Do my average GCSE grades matter? Will they inconvenience my future career?

Hi, so I’m currently in year 12 and I’m studying for my A-levels, soon I have my mocks that will predict my ucas grades. I do Criminology, English Literature, Sociology and the EPQ to lower uni offers and for my personal statement. I hope to study law at university and I want to become a solicitor, hopefully in immigration law or work in other type of law. Recently I’ve been really worried about my GCSE grades though.. because they weren’t great because I didn’t focus a lot, had I focused I think I would’ve done a lot better. I got 5s and 4s and I failed maths and business with 3’s. I’m currently retaking maths along with my subjects. My GCSES weren’t terrible.. but they weren’t impressive either and I know I can’t change the past but I keep dwelling on it.. I feel like a failure basically. Will my average gcse grades affect my career in law for employers? Or will it be overlooked if i have better A-level grades?

Hi, so I’m currently in year 12 and I’m studying for my A-levels, soon I have my mocks that will predict my ucas grades. I do Criminology, English Literature, Sociology and the EPQ to lower uni offers and for my personal statement. I hope to study law at university and I want to become a solicitor, hopefully in immigration law or work in other type of law. Recently I’ve been really worried about my GCSE grades though.. because they weren’t great because I didn’t focus a lot, had I focused I think I would’ve done a lot better. I got 5s and 4s and I failed maths and business with 3’s. I’m currently retaking maths along with my subjects. My GCSES weren’t terrible.. but they weren’t impressive either and I know I can’t change the past but I keep dwelling on it.. I feel like a failure basically. Will my average gcse grades affect my career in law for employers? Or will it be overlooked if i have better A-level grades?

Once you've done A levels and are in university, employers don't really care about your GCSEs. They will only look at English and maths, if at all, so I would recommend having those at a minimum of grade 4. However, if you want to study law at university, your grades could potentially hold you back. Generally, most Russell Group universities look for a 7-4 in English Language and sometimes they will require maths at grades 6-4, but this is not always the case. You'll have to look through some universities and their law course requirements to make sure you meet them, but you should be fine as long as you meet their requirements. Having good A level grades may improve your chances if you want to go to Russell Group universities, but honestly only they can tell you whether your GCSEs may disadvantage you. If you're eligible for contextual offers, this also may boost your chances, as sometimes GCSE requirements can be lowered for contextual applicants. If you want to work in immigration law, generally as long as you go to a top third university, you should be fine when trying to secure graduate positions (not necessarily Russell Groups). If you are interested in other types of law, such as commercial law, going to a Russell Group university would boost your chances significantly, as they tend to recruit more from those universities. You are not a failure in any way. I would suggest looking into both universities that don't have high GCSE requirements (or any) and contextual offers at Russell Group universities. Either way, it's not about where you go for your undergrad, it's about what you do during that time to make you stand out as an applicant.
Good luck in your journey - from a fellow aspiring law student!

Thank you!! To work at big/city law firms do they care about whether your uni is a Russel group?

Hi, so I’m currently in year 12 and I’m studying for my A-levels, soon I have my mocks that will predict my ucas grades. I do Criminology, English Literature, Sociology and the EPQ to lower uni offers and for my personal statement. I hope to study law at university and I want to become a solicitor, hopefully in immigration law or work in other type of law. Recently I’ve been really worried about my GCSE grades though.. because they weren’t great because I didn’t focus a lot, had I focused I think I would’ve done a lot better. I got 5s and 4s and I failed maths and business with 3’s. I’m currently retaking maths along with my subjects. My GCSES weren’t terrible.. but they weren’t impressive either and I know I can’t change the past but I keep dwelling on it.. I feel like a failure basically. Will my average gcse grades affect my career in law for employers? Or will it be overlooked if i have better A-level grades?