2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion

[Phoebe]

Congratulations!!!!!!

Thank you!!!

 

[Phoebe]

Incredible news Phoebe!! Well done and VERY well deserved!!

Thanks so much Flora!!

 

[Mxkry]

Anyone else found the simmons & simmons judgement test fairly hard? There didn't seem to be any obvious answer on any of the questions

 

[Hele25]

Has anyone heard from:
Addleshaw Goddard
Linklaters
Mayer Brown

Idk about other people but in my telephone interview w Mayer Brown, the interviewer told me I'd hear back first week of jan - but maybe I heard wrong?

Nothing from AG but I don’t think it will be long, I think they said 2 weeks after the deadline in their confirmation email?! Good luck!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Does anybody have experience using TopScore as an online assessment platform?

For anyone using Topscore for an assessment centre, I can share a link to a video that explains more. Just PM me and I’ll send you the link.

I also have a PDF if anyone wants it - I can’t attach it here as the document size is too big

 

[KamTM]

Rejection from NRF post telephone interview.

I genuinely feel so emotionally exhausted from the process with so little feedback at the VI and telephone interview stage. This cycle I’ve got through to the next stage on every app but as soon as video interviews and telephone interviews come into play I’m letting myself down.

I follow all the structures. Prepare loads before hand. Reference key deals, key jurisdictions, I read the FT every day and I genuinely find the articles interesting. I have good experience and good grades. I know that the process is tough, but I just don’t know how to improve.

I completely understand that law firms have so many applicants. I’m not even frustrated with the process, Im more frustrated that I can’t identify which bits are going wrong.

Sorry to hear that you are feeling this way!
I just wanted to say that you are not alone and if it makes you feel any better then I applied for NRF vac scheme last year and did not even make it to the telephone interview. I was gutted especially because I felt like it was one of the best, if not the best, application I had submitted. However a year later, I have now secured a TC. I would have never thought this would happen after the way I felt with so many rejections the year before.

If I can help in any way please do let me know, if anything you are one step closer to your dream. So try not to be so harsh on yourself because you can do it!

 

[Deleted member 8227]

Rejection from Sidley, applied 26th Nov if anyone's been waiting

 

[CA98]

Does anyone know when Hogan Lovells will start holding assessment centres? They recruit on a rolling basis but their deadline was 2 weeks ago and I still haven't seen anyone get an AC invite despite having a few batches of rejection emails. I thought we'd most likely hear back by mid-January if they're having their ACs at the end of January/early February but I wanted to check if anyone has spoken to grad rec or knows when they might start replying to people?

Hi, my friend got an AC invite for the 26th Jan from Hogan Lovells on Thursday last week - I applied for a direct TC and haven't heard though but the deadline for that isn't until the end of the month. Hope this helps!

 

[E.A]

Hi, my friend got an AC invite from Hogan Lovells on Thursday last week - I applied for a direct TC and haven't heard though but the deadline for that isn't until the end of the month. Hope this helps!

for the direct TCs grad rec said they will review in next few weeks

 

[Helpme12345]

Can’t believe it but Akin Gump and Shearman & Sterling interview invites!

 

[HorsesForCoursesNeighNeighNeigh]

Just got my A&O PFO, applied just before the deadline.

 

[RyanM1]

Can’t believe it but Akin Gump and Shearman & Sterling interview invites!

Congrats! When did you apply for Akin Gump & do their WG if you don’t mind me asking?

 

[bethbristol]

CMS Academy offer!!!

4 years of applying and 5 ACs later I’ve finally got a vac scheme

Incredible news - your determination and resilience is really inspiring

 

[33c]

Can’t believe it but Akin Gump and Shearman & Sterling interview invites!

Hey! Congrats! when did you apply to Shearman???

 

[bethbristol]

Thank you for getting back to me Jacob - I was more concerned about it being a virtual simulation rather than it being on Zoom which I think is the only sensible way to have them this year. I am trying to make a choice about two or three practice areas I am interested in and I don't think that a virtual simulation will help me make that choice - approximating an experience through a program on Sherpa etc. can hardly give you a sense of the subtleties of different practices. I appreciate that helping me develop my legal interests is not what's in it for the firms but it's rather different than what I was hoping for.

Different firms seem to have different approaches to this so I think the best thing to do would be give them a call to see what they are particularly planning for. I can really see your concern - in my first virtual VS it felt like a week long open day with presentations, no option to ‘sit’ in a department and I didn’t feel as though I left the scheme knowing much more about the firm/role. However in my second scheme, although insidesherpa was used, we were assigned seats outside of this and I still felt that I got to do quality work and learn more about the role I was hopefully to be offered.

 

[jan28]

Can’t believe it but Akin Gump and Shearman & Sterling interview invites!

Amazing since Shearman's deadline was only yesterday! Is this for Spring or Summer?

 

[KerC14]

Everyone’s determination is really inspiring!

Next cycle I’m definitely not sharing my application progress with my family, they think the whole process is insane and a little bit pointless cos I’m on my 2nd cycle and have yet to get past application stage.

 

[OB]

Does anyone know what proportion of applicants Stephenson Harwood interviews, and what proportion then get a place on one of their placement schemes?

 

[Helpme12345]

Hey! Congrats! when did you apply to Shearman???

Amazing since Shearman's deadline was only yesterday! Is this for Spring or Summer?

I applied on Saturday! For Spring

 

[Law1099]

Does anyone know what proportion of applicants Stephenson Harwood interviews, and what proportion then get a place on one of their placement schemes?

Not sure how many people are interviewed but last cycle I got to the AC stage (the stage after the interview) and there were 3 with around 10 people each. There’s 8 places on the scheme