Current recipient of the BCG Undergraduate Scholarship:
Andrew McLeod - Winner of the 2008 BCG Undergraduate Scholarship
An Interview with Andrew McLeod
Andrew, tell us about your educational background:
I attended Epping West Primary School before moving to North Sydney Boys’ High School. I think North Sydney Boys’ instilled in all its students a strong desire to be as well-rounded a person as possible, so we were encouraged to take up sport, music, drama and public speaking as well as academic pursuits. But at the same time, no one took themselves too seriously. I took a combination of classical languages and chemistry in my final years at high school and ended up choosing to undertake a science/law degree at the University of Sydney. I completed Honours in chemistry last year and am now in the penultimate year of my law degree.
What led you to pursue chemistry and law?
During high school I was fortunate to have an inspirational chemistry teacher and to become involved in international science competitions. From this I got a taste of the excitement of first-hand scientific research. I enjoyed the method of thinking that science embodies, since at its core it is a way of approaching problems and analysing them. In many ways, I think law is similar in this respect. I also have always enjoyed talking, writing and communicating generally about ideas so the combination of science and law has enabled me to indulge in both analytical and creative pursuits. Within science, I found a natural affinity for chemistry and the intersection between it and many other disciplines.
What are you involved with outside of study?
I am involved in a range of student organisations, in particular the University of Sydney Union’s Clubs and Societies program and the mooting programs administered by the Sydney University Law Society. I represent students on several university committees as well as a committee of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. I have also tried to maintain my interest in chemistry and am involved in research into the treatment of diabetes using the metal vanadium. Piano and music in general has been a big part of my life since primary school and I find playing piano relaxing.
What difference will The Boston Consulting Group Undergraduate Scholarship make to you?
I will be undertaking a semester abroad next year in the US. While I am keen to immerse myself in the academic and social environment at a US law school, I am also interested to learn about their mooting and pro bono clinical programs. I feel very strongly about the importance of being involved in community, pro bono activities, particularly for law students. There appears to be a strong tradition in the US for this involvement to start quite early at university and I am eager to experience and perhaps put some of this into practice upon my return. The scholarship will help me greatly in this pursuit.
What does being associated with BCG mean for you?
The generosity and honour associated with the BCG Undergraduate Scholarship seems in many ways to reflect the high regard in which BCG is held in both the private and public sectors. I feel privileged to be associated with a firm that seeks to recognise, support and promote excellence in both academic and extracurricular achievement in the later years of university.
Where does your future lie? What do you see yourself doing professionally over the coming years?
I feel torn between pursuing science or law as a career. I think I will probably pursue further study in either one or both disciplines in the near future. In terms of my professional direction, I have given strong consideration to a career as a barrister or as an academic and they both remain possibilities. I hope whatever direction I eventually pursue I will be able to maintain interests in both areas.
What do most people not know about you?
As nerdy as it may sound, I am a keen philatelist and have been collecting stamps for over 10 years. I think the insight that philately offers into history, geography and politics, while providing an opportunity to examine objects that are sometimes of great beauty, is unparalleled. But then, I am slightly biased!
