Vanessa Mantella

Forth year, Bachelor of Law / Bachelor of Arts

Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus

'...don’t be afraid to try something different, something you don’t believe you can do...'

All throughout my school life I had in my head I was planning on studying health – and to me the obvious fallback was nursing. So up until I received my ENTER score I had nursing down as my first choice – and I had even received scholarships from other universities. However I was very apprehensive. I had picked nursing, but I still didn’t feel like it was what I wanted. I loved health – but didn’t know what area, and when I really thought about it I didn’t think nursing was for me – I feel queasy at the sight of blood – and I had chosen nursing. Figure that?

As I was really unsure of my preference I decided to get some outsider help – and I attended an excellent course counselling session – which really changed my life and I couldn’t recommend it more! My counsellor made me realise I have many options, and I thought of the idea of studying law. I was always interested but never thought it was a possibility till I received my ENTER score. So I went out on a limb and chose law, and decided to do a double degree with arts just in case I really didn’t enjoy law and had something to fall back on. That decision was definitely the most random, but best, decision I have ever made in my life! I completely love my course, I love studying law and I find it very interesting, and I couldn’t think of having any other career! I was also quite adamant about taking a gap year after school, which my parents did try and talk me out of. However I decided against it in the end, which I’m really glad I did as I am already 2 years into my 5-year course, and I currently work a few jobs, have travelled to all the places I wanted to in my gap year, and I’m planning on travelling to Europe next year! So I have / will have accomplished everything I wanted to in a gap year while still attending uni; that is the bonus of being a uni student and having nearly 5 months holidays!

This year and the last have been the best years of my life and I have made so many great lifelong friends and became very involved with Deakin which makes coming to uni very enjoyable. In my first year I got chosen as a first-year representative on the Deakin Law Students Society, I loved being a part of the society so much I tried out again for this year and became the VP of functions in the DLSS. I also just recently found out I was chosen as VP of careers in the society for 2013 so I’m looking forward to an exciting and challenging year next year! I couldn’t recommend more to students that it is a must that you attend as many events as possible, and to even possibly have a go at trying out for the societies – it definitely makes uni so much more than just studying; it makes it fun, you meet great people and also have a great chance to familiarise yourself with potential employers!

I will end on giving any future students some advice – don’t be afraid to try something different, something you don’t believe you can do – don’t just stick to the course you feel you have to do because it has been your fallback choice all along; you might be surprised; I was! And if you are adamant on having a gap year, rethink the choice – if you are really unsure of what you want to do in that year off, you may as well study and travel and work in between; it worked for me, and I couldn’t be happier!