Law school jitters
FINAL year law students at University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) are on tenterhooks due to the uncertainity of the assessment method to be used for their matriculation to Norman Manley Law School (NMLS).
Former representative for the Faculty of Law at UTech Britnie Edwards told the Jamaica Observer she was informed that admittance will be done either through an entrance exam or based on an evaluation of transcripts.
“In 2019 when I started UTech, it was a given that we’d have to do the entrance exam, but since COVID-19 we now know there’s a possibility that our transcripts will be used. So essentially, we’ve become even more focused on getting good grades in order to have a good chance of entry,” she said.
Both methods, Edwards said, will still be dependent on how many spaces are available after students from The University of the West Indies (The UWI) are placed.
According to Article 3 of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, students who receive a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLBs) from The UWI will receive an automatic entrance to NMLS. Students from other institutions, like UTech, will be placed after.
To this end, Edwards said her peers are arranging study marathons to excel at UTech if transcripts will be used, and to prepare for the possibility of an entrance exam this year. She, however, hopes they will be informed in time if an entrance exam will be used.
“We’d prefer the transcript method, but you still don’t want to leave a chance and have a limited time to prepare in the event that Norman Manley Law School decides to give us an exam,” she said.
Edwards said, however, even with the uncertainties of an entrance exam or the transcript method she will not be daunted — whether she secures a place at NMLS or not.
“There are people who tell us if it doesn’t work out it’s not the end of the road…pursue other options, go to other places in the Commonwealth. Don’t make the dream die because of limited spaces in one law school,” she said.
After contacting the registrar of the NMLS, the Observer was directed to its website which had a notice to students prepared by The Council of Legal Education, concerning the possible methods that will be used this year.
“This information assumes that a face-to-face examination can be conducted. If, due to the current pandemic or any other prevailing situation, this is not possible, applicants will be informed by way of a notice posted on the websites of the law schools” it read.
The document also outlined the possibility of using transcripts.
“If the examination is not conducted, it will be replaced by an evaluation of the transcript of the applicant’s Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree. This is in order to ensure that, in accordance with the requirements of Article 3 of the Agreement Establishing the Council of Legal Education, 1971, the degree is recognised as equivalent to the LLB from The University of the West Indies,” it stated.
Meanwhile, Dennis Palmer, a former UTech student who is now a first-year student at NMLS, said he was among the few students who were admitted based on an assessment of his transcript.
He said he was content choosing to attend UTech over The UWI, though knowing it could be challenging to secure a place at NMLS.
“I think a lot of people chose UTech because it is way cheaper than The University of the West Indies, and also, a lot of people wanted to have the practical experience before going into Norman Manley Law School,” he said.
Twenty-four-year-old Danmar Clarke, another recent graduate of UTech, said any method used for entrance this year will have pros and cons.
“For me, this (the transcript method) is a great approach as it easily allows the law school to identify students who have been performing excellently at the faculty level. However, we will still have a lot of students with low GPA’s, which means they probably won’t be able to attend,” he said.
Danika Bourg, student representative for the Faculty of Law at UTech and president of the Faculty of Law Students Executive Cabinet, said students will just have to prepare for anything.
“I feel that both of the systems have their pros and cons and no system is perfect, but at the end of the day students just have to try their best at every level,” she said.
Bourg added that there was a forum organised by her committee last month at which the NMLS registrar, Carlando Francis, was in attendance. She said he provided guidance on how the registration process will work for those trying to secure a place at the institution.