Our Reddit Roundup is dedicated to answering the most frequently asked questions on the platform. This month, we help students looking to apply for an undergraduate degree and share ideas on how you can enhance your legal applications.
By April Baniqued. Published 31 January 2025.
Here are the questions:
- How can I show my commitment to law in my applications?
- I’ve missed the UCAS deadline - can I still apply for university?
- Can I reuse my previous university personal statement?
How can I show my commitment to law in my applications?
You may be asked to show your “commitment to the Bar” in scholarship applications for Inns of Court or to demonstrate dedication to the profession in training contract interviews. To do this, you need to prove your passion for law and show how you are actively developing your skills. Below are some ways to highlight your dedication:
Attend events
Attending events sharpens your skills and helps you stay up to date with relevant topics. Browse our events page to see what we are hosting throughout the year.
Here are a few upcoming online events:
- Feb 5: Bar Series Part 3: Chambers, Circuits and Practice Areas
- March 3: Explore Law
- March 5: Real World Lecture: Are Women Fully Protected by the Law?
- March 12: Advocacy 101: The Basics
- March 25: Convert to Law
- April 17: The SQE Explained
Take part in pro bono
Engaging in pro bono work not only develops your skills but also displays your genuine commitment to justice. It shows how you’re dedicated to helping others, beyond financial gain.
Pro bono opportunities include:
- Legal advice clinics
- Public legal education programmes
- Legal Skills development opportunities
You can learn more about pro bono here or, if you’re one of our students, you can contact the Pro Bono team for opportunities and help.
Listen to legal podcasts
One way to showcase your passion for law is by immersing yourself in it during your free time. However, don’t just listen to any podcast—make sure it's accurate and up to date with current events.
The University of Law podcast offers valuable discussions, including the Set For Success and Future Solicitors series.
Enter competitions
Competitions highlight your dedication to improving your skills and sharing your knowledge. This can include participating in mooting competitions, essay competitions, debating competitions and negotiation challenges.
A mooting competition is a mock debate where law students argue a case against each other in a courtroom setting. They present their arguments before a judge and follow real legal procedures. It is great practice for students aspiring to appear before the Supreme Court. You can also develop your skills, including case analysis, legal research and drafting. As our student, you can join our annual mooting competitions. Learn more about moot courts here.
Join a campus club or society
Extracurricular activities demonstrates your engagement with law beyond the academic space. You can see what societies are available on your campus on the Students’ Union website. Some examples include:
- Law Society and Debate Society (Bloomsbury)
- A Women in Law (Moorgate)
- Bar Society (Leeds)
- Beyond Laws (Online)
I’ve missed the UCAS deadline - can I still apply for university?
Yes, you have multiple options available.
Here are three key dates to keep a note of:
Late application (February - 30 June 2025)
If you missed the original January deadline or didn’t use all your five choices in your application, you can still apply through UCAS. Applications received before 30 June 2025 will be considered if spaces are available.
UCAS Extra (26 February - 4 July 2025)
Otherwise, you can use UCAS Extra.
These are for applicants who:
- have already used up all their five choices on their original application
- are not holding any offers
- received offers but chose to decline them
You can apply by using the UCAS search tool, and filtering for ‘Show courses with vacancies’ and 'The University of Law'.
After applying you may receive a:
- Conditional offer (Accepted if you meet requirements e.g. exam results)
- Unconditional offer (Automatically guaranteed a place as you’ve met requirements)
Keep an eye out on the university deadline – missing it will be seen as an automatic decline.
If you don’t receive an offer or choose to decline it, you can still apply to a different course of ours, including law, psychology, business, and more. Remember, you can only submit one application at a time.
Clearing (opens 5 July 2025)
If you still need a place after these deadlines, Clearing is an option. You can apply if you:
- didn’t receive any offers
- declined all your offers
- didn’t meet the conditions of your offers.
Clearing allows you to apply for any remaining spaces we have.
Can I reuse my previous university personal statement?
You can reuse your old personal statement or use parts of it. That being said, it is still important to review your previous application as it may need updating, especially if it has been a few years since you last applied. You may have a new experience or achievement you can add, or another motivation for applying for the course. Now you are looking at it with fresh eyes, you may see something that no longer aligns with your mindset or even a spelling error. Your writing style may have also evolved.
Plus, if you’re reapplying to the same course, check the course content and structure. It may have changed since you last applied so ensure everything you wrote is still relevant.
If you are using a different name from your previous application, remember to fill out the ‘Previous Name’ section in the UCAS application.
Need support with your UCAS application? We have various blogs that can help, including how to write a successful application and changes to personal statements for 2026 entry.
