Hi everyone.
To get straight into this I will provide my context:
- BBB A levels (I was diagnosed with ADHD in year 13 which is a generic sounding circumstance, so let me know if I should include this in the mit circumstance section or just sack it off).
- 1st in first year from a solid RG uni (think Notts, Sheffield, this particular level) with 5 1.1 grades (2 of which in the 80s), 1 2.1 and 1 2.2. I ended up ranked in the top 10% of the whole department as well.
Although it is not academic I have been to a few open days and completed an insight scheme as well as having some non legal xp as well. I am now in year 2 of my non-law degree.
What type of firms do I realistically have a shot at, I get a lot of mixed messages about this so hopefully you guys can provide some clarity.
Hi
@EfficientBag123 based on your academic profile, I do not think there are many firms you would be "closed off" from aspiring to in the sense that its is unlikely they would seriously consider you were you to apply. The only potentially big red flag could be the A-level grades, but in recent years firms have increasingly cared less and less about that - particularly if you have made up for it with vert strong academics in university, as in your case. Perhaps you can consider keeping firms that have an A-level requirement above your grades on the back burner, so that you first ensure you apply to firms you are interested in where that is least likely to be an issue. That said, I know of many examples of firms being willing to be flexible with their A-level requirements when a candidate did really well in university, so I do not think this should be a major factor if you are really interested in a firm.
Beyond the A-level factor, some other things to consider are:
- The 2.2 grade - apparently a few firms (from what I remember, Linklaters and Hogan Lovells) are now requiring at least a 2.1 in every module; but then again, this is not currently officially confirmed, and I find it hard to believe they would immediately disqualify a candidate based on this factor even if they obtained an overall first.
- The university: there are a couple of US firms that tend to recruit very heavily only from Oxbridge, the London universities, and the likes of Durham/Bristol - I think you could get an idea of who those may be by having a look at the Legal Cheek profiles of firms (as they have statistics on Oxbridge/RG/non-RG trainees on firms - the view here would be that the higher the Oxbridge percentage and the lower the non-RG percentage, the more you can assume that university prestige is an important factor in the firm's recruitment policies).
That said, once again, I do not think these should be major considerations for you. I know many people form the universities you mentioned, and people with a few 2.2 module grades, that have gotten TCs at elite US and MC firms. In truth, I think the aforementioned factors should only have a significant impact on your application strategy if you only have time to submit a very limited number of applications and therefore you want to be very selective and only go for firms that are most likely to like you. If you can submit a higher number of applications (anywhere from 20-25+) this should matter a lot less. Your academic profile should not disqualify you or put you at a substantial disadvantage with almost any firm, so I think you should go for the firms you are most interested in + for a selection of other different type of firms so that you have a "diversified" application approach which maximises success chances.
