Applying to Canadian law schools from Australia

[zataar]

Hi everyone!

I'm currently in 11th grade in Australia, I am going to get a Canadian citizenship so I won't be an international student, so I was wondering if anyone here has experience applying to Canadian law schools from Australia? I am looking to go into human rights law, and have looked into McGill, Queens and UofT.

If you know, what prerequisite subjects are required, what ATAR should I aim for and what extracurriculars should I try to participate in? I currently participate in mock trials and ethics olympiad. My school doesn't have a debate team for some reason despite being one of the biggest public schools in my state.

[Ramesses]

No idea about applying from Australia, but the vast majority if not all law schools in Canada require at least 3 years of post-secondary studies and an good LSAT mark.

Start doing a degree that you are interested in (so you will get a good mark). Then when you are near finishing your third year or when you graduate with your degree, start studying for the LSAT and get a good mark on that. Those are the key things. 

I think what you do for extracurriculars in high school likely would not matter. Focus on getting some volunteering or work experience that shows leadership, teamwork, etc during university and you should be fine. 

[Notworthy]

3 hours ago, zataar said:

Hi everyone!

I'm currently in 11th grade in Australia, I am going to get a Canadian citizenship so I won't be an international student, so I was wondering if anyone here has experience applying to Canadian law schools from Australia? I am looking to go into human rights law, and have looked into McGill, Queens and UofT.

If you know, what prerequisite subjects are required, what ATAR should I aim for and what extracurriculars should I try to participate in? I currently participate in mock trials and ethics olympiad. My school doesn't have a debate team for some reason despite being one of the biggest public schools in my state.

You’re in 11th grade? For Canadian law schools you need a minimum two years of a four year degree and you can take any subject there are not pre requisites but it’s a longer road. Canadians don’t go straight into law school you don’t need to have a debate team and mock trails / ethics do not qualify you for law. You first need to start / initiate a different degree and then you need an LSAT score for an application. 

It should also be noted only students who are exceptional get in after two years of their degree, if your grades are not on the higher end it would be best to complete the four years. Some schools U of T specifically take best of 3 years from post secondary for admission purposes.

There is no ATAR the grading system is on either a 4.0 or a 4.3 scale. You should aim for as high as possible 3.7+ and a competitive LSAT score 160+. This is also dependent on the schools you are applying to. If you Google the schools you are debating on there are admission tabs that give you more detailed information on averages admissions criteria / ECs and other requirements including recommendation letters.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Notworthy

[Notworthy]

If you’re in 11th grade, you won’t get into law school in Canada for at least 3-5 years. Australia / UK I’m not fully informed but there are different institutions around the world that offer admissions into law school straight from high school (LLB) but Canada is not one of them.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Notworthy

[CleanHands]

you're*

[Notworthy]

11 minutes ago, CleanHands said:

you're*

Glad that was your takeaway 

[zataar]

20 hours ago, Notworthy said:

If you’re in 11th grade, you won’t get into law school in Canada for at least 3-5 years. Australia / UK I’m not fully informed but there are different institutions around the world that offer admissions into law school straight from high school (LLB) but Canada is not one of them.

ahh thank you! I was confused at first, but I'll probably do my undergrad in polisci then 

[CheeseToast]

30 minutes ago, zataar said:

ahh thank you! I was confused at first, but I'll probably do my undergrad in polisci then 

A poli sci undergrad will provide you exactly 0 advantage over other applicants. It will also provide you essentially 0 advantage over other law students if and once you get into law school. Just an FYI.

[Notworthy]

22 hours ago, zataar said:

ahh thank you! I was confused at first, but I'll probably do my undergrad in polisci then 

You’ll also be committing to living in Canada for an extended period of time to study law here. Good luck regardless, but you have a long road ahead.

[zataar]

23 hours ago, CheeseToast said:

A poli sci undergrad will provide you exactly 0 advantage over other applicants. It will also provide you essentially 0 advantage over other law students if and once you get into law school. Just an FYI.

Since I'm interested in polisci I thought it would be a good idea, but what degrees would give me an advantage?

[CheeseToast]

1 hour ago, zataar said:

Since I'm interested in polisci I thought it would be a good idea, but what degrees would give me an advantage?

You should definitely take what ever you are interested in. I don't think any degree gives you an advantage over other applicants when trying to get in. Philosophy seems like it might help with learning the LSAT though. 

[Notworthy]

3 hours ago, zataar said:

Since I'm interested in polisci I thought it would be a good idea, but what degrees would give me an advantage?

Literally no degree gives you an advantage that’s what everyone has been trying to tell you. High GPA, high LSAT score give you the advantage take whatever you want. ECs and work experience will also be a booster but they are not determinant factors. You being in a debate club will not make up for a 2.0 GPA and a 130 LSAT score.

Philosophy might help, so would linguistics, I’m sure my two finance degrees helped significantly in logic games but so did studying. Take what you want, and have a back up incase you don’t get in on the first try.

Edited April 13, 2022 by Notworthy

[VitalGiraffe]

13 hours ago, CheeseToast said:

You should definitely take what ever you are interested in. I don't think any degree gives you an advantage over other applicants when trying to get in. Philosophy seems like it might help with learning the LSAT though. 

Yeah in my experience Philosophy and English majors fared much better with the LSAT. English majors had no problems with RC (the most difficult to improve on), and philosophy majors were really good with logic in LR and LG.

[BlockedQuebecois]

10 minutes ago, VitalGiraffe said:

English majors fared much better with the LSAT.

The few studies and statistics available show English majors are pretty average LSAT takers. See e.g. The Best Prospective Law Students Read Homer and the University of Manitoba's recent report (note neither report lists degrees in order of LSAT, it appears to be by some type of index score). 

[VitalGiraffe]

On 4/13/2022 at 11:24 AM, BlockedQuebecois said:

The few studies and statistics available show English majors are pretty average LSAT takers. See e.g. The Best Prospective Law Students Read Homer and the University of Manitoba's recent report (note neither report lists degrees in order of LSAT, it appears to be by some type of index score). 

Yeah I was only speaking from my experience. That does surprise me though. Even more surprising is the fact that law majors are near the bottom of that list...

[Ruthless4Life]

On 4/13/2022 at 8:00 AM, zataar said:

Since I'm interested in polisci I thought it would be a good idea, but what degrees would give me an advantage?

Please correct me if I’m wrong but in Australia, can you get into an undergrad + LLB programme?  If so, you may consider get into the law programme then either finish off the programme then do NCA / LLM in Canada later or transfer your credits?