Giving up - are my grades holding me back?

[TChunter]

Hi all,

Need some advice re TCs.

I have been applying for the past two years (with no success), and I am thinking (I know they are!) that my 2:2s are preventing me from proceeding to any VI/ACs etc. Should I give up on City TCs - I am an EU student, so it is harder for me to justify regional firms. At this point, I am trying to be a realist....

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Jessica Booker]

Based on your final year grades, I wouldn’t be too worried unless you were applying to firms who are known for being very strict with academics.

This year is a particularly tough year. I wouldn’t give up just yet. I think there are enough London based firms who would still consider you.

 

[D]

You have a 64% Average. For reference, this cycle when I applied my Average was 63%. Granted, perhaps there are other areas of my application that can mitigate this, but, the likelihood (as hard as it is to swallow) is that your applications simply need to be improved. As Jessica pointed out; it's a tough year, but, your applications can be worked on for sure. The cycle has just re-started for some firms so there's no time like the present! Get cracking on with those apps.

Jaysen has an excellent service on this website (that I highly recommend) that can offer guidance on where you may be going wrong. Alternatively, if you want to DM me one application over, I can have a look and see if you are making any of the common errors. I have a bit of spare time before Uni starts

 

[IntrepidL]

Your marks are not bad at all! Like @D says, it may just be your applications

 

[ingrids7836]

Your marks are not bad at all! Mine are comparable (perhaps even slightly worse haha) on top of that I'm also an EU student and I just got a TC this cycle with my dream international firm Also, remember the average trainee solicitor qualifies at 29! You can go do a year in another City career, gain some experience and self-confidence, and then go smash your apps. Don't give up if it's truly your dream!

 

[Daniel Boden]

Yeah just to echo what others have said, your marks are not bad at all! Moreover, the fact you have done well in modules like Company Law and Law and Business will look good since those modules are pretty relevant to a career as a corporate lawyer. I can see that for some firms which are known to be pretty strict with academics like Slaughters, Davis Polk, Shearman etc. your Contract mark may be a small concern but other than that those grades look solid!

How were your A-levels or equivalent? Do you meet the requirement for most firms? If so, then it sounds like, as others have said, that it is your application answers that may need to be improved and I'd also really recommend @Jaysen's review service which was a tremendous help to me when I was applying

 

[Camilla]

I achieved a 2.2 overall in my second year and around 62% overall for my LLB. I have passed the application stage at a number of firms, including Linklaters.

I agree with the others and would suggest working on your application technique and building up any skills you think you might be lacking. We can't change our grades now, but we can strive to make our applications better. A few 2.2's here and there not the end of the world, but are often way easier to blame because they appear more obvious as a weakness

 

[TChunter]

Slaughters, Shearman & perhaps some of the US firms may be an issue, the others should be fine. The only thing to note is your low mark in contract law, which firms are likely to take notice of. Make sure to have a good explanation for why some grades were so low - and most importantly of all, work your ass off and get better grades at finals, which mean you can - somewhat - excuse away bad grades in previous years.

I was in a similarish situation to you - scraped a 2.2 in prelims, then improved to a first in finals. It's definitely doable to recover form bad grades and land a TC. Good luck!

@Adam Gilchrist - I tried making up for the contract law grade with the 'further topics in contract law' module; not sure if that will help. Plus, I graduated this year, so this is it! I agree re firm types, but I was not aiming for those types anyway! Thanks for the kind words.