Background and Profile
Hi! I'm Khadijah Rabbani, a Pakistani student who grew up across a few different worlds. I graduated from Oryx International School in Qatar in 2026, following the British curriculum, and I'm incredibly proud to be heading to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to pursue an LLB in Laws.
A Life in Motion
I spent the first eleven years of my life in Pakistan before moving to Turkey, where I lived for about three years. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I moved back to Pakistan due to my father's work, and eventually, I moved to Qatar, where I've now lived for three years.
Moving between countries exposed me to a wider range of cultures, policies, experiences, and perspectives. So, what happens when you finally settle down somewhere new, only to find yourself entering a world that has already been moving forward without you?
The New Girl at Oryx
Though unexpected, I moved to Qatar in the middle of GCSE season, during Year 11, and studied the remainder of my high school years at Oryx International School because of my father's work. With students from more than 90 nationalities, Oryx was already an incredibly diverse community.
But despite its diversity, I felt like I was entering a world that had already been established without me. My classmates already knew the school system inside out, were preparing for their GCSEs, and had spent years building friendships and routines. Meanwhile, I had been thrown into an entirely new environment, trying to find my place whilst catching up with everyone around me.
Proving Myself, to Whom?
Back in high school, my biggest obstacle was how often I compared myself to my peers and put myself down. Being the new girl, I felt like I had something to prove. This mindset pushed me to challenge myself, and I eventually became my school's Head Girl.
It was an extremely meaningful experience because I was competing alongside students who had known the school and its inner ethos for most of their lives. To be chosen for a role carrying such a magnificent level of responsibility, despite having only been at Oryx for two years, was incredibly rewarding.
Academically, I didn't want to remain trapped in such a mindset where I believed I was behind everyone else. I started treating every lesson as an opportunity to build my understanding rather than something I had to catch up on. I also developed a routine of never procrastinating. As simple as it sounds, I discovered that giving my full effort during lessons made the workload much more manageable. Within an hour or two after school, I'd go over what I had learned and strengthen anything I hadn't fully understood.
Brain fog was one of the biggest obstacles preventing me from achieving the results I wanted. To be frank, by staying on top of all my tasks and being proactive, I was able to clear that brain fog.
For revision, my biggest piece of advice would be to start with your exam board's specification. It gives you a clear outline of what you are supposed to know. I would also work through past papers alongside the specification and the topics I had studied.
Building the Case
For my GCSEs, I received seven 9s, two 8s, and one 7. I went on to receive four As in my AS Levels in Business, Economics, History, and Psychology.
I got the highest grades in my cohort. Moving forward with A-Levels, I decided to challenge myself by studying subjects I had never taken before. Funnily enough, Business, Psychology, and Economics ended up being three of the subjects in which I received national and global recognition, with Psychology recognized nationally and Economics and Business recognized internationally through the Pearson Edexcel Outstanding Pearson Learner Awards.
I was also awarded the Dux Scholaris Award, the school's highest graduation distinction, which is given to the top student in the graduating year in recognition of exceptional academic performance and contributions to the school.
When I applied to university, my profile was largely carried by my academic achievements and supercurriculars. In my case, I made an effort to explore law beyond what I learned in school by reading several books and articles encompassing criminal law, tort law, and public law. This helped me express my interest in my subject in my personal statement more effectively.
At the same time, I learned that not every experience needs to directly match your intended degree to be valuable. What matters is being able to identify the transferable skills and connect them to your interests. For example, during my environmental internship at WWF Pakistan, I learned about regulatory frameworks and the laws that influence environmental policy. Although the experience was not strictly confined to law, I was able to connect what I learned to my interest in law.
Outside academics, I took on several leadership roles, including serving as my school's Head Girl, Secretary General of our school's MUN conference, and founding president of the debate club. I also participated in local business competitions, innovation challenges, essay contests, and mock trials.
A World Beyond the Classroom
My day as a legal intern at Orr, Dignam & Co in Pakistan typically started at 8 AM and ended at 5 PM. I worked from a cubicle with my own equipment, ready to take on whatever task I was assigned. Each day, a solicitor or trainee responsible for training me would give me a task, usually allowing me two days to complete it because of how detailed the work could be. I was also advised to keep a notepad with me throughout the day to record important points and observations.
One of my tasks was to work through Pakistan's Competition Act of 2010, which meant going through nearly 400 pages, identifying the relevant information, and applying it to the situation I was asked to assess. At other times, I prepared advisory sheets for clients on how they would best approach a certain dilemma or conduct due diligence within their companies while remaining within the country's legal framework.
Because these tasks required such extensive reading and detailed analysis, I would take almost the entire day to complete them. Once I had completed my research, I would draft my advisory sheet and submit it to the solicitor for review and feedback. It was an eye-opening experience to see how much careful research and consideration goes into what may eventually become practical legal advice.
Outside of this, I also had the opportunity to have lunch with partners and solicitors, where we'd talk about their experiences, career paths, and what it was like to work in the legal profession. Those conversations left me with perspectives on law that I could not have gained from a textbook alone.
The Road to LSE
Qatar is an amazing country for higher education. However, given my interest in law, I didn't feel that it was the best fit for what I wanted to study. Many of the universities I came across had a stronger focus on technology, medicine, and other STEM-related fields, while humanities subjects were less prominent. For that reason, I decided to look beyond Qatar for university.
During the application process, one of my mentors was a family friend who was a practicing lawyer in Pakistan. Through her, I was able to see what a professional CV could look like and received guidance on how to approach solicitors and lawyers. Aside from this, I navigated the application process independently. I didn't seek online resources or professional application services, although I would encourage students to explore the resources available to them. At the time, I simply wasn't aware of how much help was available online.
Through UCAS, I received acceptance letters to four universities:the University of Warwick, Durham University, the University of Glasgow, and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Initially, I applied to Cambridge to challenge myself and see if I could get in. But even while applying elsewhere, LSE had always held a special place for me as the university I ultimately wanted to attend.
There were several reasons as to why I chose LSE.
First, its location in the heart of London was a major factor. London is home to major law firms such as Linklaters, Clifford Chance, Clyde & Co, and more. I would love to be exposed to such a fast-moving environment where I can build my career while being a full-time university student.
I also didn't want to choose a university based solely on prestige. While it is naturally something students consider, I cared more about the quality and specialization of the education I would receive. LSE's strong reputation for social sciences and its rigorous approach to research and coursework sealed my decision.
Most significantly, I was drawn to the way LSE approached education and academia. The depth and detail of research, the rigorous coursework, the development of students' understanding and skills, and the emphasis on independent thinking were exactly what I was looking for in a law degree.
What I Wish I Could Tell Year 10 Me
Never compare your journey to another person's. As someone who thought she was behind, I convinced myself I was. You will get to where you have to as long as you are in competition with one person only. Yourself. No matter how far someone is in their journey, that does not diminish your potential and your abilities.
Negative affirmations are bound to take up space in real life. If you want to grow as a person, as a student, as an academic, no matter what kind of growth that may be, you cannot do it if you are constantly being negative toward yourself.
London, Here I Come
What I hope the next chapter will look like for me is still unclear. However, I want to achieve genuine growth in my personal life. I want to be able to experience different kinds of environments beyond what I'm regularly used to. I want to develop myself professionally alongside my studies and gain exposure through open days, first-year events, and law firms.
For now, I am looking forward to see where this chapter takes me.
