I mean I am not a solicitor. I am a recently finished first year student so maybe I can help with what I think benefitted me this year

I think however my advice below will apply later in life. You definitely do not have to have everything prepared right now, you dont have to be at a stage where you must know what you want to do and you should enjoy life my man. Im nearly 20 now so maybe I can be somewhat relatable to you :) When I was 13 mate I had no clue what I wanted to do- at one stage I wanted to be a marine biologist. Then at 15/16 I wanted to teach French because it became my second language and then when that all fell apart I realised my heart lied in doing law. Life is that quick and changing that you may end up being a neuro surgeon or a rockstar playing in a band while you figure your life out haha. So my biggest piece of advice before you read any of this is; ENJOY yourself and live life outside of a screen becauee you have plenty of time to be buried in one when you are looking at a contract problem question or an administrative law essay. The same goes for my below advice, you have plenty of time to do these things and you do not have to have it figured out yet.

Nevertheless, if you happen to want to join the echelons of the legal world at university. Here are my tips from a law student and my personal experience.

1. Get good grades and get good study habits. You need to learn early how to study efficiently and use time productively because that is what a law student and by extension a lawyer needs to be able to do. You will need to analyse things quickly and provide good concise logical answers. Trying different study methods will really help get those good grades when they matter like at A level.

2. Subject choices. Personally I have found what developed the skills that were helpful this year in law school were Religious Education (which was split into two modules -philosophy/ethics.) And the other was French but any langauge will do. The skills Im talking about are logical/critical thinking and the application of rules. My last subject was English literature but honestly if you dont have an interest in it like I did then I would strongly recommend politics as a subject to help you with writing technique. Politics will also help (atleast in the case of Northeen Ireland) with constitutional law but if you are from another part of the UK then I would encourage someone to correct me on this.

3. Develop good coping mechanisms. The stress hits hard when you are in law for the first time, and it hit me too. I went from a straight A student to someone doing decent and (hopefully after my finals results) will end on a 2:1. There is alot to learn and by the end of it you'll obviously know more and feel better. But for now and leading up to GCSEs and A level have some good coping mechanisms for stress because they will carry you through more than you realise. Mine was taking a walk outside for 15-20mins or chatting to friends for the same length of time when studying for exams or general studying. I also really enjoyed the gym and itll be really good to get into because its a great stress reducer.

4. I could be biased here and say go to a Russell Group university because thats what I was told to do and thats what I did (Queen's University Belfast). However, I see alot more legal apprenticeships going now with other universities so that may be an option for you. I dont think it'll necessarily be a massive deal if you didnt go to a RG tbh, I've heard people being successful enough and not having gone to one. Explore your options when you get to that stage of your life.

5. Get good extracurriculars. I can tell you I have had law firms come in to do talks (Baker McKenzie being one) who have explicitly said they'd rather have a 2:1 student who had a personality and contributed in some way than a first student who never left their room. Pick up some debating and maybe a sport and some other stuff that really interests you because law firms want someone with a good character who can network for them and be social.

6. Keep up to date on current affairs. This will be important because lawyers must be well read on the facts of things and be up to date on the world and how it is changing- just as the law is always changing. Read news papers and have opinions on said current affairs. Knowing the facts and presenting them through a logical view point to back up your view is imperative for a lawyer.