How important are leaving cert results?

Bask453

Going into final year of my LLB, on track to hit a high 2.1/maybe scrape a first.
After college I plan to take the FE1s and go into practice. The only problem is my LC results were terrible. It was not until I finished that I got my act together.
I got into univeristy through a PLC, how much is this going to diminish my chances of securing a job with a law firm or even get accept to the PPC in future?
I was always discouraged from applying for Summer internships because they always requested leaving cert results.

Stanford

You've answered your own question, LC results are important where good results are required to do whatever course you wish to do

Peregrinus

When you're applying for a graduate position and have a good degree, nobody gives a stuff about your Leaving Cert results. I'm not even sure they should be on your CV, to be honest.

Heres Johnny

Completely irrelevant to most employers.
My leaving cert results were dropped from my cv as soon as I got a degree.

Also completely put on a pedestal by schools/parents that it shouldn't be, there are other ways into courses that students generally are unaware of.

Like yourself THE PLC course

You can often transfer between degree courses after a year

You can also do a one year post grad in most subjects with most primary degrees

Best of luck, keep pushing for the 1st class degree (which will in turn become irrelevant when you pass professional exams and gain work experience which will supercede everything)

TimeToShine

If you're on for a 2.1/1.1 and are good at what you do it would be a shame to let a bad LC ruin that...and I would be very surprised if anyone could and would ask for proof if you put down something reasonable...

SweetCaliber

I didn't do the LC. I went and did a Fetac Level 5 course for 2 years part time and then used the credits from that to get into 3rd Level Education.

For me exams are my weakness. Doing the Fetac Level 5 course I came out with the equivalent of 400 points, it was part time, relaxed and based around my interests. It was also all CA.

If I had of done the LC I would have done horribly bad.

At the end of the day, the LC isn't the be all end all. Sadly I can't get into many apprenticeships which were my first choice, as for some reason employers see the LC as an act of god and when I bring up I did an alternative, they turn a blind eye.

Elemonator

Was the same situation as you OP, law degree and all. In my experience, it hasn’t come up much. I know people a few years ahead of me who finished the BCL while I was in first year. They have said it did come up with the odd big firm and that some applications required 400+ points but for the most part it didn’t come up. They are only general requirements and it shouldn’t put you off applying.

I myself have been quite open about mine with others. I was a hopelessly lazy student and I didn’t study for my Leaving Certificate at all, an act I now deeply regret, but I did have the brains to do reasonably well. It was only in college I realised I couldn’t get away with it anymore and matured. I eventually got onto the law degree by some sheer Act of God and worked bloody hard from there. Now that I have the degree, I don’t even put my leaving cert results on there as they are not truly relevant, and I no longer get asked for them either.

If you have a solid relevant degree, motivated character, interests, volunteer work and are an overall good worker who is interested and willing and can work with others I can’t imagine you will have any problems. You are going to be a lawyer, get in there and argue your case. Go for masters if you want.



Good luck!

vikings2012

Depends on what sector you plan on working in.

Some accounting and law firms place an emphasis on the leaving cert results primarily to see how a potential employee performs under strict examinations. They look at the performance in the leaving Cert as that examination is similar to professional examinations whereas oftentimes college exams can focus more on presentations, continuous assessments and examining content covered over a 12 week period as oppose to two years (LC).