USYD/UNSW Law vs. UTS Law (Vice Chancellor's Scholarship) (1 Viewer)

[humanitieslover]

Hey everyone

So at the moment I'm trying to decide how to order my preferences. Would UTS Combined Law, most probably Law/Communications with the Vice Chancellor's Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement ($12 500 per annum for duration of course) be preferable to USYD/UNSW Law in the long run?Especially in terms of job prospects/employability etc. I would also have to maintain a Distinction Average to keep the scholarship.

Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

 

[bangladesh]

i wouldn't think twice about taking the scholarship... 12.5k per annum is a LOT. no hecs for you.

 

[Crobat]

i wouldn't think twice about taking the scholarship... 12.5k per annum is a LOT. no hecs for you.

Yeah neither tbh. The trade off is literally 12.5k/pa vs a bit better reputation. Don't forget if you're going into Communications UTS still has the best reputation for that industry being more specialised and their Law faculty isn't devalued to a huge extent either.

But if you're worried about job prospects it'll depend on what you're looking to go into. For any Law student the industry is ridiculous at the moment, being a huge oversupply of graduates with less jobs available in an industry that has suffered quite a bit in the last few years, (Clayton Utz lost >$18m in the last financial year)but I've met a lot of later year UTS law students (3rd year onwards) working in law firms as paralegals (who had been since 2nd year) and quite a few doing clerkships/internships at law firms, some even Big 6 ones. Even though these things are just basic entry level type deals, it'll still help to get them where they want in the long run so the difference in reputation may realistically not be too much. Most of the difference between the universities is the networks established already though, and needless to say USYD/UNSW would have more of a network than UTS, meaning it might be easier for you to score a job and get to a bigger company than if you were at UTS. That isn't to say it's impossible if you're at UTS, just that it might be harder. But you would already have a Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship award on your CV and you'd have 5 years to build it up, so I think it's still worth it to take the scholarship.

Inb4 hate for advocating taking UTS Law > USYD/UNSW

 

[Trans4M]

I would def take UTS law if you are getting a scholarship and none from UNSW/USYD. UTS might not be as reputable as the other two but it's still a great uni not to mention communication is also great at UTS.

 

[catwoman11]

I'm going to UNSW to do Arts/ Law but if UTS gave me a $12.5K scholarship, I would defs take that instead. That is a lotttt of money... you wouldn't need to have a casual job and could focus solely on uni. You could go on holidays during your uni breaks. You could pay off your HECs. People who do law at unsw/ usyd are not guaranteed a job afterwards. I also think having to maintain a distinction average would be a huge motivator.

 

[hibaby123]

Hmmm, it's really up to you. One of my friends was in this exact position and put preferences like so- 1. USYD Combined Law. 2 UNSW Combined Law, 3. UTS Combined Law. This way if you happened to get in to USYD/UNSW Law you can be happy with the prestige/amazing faculty. However, if you miss the cut-off, you will STILL get an offer to UTS Combined Law w/scholarship. Both ways you win? Unless money is a massive priority to you, then just put UTS first preference to make sure you get it. My friend who faced the same problem actually got in to UNSW with a bonus point, and is completely happy with his decision (despite losing UTS Scholarship). It also obviously depends on your perception of the campus'. If you completely loved USYD/UNSW then maybe its worth it to go, while if you're neutral, perhaps UTS is better for you.

 

[humanitieslover]

Thanks everyone for your input! A lot to think about I guess Anyone else have any thoughts etc? *

 

[brent012]

Keep in mind this is no ordinary scholarship - only 5 people get it each year and the only person I've met on one got a 99.95 ATAR.

12.5k a year is a LOT, even if you choose to pay uni fees over putting them on HECS you still have a fair bit left over after paying for textbooks and what not.

The fact you probably wouldn't need a part time job (depends on circumstances I guess) means you can focus
on extracurriculars and uni too.

 

[Crobat]

The fact you probably wouldn't need a part time job (depends on circumstances I guess) means you can focus
on extracurriculars and uni too.

This is important because it'll mean you'll have a lot more time to get that D average you need, and also in that you'll be able to search for industry relevant part-time work/work experience/internships etc while you study as well

 

[Spiritual Bean]

Don't be disheartened by projected shit job prospects. Yes, the industry is tough, but it's only tough if you make it tough for yourself.

There will always be two people who are equal in experience, age, qualifications and so forth, and one will be substantially better than the other. Take this, I know a law graduate from UWS (he's 30 now with ~6 years experience) who is making a shit ton of money. He had a 60k job when he got out, stayed in it for two years and now runs a private practice and he's living a really comfortable life, driving expensive cars, a huge house in the eastern suburbs. I also know someone from UNSW who got a 100 UAI (uai, not ATAR, it went to 100 back then), had a D or HD average in uni, and is now working at a top tier law firm and wouldn't come to make 1/5 of the first persons income. How do two people, the same age, one at a societally induced facade of disadvantage going to UWS have such disparate incomes, with the better leveled towards the supposed 'disadvantaged' guy? One knows what he's doing, and one doesn't. What's another difference? One guys income equates to the others car payments per year.

Contacts is the most important thing you can have, whether in a recession or a boom. You can be the most intellectual person on the face of the earth but if you don't know anyone, you're going to have a bad time. (insert meme)

 

[markt]

TBH I would go UNSW or USYD. 12.5k is not THAT much money, really, 62.5k over a 5 year degree, international students would be dropping that much in tuition and living fees for a year of commerce at UNSW or USYD. $200 per week, you can work at coles for 8 hours and get that..
With the legal student saturation that exists and continues to worsen, a second rate law degree is and will be trash in the future, and yes, UTS is second rate compared to UNSW/USYD for prestige in the industry (inb4 haters who think their law degrees are just as good because they studied the same crap but wonder why they don't get interviews).
Wouldn't sell yourself short the opportunity to study at one of the best law schools in the world and certainly the best in Australia over a little bit of uni drinking money..

 

[jjin12]

Hey humanitieslover - thanks for your bump on my profile! Thought it would be nice for me to help you out here (as I'm currently studying law). UTS is a great law school - I've heard that it has really good connections with the professional industry, and from my brief Linkedin stalking of some of Sydney's top barristers, they seem to generally come out of USyd and UTS.

I can't underestimate how useful a university scholarship is, especially if you're getting $12.5k a year (which is more than what top students at USyd/UNSW are being offered). It really gives you ease of mind when it comes to paying off your uni fees, and saving up for your personal spending.

Having said that though, where you should choose depends on what kind of person you are. If you're concerned about careers/prestige etc, I'd consider USyd - USyd graduates still dominate the top law firms. If you like interactive learning and smaller classes, I'd consider UNSW - it's the way it tries to differ itself from USyd, which has more of a traditional style of learning. With your ATAR, a transfer at either USyd or UNSW would be sweet.

Hope that helps! x

 

[humanitieslover]

Hey humanitieslover - thanks for your bump on my profile! Thought it would be nice for me to help you out here (as I'm currently studying law). UTS is a great law school - I've heard that it has really good connections with the professional industry, and from my brief Linkedin stalking of some of Sydney's top barristers, they seem to generally come out of USyd and UTS.

I can't underestimate how useful a university scholarship is, especially if you're getting $12.5k a year (which is more than what top students at USyd/UNSW are being offered). It really gives you ease of mind when it comes to paying off your uni fees, and saving up for your personal spending.

Having said that though, where you should choose depends on what kind of person you are. If you're concerned about careers/prestige etc, I'd consider USyd - USyd graduates still dominate the top law firms. If you like interactive learning and smaller classes, I'd consider UNSW - it's the way it tries to differ itself from USyd, which has more of a traditional style of learning. With your ATAR, a transfer at either USyd or UNSW would be sweet.

Hope that helps! x

Hey jjin12 Thank you for your advice!!!! And again, congratulations on your amazing results.

 

[Htonazzi]

I'm in the exact same position - have the marks for USyd/UNSW, but have also been offered the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship for 12.5k/year. Looking to do Law...thoughts?

 

[neo o]

You would be utterly insane to not go to UTS and take the scholarship. UTS also bundles their GDLP into their course which saves you money too. Law is unbelievably expensive, anything that offsets the cost is amazing.