Commerce/Law at Monash?

[bdgonz]

Hi everyone,

So since the start of the year I hadn't even considered this degree as I never thought I would get anything close to my ATAR. 97.5 is not high enough for Commerce/Law (98+ ATAR), but with subject bonuses I think I get in. 45 in English (2 aggregate points) and 45 in Psych (1 aggregate point) pushes me to a 98.05. However, I did not complete VCE Legal Studies, and am therefore unsure whether or not this will be a good choice.

In general, my questions are:
- How difficult is this degree?
- Would I be stupid to even attempt to go for this course without completing legal studies?
- Is there much job prospect from this degree (or will I be better off with Commerce/IT)?
- Will I be able to transfer from Commerce/Law to Commerce/IT if I end up hating law?
- Are bonus points still a thing in 2017?

Any advice or knowledge will be greatly appreciated!! 

[Coffee]

- How difficult is this degree?

I’ll let someone actually studying Law answer this question for you but, naturally, it’s difficult but doable.

Of course, I’d be hesitant to describe any degree has necessarily ‘easy,’ but it’s difficulty will depend on your strengths and weaknesses.

- Would I be stupid to even attempt to go for this course without completing legal studies?

No. You definitely don’t need Legal Studies.

- Is there much job prospect from this degree (or will I be better off with Commerce/IT)?

I’m not entirely sure about prospects, so I’ll refrain from commenting. However, what do you want to do? Where can you see yourself working in the future? Law, IT, or Commerce? It’s the case for many professions that there’s not enough jobs, but far too many graduates. I stand by doing what you’re passionate about and what interests you.

- Will I be able to transfer from Commerce/Law to Commerce/IT if I end up hating law?

Yes.

- Are bonus points still a thing in 2017?

I believe so, but can someone check this?

[Glasses]

Hi everyone,

So since the start of the year I hadn't even considered this degree as I never thought I would get anything close to my ATAR. 97.5 is not high enough for Commerce/Law (98+ ATAR), but with subject bonuses I think I get in. 45 in English (2 aggregate points) and 45 in Psych (1 aggregate point) pushes me to a 98.05. However, I did not complete VCE Legal Studies, and am therefore unsure whether or not this will be a good choice.

In general, my questions are:
- How difficult is this degree?
- Would I be stupid to even attempt to go for this course without completing legal studies?
- Is there much job prospect from this degree (or will I be better off with Commerce/IT)?
- Will I be able to transfer from Commerce/Law to Commerce/IT if I end up hating law?
- Are bonus points still a thing in 2017?

Any advice or knowledge will be greatly appreciated!! 

Hi there!
Firstly, congratulations on your ATAR!!
Everything Coffee has is spot on, but I'll just add the following:

- Firstly, not having done Legal Studies will not be an issue! I found that Legal helped a little for the first couple of weeks of Foundations of Law, but even then, everything you need to know from Legal is covered anyway.
- Secondly, 'difficulty' is quite subjective. I don't think anyone studying Law would say that it's easy - but if you're willing to put in the work, you should be fine. (I'll also mention that in Law, things don't always 'click' or make sense until you've learnt the majority or all of the content in the unit; so if you don't understand things right away, don't stress).
- Thirdly, regarding job prospects, it really depends on what career you're pursuing. If you're thinking of a career in Commerce, a double degree with either IT or Law should be very helpful employability-wise. Regarding the job prospects for Law, there are usually a fair number of legal jobs going around - however, the main issue is that these jobs are very competitive and usually attract many applicants. Therefore, volunteering, extracurricular activities and good grades are very important to boost your employability. (Doing a double degree and attending a G08 uni is also quite beneficial to boost your employability!)

Hope this helps!

[bdgonz]

I’ll let someone actually studying Law answer this question for you but, naturally, it’s difficult but doable.

Of course, I’d be hesitant to describe any degree has necessarily ‘easy,’ but it’s difficulty will depend on your strengths and weaknesses.
No. You definitely don’t need Legal Studies.
I’m not entirely sure about prospects, so I’ll refrain from commenting. However, what do you want to do? Where can you see yourself working in the future? Law, IT, or Commerce? It’s the case for many professions that there’s not enough jobs, but far too many graduates. I stand by doing what you’re passionate about and what interests you.
Yes.
I believe so, but can someone check this?

Thank you for your insight!

Hi there!
Firstly, congratulations on your ATAR!!
Everything Coffee has is spot on, but I'll just add the following:

- Firstly, not having done Legal Studies will not be an issue! I found that Legal helped a little for the first couple of weeks of Foundations of Law, but even then, everything you need to know from Legal is covered anyway.
- Secondly, 'difficulty' is quite subjective. I don't think anyone studying Law would say that it's easy - but if you're willing to put in the work, you should be fine. (I'll also mention that in Law, things don't always 'click' or make sense until you've learnt the majority or all of the content in the unit; so if you don't understand things right away, don't stress).
- Thirdly, regarding job prospects, it really depends on what career you're pursuing. If you're thinking of a career in Commerce, a double degree with either IT or Law should be very helpful employability-wise. Regarding the job prospects for Law, there are usually a fair number of legal jobs going around - however, the main issue is that these jobs are very competitive and usually attract many applicants. Therefore, volunteering, extracurricular activities and good grades are very important to boost your employability. (Doing a double degree and attending a G08 uni is also quite beneficial to boost your employability!)

Hope this helps!

Thank you very much!! If I was to do a Commerce/Law degree I would most likely go for a job in the Commerce field. However, I feel like law-related knowledge would be quite impressive on a CV and is a good skill set to have (as you said). However, Commerce/IT is a shorter degree (by 1 year), and my parents seem to think that due to the rapid growth of Information Technology that it will be a better option for me. But I don't see myself as a very technical person, so I'm still quite conflicted. Again, thanks for your help

[Glasses]

Thank you very much!! If I was to do a Commerce/Law degree I would most likely go for a job in the Commerce field. However, I feel like law-related knowledge would be quite impressive on a CV and is a good skill set to have (as you said). However, Commerce/IT is a shorter degree (by 1 year), and my parents seem to think that due to the rapid growth of Information Technology that it will be a better option for me. But I don't see myself as a very technical person, so I'm still quite conflicted. Again, thanks for your help

I degree in IT would certainly be handy given the rapid growth of the field - so your parents are definitely correct! Nevertheless, the knowledge and skills you develop from Law would also be very handy! (I've only just completed my first year and have already learnt heaps!!)

Is there a certain field within Commerce you're leaning towards? As this might help you decide whether IT or Law is most appropriate!

I'll also recommend having a look at the handbooks for Law and IT (below), and sussing out the respective units for each course to work out which you find most appealing

http://www.monash.edu/pubs/2018handbooks/courses/L3001.html
http://www.monash.edu/pubs/2018handbooks/courses/C2000.html

[VceBookworm]

Hi just wanting to enquire what was the lowest ATAR achieved over the past few yearsi to get an  offer to Commerce/law at Monash please?

[Sine]

Hi just wanting to enquire what was the lowest ATAR achieved over the past few yearsi to get an  offer to Commerce/law at Monash please?

92.55 (without taking into account adjustment factors), however the median atar was higher at mid 98s.

https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/1496350/18P-0727_MU-ATAR-Offer-Profile-Report-2018_final-v1.pdf

[Springyboy]

Hi just wanting to enquire what was the lowest ATAR achieved over the past few yearsi to get an  offer to Commerce/law at Monash please?

This year most spots were filled for this degree due to a ton of people internally transferring from Arts to Arts/Law. Due to this, if you didn't get a 98 ATAR or a 98 ATAR after scaling factors, then you didn't get in. I suspect that next year this may drop slightly though, due to this year having an unusually high number of internal transfers who were successful.

[VceBookworm]

Does that mean if atar is between 97-98 chances of getting in to Commerce law is almost nil ?

[AngelWings]

Does that mean if atar is between 97-98 chances of getting in to Commerce law is almost nil ?

Not quite. The "ATAR after scaling factors" often means adding in middle band subjects and SEAS, so if any of these apply to you, you still have a chance at Comm/ Law with an ATAR generally a little lower than 98. I wrote a post on how middle band subjects work recently, which you can check out here.