No position of responsibility

[Esporia]

For whatever reason, I didn’t participate in societies enough to get a position of responsibility, which i’ve heard is pretty essential to VC apps. If i work part-time during term-time would this be a sufficient substitute, or will it hurt my application?

Just to be clear, I would be getting a term-time job for the purpose of VC applications. So I’m open to better alternatives

 

[Abii]

I didn't have any society involvement whilst at university - I couldn't as I worked almost full time alongside a full time law degree.

I wouldn't get a term time job if the only reason is for VS apps, working alongside studying is hard and its likely your studying would suffer. You could demonstrate the same things by working during summer breaks as opposed to term time. Or you could volunteer with local charities offering advice services such as with benefit applications or perhaps your university law centre, these often require less of a time commitment than a job and would likely be much more understanding come exam season etc.

 

[Jessica Booker]

For whatever reason, I didn’t participate in societies enough to get a position of responsibility, which i’ve heard is pretty essential to VC apps. If i work part-time during term-time would this be a sufficient substitute, or will it hurt my application?

Just to be clear, I would be getting a term-time job for the purpose of VC applications. So I’m open to better alternatives

Part-time work will never hurt your application.

Part-time work can be a substitute for extracurricular activities. But if you are only doing the part-time job to better your application, why not just seek more ways of getting involved in extra curricular instead?

The activities don't need to be via the university either. They can be things within your local community or through other organisations.

 

[Esporia]

Part-time work will never hurt your application.

Part-time work can be a substitute for extracurricular activities. But if you are only doing the part-time job to better your application, why not just seek more ways of getting involved in extra curricular instead?

The activities don't need to be via the university either. They can be things within your local community or through other organisations.

I volunteer at citizens advice currently. All the society’s “elections” have passed, so even if I got involved i would have a position of responsibility for vac schemes. i’m hoping volunteering and part-time work demonstrates all the qualities the extra curricular would.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I volunteer at citizens advice currently. All the society’s “elections” have passed, so even if I got involved i would have a position of responsibility for vac schemes. i’m hoping volunteering and part-time work demonstrates all the qualities the extra curricular would.

It isn't about being in an elected position. You can contribute to societies in many other ways, and they will be positions of responsibility too.

But the CAB volunteering could be put under extracurricular (or work experience - it is one of those grey areas)

 

[James Carrabino]

@Esporia it's important to bear in mind that a 'position of responsibility' can take many forms and @Jessica Booker has explained to me before that it does not just need to be a leadership role! Not every candidate will have had the opportunity to join a vast range of clubs and societies whilst growing up and this certainly does not rule them out of VS and TC applications.

Part-time work could suffice for the sake of discussing positions of responsibility, but if the work really does not interest you then I believe that there are other options too. Have you ever been a key member of a big project, or helped to organise an event or trip? Even if you were to join an extracurricular activity this term, depending on what the activity is then you may well have an excellent position of responsibility to discuss in applications and interviews even if you do not have time to advance within the club. If you are in any way responsible for anyone or anything, then you are in a position of responsibility!

I hope that helps

 

[George Maxwell]

Hey @Esporia 👋,

Adding to what @James Carrabino just said, I think the advantage of having had a position of responsibility at university or elsewhere is that it gives you ammunition for competency and other interview questions. They are experiences that you can draw upon to demonstrate your suitability for a career in law when applying. With this in mind, any project or event that you are involved with can provide much the same value as an official position would.

In my experience, I was successful despite spending two years abroad during my undergraduate. Moving between universities for the first three years of university made getting meaningfully involved with a particular university society for long enough to become a member of the executive team difficult (if not impossible). I found it frustrating that the vast majority of society executive elections had often already taken place by the time I started as an exchange student (or first year!).

Instead of fixating on the need for an executive position in a university society (which I think is easy to do), during my second year, which I spent in Canada, I became very involved with the Outdoors Activities Club, I organised a dodgeball team for myself and other international students and volunteered with a refugee family for a couple of hours a week. Firms, from what I understand, admire assertiveness and ambition. They also like to be able to see evidence for claims being made in applications/interview answers. For example, if you say you are good at working in a team, or that you enjoy project management, providing an example for each of these would really enhance your response. By seeking out these sorts of opportunities you can demonstrate these qualities.

I think that part-time work is equally (if not more) valuable too. I agree with @Abii about being careful balancing work and university. That said, although I found that often I had too much time on my hands at university, so working at a bar on a Friday evening gave me a nice bit of structure (the money helped too!). I think the CAB is a fantastic thing to get involved with though, so credit to you for doing this 💪

As always, along with the rest of the team, I am happy to answer any follow-ups!