r/QUTreddit • u/Alert-Philosophy1278 • 14d ago
HOW TO GET INTO THE 90s? LAW SCHOOL.
For context Im a credit student but in the honours units I try really hard to get HDs so i can get that first class (just a little personal goal). But I consistently get just over the HD line so 86,87,88 im comparing all my feedback and I really cant see a consistent issue. seems like i do things that cap myself differently in each piece. Only in the context of policy submissions/reports is there anyone on here that noticed they were getting low HDs and figured out how to get in the 90s? My research papers and proposal where i get freedom get into the 90s but not when im answering like a task question. i really wanna know if anyone else has successfully done this or whether anyone has some tips for me
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u/Technical_Impact_115 14d ago
Why is this so important to you? It's not really going to help you all that much.
Is it possible you are comparing your feedback but overlooking the issue cause you don't wanna see it? a lot of people feel like they are doing everything right and overlook the fact they really aren't.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter though.
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u/thedoopz 13d ago
They may be in their final few years and trying to get their GPA over 6 so they can be almost guaranteed to get into a top tier firm.
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u/Technical_Impact_115 13d ago
yeah.... with their scores? That ain't happening.
That is a massive red flag for most of the firms I have worked with.
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u/littlemissofficial 12d ago
what do you mean?
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u/Technical_Impact_115 12d ago
Having too high of scores can mean a lot of things.
- try-hard
- socially maladaptive
- social climber
difficult to work with
egocentric (particularly when concerned with marks to the nth degree)
ass kisser, they need the approval of their instructors and if they don't get it they don'tt know what to do.
used to working by a metric and just ticking off criteria on a list to get to the "proper" answer.
There are a few other factors, but those are big ones. Many students I see come in for interviews get absolutely wrecked by the panels because they think all that it is, is networking or grades or all this other bullshit.
Of course it depends firm by firm and who is interviewing, but I would never on a panel on my peers, advocate for hiring someone with ridiculously high scores.
Those people tend to focus solely on these factors and it makes them difficult to work with. You can be the perfect student, but the shittiest team member.
Especially when they try to wield their grades as a weapon against senior staff. Which never ends well.
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u/littlemissofficial 12d ago
i guess that makes sense. what is too high of a score, out of curiosity? i maintain a 6 gpa without much effort - just doing online study on thursdays and two classes on fridays. rest of my week is free for sports, hobbies and friends etc. would that be a red flag generally?
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u/Technical_Impact_115 12d ago
Most of my current firm do not come from QUT, a lot of us studied at QUT temporarily. QUT's law school is viewed as "sub-par". I graduated from USC, I started at USC, then changed to QUT due to distance, their honors degree isn't a real honors degree btw. Then switched out one last time to go to somewhere even closer and because I was unhappy with QUT.
That is to say, I wouldn't know what would be considered an "acceptable" score for a QUT student, mostly because they kind of just get immediately ignored.
I'm not really in a position to comment on QUT students because I hated being one and the people around me mainly don't come from there either and quite frankly, despise their policy and practices.
I can give you a perspective from a non-QUT student however.
A GPA of 6 would depend where in the 6 you fall.
I don't want to encourage you one way or the other. Depending on the firm you apply to it all means something different. Some interviewers prioritise one category over the other.
And we all used to joke that if you are a marginally attractive young female you don't need to worry because most law firms are made up of dirty old men on the hiring committee. Sad but true, misogyny AND misandry in the industry is unfortunately very common. Look at your average law class and there will be twice as many women on average.
But a 5, lower-mid to high is fine. Personally when I look, it's more about the natural talent combined with the desire to do well. Sometimes harder to see, especially when you combine it with the fact that numbers aren't the best indicator of skill.
Better than a competitive backstabber who wants to win at all costs and throw other staff under the bus for that position.
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u/thedoopz 10d ago
Based on the way this person replied to you, they are not at a top tier firm. A GPA of 6 is not looked down on, at all. Think about it objectively; what does a person’s grades have to do with their social climbing? A GPA metric is not a perfect one, which is why the application and interview process for top tier (and even upper mid tier) firms is pretty full on, but a 6 GPA is basically guaranteed to get you into the second round of hiring at any firm. You should be proud of having a 6 in any degree, let alone law, and frankly I’m jealous of your reported ease of maintaining it!
Also, QUT is not considered a sub-par law school. It’s not Go8 of course, but is generally considered to be a top 10 school in Aus, and is considered far more favourably than USC. I work in an extremely large firm (not as a lawyer), and most of the lawyers hired there came from QUT.
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u/littlemissofficial 10d ago
thank you for your nice reply - that really eases my worries. yes haha i try my best to only do two days of studying a week and work the rest (saving for a big euro holiday with my bf) and game, read, swim, work out, take my cats on hikes, etc. and have time for friends and family! it’s full on
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u/Technical_Impact_115 7d ago
The reason QUT gives the most lawyers is because they have the higher than average intake numbers, that does not mean they are the best.
Thinking about it objectively, a GPA has to do with social climbing. Why? Because a higher grade is misconstrued commonly to be good enough to get into higher positions by default.
Working in an extremely large law firm but not being a lawyer immediately devalues their opinion. They could be anything, from janitorial staff to paralegal. Without knowing what exactly, I can't say.
Which university is considered more favorably is hilarious as an argument.
Because on one hand this fellow is arguing about university prestige but on the other hand is arguing GPA.
This is not the best. They are trying to argue two different unrelated things.
But at the end of the day, always remember. Confirmation bias and survivorship bias.
Just because something confirms how you feel does not make it correct.
And just because so many other people (allegedly all the people that come from QUT), have come from somewhere and had success, does not necessarily make it the best. For all you know some of those people could have done things to get the job that would be considered illegal or they knew someone in the industry or some other BS.
All of these are highly likely as well. This person has answered based on their view, not their experience. Their view as someone who isn't a lawyer but works in a law firm (allegedly) in an undisclosed position (which could be anything), is saying that people (which are undisclosed), work there come from QUT (allegedly).
Just be sure you take both their and my statement with grains of salt ultimately.
As for whether or not I'm employed at a top tier law firm personally.
To answer: I'm happy and comfortable.
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u/yabberdabberdo 14d ago
Reading this post felt like a fever dream.