Universities

Let me start at the beginning of the story with Universities. I will start with a statement that as I was choosing a University I did not believe, however, I am beginning to agree more with it as I get older; it doesn't really matter what University you go to, as long as you get a good degree.

Of course there will be amazing stories where barristers have got thirds and gone on to become QCs and there will be tragedies of students that have gone to Oxbridge, got firsts and still no interviews. However, the bar is trying to open up its doors to a wider amount of people; taking account of individual's circustances. Just this week 'Target Group' released its 2007/8 statistics that said the majority of students who want to be barristers are female and from an ethnic minority (although with all the funding available for this group of people, its no wonder they think about it seriously).

The most important thing is that wherever you go you get the best degree you possibly can. Do not sabotage your life to achieve it (then you wont be well rounded, so you wont be impressive anyway), but do take into account that when you apply for mini pupillages/bvc/pupillages they will want individual module marks.

Do take this with a pinch of salt; obviously if you can go to Oxbridge, why wouldn't you, and if a Russell group University will take you, then of course go there. But if something happened, if you were meant to get 3 As but something happened don't give up hope... you have a long way to go and a lot of things you can do to improve your chances tobecome a barrister.

Catching up on my journey

For what seems like decades but is actually only about 8 years I have wanted to be a barrister. Not wanting to be 'involved in law'/ dreaming about being an Ally McBeal bearing coffee lawyer, but an actual barrister at the bar.

Where this idea started I am unsure, however, now that I am beginning my last year doing a Law LLb at University I am about to begin the 'challenging' stage of a journey that everyone seems to be advocating as nigh on impossible.

I suppose I am a rather ordinary law student; I have a desperate career dream, I do a lot of debating, I am on track for a 2:1 and have made a somewhat absurd decision to do a choice dissertation of 15 000 words (on parental responsibility). I have had one mini pupillage this summer which I adored and one that I have just been offered at a bigger chambers next Easter, no doubt I will blog about these separately.

What strikes me though, is that although there are many blogs from pupils/ bvc students, there aren't that many that show the whole story, and although I have turned up a little late, I will pledge to describe with gory detail my failures and successes of what I am sure can only be a traumatic journey but one that will gather a light at the end of the tunnel.

Things to blog about in the first few days (when I am enthusiastic and before term starts):

• Choosing Universities
• Mini Pupillages
• Getting the most out of lectures/anything your University does
• Extra curricular activities

These are not in any particular order, and no doubt I will amalgamate them into small heaps on knowledge that no one really uses, however, I should also state that everything here will be of my own opinion and although I will have thought about everything I type, I still may be wrong, so please do not blame me if you follow me up this creek with only me as your paddle - the proverb may turn out to be true!