Meet Adam! Originally from Ottawa, Adam is going into his fourth year of an Honours BA in Law with a concentration in Criminal Law and Social Order.
Read more below about Adam’s journey at Carleton:
What led you to decide to pursue your BA at Carleton?
Many factors drove me to pursue my undergraduate degree at Carleton. First off, Carleton is close to where I currently live, which made it a really convenient and practical option for me to go to university. Another reason I selected to go to Carleton was their unique undergraduate Law and Legal Studies program that they offer. Although I started off at the Sprott School of Business, I quickly pivoted into the Law and Legal Studies program as it was more aligned with my interests. In addition, I knew a few alumni who went to Carleton and who had only great things to say about the university, which helped solidify my decision. Lastly, most of my friends applied and got into Carleton, which was another reason for me to ultimately attend the university, as I wanted to share my experience with them.
Do you have a favourite part of your program?
I would say that my favourite part of my program is the instructors I have had over the years. I enjoy how many of the instructors are lawyers themselves and pull in their real-life experiences to fortify the material they’re teaching. Personally, I’m interested in the sphere of criminal law, so instructors such as Michael Smith, Paolo Giancaterino, and Jonathan Thompson were all great at teaching their specific courses through their own lenses.
What are you hoping to do after graduation and what do you hope to gain from your degree?
When I graduate from Carleton, I’m hoping to work as a court clerk at the Ottawa Courthouse before going to law school. After gaining the hands-on experience and knowledge that a court clerk position offers, I have ambitions of going to the University of Ottawa’s Law School and becoming a Crown Attorney down the line. Furthermore, I hope that with my degree, I can leverage the knowledge and the relationships I have obtained to receive a job and effectively work in a legal environment such as the Ottawa Courthouse.
Any advice for incoming students?
A few pieces of advice I would give to incoming students would first be to create valuable relationships with their instructors. Creating relationships with your instructors provides a student with so much upside in the future as they can use them for references as well as they can learn more about the class in itself. Secondly, I would tell incoming students to always remain engaged in class and to participate to ensure that they are learning to the fullest extent and absorbing as much as possible. Asking questions and participating reinforces your current knowledge which in return allows for the student to maximize their potential in the class getting the most out of it. The last piece of advice I would relay to incoming students at Carleton would be to engage in clubs or activities on campus. Joining clubs or sports leagues offers another dimension to your university experience which opens the door to meeting new friends, learning more, and diversifying your semesters and school years.
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