TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2022-23

[John Travoni]

Has anyone already been invited to BCLP's Assessment Centre? I realise it's relatively early in the cycle, but given that the firm reviews applications on a rolling basis, I'm curious about when their ACs start.

It is way too early for anyone to have been accepted to an AC for BCLP. I’d be surprised if candidates had not heard back from the online test.

 

[readylawyer1]

Does anyone know if we should include positions of responsibility and online internships in the work experience section of the Akin Gump application?

 

[S87]

Hi @Jessica Booker and @AvniD for the Mishcon question "What role can lawyers play in influencing society" can I speak about my role in a public inquiry?

 

[ellwilsen]

hi guys - a friend of mine has applied to the HSF winter scheme and completed the test but hasn’t had any feedback, just an email to say his application is under consideration. does this mean he has met the test benchmark? i have no experience with HSF & wondered if anyone could help

 

[daisy_yawn]

hi guys - a friend of mine has applied to the HSF winter scheme and completed the test but hasn’t had any feedback, just an email to say his application is under consideration. does this mean he has met the test benchmark? i have no experience with HSF & wondered if anyone could help

They normally take a few more hours ~ a day to let you know if you've met the benchmark!

 

[Kai]

Has anyone heard back about Baker Mckenzie's Open Day?

Hi, I just did today!

 

[confusedlawstudent]

I think you would need to really focus on the activities you did on your year abroad to sell this, rather than just the year abroad itself.

The Chess Society and Orchestra will be of interest to. Try to show your involvement and impact in these activities if you can, and try to align it to what the firm is looking for skills wise.

Thank you so much for your quick response.

I didn't really take part in any activities during my year abroad. I attended a few of the university law society's events, which really just helped make some connections, and didn't per se improve my skills. Would chess society and orchestra therefore be of more relevance? I just don't feel like I gained many skills from either of those, whereas I feel my year abroad really helped with self-improvement. So I just don't know (

What would you recommend?

Thanks again!

 

[pfoapplicant]

Hi all - just a quick query: if I'm answering an application question that's asking me to give details of extra-curriculars, positions of responsibility, etc, then do you reckon it's okay for me to list them in reverse chronological order (starting with the most recent at the top, and the least recent at the bottom)? I presume it is, but I thought it might be best to check on this thread

@Jessica Booker

 

[AvniD]

i am applying for the taylor wessing summer 2023 VS and the first question is "tell us about any activities you have been involved with over the past 3 years that you feel has helped build your skillset. This can range from sports teams to mooting, to simply juggling responsibilities you have at home."

I was thinking of talking about my year abroad, since I went during covid and I feel like I came back a lot more confident, resilient and motivated. But do law firms care about year abroads? Or should I try to think of something else to put? I was also thinking about writing about chess society or orchestra, but again I don't know if they care about this kind of thing. I could write about mooting but I have already written about this in the next question (which about my most significant achievement).

Any guidance is much appreciated!

You definitely can talk about your year abroad! Do walk the reader through what specific activities, challenges and experiences made you more confident, resilient and motivated. In other words, how did you get to this place? Talking about the journey, going into the detail of how you grows as a person by being a part of the chess society or orchestra is how you will make your answers stand out! And firms will care about the things that you show them you care about- this could be anything from mooting to knitting to reading, whatever it is you genuinely value.

 

[lawstudent22]

When inputting your uni grades in the A&O application portal, there's a maximum of 20 modules you can input results for. However, it says to include all your grades. Has anyone else had the same problem? I can't figure out how to add additional spaces and I have around 30 modules to input.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi all - just a quick query: if I'm answering an application question that's asking me to give details of extra-curriculars, positions of responsibility, etc, then do you reckon it's okay for me to list them in reverse chronological order (starting with the most recent at the top, and the least recent at the bottom)? I presume it is, but I thought it might be best to check on this thread

@Jessica Booker

It's a great approach to take as your reader can easily determine what you have done and when.

Some people do choose other ways - for instance, categorising them into either fields of interests (Sport, Music, Volunteering) or skills developed (Leadership, Creativity, Client-facing) but if you do choose these ways, make sure it is super clear still when you did these activities (when they started, how long for, when they ended) as this is also an important part of the information you present (which is why the reverse chronological approach can often be the most effective).

 

[bibss]

Hi all, does anyone have any advice on how to answer the 'please list any academic scholarships or prizes' question? This is not a compulsory question on the application I'm currently working on, but I would appreciate if someone could enlighten me on how to approach this question if you have not, for instance, won anything (). I did win one academic prize at school, but I no longer have evidence of it... Would it be okay to leave this question blank? I'm concerned that leaving it blank will look bad.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Hi all, does anyone have any advice on how to answer the 'please list any academic scholarships or prizes' question? This is not a compulsory question on the application I'm currently working on, but I would appreciate if someone could enlighten me on how to approach this question if you have not, for instance, won anything (). I did win one academic prize at school, but I no longer have evidence of it... Would it be okay to leave this question blank? I'm concerned that leaving it blank will look bad.

I'd include the school prize anyway - I don't think you'll need proof of it.

It is fine to leave these questions blank though. Not everyone has these type of awards/prizes.

If this question is outside of the education section of an application form, I have also seen people include non-academic awards (e.g. awards from employers, awards from organisations like Aspiring Solicitors etc).

 

[confusedlawstudent]

You definitely can talk about your year abroad! Do walk the reader through what specific activities, challenges and experiences made you more confident, resilient and motivated. In other words, how did you get to this place? Talking about the journey, going into the detail of how you grows as a person by being a part of the chess society or orchestra is how you will make your answers stand out! And firms will care about the things that you show them you care about- this could be anything from mooting to knitting to reading, whatever it is you genuinely value.

This is really helpful advice, thank you so much!

 

[bibss]

I'd include the school prize anyway - I don't think you'll need proof of it.

It is fine to leave these questions blank though. Not everyone has these type of awards/prizes.

If this question is outside of the education section of an application form, I have also seen people include non-academic awards (e.g. awards from employers, awards from organisations like Aspiring Solicitors etc).

Many thanks for clarifying Jessica!!

Also, do you know what this question is getting at 'Please list any Postgrad Qualifications (other than GDL and LPC)'? There is a separate section for Postgraduate Education, so not sure what they mean by postgrad qualification?! This is for Sidley Austin app btw (in case anyone is wondering).

 

[Hope4aVS]

Is anyone applying to the Burges Salmon winter vac scheme?

 

[starman]

Hey everyone, I keep on having one specific problem with Apply4Law applications (ie Bird & Bird and Mayer Brown), that is, the Other grade field remains empty despite me putting a grade there and saving the page. Given that the grading of my GCSE equivalent is drastically different from that of GCSE, I cannot pick any grade in the Grade field. What should I do in this instance? Where can I put my grades - in Subject?

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

Many thanks for clarifying Jessica!!

Also, do you know what this question is getting at 'Please list any Postgrad Qualifications (other than GDL and LPC)'? There is a separate section for Postgraduate Education, so not sure what they mean by postgrad qualification?! This is for Sidley Austin app btw (in case anyone is wondering).

I think this is just a slight quirk of their form. I would expect that the post-graduate qualifications would include anything you would include in the postgraduate education section (as they are one and the same). The only difference I can see, is that the first section is for those completed, while the education section could be any you are currently doing (but have not completed) or that you are committed to in the future.

 

[TCLA Community Assistant]

View attachment 4424
Hey everyone, I keep on having one specific problem with Apply4Law applications (ie Bird & Bird and Mayer Brown), that is, the Other grade field remains empty despite me putting a grade there and saving the page. Given that the grading of my GCSE equivalent is drastically different from that of GCSE, I cannot pick any grade in the Grade field. What should I do in this instance? Where can I put my grades - in Subject?

Could you put it in the "other grade" box at the bottom next to "other level"?

 

[wolfwoman]

They do let you reapply in the same year - I did it for direct TC and summer VS.

thank you so much!