NSW universities taking students with ATARs as low as 30

[Dejan]

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/nsw-universities-taking-students-with-atars-as-low-as-30-20160125-gmdvr6.html

Quotes from the article
- "Students with marks up to 40 points below the advertised course cut-off are being accepted in fields such as business, teaching and engineering, according to the 2016 admissions figures from the University of Sydney, UNSW, Macquarie University and Western Sydney University."

- "Macquarie has invited students with ATARs in the 30s and who failed to score above a Band 3 in HSC economics to take up Commerce degrees"

Thoughts?

[Darth_Pepe]

"In one of the nation's most prestigious degrees, the Bachelor of Combined Law at UNSW, 91 per cent of offers were made to students who did not meet the ATAR cut-off of 99.7, including to two applicants who had scored only 67"

Im particularly interested in how the just increase the amount of law students they wanna take. The law market is already flooding with unemployed graduates and this is just gonna increase that, why dont unis just set a quota and keep to it?

I was watching on tv and someone said.. well they might have gotten the marks to get in, quite low marks in reality, but do they have the capacity to thrive in such environment? And went on to comment how well LSATS, UMATS, GAMSATS work.

Alot of young people just jump on board the train of Oh-im-going-to-study-law-and-become-rich which rarely pans out. Deppression, long hours, stress are all part of the job.

It seems like misinformed students and universities in my opinion.

[Aaron]

Being someone that didn't get a great ATAR back in high school, I think this is great. A university that is giving those who may not have done so well another chance to prove themselves. In a very competitive system such as the high school certificate, it is very easy to be consumed by the hype from rankings or the pressure of 'doing well' to get into x prestigious university (just a few examples).

In most cases, I do not believe ATAR is a good enough or justifiable measure for denying someone entry into university. This is why academic review processes are in place, to ensure that those who do not meet the requirements of university study either step up or step out.

When I completed Year 12 back in 2012, my ATAR wasn't great. This trend did not continue post-VCE, and my averages increased by a significant margin. Give a person the right tools and support to succeed at university, and they can turn their academic life around.

HOWEVER, in saying that, I can see the other side of the argument. In a profession such as teaching, accepting students with ATARs of 30 is ridiculous (in an undergraduate entry scenario, where they haven't had a chance to learn content in their areas). This is probably one of the only exceptions, as teachers basically engage in this ATAR/certificate based system and are expected to perform. I think all teachers should be required to complete a undergraduate degree first, then a postgraduate teaching degree to ensure they have the knowledge base to teach. I'm commenting on teaching as this is the process i'm going through at the moment.

I really like the idea of a second chance (someone has to offer it, right?) though.

[dankfrank420]

Proving once again that Uni's are only in it for the money.

Too many places mean too many graduates and hence higher competition for jobs in the workforce, hence unemployment for graduates. This depresses wages as well.

[cooldude123]

That ridiculously high cut-off for law at UNSW never made sense to me. I mean, Monash's (another renowned Go8 university) is 98 for law...Methinks the law faculty want to play around with numbers to make it seem impossible to get into so that it looks all the more prestigious 

It might have something to do with the Law Admission Test UNSW is introducing - (like a UMAT for law and administered by ACER). Students with 99.7+ automatically get in but those below have to pass it. It does seem like a marketing trick to inflate numbers but could be beneficial for students who have a lower ATAR but are more 'suited' to law.

[Darth_Pepe]

It might have something to do with the Law Admission Test UNSW is introducing - (like a UMAT for law and administered by ACER). Students with 99.7+ automatically get in but those below have to pass it. It does seem like a marketing trick to inflate numbers but could be beneficial for students who have a lower ATAR but are more 'suited' to law.

The LSAT is a way stronger indication of aptitude for law, while the LAT is a 2 question exam which u have 2 hours to complete.. really?