Grades and Applications

[gsrkhan]

Hello!
I recently received all my second year grades back, and was worried whether any would potentially hinder me from applying to MS/SC etc firm's
I achieved 69s in (eu module and technology in the law module), and 65 (tort, land) I also however achieved a 59 in equity.
In oct/Nov of 2nd year I also applied to 7 VS's, with help from a dei recruitment organisation and was not able to achieve any, maybe because of the contract 2.2 in first year?
In first year I achieved 74 (public and policy), 70 (practical legal skills) 63 (criminal law), and 53 (contract law)
I also did a spring scheme at one of the magic circle firms (slaughters) and have visited 3/5 MS firms for open days, and brand ambassadored for one as well,
I was interested particularly in slaughters especially after the spring scheme, but I know they are focused on grades, would one high 2.2 be enough to deter? What about the other ms/sc's?
As for extrcurriculars I have done 4 mini pupillages, advocacy training, sports, own a business, have done one week work experience with a top northern law firm in the property and real estate, and am involved in the law clinic, citizens advice and social mobility organisations as well as an ethnicity based organisation focused on education of children
I am hoping my Extracurriculars will help with applications, but am worried the higher tier law firms might reject my applications once third Yr begins because of the 2.2
Thank you in advance
Gura

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi there. Thanks for this. It’s great to see your journey and I think these are really great questions.

From mentally calculating your cumulative average, I can see that the grade you obtained second year was a 2:1 overall, which is great! This is what virtually any law firm will look for anyway, so congratulations. I do know of a couple of firms that do ask for a 2:1 in every module ( or at least ask about this at interviews stage ), but generally, this is not the case for most firms. There is also a mitigating circumstances section in the application stage ( or later stage ) of the process for firms, so it’s worth discussing any elements you deem necessary there. With regards the 59, this is a great score. I do know of a couple of people that appealed scores ending in 9s, and were able to get a higher grade from the appeal procedure considering their initial marking again. This could be a shot, but I still think you’re in a good position to apply to firms given the overall 2:1 grade you obtained in second year.

With regards to the paragraph starting oct/nov of second year, I know of people that got 2:2s in certain modules but still secured TCs at great firms, as they still got a 2:1 overall. I think the issue was with how many firms you applied to. A good 10-20 is ideal, as it lets you focus on each firm properly, whilst still taking into account that sometimes the process is really a numbers game. Someone could also get offers at all those 20 firms ( for example ), but if they didn’t apply to other firms, they wouldn’t have considered all elements important to them in totality, such as culture - which would only be known if the candidate applied to many firms and was able to compare and contrast.

You also have a great mix of extracurriculars and work experiences, so I’m sure you’ll do great.