TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

[MartineA]

No clue! Like I said, never managed to pass it

Oh sorry I missed that. Is it like the WG test?

 

[MartineA]

It’s a normal SJT with a small little WG section at the end. It’s quite easy.

Really? Can you recommend any sites to prep for it pls?

 

[Parsorandini]

So sorry but that’s amazing! What firm if you don’t mind me asking? Is it Freshfields

Akin Gump.

 

[A92167!8]

How did people find the Pinsents test?

 

[A92167!8]

Has anyone heard from Eversheds post VI for London?

 

[YUKI1201]

How long did people wait to hear back post Bakers VI?

 

[JD]

Has anyone heard from Eversheds post VI for London?

Nopee still waiting

 

[User274302]

How long did people wait to hear back post Bakers VI?

did mine about a month ago for Summer and still waiting to hear

 

[Miki3999]

I wonder if Mayer Brown has finished sending out AC invitations for the summer scheme 🤔

 

[John Travoni]

I wonder if Mayer Brown has finished sending out AC invitations for the summer scheme 🤔

I’ve only heard of a couple of ppl get an AC for the spring scheme, so surely they’re still sending them out.

 

[Crystal86]

Hi! I am thinking to apply to DLA's insight programme and was wondering how did everyone enter their education details as the format for entering A level and GCSE grades is the same as a university degree?

 

[Ray00313]

Mills PFO

Same here mate. Birmingham office?
It's just because we are going to make it for another firm!

 

[Ray00313]

How did people find the Pinsents test?

What is it about? A SJT or a reasoning test?

 

[John Travoni]

Really? Can you recommend any sites to prep for it pls?

Like I said, I didn’t prep for it. It’s quite simple. Just take your time and be honest when you answer the questions

 

[AvniD]

What are you guys' thoughts on using all of the word limit for application questions? I understand that CC outlined that one of the biggest reasons for rejection was not using the whole word limit but how much is enough/not enough?

Striving to use 100% of the word limit is slowly killing me. Especially in firms that have a combined word count of 1500-2000. Its so exhausting!

Do you think you have enough research to fill up your answers? Or if you can adapt your writing style to bring more depth to your answers?

The former was the case for me when I was struggling with word counts and going back to square one and researching more + reflecting further on my motivations always helped.

 

[jhaines]

thanks to all the manifesting, I just received an AC invite from Taylor Wessing (phone call not email)

well done!! can i ask what the number was? missed a call from a london number yesterday and won’t let me phone back

 

[average_jo123]

Hi!
First of all, congrats for getting an AC in the first place; that in itself is already an amazing achievement.

Honestly, I think I know what you mean; you know you can’t change anything about what’s done, but for some reason, your brain keeps on replaying previous moments/ the worst parts, and you keep on thinking of ways you could’ve done better. I think most of us have been through this at some point.

I’m no expert, but here are some of the things that I did to help myself through that stage:

1) write down the ways that you feel you could’ve improved e.g., how to better structure answers etc. After all, this is your first AC and I’m sure there are many more to come- you can take your personal criticisms and turn them into practical future improvements.

2) once you’ve done that, try not to think about it any further. This is the hardest part but I feel like once I’ve written down all of the reasonable improvements I can make, I’m able to control myself better and not fall into a hole of self-deprecation and doubt 😅

3) for worst case scenarios, just forget that firm and that interview ever happened and move on lol. I did this with a firm once (kept busy with work, uni, other applications etc) and was confused for a moment when I got a PFO from the firm because I managed to blank my experience with them from my memory 😂

Note that these are entirely personal and might not be objectively the best methods to take, but I hope they help! Would love to see what everyone else has to say about this too 👽

On top of this great advice, I would recommend noting down the positives too, and trying to make sure you have a balance of positive points (no matter how minor they may seem) to balance out the constructive points.

Self-analysis and self-awareness are vital traits for any lawyer. But to have these traits requires you to have balance in your thinking. By overly criticising yourself, you are never going to learn what you are doing well, and you'll have less ability to repeat that strength again in the future. Not knowing your strengths will also likely lead to more stress/anxiety in the future - because you suffer from too much self-doubt.

I really understand it's difficult to shift to that positive thinking - I am in a pessimistic "funk" currently and it's annoying me how long it's taking me to get out of it. But I have tried to remind myself that although it's ok to feel like this, at the same time I can't let it fester. Even if I take small steps to try to move me in the right direction to a more positive mindset, that is better than not trying at all.

Thank you both for this! This is great advice. Really thankful for how supportive this community is 🤝

 

[GXA123]

Same here mate. Birmingham office?
It's just because we are going to make it for another firm!

Yessss! I hope so!

 

[h1]

here we go again...

✨✨✨✨✨manifesting AC invites for Reed Smith today and good news for all!✨✨✨✨✨

 

[Samir_O]

a London number ending in 4969

Should one get progressed to an AC for Taylor Wessing, i assume that they would email the person if they cant get in contact with them by phone right? I am abroad right now and not sure that my phone is able to take international calls