Previous Unfinished Study: To include or not?

[aa90210]

Hello, looking for some input on something that's been on my mind every cycle.

Before completing my law degree, I studied finance in Canada. I did two years, was doing ok but my GPA was pretty sucky (2.06/4.0).

(Un)fortunately, depending on how you look at it, external factors forced me to relocate, and I chose to study law in the UK.

The question is, when it comes to applications, should I include the Canadian studies in the education section or not? It was a pretty prestigious university, and I reference my time there a lot in my app questions as I did quite a lot outside of academia, but not sure which pulls up more red flags, including it or not including it (since there's going to be a 2-year gap between A-Levels and my UK law studies if I leave it off).

My options are:
1) Include it, but not include courses, grades or gpa; essentially just a signpost that I attended said Canadian university once upon a time. Maybe include reasons for having to relocate in extenuating circumstances or the "additional information" sections if they're there

2) Include it, and enter my sucky grades

3) Not include it, and just mention it in relevant app questions if the opportunity arises.

Any input would be appreciated, thank you

 

[TC fiend]

I think @Jessica Booker is best placed to answer this!

Personally I'd go for option 1 because, while I'm sure you had plenty of reason to move, it does look a bit flakey and that might be a concern to firms who are about to put thousands into your education. I think without your grades + with your circumstantial reasoning they probably won't think too much of it, especially if you complete your law degree in the UK and do well. At the same time, omitting it altogether might look like you're trying to hide it. Ultimately I think there's probably a way for you to take ownership of doing the course but concluding that law aligned more closely with your ambitions. If you can translate that onto the page, I think you're good

 

[aa90210]

I think @Jessica Booker is best placed to answer this!

Personally I'd go for option 1 because, while I'm sure you had plenty of reason to move, it does look a bit flakey and that might be a concern to firms who are about to put thousands into your education. I think without your grades + with your circumstantial reasoning they probably won't think too much of it, especially if you complete your law degree in the UK and do well. At the same time, omitting it altogether might look like you're trying to hide it. Ultimately I think there's probably a way for you to take ownership of doing the course but concluding that law aligned more closely with your ambitions. If you can translate that onto the page, I think you're good

Thank you for your input

Appearing flakey is definitely one of the biggest concerns I have, and am trying to avoid. If it were just a cover letter, I'd be a lot more comfortable; the issue is trying to find the right place to express this on a standardised application form. As an example, a lot of firms have an education section that only has textboxes for courses and grades, so I'm conscious of how the entry might look on the HR side as just a university name and major.

Thanks again, hopefully you're right about it not being an issue

 

[Jessica Booker]

You’ll need to explain the two year time gap. Someone will question what you did for the two years you were studying and if you are ultimately declaring extra curriculars during that degree then it will be obvious you are leaving out some detail.

Recruiters are pretty cynical people and will just assume the worst anyway if it is obvious something is missing.

What you disclose will be very dependent on the application form and what you are explicitly asked to include. Some firms will have wording in their application that means you will have to include all details. Others less so.

The absolute minimum you’ll need to include is university and degree subject/qualification. Depending on the application form format, you may find that you then have to include grades alongside this information, or won’t be able to proceed with your application.

 

[aa90210]

You’ll need to explain the two year time gap. Someone will question what you did for the two years you were studying and if you are ultimately declaring extra curriculars during that degree then it will be obvious you are leaving out some detail.

Recruiters are pretty cynical people and will just assume the worst anyway if it is obvious something is missing.

What you disclose will be very dependent on the application form and what you are explicitly asked to include. Some firms will have wording in their application that means you will have to include all details. Others less so.

The absolute minimum you’ll need to include is university and degree subject/qualification. Depending on the application form format, you may find that you then have to include grades alongside this information, or won’t be able to proceed with your application.

Thank you for the insight Jessica, that's really helpful! Just glad that I have some clarity on this going forward.