TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

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Arf1309

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Dec 7, 2022
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I know the Hogan Lovell's WG is meant to be automatic but I applied over a week a go and haven't received an invite to complete the test.

Anyone else in this position? Should I email grad rec about it?
 

axelbeugre

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Sep 14, 2023
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@axelbeugre Can I ask if I mentioned the mitigating circumstance in my application form, how should I describe it? any evidence or proof ( like sick notes) I need to provide ?
Hey @Cynthia14,

I think it depends on the time of mitigating circumstances you need to describe but generally speaking I would recommend explaining in one or two sentences the issue you dealt with and how it significantly impacted your academic/professional life (perhaps including tangible examples that can substantially demonstrate how this severely affected you).

I do not know if it is necessary to send a proof but if you have anything that can explain what you dealt with, I would recommend sending it to the firm as a tangible proof but I know many people who do not send anything.

I would also recommend highlighting some steps, if any, that you took to overcome that particular circumstance, if possible. I am not saying it is necessary in the slightest, but it will show perseverance.

For instance, at the start of my application cycle last year, there were a couple of grades in my undergraduate experience that were quite low due to some incidents with some professors. I explained how these professors' behaviours towards me affected how they marked my exams. However, I made sure to highlight that despite these incidents, that were racially based, I tried to seek help from other professors to understand the material better and this could be seen in the my final result.

After a couple of applications I stopped using this as a mitigating circumstance as I got some advice regarding the fact that I did not need to justify a couple of bad grades so I want to clarify this. This might not be your example, but I hope it helps understanding how I personally approached this.

I hope my example helps you in a way and good luck with the application cycle!
 
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hanz123

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Any advice for answering this, kind of struggling: If you were in government what one thing would you change to make it easier for UK businesses to succeed and why?
 

Jessica Booker

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@axelbeugre Can I ask if I mentioned the mitigating circumstance in my application form, how should I describe it? any evidence or proof ( like sick notes) I need to provide ?
Feel free to PM any details and I can explain what to include.

You don't need to provide any evidence at this stage but you can reference it - for instance by stating something like "Should any further information be required, medical letters can be provided"
 
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Legalstalker

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  • Oct 9, 2023
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    little rant,

    I applied for CMS and got a WG. I didn’t however get a link or an application portal update. I emailed CMS a few days later to ask if these will be sent out soon. I was told I had missed the cut off date to submit and my application is now withdrawn. (I got an invite on Thursday and it times out the next week Tuesday) I didn’t get an email at all and I’ve been told to keep things fair for all candidates I cannot attempt this. I am a little frustrated as I’ve emailed them with evidence of no email from them even in my junk mail. They have ignored me. I understand it’s a busy period but their responses were fast when I first raised the query.
     
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