Following conversations with legal professionals at one of our Haberdashers’ Advantage: Futures – Law Networking Lunch, Y13 student, Arjun realised that he could still become a Barrister, without sacrificing his deep passion for music.
“I’ve received an offer to study Music at the University of Cambridge! I couldn’t feel more honoured and privileged to be able to announce this, and to all those who helped me or replied to my random messages throughout the past year, thank you so much.
But if you asked me a year ago what I wanted to study at University, my answer couldn’t be further from the offer I’ve received today.
Since I was a child, I’ve always wanted to go into Law: the courtroom, the precision of argument, and being able to articulate a point skillfully has always intrigued me. So the obvious choice was to study Law, right? That’s what I thought up until last year, when a few of my colleagues and I attended the law event held by The Haberdashers’ Company. I can remember vividly the chat I had with Arabella González there, where she suggested about studying Music, and then doing a conversion course to law.
I remember myself pausing. “Surely not?”, I thought to myself.
But after speaking to more and more lawyers in the event and throughout the year, it occurred to me that being a lawyer didn’t necessarily mean you HAD to study law at university. Many of the top barristers studied subjects with little to no correlation to law: Chemistry, English and even Music! A Doctor of Law even said to me “If you want to become a lawyer, DON’T study law at university!”
As more and more options flood the sea of opportunities waiting for those finishing Year 13, routes into different fields become more jagged and random. On many occasions, people walk out of university completely different to who they walked in as, with different personality traits, interests and inevitably, aspirations. Yet, this is by no means whatsoever a bad thing.
Today marked the end of my Cambridge application process, following a lengthy one and a half months between my interview and the decision day. If I could pass on one message to those applying next year, it would be to study what genuinely inspires you. These next few years are going to develop your character the most. If you don’t really want to study your subject, you’ll walk into lectures every day with no motivation other than a good salary after a few years. This ultimately brings us to the big question: money or enjoyment? I’ll leave that for you to decide.
After this degree, I plan to complete a conversion course into Law, though I’m open to where time and experience may lead. Now however, as exam season looms like a great shadow over us, our heads must turn to our textbooks for the next few months, which are perhaps the most important few months of our lives. I wish all those in Year 13 tremendous luck with their upcoming exams and revision, and I advise those in Year 12 to enjoy what time you have left before Year 13!”
– Arjun, Head Boy, Haberdashers’ Adams
