Are my first year grades good enough for Vac schemes?

[Logan1101]

My results first year were 73 Tort, 71 Public, 64 Understanding Law and 57 in Contract. Would my grades meet the threshold for most firms? Especially with the low contract score? I also have poorer A-level results than most (AAB) even though I'm studying at Nottingham where most have straight A's.

I also lack any legal work experience. I've only completed an Easter placement for a charity and took a role as a student researcher during first year. Next year I'll be in two committees for both Pro Bono and Mooting so hopefully, that would be a major improvement. I do work part time as a mail sorter but I don't think firms care much for that.

Despite applying a number of times for first year schemes I've failed to secure any. I would say this would mostly be due to poor applications, especially since I had no one review them before submitting.

 

[Ole1999]

Those first-year results are not poor at all and won't be fatal in your vac scheme or TC applications. Your A-level grades are in fact better than most candidates who apply so I wouldn't worry about this either!

In terms of work experience, you must remind yourself that you are still only a first-year student. Firms will not expect you to have multiple years of legal experience, nor should you place pressure on yourself to.

The experiences that you've had so far are really unique and will separate you from other applicants: Your placement in a charity shows your commitment, enthusiasm and passion for helping those less fortunate; your role as a student researcher may demonstrate strong analytical and organisational skills; your positions next year in Pro Bono and Mooting will show your advocacy, communication, presentation and client-facing skills. I am sure there are a thousand other skills that you have gathered through your experiences. Never downplay ANY experiences you have had: you will have developed more transferable skills as a mail-sorter for 6 months than someone who has had a one-week legal placement.

The reality is that most people struggle to get first-year schemes and vac schemes; not due to any fault on their part, but more to do with how competitive and limited these schemes are. It is definitely not essential to have had a first-year scheme or vac scheme to be successful in training contract applications...I have found that out myself! When applying for training contracts, firms are far more concerned with the skills you have demonstrated through your legal AND non-legal experiences.

Lastly, my final piece of advice is that your applications will naturally improve over time. You sound relatively new to the legal application process, in which case, it is completely normal to find your first several applications tough or be unsuccessful with them. TCLA has some great resources and tips to help make your applications better so I would search through this forum, as there are some really good step-by-step guides in answering common application questions (e.g. why commercial law, why this firm etc.)

 

[Logan1101]

Those first-year results are not poor at all and won't be fatal in your vac scheme or TC applications. Your A-level grades are in fact better than most candidates who apply so I wouldn't worry about this either!

In terms of work experience, you must remind yourself that you are still only a first-year student. Firms will not expect you to have multiple years of legal experience, nor should you place pressure on yourself to.

The experiences that you've had so far are really unique and will separate you from other applicants: Your placement in a charity shows your commitment, enthusiasm and passion for helping those less fortunate; your role as a student researcher may demonstrate strong analytical and organisational skills; your positions next year in Pro Bono and Mooting will show your advocacy, communication, presentation and client-facing skills. I am sure there are a thousand other skills that you have gathered through your experiences. Never downplay ANY experiences you have had: you will have developed more transferable skills as a mail-sorter for 6 months than someone who has had a one-week legal placement.

The reality is that most people struggle to get first-year schemes and vac schemes; not due to any fault on their part, but more to do with how competitive and limited these schemes are. It is definitely not essential to have had a first-year scheme or vac scheme to be successful in training contract applications...I have found that out myself! When applying for training contracts, firms are far more concerned with the skills you have demonstrated through your legal AND non-legal experiences.

Lastly, my final piece of advice is that your applications will naturally improve over time. You sound relatively new to the legal application process, in which case, it is completely normal to find your first several applications tough or be unsuccessful with them. TCLA has some great resources and tips to help make your applications better so I would search through this forum, as there are some really good step-by-step guides in answering common application questions (e.g. why commercial law, why this firm etc.)

Thanks, I just feel tons of pressure since some of my friends at uni already have a number of first year schemes so I feel I have to get one aswell.

I’ve done an insight day with Freshfields as part of the Stephen Lawrence scholarship and did an assessment for the scholarship. But since I didn’t end up receiving the scholarship I thought it wasn’t worth mentioning.

I’ve also done a lot of virtual events and programs(Bright Network, Aspiting solicitors, Hogan Lovells etc..) but I feel like they don’t count for much since everyone does them.

I remember reading an article that said only 2% of applicants ultimately get training contracts, not sure how accurate this is but it seems extremely competitive.