UTS LAW vs MQ LAW (already completed first year law) (1 Viewer)

CCmuns

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Hi guys,
I just got an offer for UTS Law, after completing 1 year of Laws/Commerce at MQ. Is it wise to accept this? I am literally on the fence at the moment. Any help is greatly appreciated.
 

wished

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Hi CCmuns,

I too just received an offer from UTS and would also really like to know from other students whether top tier firms nowadays still only recruit from go8 unis. From what I heard (stress what I hear) from other students is that UTS generally has a better reputation than MQ but again... I feel that are both neck and neck unless compared to unsw/usyd. If I were you I would probably take UTS but you've already done a year at MQ and might lose some credits. Up to you! ^_^
 

Trans4M

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Top Tier Firms still mostly recruit from UNSW and USYD. However the number of students from Macquarie and UTS increased over the years.

OP. How are you finding Macquarie? Do you like it there? UTS has a pretty good Law Student Society especially when it comes to competitions. That is not to say that Macquarie is bad or anything. I would write up a list of benefits of going to UTS and a list of benefits of staying at Macquarie. Compare them and see which benefits are more important to you.
 

Crobat

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Hi CCmuns,

I too just received an offer from UTS and would also really like to know from other students whether top tier firms nowadays still only recruit from go8 unis. From what I heard (stress what I hear) from other students is that UTS generally has a better reputation than MQ but again... I feel that are both neck and neck unless compared to unsw/usyd. If I were you I would probably take UTS but you've already done a year at MQ and might lose some credits. Up to you! ^_^
can confirm this is no longer the case and hasn't been for quite some while - I'm a UTS student currently at a top tier before it's even time for clerkships (which would be where firms take their grads). I'm not using my own experience as the case in point example but MQ and UTS students are very well represented in top tier firms.

the go8s are still higher represented overall but that would likely be because the quality of students from go8s would generally be higher at these unis being unis that are more difficult to get into (generally)

at the end of the day, firms recruit their clerks (to-be-grads) over a 5 month process based on a written application, numerous cocktail evenings and 2 separate interviews with different partners of the firm - the uni name is not getting the individual through that

OP should balance the pros/cons of transferring. MQ is a great uni with a good law school but his/her success is dependent on their own motivation and performance - something which will still be the case at UTS. Reputation shouldn't be a massive consideration in this decision because of that reason. If you are happy at MQ and see opportunity to become more of an engaged student at MQ (by joining MULS, volunteering legal positions, extra-curriculars generally) then you should stay there and do exactly that.
 

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Just to add on to this, I've spent quite a bit of time in a top-tier firm doing work-experience (I guess that's what its called lol), and the one partner I discussed universities at length was of the opinion that in today's market USYD, UNSW and UTS make up the top-tier in terms of influence, and then you'd have ANU and MACQ. That being said he did graduate from UTS, and he was also quick to mention that if you excel it doesn't really matter where you go
 

milkytea99

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Tbh, I think it doesn't really matter.
Cuz Macquarie and uts are similar IMO.
Unless it's the difference between Macquarie and unsw/usyd, or you went to uws or some random uni like acu, notre dame , southern cross and you got offered by uts.
If it's me , I'll just stay in macq since I did 1 year already.
 

BLIT2014

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If you can't credit all units then I'd probably wouldn't.

If UTS is easier to access (i.e less travel time) that is something you should also consider.
 

RishBonjour99

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Stay at MQ unless uts is substantially more convenient. Top yier firms are more represented by students from usyd and unsw and there is a smaller proportion of students from uts and mq. You just have to be around a top of your cohort whatever uni it is and you should be fine.

What's your mq law wam? If its a distinction i wouldnt bother changing for uts as it might affect your marks etc.
 

CCmuns

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Not sure how to calculate WAM but out of the 7 units I have completed I have 3 D's and 4 HD's.
 

RishBonjour99

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Not sure how to calculate WAM but out of the 7 units I have completed I have 3 D's and 4 HD's.
In nsw and law, gpa isn't important - WAM is - wam is simply the average of all your final marks (i.e. on transcript assuming all had the same credit points).

Either way lowest mark of a distinction is always strong. Probably would stay at mq. If it was usyd or unsw, the move may have been worth it.
 

RishBonjour99

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And you failed to get into UNSW or Syd? Gee competition is tough!
Competition is not tough. Plenty of ways to get into law and plenty of sub par getting into law and subsequently getting destroyed by the exams.

There are people at usyd (which marks materially harder than unsw mq or uts) who have all hds and ds and are in their third year. So it's not that impressive for a first year mark (the really top kids will be in a hd wam at least given its mq).

But.. if OP maintains it, it is competitive to get 'a job'. Which uni do you go to lol - stop making up shit about other uni students not getting jobs. There are comm/law kids from mq at goldman sachs.
 

InsoulvencyReaper

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Hi guys,
I just got an offer for UTS Law, after completing 1 year of Laws/Commerce at MQ. Is it wise to accept this? I am literally on the fence at the moment. Any help is greatly appreciated.
If you're not feeling it... Just trust your gut.

I've moved three times (or in process of). From UNSW to MQ now to UTS. I'm going from law to combined law/business

My WAM/GPA is no where near as good as yours and I'm only really doing it to go to a uni closer to my work.

If you're doing well, in a routine and the uni is convenient for you I don't see a problem with staying where you are.
 

Crobat

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Thanks everyone for your advice. I think I will stay at MQ and do my best to maintain my marks.
Don't forget to explore extra-curriculars by being involved in MULS and law competitions, and just generally keeping up with some interests outside of uni. All of these things go towards making you a well-rounded applicant come job application time. My WAM is nothing special, barely over the 75 mark, but I find that getting interviews isn't too hard where applications are open, and when I'm in them, the majority of the time is spent talking about my involvement in the law society, law competitions, and external interests. I currently work at one of the bigger Big 6 firms and the interview lasted an hour, of which the majority of time was spent talking about law society/competitions and my interests in calisthenics and horror games. The fact that I had spent the last 20 months working in a law firm was only discussed for 2-5 minutes during my general introduction of myself. A lot of students who work on personal projects or start-ups outside of uni find that it's a similar experience for them. Your marks only help you survive the cull-line that firms use to cut thousands of applications to hundreds. After you get notification that you've survived the written part of the process, it's pretty much fair game for everyone.
 

RishBonjour99

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Thanks everyone for your advice. I think I will stay at MQ and do my best to maintain my marks.
Well done. 86 wam is pretty solid. Get some experience on the side too and that will help quite a bit e.g. paralegal.

Law market is not as bad as people saw it is. Sydney Freehills alone took in 50 clerks. That's a lot of people so if you keep it up, should be ok.
 

Crobat

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Well done. 86 wam is pretty solid. Get some experience on the side too and that will help quite a bit e.g. paralegal.

Law market is not as bad as people saw it is. Sydney Freehills alone took in 50 clerks. That's a lot of people so if you keep it up, should be ok.
This is really worrying though because last year a lot of Sydney firms took more clerks than the usual amount and in sponsorship talks with some firms this year, one has already indicated they aren't doing clerkships in 2016 at all and others have indicated they're struggling with the amount of clerks they took in 2015.

I doubt any firms will take more than the usual 20-25 this year tbh
 

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