make your first year at QUT better than my own. Starting with my top 3 recommendations for taking full advantage of all that university has to offer:

GET INVOLVED: JOIN A CLUB!

Am I biased to suggest QUTLS? Probably. But we have it all – Moot Club; Mentor Program; Running Club; Social Sport; Law Revue and more! Why? To connect with your law faculty peers outside of class.

Is life outside of law? Why yes! There’s so many QUT student clubs to choose from: international and cultural clubs; social justice and religious clubs; sport and recreation clubs; special interest clubs; professional clubs; study area clubs (e.g. Business and Law). Why? To meet likeminded or diverse people and form bonds across the broader QUT community.

BE PROACTIVE: TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!

University is what you make of it – you get to take charge of your learning (but I’m here to help). With so much on offer at university, don’t forget your time management needs to incorporate a little (or a lot) of university work. Personally, discovering the ‘Assignment Calculator’ on HiQ was a gift.

HOT TIP: SEARCH ‘ASSIGNMENT CALCULATOR’ ON HIQ TO GENERATE A TIMELINE FOR MANAGING YOUR ASSIGNMENT DEADLINES.

REACH OUT: QUT AND QUTLS ARE HERE TO HELP!

QUT has a range of services to help and support students of all backgrounds and abilities. The best place for finding information are the tabs on HiQ. (Hot tip! Take a couple of minutes to familiarise yourself with the HiQ website – from ‘Study’ to ‘Student life’ or ‘Health and wellbeing’.) Importantly, QUT’s equity services can assist with everything from note taking services to exam adjustments and financial support.

QUTLS prides itself on the accessibility of our events and the welcoming nature of our society. Any society related questions or queries can be directed to secretary@qutlawsociety.com or visiting us at C Block, room C402 during our office opening hours (which can be found onhttps://www.qutlawsociety. com/ ).

So, whether you’re straight out of high school, took a gap year, transferred degrees, or are changing careers, you’ve now begun your law school journey – destination: graduation! Though graduation may feel eons away (especially for those of you who are double degree students), your time will be quickly filled by pit-stops and roadblocks along the way. Hopefully you pick up some friendly passengers to keep you company and to help you navigate towards your goals. If you are ever in need of roadside assistance on your first-year journey, please email me via firstyear.officer@qutlawsociety.com.

I’m looking forward to meeting you at the First Year Pizza Party in week 3!

Wishing you all the very best,

Hannah