Magic_in_me
Member
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2014
- Messages
- 33
- Gender
- Male
- HSC
- 2013
UNSW → A guide to transferring internally to law
I decided to write this up because it’s something I would’ve really appreciated and I’m sure future prospective transferees will appreciate.
What is an internal program transfer into law?
If you want to get into law but don’t get the (incredibly high) ATAR for it, you can enroll in another UNSW course, e.g. commerce. You can do this for one year, doing 4 subjects per semester (totaling 48 units of credit – 6 units per subjects). Assuming you don’t fail any subjects and your WAM (your average grade) is high enough, you can then transfer into a dual law degree, e.g. commerce/law, arts/law, etc.
If you were enrolled in commerce and then transferred into commerce/law, you should be able to get credit for those commerce subjects, and in this way you won’t really be behind those who got straight into law from high school. It all works out.
What is the advantage of an internal program transfer into law?
The advantage is mainly that UNSW guarantees a minimum of 100 places for internal transfers. This means that at least 100 UNSW students have priority over external transfers. Thus, even if their WAMS are less competitive than external transferees, they can still get in so long as they are competitive against other UNSW students. Furthermore, the transfer is based solely on your WAM rather than your ATAR and WAM. Thus, if you received a poor ATAR, you could still get into UNSW law. Of course, if you received a high ATAR this could be a disadvantage of sorts. Another advantage is that it’s far easier and is free.
What are WAM boosters?
These are subjects in which it is generally considered ‘easy’ to achieve a high mark, thus boosting your WAM and your likelihood of transferring into law. The problem with these is that they generally don’t carry any credit over to your law degree. That being said, you can still do them to transfer into law with no problems. WAM boosters are not instant high distinctions. They’re not easy per se. Rather they reward hard work. If you put in the effort and hours, you tend to get high marks. Note, some WAM boosters are very popular (e.g. Astronomy) and fill up very fast, and it can be difficult for first years to secure a spot.
When to do WAM boosters?
Using commerce as an example, you are required to do two general education courses, which typically become WAM boosters. However law does not require WAM boosters. Now, if you do the WAM boosters and don’t get into law, there’s no real harm done. If you do get into law, the subjects don’t carry credit over.
Some people choose to do one WAM booster each semester, whilst others do two together. It’s a delicate balance. For instance, if you do two in one semester, it could give you more time to study your other subjects as well (assuming you pick easy WAM boosters, ideally with no finals or with an online final). However, that might then leave with you with a really hard semester. If you were to do two in one semester, it would probably be best to do it in your second semester, because those subjects are usually harder than first semester subjects.
Could you exclusively do WAM boosters/an 'easy' degree and then transfer?
Yes, UNSW is very flexible. However, if you just do WAM boosters, you will have used a whole year of time/fees and will have to make up for it all in law. Furthermore, if you still fail to get into law after enrolling in an ‘easy’ degree, unless you genuinely love that degree, you’ll be stuck with a host of useless credits. The risk outweighs the reward. It is far better to do a subject you love and then transfer using a maximum of two WAM boosters that would count to your degree in the event you don’t transfer into law.
What are WAM killers?
These are subjects in which it is generally considered ‘hard’ to achieve a high mark, thus lowering your WAM and reducing the likelihood of transferring into law. Though this is by no means applicable to all, an infamous WAM killer is MGMT1001, so you might want to postpone that for your first year. There’s no harm in postponing it unless you plan to major in management.
What WAM do you need to transfer into law?
Generally, 80 seems to be a safe bet, with 75 probably being the minimum, although I've heard of a 74 getting in (unconfirmed). That being said, it all comes down to supply and demand. If UNSW chose to only allow the minimum of 100 students to transfer and the 100th highest WAM was 90, then the cut-off would be 90. If the 100th highest WAM was 10, the cut-off would be 10 (because they have to accept at least 100 students). The cut-off does seem to drift between 75 and 80 however. For 2015, a WAM of 81 was accepted into commerce/law (yours truly
).
Is it easy to transfer into law?
Speaking solely for commerce, an 80 WAM is absolutely possible so long as you put in the hard yards. Be sure to hit the ground running as soon as you enter your degree. Doing poorly in a single subject can impair your WAM too gravely to recover in time for a transfer.
Hints/tips
• Again, hit the ground running. You can’t afford to have a bad start.
• Use PASS classes.
• Try to get a hold of materials from people who have done the subjects, e.g. PERDISCO answers, past papers, assignments, quiz answers, etc.
• No mark is too small. Every percentage counts. Obviously you should assign appropriate time and effort to different assessments, but if something is worth 5% don’t just ‘wing it’. 5% is not insignificant.
• If you choose WAM boosters, put in the effort. You haven’t paid for a good mark. You’ve paid for the opportunity to work for one.
• Study throughout the year. It’s hard to do and most of us usually slack off but it really does help.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
If there are any inaccuracies here, please say so. Also, if anybody was successful in transferring internally into UNSW law, feel free to post your WAM.
I decided to write this up because it’s something I would’ve really appreciated and I’m sure future prospective transferees will appreciate.
What is an internal program transfer into law?
If you want to get into law but don’t get the (incredibly high) ATAR for it, you can enroll in another UNSW course, e.g. commerce. You can do this for one year, doing 4 subjects per semester (totaling 48 units of credit – 6 units per subjects). Assuming you don’t fail any subjects and your WAM (your average grade) is high enough, you can then transfer into a dual law degree, e.g. commerce/law, arts/law, etc.
If you were enrolled in commerce and then transferred into commerce/law, you should be able to get credit for those commerce subjects, and in this way you won’t really be behind those who got straight into law from high school. It all works out.
What is the advantage of an internal program transfer into law?
The advantage is mainly that UNSW guarantees a minimum of 100 places for internal transfers. This means that at least 100 UNSW students have priority over external transfers. Thus, even if their WAMS are less competitive than external transferees, they can still get in so long as they are competitive against other UNSW students. Furthermore, the transfer is based solely on your WAM rather than your ATAR and WAM. Thus, if you received a poor ATAR, you could still get into UNSW law. Of course, if you received a high ATAR this could be a disadvantage of sorts. Another advantage is that it’s far easier and is free.
What are WAM boosters?
These are subjects in which it is generally considered ‘easy’ to achieve a high mark, thus boosting your WAM and your likelihood of transferring into law. The problem with these is that they generally don’t carry any credit over to your law degree. That being said, you can still do them to transfer into law with no problems. WAM boosters are not instant high distinctions. They’re not easy per se. Rather they reward hard work. If you put in the effort and hours, you tend to get high marks. Note, some WAM boosters are very popular (e.g. Astronomy) and fill up very fast, and it can be difficult for first years to secure a spot.
When to do WAM boosters?
Using commerce as an example, you are required to do two general education courses, which typically become WAM boosters. However law does not require WAM boosters. Now, if you do the WAM boosters and don’t get into law, there’s no real harm done. If you do get into law, the subjects don’t carry credit over.
Some people choose to do one WAM booster each semester, whilst others do two together. It’s a delicate balance. For instance, if you do two in one semester, it could give you more time to study your other subjects as well (assuming you pick easy WAM boosters, ideally with no finals or with an online final). However, that might then leave with you with a really hard semester. If you were to do two in one semester, it would probably be best to do it in your second semester, because those subjects are usually harder than first semester subjects.
Could you exclusively do WAM boosters/an 'easy' degree and then transfer?
Yes, UNSW is very flexible. However, if you just do WAM boosters, you will have used a whole year of time/fees and will have to make up for it all in law. Furthermore, if you still fail to get into law after enrolling in an ‘easy’ degree, unless you genuinely love that degree, you’ll be stuck with a host of useless credits. The risk outweighs the reward. It is far better to do a subject you love and then transfer using a maximum of two WAM boosters that would count to your degree in the event you don’t transfer into law.
What are WAM killers?
These are subjects in which it is generally considered ‘hard’ to achieve a high mark, thus lowering your WAM and reducing the likelihood of transferring into law. Though this is by no means applicable to all, an infamous WAM killer is MGMT1001, so you might want to postpone that for your first year. There’s no harm in postponing it unless you plan to major in management.
What WAM do you need to transfer into law?
Generally, 80 seems to be a safe bet, with 75 probably being the minimum, although I've heard of a 74 getting in (unconfirmed). That being said, it all comes down to supply and demand. If UNSW chose to only allow the minimum of 100 students to transfer and the 100th highest WAM was 90, then the cut-off would be 90. If the 100th highest WAM was 10, the cut-off would be 10 (because they have to accept at least 100 students). The cut-off does seem to drift between 75 and 80 however. For 2015, a WAM of 81 was accepted into commerce/law (yours truly
).Is it easy to transfer into law?
Speaking solely for commerce, an 80 WAM is absolutely possible so long as you put in the hard yards. Be sure to hit the ground running as soon as you enter your degree. Doing poorly in a single subject can impair your WAM too gravely to recover in time for a transfer.
Hints/tips
• Again, hit the ground running. You can’t afford to have a bad start.
• Use PASS classes.
• Try to get a hold of materials from people who have done the subjects, e.g. PERDISCO answers, past papers, assignments, quiz answers, etc.
• No mark is too small. Every percentage counts. Obviously you should assign appropriate time and effort to different assessments, but if something is worth 5% don’t just ‘wing it’. 5% is not insignificant.
• If you choose WAM boosters, put in the effort. You haven’t paid for a good mark. You’ve paid for the opportunity to work for one.
• Study throughout the year. It’s hard to do and most of us usually slack off but it really does help.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
If there are any inaccuracies here, please say so. Also, if anybody was successful in transferring internally into UNSW law, feel free to post your WAM.
Last edited:
