Law, Labs and a Little Bit of Chaos

By Ayero Moro, Australian National University, Australia

When I arrived at ANU, I told myself I’d focus on law but the scientist in me had other ideas. Instead of choosing one academic path, I picked a mix of law, science (we’ll forget about physics…please), and language modules and ended up living in what can only be described as organised chaos.

Some days I went from discussing human rights law straight into a chemistry lab, followed by a Spanish class where my brain desperately tried to remember verb forms. It was a lot. But it was something I couldn’t do at UoM, and I needed a break from Obligations and Property after two years (finally!!!).

The science labs were a throwback to my secondary school days though with slightly fancier equipment and way more independent learning and quizzes and homework and chemicals. I hadn’t looked at a periodic table properly in years, so there was a definite learning curve. There’s a reason I studied law and it was to avoid math!

Balancing different subjects taught me more than I expected. Law gave me critical thinking. Science gave me logic and precision. Language classes reminded me how hard learning can be and how fun. Plus, I want to go back to Spain and actually form a coherent sentence. 

What helped was how flexible ANU’s structure is. The university supports cross-discipline study, so I never felt like I was doing something “wrong” by choosing variety. And while my timetable looked mildly terrifying on paper, in practice it gave me balance. When I’d had enough of readings and case law, I’d switch gears and focus on a lab report or vocabulary list. It kept things moving, and it kept me curious.