What would be the better option after bad a level results?

Sorry this is long and dumb. I just received my A level results and they weren't great so I am quite stuck on my next steps and would be really thankful for any advice from anyone who has experience or doesn't.

The degree I would like to pursue would be in law and although unrealistic, I do want to one day join a good reputable firm. As of this I'm scared of what decision to make.

Also, does a level results matter for a future career in law or would a good law firm take me in if lets say I get a good grade at the end of my degree like a first class honors?

- 1st option would be to do a foundation year in the University of Law or any other university that would accept me for a foundation year. My hesitation to accept this is university costs as that would be an extra year of tuition and also because I'm afraid a firm may look down on me for having to do this year + just the stigma of finishing later (though I believe any of these options would have that stigma attached unfortunately).

- 2nd option would be to retake 2 of my A-levels, which means I will still have to graduate later and also not have the guarantee of a university place. With this option my hesitance is growing due to numerous blog posts stating resit costs can grow to be thousands of pounds + the what if I do bad again. This option I guess would also count as a gap year I assume.

- 3rd option would be to go to a low ranking university that would accept me for their 3 year law course. With this option I would just like to know if getting a degree from a bad university would affect my career and if there is also a risk of having a mixture of a bad reputation + poor A level results.

- 4th option that I can't afford to do but kinda desire although it's not suggested by blog posts, would be to do a foundation year whilst simultaneously revising for my A levels and then hopefully do so well that I could go to a high ranking university.

Thank you for reading and sorry for my many questions

Sorry this is long and dumb. I just received my A level results and they weren't great so I am quite stuck on my next steps and would be really thankful for any advice from anyone who has experience or doesn't.

The degree I would like to pursue would be in law and although unrealistic, I do want to one day join a good reputable firm. As of this I'm scared of what decision to make.

Also, does a level results matter for a future career in law or would a good law firm take me in if lets say I get a good grade at the end of my degree like a first class honors?

- 1st option would be to do a foundation year in the University of Law or any other university that would accept me for a foundation year. My hesitation to accept this is university costs as that would be an extra year of tuition and also because I'm afraid a firm may look down on me for having to do this year + just the stigma of finishing later (though I believe any of these options would have that stigma attached unfortunately).

- 2nd option would be to retake 2 of my A-levels, which means I will still have to graduate later and also not have the guarantee of a university place. With this option my hesitance is growing due to numerous blog posts stating resit costs can grow to be thousands of pounds + the what if I do bad again. This option I guess would also count as a gap year I assume.

- 3rd option would be to go to a low ranking university that would accept me for their 3 year law course. With this option I would just like to know if getting a degree from a bad university would affect my career and if there is also a risk of having a mixture of a bad reputation + poor A level results.

- 4th option that I can't afford to do but kinda desire although it's not suggested by blog posts, would be to do a foundation year whilst simultaneously revising for my A levels and then hopefully do so well that I could go to a high ranking university.

Thank you for reading and sorry for my many questions

Sorry this is long and dumb. I just received my A level results and they weren't great so I am quite stuck on my next steps and would be really thankful for any advice from anyone who has experience or doesn't.

The degree I would like to pursue would be in law and although unrealistic, I do want to one day join a good reputable firm. As of this I'm scared of what decision to make.

Also, does a level results matter for a future career in law or would a good law firm take me in if lets say I get a good grade at the end of my degree like a first class honors?

- 1st option would be to do a foundation year in the University of Law or any other university that would accept me for a foundation year. My hesitation to accept this is university costs as that would be an extra year of tuition and also because I'm afraid a firm may look down on me for having to do this year + just the stigma of finishing later (though I believe any of these options would have that stigma attached unfortunately).

- 2nd option would be to retake 2 of my A-levels, which means I will still have to graduate later and also not have the guarantee of a university place. With this option my hesitance is growing due to numerous blog posts stating resit costs can grow to be thousands of pounds + the what if I do bad again. This option I guess would also count as a gap year I assume.

- 3rd option would be to go to a low ranking university that would accept me for their 3 year law course. With this option I would just like to know if getting a degree from a bad university would affect my career and if there is also a risk of having a mixture of a bad reputation + poor A level results.

- 4th option that I can't afford to do but kinda desire although it's not suggested by blog posts, would be to do a foundation year whilst simultaneously revising for my A levels and then hopefully do so well that I could go to a high ranking university.

Thank you for reading and sorry for my many questions

Heya! I haven't personally done Law but I had friends that did Law courses. From what I understood, in law, the a-levels and uni ranking does matter when trying to get into very top law firms as the field is very competitive as mentioned earlier. However, there are law firms (perhaps not the top) which have a very good reputation and are more lenient with grades/uni ranking. I've never heard of firms looking down upon foundation year, as long as you get a 2:1 and above during your course, you should be good.

Have you considered perhaps starting law at a lower-ranked uni and then transferring to a higher-ranked one? I'm not sure about the whole process but I know that my friend, for example, transferred from Swansea to KCL in physics (as long as it's a similar course it shouldn't be a huge problem from what I have seen my friends do). Though I would recommend checking that with universities first.

You could also do an undergraduate in a lower-ranked uni and then do a masters in a very high-ranked uni. A lot of my friends do that in order to get into top firms as a lot of the firms will see e.g. Masters in Law from Oxford University first on your application. They get a very high first from a bad uni then go to unis such as Oxford or Cambridge to continue their study and it works out for them Trying to do a-level resits is a bit of a gamble as there is a chance you might not score high for whatever reason, so think about it!

At the end of the day, it is up to you! Everyone gave you amazing advice so far so I hope this helps as well!
Milena G.
UCL PFE
Study Mind

The fact that you've mentioned that you'd like to join a good, reputable firm suggests to me that you want to be a solicitor, in which case I can't really help. My knowledge on solicitor recruitment is pretty basic, and there are plenty of others who are actually solicitors and/or better placed to advise on that.

Just in case, for the Bar A-Levels matter, but not as much as I understand they do for higher tier firms when it comes to training contracts. Some Chambers do set a requirement of AAB and a 2:1, but plenty don't, and even those that do sometimes will disregard that if you have an otherwise outstanding application. It is, on any reading, a weakness to have poor A-Levels when applying for pupillage, but it is not as significant a weakness as getting a 2:2. It is relevant, but by the time you apply for pupillage it will be quite far removed in terms of time from where you are, so your chances of compensating for your A-Levels is higher. I have seen many applications with less than ideal A-Levels that have gotten pupillage interviews, just because there is so much you can do from this point on to make up for them. It does depend to a degree on just how bad they are, but simply put, if your application tells me that you're a strong applicant at the age of 23 or 24, I'm not going to be overly concerned about where you were at when you were 18.

This is not a post advising people with bad A-Levels to disregard them and aim for a career as a barrister anyway. The Bar is still extremely competitive, and everybody should be taking time to make a realistic decision about whether it is worth the risk to aim for it. If you have bad A-Levels, you should taking longer to make that decision, because you're off to a bad start and it's not a process that is forgiving to weaknesses on an application. But, as I say, you may still decide that it is a realistic goal that you want to pursue. And of course, whilst it does come with expense, a law degree is only the next step. You're not having to commit to five or six years of study and pupillage hunting yet.

In the event that you (or someone like you) does want to still go down the pupillage route, my advice as to the options is to go to a bad university and get a First. The university you go to does not matter in the main nearly as much as people think it does when it comes to pupillage, in fact some sets are starting to anonymise the university name on applications. It's all about the degree classification, and with bad A-Levels you really want that to be a First if you want to stand a realistic chance of compensating for the A-Level results.

Sorry this is long and dumb. I just received my A level results and they weren't great so I am quite stuck on my next steps and would be really thankful for any advice from anyone who has experience or doesn't.

The degree I would like to pursue would be in law and although unrealistic, I do want to one day join a good reputable firm. As of this I'm scared of what decision to make.

Also, does a level results matter for a future career in law or would a good law firm take me in if lets say I get a good grade at the end of my degree like a first class honors?

- 1st option would be to do a foundation year in the University of Law or any other university that would accept me for a foundation year. My hesitation to accept this is university costs as that would be an extra year of tuition and also because I'm afraid a firm may look down on me for having to do this year + just the stigma of finishing later (though I believe any of these options would have that stigma attached unfortunately).

- 2nd option would be to retake 2 of my A-levels, which means I will still have to graduate later and also not have the guarantee of a university place. With this option my hesitance is growing due to numerous blog posts stating resit costs can grow to be thousands of pounds + the what if I do bad again. This option I guess would also count as a gap year I assume.

- 3rd option would be to go to a low ranking university that would accept me for their 3 year law course. With this option I would just like to know if getting a degree from a bad university would affect my career and if there is also a risk of having a mixture of a bad reputation + poor A level results.

- 4th option that I can't afford to do but kinda desire although it's not suggested by blog posts, would be to do a foundation year whilst simultaneously revising for my A levels and then hopefully do so well that I could go to a high ranking university.

Thank you for reading and sorry for my many questions

Hi, I received my A-Level results and I just wanted to ask for your advice if that's okay with you.

So I got ABB, very close to AAA so I might ask for a re-mark, but with these grades I have received clearing offers from Kent, Leicester and East Anglia and I just wanted to ask what you think I should do.

Kent is a higher ranked university but I believe Leicester and EA have a stronger reputation amongst law firms due to location and history.

Ultimately, it's my dream to become a respected criminal law barrister and I would really appreciate it if you could give me some advice.

Thank you.

Sorry to hear you didn’t get what you hoped for. It’s not easy.

Unfortunately law is one of those careers where A level marks do matter, especially if you want to target a leading firm such as magic circle. Law is very competitive & many applicants have good degrees, some of the best firms (and chambers for barristers), therefore use A levels as a means of filtering - some actually have a filter of AAA.
In addition, as expected given above, the university you get your degree from matters. Again, this is especially so for those high level firms. Russell Group tend to be sought after, with a ranking within that.

So, if it was me, you don’t say what your results are, but if they are low, I’d consider resitting to improve your chances.

Having said that, some regional firms are more lenient & don’t pay as much attention to A levels or your degree (but would expect a 2:1 min). But I’ve tailored my answer more to leading firms as that’s what you said you were interested in.

Good luck deciding!

Hi wary82,
Sorry to hear you aren't happy with your results. Be proud of yourself no matter what though, you did your best! So well done!

As previous posts have said, a lot of good universities don't require high grades for law. In regard to the extra year of tuition, that shouldn't impact your job application as only your final grade would be displayed on your certificate (it only matters if they ask for your transcript).

At UCLan we offer Law (https://www.uclan.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/law-llb?term=law) at 104-112 UCAS points at A2, however if you haven't achieved this we do have the foundation route available for 64 points at A2 (https://www.uclan.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/law-llb-foundation-entry). I don't study Law but I know a few people who have really enjoyed their law degree at UCLan I am also here if you would like to know more about our campus and life at UCLan.

If you are interested, please give our clearing team a call on 01772 830777 (we close at 8pm) and explain your situation. They will be able to advise, and perhaps get you onto a course with us!

You can also message us at
https://twitter.com/UCLan?s=20&t=WTW9zewEiXa1I9b5DQ_KzQ

https://m.facebook.com/5664198631/

https://www.instagram.com/uclanuni/?hl=en

Hope this helps!

Best of luck,

Chelsea

The fact that you've mentioned that you'd like to join a good, reputable firm suggests to me that you want to be a solicitor, in which case I can't really help. My knowledge on solicitor recruitment is pretty basic, and there are plenty of others who are actually solicitors and/or better placed to advise on that.

Just in case, for the Bar A-Levels matter, but not as much as I understand they do for higher tier firms when it comes to training contracts. Some Chambers do set a requirement of AAB and a 2:1, but plenty don't, and even those that do sometimes will disregard that if you have an otherwise outstanding application. It is, on any reading, a weakness to have poor A-Levels when applying for pupillage, but it is not as significant a weakness as getting a 2:2. It is relevant, but by the time you apply for pupillage it will be quite far removed in terms of time from where you are, so your chances of compensating for your A-Levels is higher. I have seen many applications with less than ideal A-Levels that have gotten pupillage interviews, just because there is so much you can do from this point on to make up for them. It does depend to a degree on just how bad they are, but simply put, if your application tells me that you're a strong applicant at the age of 23 or 24, I'm not going to be overly concerned about where you were at when you were 18.

This is not a post advising people with bad A-Levels to disregard them and aim for a career as a barrister anyway. The Bar is still extremely competitive, and everybody should be taking time to make a realistic decision about whether it is worth the risk to aim for it. If you have bad A-Levels, you should taking longer to make that decision, because you're off to a bad start and it's not a process that is forgiving to weaknesses on an application. But, as I say, you may still decide that it is a realistic goal that you want to pursue. And of course, whilst it does come with expense, a law degree is only the next step. You're not having to commit to five or six years of study and pupillage hunting yet.

In the event that you (or someone like you) does want to still go down the pupillage route, my advice as to the options is to go to a bad university and get a First. The university you go to does not matter in the main nearly as much as people think it does when it comes to pupillage, in fact some sets are starting to anonymise the university name on applications. It's all about the degree classification, and with bad A-Levels you really want that to be a First if you want to stand a realistic chance of compensating for the A-Level results.

Hey @wary82

I'm sorry to hear you don't think your results were that great. I hope you feel proud of yourself for trying your best, no matter what the results are you did great!

Have you had another think about what you want to do? I'd have a look at the entry requirements on other uni's course webpages or see if they offer any foundation year routes as well. For example here at Bradford our typical offer is 112 points for our Law LLB (Hons) course but there may be some flexibility in entry requirements for courses that still have places available for this year's September entry. We also offer a Foundation Year that has a route to Law, and then on successful completion of the programme you can progress onto a range of degree programmes including Law.

Whatever university or option you choose, I wish you the very best of luck! Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help

Becky

Check out the Lawyer Portal as it has good article on magic circle entry requirements. Linklaters - it’s min AAB as Jamie says. Some others stipulate ‘high A level grades’.

https://www.thelawyerportal.com/careers/law-firm-insights/magic-circle-law-firms/

I can’t understand how a first from a badly ranked Uni can be better than a 2:1 from a high ranked, reputable Uni for pupillage. That sounds crazy.

Heya! I haven't personally done Law but I had friends that did Law courses. From what I understood, in law, the a-levels and uni ranking does matter when trying to get into very top law firms as the field is very competitive as mentioned earlier. However, there are law firms (perhaps not the top) which have a very good reputation and are more lenient with grades/uni ranking. I've never heard of firms looking down upon foundation year, as long as you get a 2:1 and above during your course, you should be good.

Have you considered perhaps starting law at a lower-ranked uni and then transferring to a higher-ranked one? I'm not sure about the whole process but I know that my friend, for example, transferred from Swansea to KCL in physics (as long as it's a similar course it shouldn't be a huge problem from what I have seen my friends do). Though I would recommend checking that with universities first.

You could also do an undergraduate in a lower-ranked uni and then do a masters in a very high-ranked uni. A lot of my friends do that in order to get into top firms as a lot of the firms will see e.g. Masters in Law from Oxford University first on your application. They get a very high first from a bad uni then go to unis such as Oxford or Cambridge to continue their study and it works out for them Trying to do a-level resits is a bit of a gamble as there is a chance you might not score high for whatever reason, so think about it!

At the end of the day, it is up to you! Everyone gave you amazing advice so far so I hope this helps as well!
Milena G.
UCL PFE
Study Mind

I think the answer also depends on how 'bad' your A-levels are.

Generally speaking, I would advise you to attend a lower-ranked university and try to graduate with a strong mark. Do all the things law firms look for (extracurricular activities, leadership positions, work experiences, attend events and demonstrate interest in the firm etc)

Resitting A levels can be risky because you are not guaranteed to improve greatly, and many law firms still require you to declare your original grades.

I see that there are some posts mentioning doing a postgraduate after your undergrad to 'upgrade'. In reality, most postgraduate degrees are seldom worth it when it comes to boosting your employment prospects at law firms, and the Oxbridge ones are hardly used as a way to upgrade, mostly because to get onto those courses means you would already have pretty strong grades. Whether or not you should pursue a postgrad is a much more nuanced decision that is not really relevant to you atm. For now, I would say that it's best not to go in with the aim of attending a better university for postgraduate.