TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

Andrei Radu

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For the W&C application, you're supposed to highlight your skills and attributes both in the cover letter and in a separate question. Should I explain my most important qualities in the cover letter or in the dedicated question? Any opinion on this would be appreciated!
I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here, but my approach for the cover letter was to focus on my why the firm reasoning and keep the 'why me' section relatively short, only around 200-300 words. I then chose to discuss academic achievements and more academic-focused extracurriculars here, while in the dedicated skills question I discussed a broader range of experiences. As I ended up being progressed, I think this approach must have been fine.

Now, as to your more pointed question, my advice would be to (i) keep the skills section in the cover letter short; and (ii) not to include all your most significant achievements/skills in either, but to distribute them between the two.
 
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xMontmorency

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Dec 24, 2023
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Hello!

I'm a bit concerned about a potential inconsistency in my Goodwin application. My primary reason for applying is my interest in Intellectual Property. However, when listing other firms I've applied to, I mentioned a strength in the Life Sciences sector.

Given the 100-word limit, I couldn't include this in my main reason. Would this be seen as a significant inconsistency, or is it acceptable to prioritize one area of interest over another?"
NB most of the IP work you would do at Goodwin is life science focused and vice versa. The entirety of Goodwin's Cambridge IP practice is pharma and biotech focused, and nearly all of their corporate deals in life sciences have IP intertwined. So you should probably mention both.
 

Andrei Radu

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@Jessica Booker
A firm I'm applying to is asking "Have you used AI in preparing your application? If so, how? If not, why not?" I have used AI to spell check and to ask if my answer is structured and easy to read, but not for anything else. This is mainly just because I did research myself and attended webinars, and I genuinely think AI-generated text would have made my application worse. The firm in question does a lot of work in technology and AI startups, etc. Would my answer be something that the firm would view as negative or see it as me being distrusting/not open-minded to AI?
To jump in before @Jessica Booker comes back to you, in my view you should not worry about this. If anything, your approach shows you are walking a fine line and finding a good balance between (i) being open-minded and using AI for improving efficiency; while (ii) also taking responsibility for for the main substantive aspects of the task yourself, in areas where it is not yet certain that current AI tech would be able to reliably deliver with sufficient nuance. This is the same approach I have seen a number of successful candidates take and write about this year, so I would be really surprised if the firm had an issue with it. My only bit of advice would be to focus on the 'why' part of the answer - ie provide a through explanation as to why you thought you personally researching the firm and writing your answers provided you (or the application) with value that would have been lost if you relied solely on AI.
 
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