By Priyanka Sharma
With exams just around the corner, I sat down with Henry Jones, an Education Officer on the Deakin Law Students Society, to learn more about how the Education Portfolio is dedicated to supporting Deakin Law students during this crucial time. Henry shared insights into the resources and assistance available to help you excel. Keep reading to find out how the Education Portfolio can support you through the exam period!
Tell me a little bit about your portfolio's role in Deakin Law Students’ Society (DLSS)?Â
The Education Portfolio plays a crucial role within the DLSS. We are probably one of the most student-facing of all the portfolios. A lot of what we do revolves around supporting Deakin Law Students and creating a positive environment for their academic journey.
Alice is our director and Joe, Bella and I are her officers. We all work really well together! Each of us lead different events but always help each other out and work as a team.
What drew you to join the education portfolio and what does your role as an officer entail?
My journey to join DLSS and the Education Portfolio started last year when I participated in various DLSS events. I attended most of the events, and I knew I wanted to be involved in the other side, helping to organise them. The DLSS provided valuable support and created a sense of community, which inspired me to join the Education Portfolio and contribute to these initiatives.
Reflecting on my experience participating in education events, both as a student and now as an officer, I've found these events provide a fantastic opportunity to meet other law students.Â
As a student, I benefited greatly from attending these events. Now, as an officer, it's about helping to organise and get these events off the ground. It's incredibly rewarding to be on the other side, contributing to the planning and execution of initiatives that support and bring together the student community.
How is the education portfolio supporting students during exams?Â
With exams approaching, the education portfolio is dedicated to supporting students through a variety of initiatives. We have three amazing tutor sessions lined up for Corporate Law, Contract A and Property, each featuring tutors who have excelled in these subjects in the past. These sessions are designed to provide students with valuable insights and study strategies that can make a real difference in their exam preparation.
I encourage everyone to check our socials to see what's happening and get involved. These sessions offer a great opportunity to have a better understanding of the subjects and learn from students who have successfully navigated these exams before. Our goal is to ensure that every student feels supported and well-prepared during this stressful time.
What can you expect students to get out of attending the event?
Attending the Education Portfolio's events and tutoring sessions has numerous benefits. For me, as a first-year student, it was the first time I encountered this kind of support. These sessions are run by high achieving students who have previously excelled in the unit. They provide an overview of all examinable content, go over some practise questions, answer any questions, and provide a copy of the powerpoint revision slides to all attendees. The tutors do an excellent job of explaining difficult concepts, broadening your understanding and sharing study tips on how to set up notes efficiently.
Having attended the contract revision session last year, I can attest that it completely changed the way I write my notes. The session helped me organise my notes into a more efficient structure and provided valuable advice on time management. It not only improved my study habits but also enhanced my overall performance in exams.Â
The tips and tricks you learn from these sessions provide you with a strong leg up and help you, regardless if you're a first year student or final year student.
What are some of your personal exam tips?
When it comes to exam tips, I think time management is often overlooked. You need to know how much time to spend on each question based on its marks. Doing practice exams is crucial, and having your notes finished early is a big help.
Maintaining well-being during exams is also vital. It can be a stressful period, but having a release or hobby is handy. I'm into sports, so I make sure to allocate time for that during exams.Â
SWOTVAC and exams can obviously be a super stressful period, and if your mental health is struggling, don't hesitate to reach out to a counsellor, friend, or family member. There are many resources Deakin provides that are accessible to all students.Â
I also personally believe that making sure you get enough sleep the night before the exam is so so important to make sure you do well on the day. Â
Prioritising your mental health is just as important as your academic preparation!
What are some notable Education Events that have happened this year?
Earlier this year, the Education Portfolio organised a first-year crash course, which was amazing! We had a large number of first-year students who learnt so much and felt more prepared to take on law school.
We then hosted the Legal Pathways Panel with the Commercial Careers Portfolio. Everyone who attended absolutely loved it. It was such an insightful panel where our panellists had a range of careers, explaining the different career paths a law degree makes possible.
Just recently, I hosted our Wellbeing in the Law Panel, with our director Alice. This panel was all about the demands of the legal workforce and how legal professionals deal with them from a wellbeing perspective. We hosted this with the Communications Portfolio who released their first edition of Et Cetera on Wellbeing. It was such a fantastic and a really, really important conversation which isn’t often discussed in law school, let alone the legal professional space.
What else can we look forward to from the education portfolio this year?
We have an exciting new initiative starting in Trimester 2. We will be hosting a weekly ‘Study With Us’ in the LC building. Each week we will have a room booked in LC, where anyone is welcome to drop in and bring any uni work they may have. The aim is to create an environment where students work together, ask each other questions, and learn from each other. It will be a great opportunity to find other students with similar study habits and form study groups. This ‘Study With Us’ initiative will also include one seminar style session filled with study tips and tricks from high achieving students.
We will also be running an R U OK Day Stall in the LC building on Thursday the 12th of September, where there will be free study snacks available for students! September can be a very busy and stressful period, so this initiative aims to provide some study motivation, in the form of food, and help facilitate a conversation about mental health.
Lastly, we will be running more Exam Revision Sessions during the SWOTVAC period again, in Trimester 2. We let students decide which units we run the sessions for, so keep an eye out for our Instagram story poll to have a say!
