Med or Combined Law more difficult to get into? (1 Viewer)

[taintedfeather]

At first I thought Med was with all the high ATAR, UMAT and interview, but the more I think about it, Combined Law seems just as difficult or even more so. Correct me, if I'm wrong, but these are some of the major factors (btw, I'm going to deal with just the major Universities Sydney - ie. USYD, UNSW, Macq, UTS and UWS...perhaps also Newcastle).

1. Bonus points apply to medicine.
UWS, and certain other Med unis offer bonus points schemes, where the 95+ minimum ATAR can be reduced to 92 or 93 (or even lower in other states). It might not seem like a big deal, but when added with the EAS scheme, that's a great chunk of bonus points.

Surprisingly, almost all universities in terms of law, repeat the same phrase "bonus points apply to all courses...except all Combined Law courses."

2. Medicine has UMAT & Interview
Well round two definitely goes to Medicine for their austere Undergraduate selection process. But having said that........

3. Combined Law require a higher ATAR.
Well this is true - especially in UNSW and USYD law. Thus whilst it's possible to get into Med with a 92 ATAR, it's not going to be sufficient for the 99.65 ATAR cutoff for USYD or the 99.55 for UNSW or even the 97 for UTS. (Not including EAS, and UWS).

So where does it stand for undergraduates? Well, at this stage, whilst both are quite difficult to achieve, I'm going to say Medicine has the upper hand, with it's relatively high minimum ATAR requirement, and it's trial by ordeal process a.k.a UMAT + Interviews. That's not saying Combined Law is easy to get into of course....it's not, but Med, at this stage is a bit more challenging.

4. Graduate Studies and Transfers
Okay, here is where things get interesting. What about entry into Med and Combined Law at graduate level?

- The Medicine pool is now more in one's favour, and transfers from courses such as Medical Ccience is is far easier than the dog-eat-dog Undergraduate medicine selection process. So technically, you could get into med with a low 70 ATAR, do a course like Medical Science, do well, and transfer. Wow, who would've thought it could be that simple?

- What about Combined Law? Well....now it seems that's swapped places with Medicine and has become the snake headed monster. Why? Because transfer into Combined Law is not permitted....if you want to transfer into law, it's going to be Graduate Law - which is a stand alone degree. The only possible way to transfer to Combined Law is....if you're already doing Combined Law! (It's very redundant isn't it?)

So what's the moral of this story? Well, it's actually that Medicine and Combined Law, are balanced in terms of difficulty getting in. Whilst it might seem that Medicine is the most challenging course to gain a place, that's only at Undergraduate level, as Graduate medicine soothes this raging behemoth and makes it far easier for students to enter.

Likewise, a combination of high Undergraduate ATAR cutoffs (99.65 makes even the most diligent of students go into remission) and an impossibility for any entrance at graduate level makes law a stone cold beats of its own.

So what's the true moral of all this then? Well, it's that med and combined law are unnecessarily difficult to enter, and that those who get the required ATARS are thrusted into a greater, harrowing process that makes life hell for them. Now doesn't getting a 75 ATAR and getting into B Science sound so much more simpler?

No? Well, good luck, as you'll be joining me, and the rest of us Med and Combined Law Students who signed our lives away for 5-10 years of boring/exciting/monotonous/exhilarating study.

(btw, this was supposed to be posted under general...sorry!)

 

[Strawbaby]

What are you trying to say?
Who cares? Enough lawyers, not enough doctors.

 

[Foodie]

4. Graduate Studies and Transfers
Okay, here is where things get interesting. What about entry into Med and Combined Law at graduate level?

- The Medicine pool is now more in one's favour, and transfers from courses such as Medical Ccience is is far easier than the dog-eat-dog Undergraduate medicine selection process. So technically, you could get into med with a low 70 ATAR, do a course like Medical Science, do well, and transfer. Wow, who would've thought it could be that simple?

- What about Combined Law? Well....now it seems that's swapped places with Medicine and has become the snake headed monster. Why? Because transfer into Combined Law is not permitted....if you want to transfer into law, it's going to be Graduate Law - which is a stand alone degree. The only possible way to transfer to Combined Law is....if you're already doing Combined Law! (It's very redundant isn't it?)

You are severely misguided, my friend.

1. If a person were to do the most common pathway into graduate medicine, they will usually do a B. Medical Science /Adv. Science (Acer doesn't give preference to the type of UG degree in the medicine selection process but it gives the candidate an upper hand for the GAMSAT), in addition to the GAMSAT, and interview process. It's by no means, a straightforward process of transferring into medicine... you're basically doing the same thing as you would for UG med, except at a more difficult provision. Yes, it may be 'easier' to get into grad med as opposed to UG med, but only because there are more graduate places at med schools. Otherwise, still very difficult.

2. You CAN transfer into combined law without initially being in combined law. Many people on this forum have actually transferred from a stand-along commerce degree into combined law. It's easier now that the more well-known unis, ie. USYD have softened their rules regarding LLB transfers (they used to arbitrarily use a combo of ATAR + CGPA, but now will use the better of ATAR + CGPA and CGPA alone, giving a glimmer of hope to the people who did crap in their HSC).

3. Graduate law / JD is easier to get into than UG LLB, mainly because the entry standards are lower, and most people don't want to take this route because law school costs sh*tloads w/o a CSP.

 

[danal353]

doesn't this thread already exist? under the exact same name...

 

[wendybird]

Who knows. They're both pretty difficult to get into. But at the end of the day, if someone is determined to do it, they'll find a way (transferring, back doors, graduate level etc). *shrug*

The question is kind of irrelevant no? Because its highly unlikely that a person is going to be well suited to BOTH Law and Med (usually you get certain types in one, and certain types in the other), and it would also be silly to put either one as a first preference based on how difficult it is perceived to get into.

The thing about med though, is that due to it taking into account other factors (UMAT, interview etc) one could potentially get in with a lower ATAR (a friend of a friend apparently got in with a low 99 ATAR, so the ATAR itself is less rigid as a cutoff. But at the same time, the UMAT or interview is where others may fall down on despite a high ATAR, so it all balances out.