Com/Law at MQ -vs- Com & Grad Law at USyd/UNSW (2 Viewers)

[wagga]

I received a first round offer for commerce at Sydney which I accepted, and a late round offer for commerce law at macquarie.

I was wondering if, in terms of career prospects, I would be significantly disadvantaged by doing law at macquarie compared to graduate law at sydney or unsw?

Bluntly, would I be better taking the commerce law degree at macquarie, or doing commerce at Sydney and then grad law at either sydney or unsw? The extra year graduate law would take over the combined degree doesn't bother me, neither the other qualities (e.g. position, social life) of the respective campuses.

 

[uberlovesounds]

Re: BCom LLB @ Macquarie vs. B Com & Grad Law at USyd/UNSW

if i were u, i would do comm/law at mac.. and if i really wanted a degree from usyd or unsw, i would do masters of tax at usyd.. looks awesome!

 

[M@C D@DDY]

Re: BCom LLB @ Macquarie vs. B Com & Grad Law at USyd/UNSW

if i were u, i would do comm/law at mac.. and if i really wanted a degree from usyd or unsw, i would do masters of tax at usyd.. looks awesome!

Don't you mean Masters of Tax at ATAX (UNSW)??

 

[uberlovesounds]

Re: BCom LLB @ Macquarie vs. B Com & Grad Law at USyd/UNSW

sorry.. i meant masters of LAW at sydney..

 

[wagga]

Re: BCom LLB @ Macquarie vs. B Com & Grad Law at USyd/UNSW

I don't really have any preference for any particular uni, but i am aware that macquarie isn't considered as prestigious as unsw or usyd in terms of its law degree...I was really just wondering if it would be significantly worse from a career perspective than doing the two degrees separately at sydney or new south.

Further on from this point, is doing a masters particularly helpful from a career perspective? (At the moment I am aiming at a career in finance/banking, but going into legal practice is an option also).

 

[uberlovesounds]

Re: BCom LLB @ Macquarie vs. B Com & Grad Law at USyd/UNSW

it'll definitely give u an edge above those common LLBs! easier to get in big top-tier firms i guess?

 

[Rorix]

Re: BCom LLB @ Macquarie vs. B Com & Grad Law at USyd/UNSW

I'd probably go grad law. Only one extra year and you get a more prestigious university and more likely a more intelligent peer group (no offence to MACQ students but higher uai cutoff = more likely smarter students as a generalisation of course...plenty of dumb people and plenty of geniuses everywhere - why am i explaining myself i don't need to be that PC ). Also from what I know (little) grad law has a better range of electives that you can choose in comparison to com/law (this may be incorrect)

 

[wheredanton]

Re: BCom LLB @ Macquarie vs. B Com & Grad Law at USyd/UNSW

If you are hellbent on being a corporate lawyer you should:

a) do com first then grad law at either usyd or unsw;
b) or do com/law at maqu but make sure you have a solid D average.

 

[dr3amy]

Hey wagga
I went to maq for comm/law too and now i got an offer to unsw and usyd for comm/law (im going to unsw though =) so what im saying is you can transfer after 1st year

However, i realised this year the uai for comm/law at maq was much lower, 93-94 is it? So it depends on your uai, i got 98ish so it was easy for me to transfer, if you got 93-94 i think you'll probably need a higher tertiary mark. Figure out what you tertiary mark you need for transfer (see frigid's post on law/transfer forum on calculating NRSL) and ask yourself how realistic is it for you to get that?

You can always have a go at transfer at maq, if you dont make transfer to law then you can transfer to comm and continue with your grad law path. I dont know personally i dont find it worthwhile to spend that extra year.

ANd i dont think you'll be significantly worse off going to maq to do a law degree, it will depend on your own progress, ability and marks more. However, when first finding a job when u graduate it might be slightly more difficult than a unsw/syd student i guess. Also from studying the range of subjects core and options at maq, unsw, usyd during law, maq does have more focus on jurisprudence and legal theory, however less emphasis on practical components

 

[MoonlightSonata]

The Law Guide has information on transfer entry and mark calculation.

 

[wagga]

I got 95.15, and according to the UNSW website I would need 97 and a high credit to distinction GPA to be competitive. I think it is unlikely I would be able to get the required GPA to transfer based on this.

Basically the choice for this year is commerce at syd or com/law at maq, i dont really see the point in doing law at maq for a year and transferring into commerce or something similar at unsw or sydney.

dr3amy_pisc3an, is maq good as a student socially etc? i went and looked around it for a bit, it was alright, but it didn't really seem as nice as sydney and I was wondering what your perspective on that is?

 

[M@C D@DDY]

I think your best option would be to try your best in Commerce for the first year, and go for the transfer at the end of your first year. Should you fail to do so, then just finish off the degree (possibly consider honours?) and then enrol in grad law, if at that time, you still feel it's necessary to do law. What I guess I am saying is that you may find commerce an interesting course thus not needing to law part, though only time will tell.

 

[relizabo]

Hi i just had to make the same choice - but between arts/law at MQ and arts then grad law at sydney. I ended up going with arts at syd because its more prestigious, pretty, i can do a full arts degree - increases my employment oppotunities, better social life than mq, get to go through the city everyday,. friends will be there, better library. But its up to you if your desparate to do law now then go to MQ, if on the other hand your happy studying commerce for three years without any law go to syd or unsw and do commerce. hope that helps

 

[wagga]

If i got 97 + then i would definitely go for the Sydney option and go for the transfer at the end of the year, but as it stands, i think my chances of transferring on 95 are minimal, hence my slight preference towards mac at this stage.

Just as a question, in 6 years, would i be better with a grad law from syd or unsw, or doing the macquarie course and then doing LLM at either mac, uts, unsw or syd?

I'm sorta starting to regret not trying harder in the hsc though...

 

[Summer Rain]

Hi Wagga

In my former place of employment (I worked as a team leagal secretary) one lawyer graduated from MQ, another from Sydney and another from UNSW.

You want my opinion - you should be very proud of yourself that you got into com/law at MQ so don't waste this great opportunity. I don't think you can really go wrong with syd, UNSW or MQ.

If I were in your position I would, without hesitation, go to MQ if it is closer to your home and since you are from the northern beaches I think it might be. If nearing your third year at MQ you are still hung up about wanting to graduate from UNSW or USyd law you can always drop the law component of your commerce/law degree and finish up with a commerce degree at MQ after 3 years then do graduate law at UNSW or Sydney and maybe you can get credit for some law subjects you have done (check with MQ uni first if this is possible).

If you really have your heart set on doing grad law at Syd then do it but keep in mind that after 3 years of study you might not be motivated. Also consider that it is a risk in trying to get into grad law at Syd uni. the UAC guide states that you may need a masters degree or honours degree to increase your chances.

At your age, I wouldn't even consider doing my masters yet. First of all, you have 5 long years of study ahead of you, take one step at a time. Secondly, I am not sure whether its worth it from a careers perspective; I doubt it will increase your desirability as a potential candidate going straight from a bachelors to a masters degree. Get some industry experience first (say 2 years minimum) and then if you develop an interest in a special area of law consider having your employer pay for your masters degree. To do a masters just so that you can have a piece of paper on your wall saying you graduated from USyd Law school is really not worth your time/money. A masters degree is very expensive so you need to do it for the right reasons.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

 

[uberlovesounds]

didn't u apply for full-fee during the main rounds? or you could try for transferring after the first year (just try anyway, don't give a crap what they say) into a fee place..

 

[wagga]

No, i didnt apply for a full fee place as with 95, as i have said, i dont think i have a great chance of transferring into a hecs place, if i got 97+ i would be definitely doing that. I dont want to be saddled with an $80 000 FEE HELP debt at the end of uni.

As for the position, Sydney is a bit over an hour from my house by public transport, macquarie a little bit more, so i will be moving out either way, in which case i prefer the surrounds of syd to mac, but that doesnt bother me particularly.

 

[Summer Rain]

Everyone has different opinions it seems.

Go with what your heart tells you in this case.

When do you have to decide by? let us know what you choose

 

[wagga]

I have to enrol at macquarie on the 15th of this month, I have already enrolled at sydney and have until the 31st of march to pull out of that course.

At the moment i am 90% sure i will go the macquarie route for now

 

[mitsui]

Hey,

I am on the same boat.

I get to choose between uts Law with a bit of scholarship or usyd commerce, or usyd com/law DFEE with a huge debt.

I guess each has its advantages ..

I have to decide soon... >_<