Entering final year with nothing lined up

[floral.tcla]

Hi,

I'm just posting this both to for advice and to hear from others in similar (or different!) positions as to what you plan on doing. My university workload will be demanding next year and I got my first AC of the ten VS applications I made this cycle.

Did you think it was worth applying to apps etc in your final year? Did you want to just focus on university, since that's permanent?

 

[Amma Usman]

There are several views on this. Ultimately, whatever you choose depends on your capacity, how much you can handle at one time, and whether you’re willing to take the risk of accepting that there may be moments where one will take priority over the other (university vs. applications).

Side note: congrats on the AC - have they told you when it is/ anything about it yet?

Now back to the prior discussion. Here is my personal opinion.

Agreed, your degree classification is forever, and this is ultimately very important since law firms will require a minimum of a 2:1 as a TC entry requirement. In my experience, I applied to TCs in my second year and was balancing a range of modules like land and equity. I would have not been able to do this without a schedule every week and clear targets. This included how many firms I wanted to apply to, and when. To be quite transparent, there were moments when applications took priority, and vice versa with university. For example, when I had summative exams or midsummer exams, I will certainly place my university work at the top of the scale. Similarly, when I had law firm deadlines, or interviews coming up - my focus was there. It reached a point where I had to accept that ( for me personally ), priority switches based off the needs of the given situation. So yes, it’s definitely possible to manage both work streams - you just need to be be very strict with your time and capacity. Above all, be honest with yourself and how much you can balance whilst still trying to avoid burnout. Your mental is really important, so ensure to still leave time for fun things like spending time with friends/ family, or even little activities by yourself (journaling, walks, etc).

 

[3000to1shoteverytime]

I was a non law applicant who applied during my final year to about 10 places and it was pretty tough having to get from uni up to London for assessment centres and interviews once a week for about 6 weeks in a row (2 hour train trip).

I graduated last year and spent this year applying, travelling, applying, travelling, applying. Numerous applications and numerous and varying stages reached culminating in a TC offer last week. With hindsight I shouldn't have done the final year applications but it doesn't mean you shouldn't especially if you have made applications this year (y2). My applications this year were much better than the first year I applied. Good luck.

 

[Amma Usman]

I was a non law applicant who applied during my final year to about 10 places and it was pretty tough having to get from uni up to London for assessment centres and interviews once a week for about 6 weeks in a row (2 hour train trip).

I graduated last year and spent this year applying, travelling, applying, travelling, applying. Numerous applications and numerous and varying stages reached culminating in a TC offer last week. With hindsight I shouldn't have done the final year applications but it doesn't mean you shouldn't especially if you have made applications this year (y2). My applications this year were much better than the first year I applied. Good luck.

Thanks for the transparency and advice, @3000to1shoteverytime! It’s always lovely hearing about people’s experiences, and congrats on the TC!

 

[floral.tcla]

There are several views on this. Ultimately, whatever you choose depends on your capacity, how much you can handle at one time, and whether you’re willing to take the risk of accepting that there may be moments where one will take priority over the other (university vs. applications).

Side note: congrats on the AC - have they told you when it is/ anything about it yet?

Now back to the prior discussion. Here is my personal opinion.

Agreed, your degree classification is forever, and this is ultimately very important since law firms will require a minimum of a 2:1 as a TC entry requirement. In my experience, I applied to TCs in my second year and was balancing a range of modules like land and equity. I would have not been able to do this without a schedule every week and clear targets. This included how many firms I wanted to apply to, and when. To be quite transparent, there were moments when applications took priority, and vice versa with university. For example, when I had summative exams or midsummer exams, I will certainly place my university work at the top of the scale. Similarly, when I had law firm deadlines, or interviews coming up - my focus was there. It reached a point where I had to accept that ( for me personally ), priority switches based off the needs of the given situation. So yes, it’s definitely possible to manage both work streams - you just need to be be very strict with your time and capacity. Above all, be honest with yourself and how much you can balance whilst still trying to avoid burnout. Your mental is really important, so ensure to still leave time for fun things like spending time with friends/ family, or even little activities by yourself (journaling, walks, etc).

Sorry for the delay! Thank you very much for this Amma, I appreciate it.

Thank you! My bad - to clarify, I already had the AC in February (case study and HR interview) which I didn't convert, but I'm learning from it and it's a tough journey but we live and we learn!

Wow, huge respect for handling everything - I'm glad that all your hard work paid off! That makes a lot of sense, having a clear plan and structure on how you manage your time is so important to ensuring you do achieve everything, as is having time for yourself. Thank you, I'll be sure to implement this, given that the summer is quite long.

 

[floral.tcla]

I was a non law applicant who applied during my final year to about 10 places and it was pretty tough having to get from uni up to London for assessment centres and interviews once a week for about 6 weeks in a row (2 hour train trip).

I graduated last year and spent this year applying, travelling, applying, travelling, applying. Numerous applications and numerous and varying stages reached culminating in a TC offer last week. With hindsight I shouldn't have done the final year applications but it doesn't mean you shouldn't especially if you have made applications this year (y2). My applications this year were much better than the first year I applied. Good luck.

Sorry for the delay in replying.

Thanks a lot and huge kudos to you for doing that for 6 weeks in a row - am so glad it paid off, and I'm sure that this resilience and dedication will reap dividends when you start your TC!

Am happy to discuss this somewhere else, but may I ask how you shortlisted the types of firms to apply to, and how you approached it in general, as a non-law student? How did you know that you really wanted to apply to a career in commercial law, say over something like consulting or any other corporate field that non-law students students go into, if you don't mind me asking?

side note, it's good to hear from you- I've seen your profile a lot in the VS thread.

 

[Amma Usman]

Sorry for the delay! Thank you very much for this Amma, I appreciate it.

Thank you! My bad - to clarify, I already had the AC in February (case study and HR interview) which I didn't convert, but I'm learning from it and it's a tough journey but we live and we learn!

Wow, huge respect for handling everything - I'm glad that all your hard work paid off! That makes a lot of sense, having a clear plan and structure on how you manage your time is so important to ensuring you do achieve everything, as is having time for yourself. Thank you, I'll be sure to implement this, given that the summer is quite long.

And that’s the most important part - taking on that feedback and growing from it! It takes a lot of self awareness and you should be very proud of yourself for doing that.

 

[Amma Usman]

Sorry for the delay! Thank you very much for this Amma, I appreciate it.

Thank you! My bad - to clarify, I already had the AC in February (case study and HR interview) which I didn't convert, but I'm learning from it and it's a tough journey but we live and we learn!

Wow, huge respect for handling everything - I'm glad that all your hard work paid off! That makes a lot of sense, having a clear plan and structure on how you manage your time is so important to ensuring you do achieve everything, as is having time for yourself. Thank you, I'll be sure to implement this, given that the summer is quite long.

Wishing you the absolute best on this journey! I just know you can do anything you set your mind to!

 

[floral.tcla]

And that’s the most important part - taking on that feedback and growing from it! It takes a lot of self awareness and you should be very proud of yourself for doing that.

Thank you! )

 

[floral.tcla]

Wishing you the absolute best on this journey! I just know you can do anything you set your mind to!

Thank you so much Amma - your advice on this forum is honestly gold-dust ! Wishing you the best for your TC, I know someone as positive as you will smash it!

 

[Amma Usman]

Sorry for the delay! Thank you very much for this Amma, I appreciate it.

Thank you! My bad - to clarify, I already had the AC in February (case study and HR interview) which I didn't convert, but I'm learning from it and it's a tough journey but we live and we learn!

Wow, huge respect for handling everything - I'm glad that all your hard work paid off! That makes a lot of sense, having a clear plan and structure on how you manage your time is so important to ensuring you do achieve everything, as is having time for yourself. Thank you, I'll be sure to implement this, given that the summer is quite long.

So just jumping on this with my own views -

“Am happy to discuss this somewhere else, but may I ask how you shortlisted the types of firms to apply to, and how you approached it in general, as a non-law student? How did you know that you really wanted to apply to a career in commercial law, say over something like consulting or any other corporate field that non-law students students go into, if you don't mind me asking?”

To answer your first point on shortlisting firms: I started by identifying what kind of work genuinely interested me. I found myself drawn to transactional work – especially private equity and M&A – through personal reading, online courses, and conversations with lawyers. But I also knew I hadn’t been as exposed to disputes, so I intentionally wanted to explore firms that were strong in both contentious and non-contentious areas. That balance really mattered to me.

As for how I approached the process more generally (and this definitely applies to non-law students too): I leaned heavily on resources like online webinars, open days, coffee chats, and practice area deep-dives. A lot of key insights – about firm culture, application strategy, and even what life as a junior really looks like – aren’t always clear online. Speaking to people who were already in the industry made all the difference for me. I’d honestly say that one of the most valuable things you can do is build those conversations into your research.

As someone who is both a mentor and a mentee, I can confidently say that people are one of the greatest assets you’ll have on this journey. Whether it's advice, motivation, or just clarity on next steps, talking to others – even informally – can unlock a lot of insight that isn’t obvious from the outside looking in.

In terms of choosing commercial law over something like consulting: I didn’t always know. Like many others, I tried different things – finance, consulting, even marketing and branding – before I truly felt committed to law. And that exploration became part of my story. Law firms, I’ve found, really appreciate that honest reflection on why you chose this path and how your experiences shaped it.

Let me know if you want to chat further or would like help navigating any part of the process – happy to help!

 

[Amma Usman]

Thank you so much Amma - your advice on this forum is honestly gold-dust ! Wishing you the best for your TC, I know someone as positive as you will smash it!

This is a really sweet thing for you to say. Thank you very much for your words- I really appreciate it and wishing you the absolute best

 

[floral.tcla]

So just jumping on this with my own views -

“Am happy to discuss this somewhere else, but may I ask how you shortlisted the types of firms to apply to, and how you approached it in general, as a non-law student? How did you know that you really wanted to apply to a career in commercial law, say over something like consulting or any other corporate field that non-law students students go into, if you don't mind me asking?”

To answer your first point on shortlisting firms: I started by identifying what kind of work genuinely interested me. I found myself drawn to transactional work – especially private equity and M&A – through personal reading, online courses, and conversations with lawyers. But I also knew I hadn’t been as exposed to disputes, so I intentionally wanted to explore firms that were strong in both contentious and non-contentious areas. That balance really mattered to me.

As for how I approached the process more generally (and this definitely applies to non-law students too): I leaned heavily on resources like online webinars, open days, coffee chats, and practice area deep-dives. A lot of key insights – about firm culture, application strategy, and even what life as a junior really looks like – aren’t always clear online. Speaking to people who were already in the industry made all the difference for me. I’d honestly say that one of the most valuable things you can do is build those conversations into your research.

As someone who is both a mentor and a mentee, I can confidently say that people are one of the greatest assets you’ll have on this journey. Whether it's advice, motivation, or just clarity on next steps, talking to others – even informally – can unlock a lot of insight that isn’t obvious from the outside looking in.

In terms of choosing commercial law over something like consulting: I didn’t always know. Like many others, I tried different things – finance, consulting, even marketing and branding – before I truly felt committed to law. And that exploration became part of my story. Law firms, I’ve found, really appreciate that honest reflection on why you chose this path and how your experiences shaped it.

Let me know if you want to chat further or would like help navigating any part of the process – happy to help!

Thanks so much for jumping in with such a generous and thoughtful reply, I really appreciate it Amma. I especially liked what you said about intentionally exploring areas you know less about - that’s so important and such a smart way of shortlisting firms and something I haven’t properly factored in yet. I've definitely been guilty of exploring some areas in much more depth than others...😅 but this reminded me how helpful it is to step back and look at the full picture - especially when shortlisting firms. Were there any specific books that sparked a lot of interest?

I’ve been to webinars, online courses, and events earlier in the year and took some notes - and they were great, for the reasons you say - but I must admit that I parked a lot of careers stuff during exam season. This has really helped jog my memory and reminded me why those conversations and insights are so valuable - especially when you're figuring it out from the outside in.

I’m sure loads of people reading this will find it just as helpful. It’s easy to feel like you need to have everything figured out straight away, so it’s reassuring to hear how your journey unfolded. Thanks again and I'll be sure to take you up on your kind offer, later down the line😊.

 

[Amma Usman]

Thanks so much for jumping in with such a generous and thoughtful reply, I really appreciate it Amma. I especially liked what you said about intentionally exploring areas you know less about - that’s so important and such a smart way of shortlisting firms and something I haven’t properly factored in yet. I've definitely been guilty of exploring some areas in much more depth than others...😅 but this reminded me how helpful it is to step back and look at the full picture - especially when shortlisting firms. Were there any specific books that sparked a lot of interest?

I’ve been to webinars, online courses, and events earlier in the year and took some notes - and they were great, for the reasons you say - but I must admit that I parked a lot of careers stuff during exam season. This has really helped jog my memory and reminded me why those conversations and insights are so valuable - especially when you're figuring it out from the outside in.

I’m sure loads of people reading this will find it just as helpful. It’s easy to feel like you need to have everything figured out straight away, so it’s reassuring to hear how your journey unfolded. Thanks again and I'll be sure to take you up on your kind offer, later down the line😊.

Books - yes, I really liked the money machine by Phillip Cogan. And the private equity playbook. I think it was by Adam Coffey.

I also agree with the taking a break from applying part, come exam season!

 

[floral.tcla]

Books - yes, I really liked the money machine by Phillip Cogan. And the private equity playbook. I think it was by Adam Coffey.

I also agree with the taking a break from applying part, come exam season!

Ah thank you!!