Im currently applying for a vacation scheme at Mayer Brown and one of the questions asks about academic and non-academic achievements and interests. I was wondering whether a high LNAT score would be ok to include, or if this would be too outdated being from before university?
Also, as the question that mentions 'interests', how might one go about including this along with achievements? I'm not sure if the question is saying to just mention the interests that you're passionate about, or if there is more to it.
Thanks!
It’s not that it’s outdated as such - you can use achievements from school and college.
I just think you have to have something exceptional here - a lot of people applying will have a good/high LNAT score. Naturally many people will have had to so they could get into the universities they have studied at. Therefore, you’d have to be confident that your score is particularly high (say in the top 10th or even 5th percentile) to claim this.
It is a bit like saying you have high A-level grades - lots of people will also have similar grades. But where certain impressiveness can come across is if you can state you were in a certain level of exceptional performance nationally. Some people will state things like this for both LNAT or A-level (or equivalent) grades by saying where they were positioned either nationally or globally when compared to other people who took the assessment/qualification.
For any interests, try to think about any of the following elements:
- doing them to a high level (eg winning awards, leagues, competitions or any form of recognition)
- that your interests benefit others - they are not just solo pursuits
- you show a significant commitment to those interests
- your interests have led to you doing interesting things with them
For instance my interests are travelling, skiing, photography and being passionate about diversity and inclusion. I don’t really have anything in the first three categories that I could really sell as being anything more than what keeps me happy/relaxed, but I could list a whole load of stuff about what I have done with the last interest. Although I could still briefly reference my other interests, I would ensure my answer focused on where I had impact on my interests rather than those I just did for my personal benefit/well being.
