Are you writing your scholarship application and need some pointers from a fellow scholar? Look no further.
For context, I am a Middle Temple scholar. The advice in this post is generalised but specifically I write from experience of the written applications for scholarships with Middle Temple.
The most important thing I can advise is you to do at the outset, is look at the criteria for a scholarship. For ease, the criteria for a Middle Temple scholarship are below:
1. INTELLECTUAL ABILITY: the capacity to conduct legal research and give written advice, as demonstrated by performance in school and university examinations, the interview and, where appropriate, other experience.
2. MOTIVATION TO SUCCEED AT THE BAR: knowledge of the profession and the Courts, and steps taken to acquire the personal skills required of a barrister, will be taken into account.
3. POTENTIAL TO BECOME AN ADVOCATE: both written and oral.
4. PERSONAL QUALITIES: those required by members of the Bar include self-reliance, independence, integrity, reliability, and the capacity to work effectively with clients, colleagues, and chambers staff.
These criteria are your starting point. The aim is to show the reader how you meet those criteria whilst answering the questions in the application form. Once you have familiarised yourself with those criteria brainstorm your experiences and the skills you acquired from those experiences. Then think about how those skills translate to the above criteria and to the bar more generally. I cannot stress how important it really is to not skip this step.
Once you have done this, you are in a position to start drafting answers to those dreaded application questions. When drafting your answers remember to be concise. Your answers should persuade the reader that you meet the above criteria and, most importantly, have the ability to succeed at the bar. This means that your answers should read like a piece of advocacy. Persuasion is absolutely key!
Remember that you should be showing rather than telling the reader why you would make a good barrister. What I mean by this is that you must use your experiences and the skills you acquired through those experiences as evidence, evidence that you meet those criteria and would make a good barrister. If you find this concept difficult then google the STAR method and apply this to answering the application questions to ensure you are evidencing your skills. It is not enough to simply write “I have strong oral advocacy skills”. Instead, you may write “I enhanced my advocacy skills, as a member of my University’s Mooting Club. I participated in internal and external competitions. In March 2020, I won X competition in a speed moot about self-defence. The panel particularly praised my handling of judicial interventions”. This example evidences strong advocacy skills through experiences, if you take away nothing else from this post, it is that you must include your experiences.
I know you may worry about your “lack” of experience. I know I sure did when I drafted my application, I had far less experience than I do now. It is important to remember that non-legal work experience or extra curriculum activities can build skills which are transferrable to the bar too! If appropriate, use your hobbies. It is good to showcase a human side to yourself in the application form, this is super important for interview too, even better if you can get your personality across on paper before any interview.
In terms of specific questions, the “why do you want to be a barrister” question is always a tough one. My biggest tip for this question is try to avoid cliches. Once again, use your experiences to confirm your decision to become a barrister. Mini pupillages are good experiences which could be used in this question, but any experience where you have had an insight into the work/ role of a barrister will set you up well for answering this question.
“Tell us about a time you had to overcome adversity or disadvantage”. There is a knack to answering this question. Be honest about your experiences. Do not overthink it. Adversity is all relative, even if the disadvantages you have faced seem minute in comparison to those faced by other fellow aspiring barristers, they are still relevant to your journey. So, do not be afraid to put it down on paper. Ultimately, it is your application, and you chose how personal you are on it. The important point however is that the bulk of this answer should focus upon how you overcame the adversity. You want to shortly state the adversity and then draft the remainder of the answer with how you overcame it and the positive outcome that followed from you overcoming the adversity. The same goes for the question of, “What is one weakness you would need to overcome in order to become a good barrister”. The majority of your answer should not focus upon your weakness, it should be focused upon how you have or how you intend to overcome that weakness.
Please do not stress about the “What one question would you most like the panel to ask you” question. This could be something topical, something about one of your experiences that you would like to bring to the table, or an interesting hobby. Just remember, you will be asked about it so if it is something topical, you must know that topic back to front and inside out! That goes for anything on your application form. You could be questioned upon anything on your form, and you will certainly be challenged by the panel at interview on your experiences and/ any topical issue you raise. So, do not lie or write about something you could not speak on confidently at interview!
Last but not least, please make sure to check for spelling and grammar. You do not want to be marked down or prematurely judged by bad spelling and grammar. Make sure to get your application checked by people in the profession, family, friends, your neighbour. I don’t care who, just ask for that application to be proofread. It is important.
Until next time,
Woman on a Mission
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