Not really sure how to word this, but I'm an English student at Durham (incoming finalist) considering transferring over to law via GDL (probably IP/employment/litigation/etc., something where case law comes up a lot). I have a lottt of extra-curriculars (mostly in volunteering in welfare/mental health, not a lot of advocacy/debating unfortunately), but mostly 67+ grades although I don't have any for the year just gone because of boycotts- and I'm a bit confused about what the timeline is in terms of applying for minis/vac schemes. (I'm not even really sure whether I'd like to be a barrister or a solicitor- being a barrister sounds more varied and practical, but so much more competitive and precarious where I already know my non-law background puts me at a bit of a disadvantage). Is there any point in me applying for these things, and if so when should that be done? How do I decide what I want to do (re: bar/pupillage) if I haven't done any legal training yet? Thanks in advance, my head is spinning a bit- hence the messy message.
NB: I am looking at doing a few online courses in advance of writing any legal applications e.g., with FutureLearn, because I know that no matter how many extra-curriculars I have, they won't be hugely helpful if I can't link them back to law. But I'm deeply aware that they may be more useful for Vac Scheme applications, as 'commitment to the Bar' seems to be a separate thing from 'how much you like law itself.' Is that a correct assumption? (I'll probably do them anyway as they look really interesting, just curious!)