“I am from China. I did my Bachelors degree in Law in China and then an LLM in Law and Globalisation in the University of Bristol in the UK. I’m now doing the Juris Doctor [professional law qualifying course] at the University of Sydney. My reasons for choosing to study in Australia are several, such as the high-class education quality and worldwide reputation as well as the pleasant weather, and beautiful scenery.

“The JD is a three-year postgraduate course and covers 14 core subjects for admission to practice in Australia. It also requires students to study Public and Private International Law. We usually have four units each semester and a normal full-time load is 12 hours per week with lectures or seminars. The assessment modules depend on different units but most of the units end with exams and coursework. Before the lectures, we have lots of readings and tasks to do; class participation is also one of the assessments in some units. The academics who teach at Sydney Law are nationally and internationally recognised researchers or practitioners in their field and some of the lectures are taught by experienced barristers or judges. Sydney Law School also offers excellent opportunities for students to exchange to other top universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge.

“Sydney is a modern and romantic city. Each Saturday there are fireworks at Darling Harbour! It is a place full of entertainment where you can go to the beaches, surfing, hiking, horse riding, and so on. The food is great and you can try all kinds of delicious food from different countries.

“The social life is very interesting as well because you meet people from all over the world. In the JD, nearly half of the students are international. The Sydney University Law Society (SULS) provides support which helps to make the JD programme complete. We have a lovely time together, whether we’re having parties or career presentations.

“There are always challenges when adjusting to a new country. Fortunately, people are friendly here and it is easy to make friends with local students.

“I really appreciated Study Options. It is a free service and the team are professional, patient and nice to students! They helped with all my steps of application and visa process. They also verified academic certificates and emailed them to the universities to which I applied. I saved a lot of time and got my offer and student visa for Australia successfully.