Law at UTS (direct entry) or UNSW (via internal transfer) (1 Viewer)

[DarshS01]

Hi,

I recently got offers at both UTS (Bachelor of Law/ Economics) and UNSW (Bachelor of Commerce). I've really wanted to study law but university ranking and employability matter to me so I don't mind waiting a bit longer if I am able to transfer into Law internally at UNSW (I've also heard the law job market in Australia is oversaturated right now, so I have doubts).

I wanted to know if anyone had any advice on my situation if UTS Law is worth pursuing or that it is easy internally transferring through IPT into UNSW Law.

Thanks

 

[jimmysmith560]

There are usually two perspectives regarding matters like this. The first one focuses on the ability to study law in the first place and choosing the option that guarantees that ability. In your case, your offer from UTS will allow you to study law. At the same time, studying at UTS does not prevent you from later transferring externally to UNSW and studying law there. Instead, it ensures that you can still study law if an external transfer fails. A potential downside to this is that an external transfer would require you to sit and perform well in the LAT.

The second perspective favours choosing the more well-regarded university for that field even if you have not received an offer for a degree in that field, and subsequently attempting an internal transfer to the desired degree. In your case, you would need to achieve favourable results in the Bachelor of Commerce at UNSW to maximise your chances of successfully transferring internally. The positive aspect of an internal transfer is that UNSW only considers your university results and does not require you to sit the LAT, which can save you time that you would otherwise need to spend to prepare for the LAT if you were to transfer externally from UTS. Of course, there is the risk of not being able to transfer internally, leaving you unable to study law. However, you could consider studying law at postgraduate level through a Juris Doctor in such a case.

Regarding ease of transfer, an internal transfer would likely be easier as long as you achieve favourable university results. This is likely because UNSW may prioritise its existing students over students from other universities. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that students from other universities cannot transfer to UNSW (especially if they are high achievers), it simply means that existing UNSW students are considered first.

I hope this helps!

 

[DarshS01]

There are usually two perspectives regarding matters like this. The first one focuses on the ability to study law in the first place and choosing the option that guarantees that ability. In your case, your offer from UTS will allow you to study law. At the same time, studying at UTS does not prevent you from later transferring externally to UNSW and studying law there. Instead, it ensures that you can still study law if an external transfer fails. A potential downside to this is that an external transfer would require you to sit and perform well in the LAT.

The second perspective favours choosing the more well-regarded university for that field even if you have not received an offer for a degree in that field, and subsequently attempting an internal transfer to the desired degree. In your case, you would need to achieve favourable results in the Bachelor of Commerce at UNSW to maximise your chances of successfully transferring internally. The positive aspect of an internal transfer is that UNSW only considers your university results and does not require you to sit the LAT, which can save you time that you would otherwise need to spend to prepare for the LAT if you were to transfer externally from UTS. Of course, there is the risk of not being able to transfer internally, leaving you unable to study law. However, you could consider studying law at postgraduate level through a Juris Doctor in such a case.

Regarding ease of transfer, an internal transfer would likely be easier as long as you achieve favourable university results. This is likely because UNSW may prioritise its existing students over students from other universities. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that students from other universities cannot transfer to UNSW (especially if they are high achievers), it simply means that existing UNSW students are considered first.

I hope this helps!

Thanks, I appreciate your advice its actually really helpful in the decision I'm trying to make

 

[lunaaaa4403]

There are usually two perspectives regarding matters like this. The first one focuses on the ability to study law in the first place and choosing the option that guarantees that ability. In your case, your offer from UTS will allow you to study law. At the same time, studying at UTS does not prevent you from later transferring externally to UNSW and studying law there. Instead, it ensures that you can still study law if an external transfer fails. A potential downside to this is that an external transfer would require you to sit and perform well in the LAT.

The second perspective favours choosing the more well-regarded university for that field even if you have not received an offer for a degree in that field, and subsequently attempting an internal transfer to the desired degree. In your case, you would need to achieve favourable results in the Bachelor of Commerce at UNSW to maximise your chances of successfully transferring internally. The positive aspect of an internal transfer is that UNSW only considers your university results and does not require you to sit the LAT, which can save you time that you would otherwise need to spend to prepare for the LAT if you were to transfer externally from UTS. Of course, there is the risk of not being able to transfer internally, leaving you unable to study law. However, you could consider studying law at postgraduate level through a Juris Doctor in such a case.

Regarding ease of transfer, an internal transfer would likely be easier as long as you achieve favourable university results. This is likely because UNSW may prioritise its existing students over students from other universities. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that students from other universities cannot transfer to UNSW (especially if they are high achievers), it simply means that existing UNSW students are considered first.

I hope this helps!

i already sat the lat and got the most ungodly low mark. do i have to do it again even if i have high uni marks? they say theres no way to prep for the lat but I feel like thats a lie. how do i do well if i have to sit it again?

 

[jimmysmith560]

i already sat the lat and got the most ungodly low mark. do i have to do it again even if i have high uni marks? they say theres no way to prep for the lat but I feel like thats a lie. how do i do well if i have to sit it again?

Are you a UNSW student? If so you do not need to sit the LAT since UNSW does not require it for internal transfers.

If you are not a UNSW student, you will need to sit the LAT even if you have achieved favourable university results as these will both be considered.

To prepare for the LAT, you could complete the sample paper available on ACER's website. However, if you have already attempted it, you could attempt similar questions. You can write your own questions similar to those of the sample paper, or you could have ChatGPT analyse the sample paper and generate similar questions for you to attempt. If you were to do this, you should ensure that your prompt is detailed and accurate to maximise the quality/relevance of questions that it may generate for you.

 

[lunaaaa4403]

Are you a UNSW student? If so you do not need to sit the LAT since UNSW does not require it for internal transfers.

If you are not a UNSW student, you will need to sit the LAT even if you have achieved favourable university results as these will both be considered.

To prepare for the LAT, you could complete the sample paper available on ACER's website. However, if you have already attempted it, you could attempt similar questions. You can write your own questions similar to those of the sample paper, or you could have ChatGPT analyse the sample paper and generate similar questions for you to attempt. If you were to do this, you should ensure that your prompt is detailed and accurate to maximise the quality/relevance of questions that it may generate for you.

If I do this semester at UTS law and apply for a different degree at unsw next semester and transfer to that degree and eventually get into law, will my previous law credits count toward the law degree or will that just go down the drain.

 

[jimmysmith560]

If I do this semester at UTS law and apply for a different degree at unsw next semester and transfer to that degree and eventually get into law, will my previous law credits count toward the law degree or will that just go down the drain.

Generally speaking, you are more likely to have a bigger part of your previous studies recognised at UNSW if you attended a Go8 university given that Go8 universities try to facilitate credit transfer for students transferring from one Go8 university to another. This most likely also applies to law. As such, while UNSW may recognise some of the law units that you complete at UTS, it is likely that other units will not be recognised.

 

[lunaaaa4403]

Generally speaking, you are more likely to have a bigger part of your previous studies recognised at UNSW if you attended a Go8 university given that Go8 universities try to facilitate credit transfer for students transferring from one Go8 university to another. This most likely also applies to law. As such, while UNSW may recognise some of the law units that you complete at UTS, it is likely that other units will not be recognised.

not even for first semester courses??? is there a way i can check this? i'm not looking for an extra 8k debt

 

[jimmysmith560]

not even for first semester courses??? is there a way i can check this? i'm not looking for an extra 8k debt

First-semester units may have a higher chance of being recognised since they may be more general compared to more advanced units at later stages. It would definitely be good to check whether this is accurate. I would recommend contacting any students who may have transferred to law at UNSW from law at another university. You may wish to post in the UNSW forum as a starting point.

 

[gammahydroxybutyrate]

There are usually two perspectives regarding matters like this. The first one focuses on the ability to study law in the first place and choosing the option that guarantees that ability. In your case, your offer from UTS will allow you to study law. At the same time, studying at UTS does not prevent you from later transferring externally to UNSW and studying law there. Instead, it ensures that you can still study law if an external transfer fails. A potential downside to this is that an external transfer would require you to sit and perform well in the LAT.

The second perspective favours choosing the more well-regarded university for that field even if you have not received an offer for a degree in that field, and subsequently attempting an internal transfer to the desired degree. In your case, you would need to achieve favourable results in the Bachelor of Commerce at UNSW to maximise your chances of successfully transferring internally. The positive aspect of an internal transfer is that UNSW only considers your university results and does not require you to sit the LAT, which can save you time that you would otherwise need to spend to prepare for the LAT if you were to transfer externally from UTS. Of course, there is the risk of not being able to transfer internally, leaving you unable to study law. However, you could consider studying law at postgraduate level through a Juris Doctor in such a case.

Regarding ease of transfer, an internal transfer would likely be easier as long as you achieve favourable university results. This is likely because UNSW may prioritise its existing students over students from other universities. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that students from other universities cannot transfer to UNSW (especially if they are high achievers), it simply means that existing UNSW students are considered first.

I hope this helps!

just adding to this as someone in the field, it doesn't matter which law school you go to in terms of being admitted to practice (as long as they meet LPAB priestley 11 requirements etc.).

practically speaking, employers heavily favour usyd/unsw law over every other university in the legal profession. you will need to do significantly better to be considered over an applicant from these universities (e.g. HD average instead of D/high CR average) or have some other factor that makes you stand out. there is a noticeable discrepancy in the difficulty and academic challenge at these universities which tends to produce more desirable graduates.

 

[lunaaaa4403]

just adding to this as someone in the field, it doesn't matter which law school you go to in terms of being admitted to practice (as long as they meet LPAB priestley 11 requirements etc.).

practically speaking, employers heavily favour usyd/unsw law over every other university in the legal profession. you will need to do significantly better to be considered over an applicant from these universities (e.g. HD average instead of D/high CR average) or have some other factor that makes you stand out. there is a noticeable discrepancy in the difficulty and academic challenge at these universities which tends to produce more desirable graduates.

im never getting employed