TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[ssszzg]

Haven't got a reply from Mishcon spring after the VI or Cooley WG...should I assume a PFO lol

 

[jacksollaf]

Anyone heard from Debevoise? Last year they sent them end of Jan/begining of Feb

 

[floral.tcla]

Does anyone know how many HL SVS applicants pass the WG?

 

[BillSikes]

Does anyone know how many HL SVS applicants pass the WG?

Isn’t it Hogan the one with a really low pass benchmark?

Not to be bitter or anything, but with how good my WG scores are (and they really are brilliant), they clearly don’t place much emphasis on WG percentile.

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

hey guys - when a firm is running two separate vacation scheme dates - ie a June and July scheme - would picking the later one affect my chances of securing the TC in anyway?

Heya @TCseeker17

I'm sure that the very wise @Jessica Booker would have much more to say here, but I wanted to chime in about my experience.

I think this will ultimately depend on the firm, but in general, I've found that where firms host two vacation schemes over the summer, they generally wait until both schemes have finished before making final training contract decisions. This was certainly the case at Cooley, but also at several other firms that I'd received offers from. I think choosing the later scheme shouldn’t put you at a disadvantage in most cases.

The only time timing might make a difference is if a firm runs a winter or spring scheme followed by summer schemes, as some offers may already have been made by the time the later schemes take place. That said, even in these cases, firms usually reserve enough spaces for strong candidates across all schemes. If you’re concerned, it’s worth checking whether the firm has a history of making offers after each scheme or if they assess all candidates together at the end. But overall, I'd suggest focus on performing well during your scheme and choosing a period that's really convenient for you.

 

[studenttolawyer]

hi all! i need some advice about staying in contact with partners.

i had a meeting with a partner from one of the firms i'm interested in several months ago. i got this opportunity through a mutual contact. we had a great chat, he was very friendly, and i learned a lot about the firm and decided to apply there. i got rejected post-app (was sad at first but it's okay).

i would like to send an email to the partner, updating him on the progress of my application. i also would like to express my interest in a paralegal position at the firm after my graduation, and ask who can i talk to regarding this to understand whether i'd be suitable for them.

i am not sure how to approach this as i have never had a partner contact before. i would like to maintain this connection as he was extremely friendly, and i feel like i can learn a lot from him in general.

any advice on how to approach it would be appreciated!

 

[Chris Brown]

Isn’t it Hogan the one with a really low pass benchmark?

Not to be bitter or anything, but with how good my WG scores are (and they really are brilliant), they clearly don’t place much emphasis on WG percentile.

I think they do it on a percentile basis and at one of their events they mentioned it was 37th percentile - not sure what that means as a % or score out of 40. 🥲

They also said they only review applications from all the people who passed the WGT. I think once you pass the WGT, they probably won’t place too much emphasis on it and focus more on the application itself. 🥲

Getting to AC would depend on your overall application; academics, work experience and answers to application questions would carry more weight.

 

[Apple]

Isn’t it Hogan the one with a really low pass benchmark?

Not to be bitter or anything, but with how good my WG scores are (and they really are brilliant), they clearly don’t place much emphasis on WG percentile.

Even if you scored 40/40 on the WG, if your application answers, grades, work experience, or any other aspect wasn't considered sufficient, you could still be rejected. So you can't conclude they don't care past the benchmark.

 

[studenttolawyer]

HL PFO this morning. this marks the last PFO of this application cycle! if we're talking stats, i got rejected from 100% of the firms i applied to. this is my second application cycle. i thought i'd feel extremely sad, but i guess i've built resilience over time (or it just hasn't hit me yet). i am actually looking forward to the unknown, exploring life after graduation and trying different things... i hope everyone is well, don't get discouraged by rejections, life is so much more than applying for VSs / TCs!

 

[Bread]

Isn’t it Hogan the one with a really low pass benchmark?

Not to be bitter or anything, but with how good my WG scores are (and they really are brilliant), they clearly don’t place much emphasis on WG percentile.

I think they mentioned the pass is 37th percentile or something like that

 

[seaweed.bond]

anyone heard from spb, they said they will let us know by end of this week

When/where did they say this?

 

[yasmars]

A monkey could get 37%

This is very undermining to those who struggle to pass WG’s like myself. I don’t think I’ve ever scored above 28th percentile

 

[SoonToBeTrainee]

This is very undermining to those who struggle to pass WG’s like myself. I don’t think I’ve ever scored above 28th percentile

Second this

 

[Wannabe_Lawyer]

A monkey could get 37%

I think it's 37th percentile, as in how you rank against the other candidates taking the test. I remember doing Addleshaw Goddard's practice tests and scoring in the 30th percentile in a particular section, but I actually correctly answered 80% of the questions in that section. So the 37th percentile could actually translate into a fairly high raw score.

It doesn't help that we don't know what the raw scores are unfortunately.

 

[Bread]

A monkey could get 37%

Percentile means you still have to do better than 36% of people taking the test x

 

[BillSikes]

Second this

My post was not too offend - but to emphasise my opinion in a tongue in cheek manner regarding the pointless nature of them having a WG, if their ’pass rate’ is gonna be so low.

 

[hfbjsdhfbhf]

I think they mentioned the pass is 37th percentile or something like that

Just curious, does anyone know what the typical percentile for passing the WG is? does it vary by each firm? I scored in the 60s for CC this year and still passed the benchmark, I'm curious if it varies significantly across firms

 

[Bread]

Just curious, does anyone know what the typical percentile for passing the WG is? does it vary by each firm? I scored in the 60s for CC this year and still passed the benchmark, I'm curious if it varies significantly across firms

It varies massively across firms — some firms look at percentages and some at percentiles, and most refuse to disclose what their benchmark is

 

[Andrei Radu]

Can I mention that one or more partners are consistently ranked, even if the firm's department is not ranked?

I am researching a firm for the direct TC, and they have two partners ranked in practices I am interested in, but the departments are not ranked.

You definitely can, especially if the overall size of the team is quite small and therefore it would have not been expected for them to achieve a department ranking. To make your reasoning more convincing, if you mention the ranked partners, I would phrase your motivation as a desire to work with and learn from the best practitioners in that field. Ideally, you could also explain how working in a smaller team with more exposure to seniors would suit you, to explain why you are not preferring firms with bigger teams in that area.

 

[hfbjsdhfbhf]

It varies massively across firms — some firms look at percentages and some at percentiles, and most refuse to disclose what their benchmark is

Thats quite annoying, I wish firms would be more transparent about WG percentiles bc its not like its hurting them to do so anyways