A student review by Hibra.

On exchange, I currently live a 60 second walk from the Supreme Court of United States, and perhaps a 4-minute walk from the US Capitol. But strangely, I don’t spend my days thinking about whether Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run in 2028, nor what piece of poorly drafted legislation the Roberts court will overturn this week. Instead, being here since August on exchange, I have noticed the little things.

In the gardens of the capitol live stereotypical squirrels, the ones you see in cartoons, holding acorns – no seriously, they bound around with acorns. Their squishy mouths always look full, and their white-trimmed bushy tail is always alert. In late summer, the humidity and heat meant you couldn’t wear jeans and you couldn’t breathe in DC. As of mid-September, it been very similar to the early summer weather in Melbourne. It turns out Americans love ‘fall’ because it is liveable warmth, after a terrible summer. I also keep seeing monarch butterflies around, a large, orange, spotted butterfly outlined in black. What you think a butterfly should look like as a kid is actually a North American native species. I don’t think we realise how much of our perceptions of the world are mediated by this country.

My first reflection on exchange is gratefulness. One year of Georgetown Law costs $87,588 USD. That’s just under $125,000 AUD, which is almost the price of a full JD back home, not to mention that some of us also receive commonwealth support. Elite education is expensive in the US. Having well-off parents, or 5 years of work between an undergraduate degree and the JD is the only way you can get a ‘best of the best’ law degree. I feel lucky that law school is somewhat more accessible in Australia.

My second reflection is that I love the Socratic method. The fear of being cold called a la Elle Woods and not having the answer in front of 200 peers gives me cold sweats. It also means I have been doing my readings diligently. Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but this is an area where Australia might learn from America, at least for doctrinal subjects which every law student needs to know well. Make Admin Socratic Again… MASA?

DC is a beautifully walkable city (and the shopping is fantastic). It’s just far south that the weather isn’t Toronto cold. It’s just far north that it’s a 3-hour train ride to New York City. The Australian dollar is doing well, so the exchange rate hasn’t crippled me. It’s been luck all around, and I strongly recommend skipping an alluring European exchange for the American east coast. DC is still modern-day Rome, for now.