Canadian students have been at the core of the Bond University student community for more than 20 years, forging impressive careers in Australia, North America and beyond.
It’s a long way to travel to the Gold Coast, but alumni say their time at Bond was the time of their lives.
We asked four Canadian Bondies to tell us about their experiences at Bond University.
“My friends and I always say that if you didn’t attend law school in Australia, you did it wrong.”
“I choose to study at Bond for a number of reasons. The first is the small class sizes. I can honestly say I knew that was important to me but I didn’t know just how important until I came to Bond. Being someone from an undergraduate degree in Toronto my classes were never small by any means. At Bond, every professor personally knows my name, which goes so so far, especially in law school.
You can read all the textbooks you want but I really did learn the most while doing real life things like a sentencing hearing or a negotiation that you will actually have to do when you enter the work force. Bond has not only given me the opportunity to do that during my classes as assessments, which I honestly prefer over writing a paper because I know I’ll actually have to do it in my future career, but I’ve also had the opportunity to moot, twice.
Bond is the perfect choice to prepare me for a legal career in Canada because of the Canadian electives that have been tailored specifically for students who wish to return home to practice and because of the smooth transition help that Bond provides, from NCA seminars to walking you through the process itself. The Canadian electives are primarily taught by Canadian professors, so you are getting real life knowledge and experience brought to you in the class setting. Bond also has a huge emphasis on practical elements of law, which will go a long way in being prepared to practice in not only Canada, but anywhere.”
“My teachers were always available for one-on-one support outside of class, and I gained a strong network for my future career.”
“I initially came to Bond to play rugby, and I chose a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science because I enjoy sports. I’m very grateful that I picked my program, because even though I didn’t know it at the time, my passion is being a strength and conditioning coach.
During my two years at Bond, I said yes to every opportunity I could. I secured an internship position with the Australian Junior Wallabies Rugby team for the U20s Oceania tournament – in preparation for the World Cup. It was full on and helpful to see first-hand what it means to prepare athletes physically, mentally, technically and strategically at the international level.
My Exercise and Sports Science degree exceeded my expectations. The degree itself is one of the most highly regarded in the country and has a great focus on practical experience, preparing students for future employment. The Bond Institute of Health and Sport has everything an athlete can dream of, from the High Performance Training Centre through to the labs and equipment available for us to use. I got the opportunity to use equipment to measure and monitor athletes in their training, allowing them to optimise their physical and physiological abilities.
The degree helped me to set myself apart from other coaches and personal trainers and provided me with all the foundation skills, knowledge and experience to stand out in a competitive industry. I’m a science-based coach with the proper certifications and accreditations.
Where I am today, running my own Strength and Conditioning business, is due to Bond, and I will continue to strive to be the best strength and conditioning coach on the God Coast, because Bond has showed me that limits are an illusion. They need to be pushed back for others to be able to see what you see.”
“The facility is gorgeous, and the professors and staff defy expectations. I would recommend studying law at Bond University to anyone.”
“I chose to study law at Bond for the various learning avenues it has to offer. Firstly, the small class sizes create better learning opportunities. Small classes increase individual attention and fosters opportunities to build rapports with professors and tutorial instructors. I not only feel comfortable enough to ask professors questions, but I also feel confident when participating in tutorials. I find this learning opportunity hard to come by for the Juris Doctor degree in Canada.
Upon completing my second semester I’ve already participated in a moot competition, a client interview, two negotiations and a sentencing hearing. I believe this type of learning experience cannot be taught through textbooks and will prove to be a great advantage for my prospective career in law. “
“The fact that the Canadian Core law classes are taught by Canadian professors, with practice experience in Canada, is one thing that separates Bond from other Australian legal programs.”
“I’ve had many opportunities to practice practical legal skills that are needed in practice including numerous moots, negotiations, arbitration, client interviews and legal drafting both as course assessments and in house (and external) competitions. The faculty provides numerous networking opportunities to help secure internships in addition to volunteer placements with the in-house legal clinic.
All my classes have been engaging and the small class sizes and frequent contact hours allow you to make real connections with your instructors, who are all approachable and passionate about their subjects and truly want to help you learn and succeed.
The supports and facilities provided are world class, especially the law library and its staff who are always happy to advise on research and editing. The student experience is great too, with lots of clubs, societies, sports, and events year-round.”