Advice for a Non-Law Student

patternteddybear

Valued Member
Jan 4, 2023
108
289
Hi all, very nervous to post this but I needed some advice. I originally undertook a Law degree and achieved a first class average in my first year. I further participated in various First Year Insight Schemes.

Due to severe mental health issues in my second year, I was forced to quit and was not provided with the opportunity by my University to redo the second year. I hence transferred degree courses and now take Accounting & Financial Management with Economics. I achieved a 83% average in my first year of this new degree and my mental health is in a much better position. However, I still truly do wish to be a lawyer and want to try applying to some vacation schemes this year. Do you think (given my degree change) that it is worth still trying to apply for legal experience? Or do you think firms will look at my history and reject me? Changing degrees had little to do with my ability or interest (and I can evidence that with the first year results). But l am apprehensive about partaking in the application season upcoming. Thank you
 

Jessica Booker

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Aug 1, 2019
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Hi all, very nervous to post this but I needed some advice. I originally undertook a Law degree and achieved a first class average in my first year. I further participated in various First Year Insight Schemes.

Due to severe mental health issues in my second year, I was forced to quit and was not provided with the opportunity by my University to redo the second year. I hence transferred degree courses and now take Accounting & Financial Management with Economics. I achieved a 83% average in my first year of this new degree and my mental health is in a much better position. However, I still truly do wish to be a lawyer and want to try applying to some vacation schemes this year. Do you think (given my degree change) that it is worth still trying to apply for legal experience? Or do you think firms will look at my history and reject me? Changing degrees had little to do with my ability or interest (and I can evidence that with the first year results). But l am apprehensive about partaking in the application season upcoming. Thank you
Absolutely nothing holding you back from applying. You will need to disclose why you changed courses, but given the strength of your grades for both courses I don’t think this is going to be an issue.

Please feel free to PM me if you want to discuss any wording on how to explain this in applications though.
 
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patternteddybear

Valued Member
Jan 4, 2023
108
289
Absolutely nothing holding you back from applying. You will need to disclose why you changed courses, but given the strength of your grades for both courses I don’t think this is going to be an issue.

Please feel free to PM me if you want to discuss any wording on how to explain this in applications though.
Thank you so much for your response and positive words. I definitely will be contacting you over the course of this week to determine how to best phrase why I changed courses. As I do not want to paint it in a negative light. Thank you again for offering to help :)
 
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Reactions: Jessica Booker

patternteddybear

Valued Member
Jan 4, 2023
108
289
Absolutely nothing holding you back from applying. You will need to disclose why you changed courses, but given the strength of your grades for both courses I don’t think this is going to be an issue.

Please feel free to PM me if you want to discuss any wording on how to explain this in applications though.
I have thought about aspects to include when declaring the mitigating circumstances and have messaged you my thoughts :)
 

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