The Common Law Admission Test or CLAT is one of the toughest law entrance exams for an undergraduate program. Thousands of students attempt this exam and dream of getting into top law institutes in India, namely National Law University (NLUs). This year, 62,106 candidates fought for just 2622 seats of NLUs.
With such odds, it is very obvious to experience phases of ups and downs. If you did not crack an NLU through CLAT 2021 and you are drowning in the ocean of anxiety and tension, then you need to ask a few questions to yourself – What is your ambition? To be a good legal professional or just be a part of an NLU through CLAT exam? Are NLUs the only brilliant colleges to pursue a career in law? What if you can be a part of other renowned law colleges?
After you are sure of the answers to these questions, you’ll know what you want to do.
But if you still feel clueless, worry not because no success is complete without failure. Even though the path you are on resulted in a dead-end, there are still many alternate paths that can lead you to success.
So, here are a few law career options you can consider if you couldn’t clear the CLAT exam.
Also read: LAW as a career option in India
Pursue a 3-Year L.L.B Degree
If you think that a 5-year degree is the one way to become a Lawyer, then wait a minute! You can pursue a legal profession through a 3-year L.L.B degree after completing your graduation. If you are unable to clear CLAT, then look at other degree programs which can form a base for you to pursue law afterward.
For example, if you’re keen to enter into a legal profession, then a B.A degree in Political Science can be a great option to have a brief idea about the legal system. The subject will help you understand the government policies, political rules on which the country operates, and how countries operate globally.
Apart from this, you can choose any other programs that interest you and then pursue an L.L.B degree after graduation. Degrees such as B.A Psychology, B.A English, B.B.A, B.Com, are some of the options for students who go this route.
If you want to pursue anything after law and L.L.B, there are also a lot of alternate career options after law and career options after L.L.B in India, like government services, legal advisor, LLM, legal analyst, legal researcher, and many more.
Also read: Career Options for Law Graduates in India
Apply for other Law entrance exams
Although the CLAT examination is conducted for admissions to 19 NLUs, they are not the only Law institutions in India. There are also other renowned colleges in India such as SRM University, Banaras Hindu University, Symbiosis International University, O.P Jindal Global Law School, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, and many more that offer good law programs.
These institutions offer admissions through various other entrance exams such as LSAT (Law School Admission Test) to apply for foreign universities; SET (Symbiosis Entrance Test); BLAT (Banaras Hindu University Law Admission test); IPU CET LLB (Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test). Also, NLU Delhi conducts its separate entrance exam, AILET, which can also be considered.
Going the Liberal Arts Way
Traditionally, the Indian education system could not think of combining two different subjects in a single degree, but Liberal Arts is letting students to take an interdisciplinary course. Liberal Arts education allows you to gain knowledge over an array of subjects before choosing the one you wish to major in.
Institutes such as the Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts, Pune, allows you to combine Political Science as your major with Law as your minor. This particular course provides an understanding of both contemporary politics and concepts related to equality, rights, and obligation. Broadly, it covers topics related to administrative law, criminal justice administration, and family law to introduce students with the basic concepts of Law. Other than Symbiosis, Ashoka University (Sonipat), and FLAME University, Pune also offer such multidisciplinary courses.
Not just Political Science, you can choose subjects of your interest from other disciplines such as humanities, Science and Commerce.
Also read: A Career Option for Science Students
Drop a year
You can think about this option if NLU is where your heart lies and nothing else will satisfy you.
But just taking a year’s drop is not the only thing that will help you crack your dream NLU. You need to put in more effort and take this exam more seriously next time. If you feel you can join law entrance coaching for one more time and prepare with a strategy.
Many students feel they can crack CLAT if they give one more shot, but a lot of them end up wasting a year. So, before jumping in, think twice or even thrice. Then, critically evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, work on them with a plan for the coming year to claim your seat in one of the top national law universities.
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