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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

shana

Active Member
  • Sep 22, 2024
    13
    35
    After receiving my final rejection for this year’s VS cycle, I've quickly realised that I underestimated just how competitive it really is. I only applied to four firms (all extremely competitive) and assumed that my extensive experience with two of them would be enough to secure an AC invitation. Looking back, I see that this was a naive approach, but this was my first real taste of rejection at this level.

    I would really appreciate any advice, especially from @Amma Usman , as your daily commercial updates have been incredibly helpful.

    I want to make sure I prepare as effectively as possible for the next VS and TC cycle. Im currently in my penultimate year, so I’ll be entering my final year in September. My key questions are:

    1. How should I balance my applications between vacation schemes and direct training contract applications? Ie should I split it between 10 VS applications and 10 TC or is it based on other factors?

    2. Where can I find someone who can provide detailed, constructive feedback on my applications? I found that the person I previously relied on did not offer the most helpful insights.

    3. How do I strategically select firms to apply to? I am still keen on the MC firms and US firms

    4. For those who secured VS or TC offers after rejections in previous cycles, what changes did you make that had the biggest impact?

    Any guidance would be massively appreciated!
    I had the same experience of underestimating the competitiveness, getting shocked by the rejections, and recalibrating - so I thought I'd share what worked better for me.

    3. I spent a lot more time understanding different firms' key practices and USPs before I started my next application cycle. I figured if I applied to firms with similar practice areas and similar application styles, I'd get a lot better at writing. So I figured for instance, that I liked US firms and private equity -> narrowed down to the ones with fewer practices and offices because I also liked the 'leaner' outfits, etc. This helped me (1) articulate my motivations for the firm and for one of their practices (private equity) a lot better, and also (2) get better at the apps generally because they were quite similar. I didn't for instance need to spend time practicing Watson Glaser because none of my firms had it.

    It might work to apply to both MC and US firms, I'm sure many have done it, but its still really helpful to understand the USPs - even among MC firms and US firms there's a lot of differences. For example, at the Kirkland AC the partners outright said 'we're not Latham' and asked us which other firms we're applying to, I think to precisely to see how well we understood these differences.

    In terms of how to understand the differences: virtual events/open days and then following up on LinkedIn with the solicitors at the event. I attended a lot of events and some were far more helpful than others (Willkie's for instance are really good) but if you also message trainees afterwards, some of them can be very kind with their time, and a conversation helps a lot. There's also some good gems on TCLA if you use the search bar wisely.

    4. I still applied to only ~6 firms. Personally, I didn't believe its a number's game, because if I had more selective criteria for the firms I was applying to, I'd care more about them -> put in more time and effort -> could produce a tailored, high-quality application. So I made an entire spreadsheet comparing firms on my criteria and narrowed down. By the time I'd done this I was actually interested in writing apps for the firms I'd chosen.

    But that's just my individual preference for deep-diving - if you feel you can do a lot more applications, it also helps because your application improves each time (and it is, to some extent, a number's game - I've seen many people apply to 15-20 and be successful because you just need the one). I'd say strategise based on how you work best and what will motivate you more:).

    2. There's paid detailed review services including at TCLA, CLA and NCL. I'm not an expert by any means but if you'd just like a fresh pair of eyes I'm happy to go through something on PM.
     
    Last edited:

    Chris Brown

    Legendary Member
    Jul 4, 2024
    665
    1,740
    Got 7447 on the Paul Weiss test and high numerical ability but mid applied verbal intellect :( I really do dread these tests
    I have very similar scores and tbh I think most of us also haven’t gotten rly high scores on the test so I hope the benchmark for the test isn’t high.

    They will look at our applications and online test scores together so if the application is very strong I think they will factor that in. 🙂
     
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    Amma Usman

    Legendary Member
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    Future Trainee
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    Sep 7, 2024
    872
    1,040
    Hi @Amma Usman @Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam
    Hope you're doing well!
    Would you have any advice on questions to ask partners after the interview that don't seem too generic?
    It doesn’t have to be something too legendary to be honest. You could simply ask about something within the remit of their own work, that interests you/ you’re keen to learn more about and WHY - backed up from specific examples from your own experiences, eg something you’ve read or worked in. You could also ask for a follow-up on something discussed during the interview, such as their thoughts on a particular matter.
     

    Amma Usman

    Legendary Member
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    Sep 7, 2024
    872
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    Anyone have advice for phone interview with Morgan Lewis?
    Body language can’t be deciphered from phone calls. So, your confidence needs to be shown via your vocal intonation. Ask yourself, how confident are you in your responses? Is this communicated well? Are my answers to typical questions strong and well backed up? Are they generic? How long do I take to reply to a question? If you take too long, then this causes concerns since the interviewer can’t see you. If you rush and don’t take a moment to think about it, you may end up saying gibberish. I’d say practice solo or with someone to help, but naturally you should be fine! Best of luck, and I know you’ll do great.
     

    BBsharkk

    Distinguished Member
    Premium Member
    Dec 13, 2022
    52
    114
    2018: Slaughter and May work experience
    2019: Debevoise & Plimpton summer VS
    2020: Travers Smith virtual vac scheme
    2024: Ropes & Gray spring VS

    When do these count against me? Is it worth more VS apps? Should I only apply for TCs? Will these even matter for TCs? Not boasting but feeling very confused. Also feeling like these were pointless.
    I'm in the same boat. I personally feel that past VS experiences have not given me ANY advantage at all in my subsequent applications, and at times I might even argue that they are almost somewhat of a disadvantage...

    All I'm going to say is that both the quality and quantity of applications have been inflated quite a bit especially for the past few cycles. This means that unless Grad Rec teams are expanding accordingly, there simply isn't enough human resources to fairly assess each and every application, especially when firms tend to invite as many people to apply as possible with ambiguous/loose eligibility requirements.

    Luck is becoming a bigger and bigger factor imho....
     
    Last edited:

    Amma Usman

    Legendary Member
    Staff member
    Future Trainee
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
    Sep 7, 2024
    872
    1,040
    Hi everyone! I’m new to the forum… I still haven’t heard back from the following firms:

    Morgan Lewis
    Paul Weiss
    Latham & Watkins
    Gibson
    Millbank
    Jones Day
    Davis Polk
    Dechert
    Debevoise
    Ropes and grey
    Morrison Foerster
    Case and white (after video interview)
    Freshfields

    Does anyone have an inkling if this is basically the end of the road for me? Surely Davis Polk, for example, is not going to advance me to the next round after all these months. I’d love any and all kind of input.

    Thanks
    Hi there and welcome to the TCLA forum!

    Contrary to the silence you’ve been hearing from firms, I want to stress that this is not the end of the road for you. It’s easy to feel that way, especially given how challenging the process can be, but I would really like you to remove that from your vocab. To put things into context, there are many reasons why you may have not heard back - processing timelines, operational reasons, and so on. Ease up, take a deep breath, and refine your strategy. In fact, take a moment to yourself when you need to. This will enable you to come back stronger.

    Just to put it out there, the most important quality (in my opinion!) a candidate needs to have in this process is not what you would typically think. It’s not commercial awareness, it’s not adaptability or intellectual curiosity - it’s resilience. Resilience will enable you to even build on those named skills. It’s a hard skill to build for sure - something I’m still constantly trying to build on a daily. But the most important factor to it is the willingness to keep going, and the realisation that you need to take breaks for yourself as and when is needed.

    Best of luck! And I have no doubt you’ll do great. Please lean on this community for support as much as you need - whether technical or emotional, we’re here!
     

    BobThebIlly

    Distinguished Member
    Premium Member
    Dec 6, 2024
    54
    75
    I had the same experience of underestimating the competitiveness, getting shocked by the rejections, and recalibrating - so I thought I'd share what worked better for me.

    3. I spent a lot more time understanding different firms' key practices and USPs before I started my next application cycle. I figured if I applied to firms with similar practice areas and similar application styles, I'd get a lot better at writing. So I figured for instance, that I liked US firms and private equity -> narrowed down to the ones with fewer practices and offices because I also liked the 'leaner' outfits, etc. This helped me (1) articulate my motivations for the firm and for one of their practices (private equity) a lot better, and also (2) get better at the apps generally because they were quite similar. I didn't for instance need to spend time practicing Watson Glaser because none of my firms had it.

    It might work to apply to both MC and US firms, I'm sure many have done it, but its still really helpful to understand the USPs - even among MC firms and US firms there's a lot of differences. For example, at the Kirkland AC the partners outright said 'we're not Latham' and asked us which other firms we're applying to, I think to precisely to see how well we understood these differences.

    In terms of how to understand the differences: virtual events/open days and then following up on LinkedIn with the solicitors at the event. I attended a lot of events and some were far more helpful than others (Willkie's for instance are really good) but if you also message trainees afterwards, some of them can be very kind with their time, and a conversation helps a lot. There's also some good gems on TCLA if you use the search bar wisely.

    4. I still applied to only ~6 firms. Personally, I didn't believe its a number's game, because if I had more selective criteria for the firms I was applying to, I'd care more about them -> put in more time and effort -> could produce a tailored, high-quality application. So I made an entire spreadsheet comparing firms on my criteria and narrowed down. By the time I'd done this I was actually interested in writing apps for the firms I'd chosen.

    But that's just my individual preference for deep-diving - if you feel you can do a lot more applications, it also helps because your application improves each time (and it is, to some extent, a number's game - I've seen many people apply to 15-20 and be successful because you just need the one). I'd say strategise based on how you work best and what will motivate you more:).

    2. There's paid detailed review services including at TCLA, CLA and NCL. I'm not an expert by any means but if you'd just like a fresh pair of eyes I'm happy to go through something on PM.
    oh my God thank you so much for taking the time to write this! If it is no issue I would love for you to take a glance at one of my applications and see where I went wrong :)
     
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