OFFICER MEET THE FIRST YEAR OFFICER

Hi First Years! Welcome to QUT and to law school!

My name is Ashlee Parrott, and I am QUT Law Society’s (QUTLS) First Year Officer for 2023. As the title suggests, my role is to help you out with your transition into university. I do this through encouraging you to join in with our QUTLS events (especially those aimed towards first-year students), as well as being a friendly face around campus and on our First Year QUT Law Students 2023 group on Facebook.

A little about me: I jumped on the law school train a little later than some. In high school, I was Criminal Minds, and more specifically Spencer Reid, obsessed. I decided that’s what I wanted to do with my life… be Spencer Reid. After a quick google, I discovered that the closest I could come to being Spencer Reid was being a Forensic Psychologist. Lo and behold, I started a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology)/Bachelor of Justice majoring in Criminology and Policing in 2018, with the aim of becoming a Forensic Psychologist (a real-life Spencer Reid). About halfway through, however, I decided that I wanted to be more involved in advocating for people and therefore this wasn’t the career for me. Nonetheless, I completed this double degree in 2021 and now I am here – in a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) – Graduate Entry.

Ashlee Parrott

A bit about my first-year experience: Technically, I have been a first-year student at QUT twice now, and both experiences were completely different. I was fortunate enough to avoid COVID in both of the first years of my degrees, and therefore both experiences have involved full-time on-campus study. When I began my Psychology and Justice dual degree, I was super excited to make friends at uni. However, I merely attended all my classes and then left campus. In fact, it was like that for the four years that I spent completing this degree. When I started studying law, I was determined to make my experience different.

My first tip: attend class in person!

I have done the whole online university thing, and whilst it is great for saving money on travel and the daily Bagel Boys (you’ll know what I’m talking about after a few weeks), it’s terrible for making friends. No matter how much we all hate to say our name, degree and a fun fact about us in week 1 classes, it starts the conversation with strangers that you might otherwise be afraid to start… and

As a first year in law, I didn’t need to be shown around the university, or told how Blackboard (our old Canvas) worked, as I had done it all before. However, I still joined the mentor program to meet someone who had experience in studying law at QUT, and boy am I glad that I did. My mentor (shout out to Morgan) gave me the full run down of how to make the most out of university and be introduced to the legal industry, including what events are best to attend, when to apply for jobs in a firm (P.S. it’s never too early), and how to navigate AGLC4 (if you’re not sure what AGLC4 is, find out by asking a mentor). This was advice that I have held with me since!

Don’t fall into the trap that I did initially. QUTLS offers a range of events including pub crawls, sport, the Women in Law Breakfast, the Law Ball, LetsGetRekt, and moot competitions. Most events cost no more than a couple of coffee’s and it’s a great way to meet new people and get the most out of

My friends and I like to say that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know when it comes to the legal industry. Making friends in university will not only be beneficial for you now, but they may form a network of future colleagues that open up a world of opportunities

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

I’m looking forward to meeting you at the First Year Pizza Party in m ~12 hours a week contact time. m Learning is typically divided into lectures, tutorials. m Large lectures and disparate student-to-academic staff ratio. m No opportunity to draft or check assignments directly with tutors or lecturers. Can talk to the Student Success Group. m Highly independent and autonomous learning. At university you are left to your own devices. m Lots of time to pursue sporting, hobby and faculty-related extracurriculars! m More freedom to choose classes, so you won't get to know everyone in your tutorial (unless you really want to!) m More individualistic classroom culture - tutors usually also work in their industry and are time-poor. m You can wear whatever you like!