Retake A levels or Foundation Course in order to pursue Law Degree

Hello everyone ! Recently, I plan to go straight to UK for Foundation program in Liverpool. Before this , I took A Levels in Malaysia but I barely passed two of the subject. It is my dream to become a lawyer but with this kind of result, I only able to get into local(Malaysia ) university and I don't want that However a lot of friends told me that A levels is more important and should retaking A levels instead of Foundation since it is more suitable for business path. Foundation program also accept less student into law degree. Is that true ? If I really work hard in my foundation and get good result, will university still look at my A levels? Pls kindly comment regarding to this. Thank you !

I don't study this subject, however I do strongly believe that A-Levels are important, however if you decide to do the foundation program, then they will most likely look at them, but your progress on your foundation course would mean more, since it was more recent and demonstrated that you have interest. Provided the university accept someone that has completed a foundation program, then you will be fine, worry yourself is the worse you can do.

Thanks a lot. But do you think I should retake my A Levels? I mean just the test. Cause I want to make the cert look better than two barely passed. However I just have 2 weeks to prepare since Finals are coming ><.

Hello everyone ! Recently, I plan to go straight to UK for Foundation program in Liverpool. Before this , I took A Levels in Malaysia but I barely passed two of the subject. It is my dream to become a lawyer but with this kind of result, I only able to get into local(Malaysia ) university and I don't want that However a lot of friends told me that A levels is more important and should retaking A levels instead of Foundation since it is more suitable for business path. Foundation program also accept less student into law degree. Is that true ? If I really work hard in my foundation and get good result, will university still look at my A levels? Pls kindly comment regarding to this. Thank you !

My understanding is that most universities that offer foundation years offer them specifically as a gateway onto their degrees. I note that Liverpool's foundation degree is not specifically in law though and so you should contact them to check if it offers a guaranteed place on their law degree.

While I appreciate that your question doesn't ask about this, have you thought about how this will look on your job applications?

Assuming you want to qualify as a lawyer in the UK, having strong A-Levels is the first step and so having bad grades will make it very hard for you to get a training contract even if you get a good mark on the foundation course and subsequent degree. A lot of firms have automatic filters on their applications and if you don't tick that box you won't get considered.

Having to retake to get a good grade also won't look good. You would need to show a very good reason why you did poorly the first time around and be able to explain this in your applications and at interview. What marks do your teachers predict if you retake and what did you get in your 3rd subject?

Hey Yukey- I'm Singaporean and most of my friends (and me) are applying for Law too, so I might be able to offer some advice. I've heard that some UK Law universities don't accept retakes, so you might want to look into that. In addition, you'd have to declare the years you sat for your papers in your UCAS form anyway-so a retaken paper would look like a split A level/really suspicious anyway. Added to that burden, 2 weeks really isn't enough time to study for your A levels. The foundation year seems like a really good option if you've decided on what you want to do and where you do it because its major downsides of 1)narrow course choice 2)restricted university choices wouldn't really play on your concerns. Just my 2 cents' worth

As for job application, I haven't had much thought about it. Getting a law degree and doing UK bar has always been my top priority. I want a become a legal advisor in a company .
I'm having a long time thinking whether to retake my a2 papers or not. Is just like everyone says 2 week aren't enough to study for A2 paper. Furthermore, I don't have a good reason in explaining why I did badly Is all my fault not being able to cope A2 papers and having the wrong method in studying this time. I didn't ask my lecturer for my forecast for the retake exam but I got B for Econs , C for Law and C for Sociology for my AS. Therefore, my previous A2 forecast was also BCC but I only passed my Economics for my A2 . I failed both Sociology and Law papers . Therefore my result for these two are ASL.

In honesty, even your original predicted grades would be below the requirements for most firms these days. With competition so high, As and Bs are the standard requirement to become a solicitor and I believe to become a barrister it is even tougher.

You mentioned wanting to work for a company though, so have you considered alternatives to qualifying as a lawyer? There are lots of other jobs in the legal field that don't require professional qualifications that you might find interesting. Do you have a careers advisor who you could discuss your options with?

Yeah, I know that's why I also think retaking ALevels won't be any use. Yeap! I want to work at certain company as a legal advisor . Alternatives to qualify as a lawyer? You mean having experience in law firms? Well, I don't have a career advisor who I can share my mind with that's why I'm here but the thing is I really want to graduate as a law student. That's what my dream is about. Honestly, I was playing around a lot during A Levels year thinking it won't be that much different than o levels since for my whole student life my result was always above average and sometimes distinction taking A Levels make me realize one can never too overconfidence

My point is that you don't have to be a lawyer to work in law, and as you've already said you have no interest in private practice, it may well be that other jobs are actually more suited to you than solicitor or barrister as well as more achievable.

If you really want to study a law degree then there's no reason why you shouldn't do so if you can get a place on a course. A law degree isn't just for those wanting to qualify as lawyers. You can use it as any other degree to show you've got brains and skills or you could use it in a career that has a leaning towards law eg paralegal, police, court work, HR etc.

You've mentioned wanting to work at a particular company. Have you enquired with them as to their requirements to apply for a job in their legal department? Could you apply for an entry level job and work your way up?

hi bambilicious ! Is there other course other than law that can allow me to be a legal advisor ? Is not that I totally have no interest in private practice , well studying law gives you a lots of pathways . As for now, legal advisor will be my main interest as my future job but practicing as a solicitor will also take into consideration.
As I mentioned before , to work at a particular company is because I do a lot internship during my holiday at law firms and company and are in a good relationship with the solicitor . They even ask me to work with them after I graduate as a lawyer. But one can't be too sure of the future . Maybe I find more interesting company to work

As for SG, from what I heard is as long as you are from the approved university , you are allow to take the bar. Is that the case? Once again, thanks for your advice! Hope you reply me soon !