monash law externaltransfer (1 Viewer)

[fnkychk]

monash law external transfer

Anyone have some personal experiences or knowledge about the difficulty of getting in?

 

[fnkychk]

yeah, you're right, it is 70 to be 'eligible'.

i just want to know how much over that gives you a near-certain chance of getting in. it's usually the same from year-to-year.

 

[Hiphoppa]

I'm applying for the graduate-entry program and the law faculty said that "mid 70s" is usually required to get in. My average is 74, I really hope that'll be enough. With the Melbourne model coming in though, my guess is that it'll become a bit more competitive.

 

[RogueAcademic]

IIRC the official word is they look for mid-70s grade average to be considered.

I'm applying for the graduate-entry program and the law faculty said that "mid 70s" is usually required to get in. My average is 74, I really hope that'll be enough. With the Melbourne model coming in though, my guess is that it'll become a bit more competitive.

Any reason why you're not considering the JD program as opposed to the Grad Entry LLB?

 

[Hiphoppa]

Well the fees for one, isn't it close to 50k all up? Also, I think the LLB will give me a better and broader understanding as there are less compulsory subjects (the JD has a lot I think) and more scope to try different electives, etc.

 

[RogueAcademic]

Well the fees for one, isn't it close to 50k all up? Also, I think the LLB will give me a better and broader understanding as there are less compulsory subjects (the JD has a lot I think) and more scope to try different electives, etc.

No it's more than 50k but is covered by the postgrad fee scheme (CSP for postgrad degrees). The Melb Uni JD and Monash JD are also taught differently from their respective LLB programs. The Monash JD itself has recently gone through some changes which has relaxed the number of compulsory subjects with the exception of a few essential ones. Either way, if you want to practice as a lawyer after graduation, you must have completed a large number of compulsory subjects to qualify (the Priestly 11, see wiki link below) regardless if you're an LLB or JD student. Family Law isn't one of the Priestly 11 but you would have access to more focused and advanced family law subjects through the JD. And there is also the option for you to choose a research-specific subject where you could conduct your own independent and original research in the area of family law (see other link below).

And as for electives - through the JD your elective subjects are drawn from law Masters (LLM) subjects as well as JD-specific subjects so if nothing else, due to the postgraduate level of study, 'depth' and breadth is arguably more significant here than the undergraduate level subjects and your future employers will recognise that as an advantage.

There are advantages and disadvantages to choosing between the grad LLB and the JD programs, make sure you're aware of them before discarding one option.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priestley_11

Graduate research paper: http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/LAW7078.html

 

[fnkychk]

IIRC the official word is they look for mid-70s grade average to be considered.

that doesn't really make sense. its 70+ to be considered. Do you mean to say that it's around 75 to actually have a good chance?

 

[fnkychk]

i wonder if they look at your grades AND what course you got those grades in. it's certainly easier to get an 70 average in arts than it is in law.

 

[Hiphoppa]

In short, I'm pretty sure they don't. If you're transferring from one degree to another, they'll look at your uni grades and ENTER. If you've completely finished one degree and are applying as a graduate, they only look at your uni grades. They place no weight on what you actually studied, just your academic results and maybe your VTAC Pi form.

 

[fnkychk]

well what if u put into your PI form that you are already studying law?

 

[RogueAcademic]

that doesn't really make sense. its 70+ to be considered. Do you mean to say that it's around 75 to actually have a good chance?

They look for mid-70s academic average to be competitive, as quoted to me by staff at the law faculty over the phone. This was a number of years ago though when I was enquiring about a transfer while still completing my undergrad degree. I think they might say 70+ but of course the better your marks are in relation to the other applicants, the better your chances. Taking into consideration the quality of applicants on average, the mid-70s is the recommended standard especially when they only take very few transfers each year.

And no, they don't really care which bachelors degree you're doing, it's the academic record they look at. Same as applying for graduate medicine - you could have a bachelors degree in anything in the world, but you'll only increase your chances as long as your academic record is excellent.

What do you mean 'you are already studying law', are you talking about transferring from an LLB course in one uni into another LLB course in another uni?

 

[fnkychk]

I didn't say I was studying law, I'm saying what if you're already studying law and getting eg a 75 average. I would assume that they'd look at that a little more favourably than a 75 average in an arts degree for two reasons. First, some arts subjects have multiple choice exams and that sort of thing, and second, it's showing you can already manage the course well.

 

[RogueAcademic]

I didn't say I was studying law, I'm saying what if you're already studying law and getting eg a 75 average. I would assume that they'd look at that a little more favourably than a 75 average in an arts degree for two reasons. First, some arts subjects have multiple choice exams and that sort of thing, and second, it's showing you can already manage the course well.

As I was saying before, they will not care what kind of bachelors degree it is. But it would be a pointless to talk about whether they think a law degree has a higher standard than an arts degree, unless you're actually talking about transferring between law courses at different unis.

 

[fnkychk]

If you were already doing law, wouldn't that necessarily mean you're at another university? Are you saying that's when they would take into account course difficulty?

Deakin Law w/ 75 WAM--> Monash Law
Deakin Arts w/ 75 WAM--> Monash Law

Are these two situations considered to be exactly the same? I presume this is what you were actually told by Monash's Law Faculty.

 

[RogueAcademic]

If you were already doing law, wouldn't that necessarily mean you're at another university?

That's exactly what I was saying earlier ....

Are you saying that's when they would take into account course difficulty?

Deakin Law w/ 75 WAM--> Monash Law
Deakin Arts w/ 75 WAM--> Monash Law

Are these two situations considered to be exactly the same? I presume this is what you were actually told by Monash's Law Faculty.

What are your circumstances exactly, it might be a lot more helpful if you were clearer about where you stand. Are you an arts student from Deakin Uni trying to determine the value of your degree when applying to transfer into law at Monash?

I have a couple of university degrees in a field other than law, and have worked in research academia at a major university for years so I know how things work behind the scenes even if I can't presume to speak for the Law Faculty at Monash. Either way, I will repeat again that the type of bachelors degree you have should not and will not be taken into account when processing your application for law.

Transferring from law degree at one uni to a law degree at another uni is a different situation altogether I think. It doesn't happen that often in other degrees, it certainly happens very very rarely in a degree like medicine where it is strongly discouraged unless you had a very good reason for doing so. I know it happens sometimes in Law when students want to 'upgrade' their law degree to for whatever reason. If you really want to know where you stand, you should contact the law faculty directly.

 

[fnkychk]

I'm not concerned about where I stand. I've already contacted the university

I'm doing Law/Science, hopefully transferring to Law/Arts.

 

[RogueAcademic]

I'm doing Law/Science, hopefully transferring to Law/Arts.

Well why didn't you say so? In circumstances like this, the law part really doesn't matter in the transfer process at all since it's just a cosmetic difference for the law faculty, a sheet or two of paperwork, that's all. Unless you're talking about transferring from Law/Sci at one uni into Law/Arts at another uni, in which case it would really be transferring into two different courses.

 

[fnkychk]

I didn't say so because I wasn't asking a question about me, I was just talking generally.

I am at another uni.

 

[bjh68]

Hi there,

I've done one year of Law/Commerce at Deakin with a 77 average.
What are the chances of getting an "upgrade" into the same degree at Monash?

 

[fnkychk]

Are you serious? That's what this whole thread is about and so far the only estimate we have is 75 to be competitive.
Have you applied this year?