Results day has arrived for BPTC students. Read this blog for advice and support for all things results.
Results day can be a nerve-wrecking time for most of us. Many of us have likely suppressed those result day fears, instead opting to focus on some much-needed R & R. On the other hand, some of us may have been sitting with daily stomach knots over the very thought of results since the exam season ended. No matter how you decided to deal with it previously, we’re all in the same boat now and we’re all anxiously anticipating the numbers on the screen.
So, you’ve passed – congratulations! What’s next?
So, you’ve passed and first things first, congratulations are in order. Passing is a tremendous achievement and is a reward for your determination, hard work and persistence. That being said, this moment is entirely yours so enjoy it and bask in that self-pride. You may be receiving a hoard of congratulations as you read this, but only you know the lengths you’ve gone to reach this very moment and the pride you should feel within yourself should be immeasurable, so be kind to yourself and celebrate in whatever way you wish. Well done!
However, after the celebrations comes reality. After a strenuous year doing the BPTC it’s natural you want a break, however, don’t forget about the goal: securing pupillage. Pupillage is increasingly difficult to attain so don’t wait around until the gateway opens in January to submit your CV with your BPTC qualification. To secure pupillage, having experience is essential, so start building on that now. Now you have your qualification, add that on your CV and start looking for those experiences or job opportunities that will make you stand out e.g. becoming a county court advocate, paralegal or court clerk are great options that will build on your professional skills. Alternatively, you might decide that you want to do voluntary legal work or to attain a legal internship, these are both excellent ways to demonstrate your passion for the law. To find these opportunities you can research online or go through your university as they should be providing career opportunities from you to benefit from. Another tip, if you haven’t had the time already to complete or even start your Inn’s qualifying sessions, use this time to do so.
So, you’ve not passed this time round – that’s completely fine! What’s next?
First things first, although it’s easier said than done – don’t panic, all is not lost. The Bar is a highly competitive, intense, and difficult career and it takes many people more than one swipe at the course to pass and failing said exams is by no means a reflection on you or your abilities and you should be extremely proud of your growth this past year.
First thing to do is to let yourself feel whatever emotions you need to feel, whether that’s by yourself or by talking to a classmate who may be in a similar situation or someone you feel comfortable to talk to. Once you feel ready you should then begin asking your close classmates, tutors and your academic supervisor for guidance and advice on the next steps you need to take. After this has been done, you will hopefully begin to feel the weight lift off from your shoulders as a clear path starts to emerge for the next steps you need to take, whether that means deferring your resits or knuckling down for the next upcoming exam season.
However, before you begin hastily revising the entirety of Blackstone’s or the White Book again, stop and take a breath. Realistically, the best way you can make effective use of your revision now would be to wait until that vital feedback is released. Once you see this feedback, use your barrister in the making abilities to truly analyse and understand it. A helpful method may be to highlight all the topics you received 50% or less in order to better focus your revision on the areas that truly need it. It’s sometimes a shock how helpful feedback is as you may be surprised at what your actual strengths and weaknesses were. This will give you the best foundation to perfect those previous notes to tally up extra marks.
Once you’ve found your weaknesses you can focus your time on amending and thoroughly understanding those problem areas, then moving on to perfecting the better areas of your previous revision. Finally, once this is done you should give yourself at least a few days to go through past papers and Q&A’s provided by your university. Good luck!
Conclusion
The most important message in all this is that the figure on that computer screen does in no way determine your self-worth. Everyone is on their own journey and no path is the same, what may take one person one shot may take another three, and both are individuals which offer the invaluable characteristic that is being them. Regardless of your results day grades you should be proud of how far you’ve come and be excited for the next steps of your journey. Remember, you’re not starting from scratch, you’re perfecting what you have.
