Unsuccessful Summer VS -> Applying again?

[thedonnabrief]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock !

I hope you're doing well!

I'm an international law student and will be entering my final year this September. This summer, I completed a vacation scheme at a top US law firm but was unfortunately unsuccessful in converting it to a training contract.

As I prepare for the next application cycle, I would be grateful for any insight you might have. My academic profile currently stands at 64% in Year 1 and 59% in Year 2. My second-year performance was affected by significant mitigating circumstances, including documented mental health difficulties and a close grandparent's emergency hospitalisation.

In terms of other positions, I do volunteering at legal clinics and mentoring, I have attended multiple first year schemes, I'm a committee member of 2-3 societies and have done legal wex at local law firms. I might also be doing an internship at a startup this summer.

Given my position as an international student, I am conscious that the process can be particularly competitive. If you have any advice on how I can strengthen my applications over the coming months, I would really appreciate it. I was quite devastated after the rejection and seeing my grades, I'm not sure if applying this year will get me anywhere.

Thank you!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi @Abbie Whitlock !

I hope you're doing well!

I'm an international law student and will be entering my final year this September. This summer, I completed a vacation scheme at a top US law firm but was unfortunately unsuccessful in converting it to a training contract.

As I prepare for the next application cycle, I would be grateful for any insight you might have. My academic profile currently stands at 64% in Year 1 and 59% in Year 2. My second-year performance was affected by significant mitigating circumstances, including documented mental health difficulties and a close grandparent's emergency hospitalisation.

In terms of other positions, I do volunteering at legal clinics and mentoring, I have attended multiple first year schemes, I'm a committee member of 2-3 societies and have done legal wex at local law firms. I might also be doing an internship at a startup this summer.

Given my position as an international student, I am conscious that the process can be particularly competitive. If you have any advice on how I can strengthen my applications over the coming months, I would really appreciate it. I was quite devastated after the rejection and seeing my grades, I'm not sure if applying this year will get me anywhere.

Thank you!

Hi!

I am doing well, thank you - I hope you are too!

Firstly, I'm really sorry to hear about your vacation scheme outcome. I know how disappointing that can be, as someone who failed to convert my vacation schemes last cycle, especially when you have put so much into the process. However, one non-conversion definitely doesn't mean you won't be successful in the next cycle, and you will have gained more than you know from the experience.

From what you have shared, I think you have a lot of positives to build on! Securing a vacation scheme at a top US firm is a significant achievement in itself and shows that you have a competitive application. You also have a good breadth of experiences through your legal clinics, mentoring, society roles and legal work experience, and if the start-up internship goes ahead, that will give you even more commercial examples to drawn on. I was in a similar position to you last cycle, as I had experience at my university's legal clinic and was on a few society committees, so I'd definitely utilise these experiences as much as you can and draw out the transferable skills.

In terms of your academics, firms will likely notice your grades, but many recruit holistically and usually take mitigating circumstances into account, particularly where these can be disclosed. If an application gives you the opportunity to explain your circumstances, I would encourage you to do so briefly and factually. If there isn't a dedicated section, it is still worth checking whether graduate recruitment would like you to submit mitigating circumstances separately.

I also would try not to let one non-conversion knock your confidence (easier said than done, I know!). Plenty of candidates don't convert their first vacation scheme but go on to secure training contract elsewhere - as I mentioned above, I didn't convert my schemes but was successful in the DTC application that I made later in the same cycle. I would try to reflect on any feedback that you received (if there was any) and think about what you can improve for next cycle, whether that is application writing, commercial awareness, or your interview/AC performance.

Going into the next cycle, I would focus on submitting high-quality and tailored applications rather than applying elsewhere. As you have experienced a US firm during your vacation scheme, this should have given you more of an idea of what you are looking for in a firm, so I'd use that to narrow down your applications and refine your motivational answers. Make sure that each application clearly demonstrates why you are interested in that particular firm and why you'd be a good fit, and include insights and examples from your work experience and vacation scheme to back this up. I would also continue to build your commercial awareness and practising interviews, as those are areas that can make a real difference once you start progressing through these processes.

Finally, don't count yourself out before you have even applied! You already have evidence that you are capable of getting through a highly competitive process, and your application will be even stronger this cycle because you'll be able to draw on your vacation scheme experience and everything else you have done since.

Wishing you the very best of luck for the upcoming cycle, and please do ask questions or update us along the way!

 

[thedonnabrief]

Hi!

I am doing well, thank you - I hope you are too!

Firstly, I'm really sorry to hear about your vacation scheme outcome. I know how disappointing that can be, as someone who failed to convert my vacation schemes last cycle, especially when you have put so much into the process. However, one non-conversion definitely doesn't mean you won't be successful in the next cycle, and you will have gained more than you know from the experience.

From what you have shared, I think you have a lot of positives to build on! Securing a vacation scheme at a top US firm is a significant achievement in itself and shows that you have a competitive application. You also have a good breadth of experiences through your legal clinics, mentoring, society roles and legal work experience, and if the start-up internship goes ahead, that will give you even more commercial examples to drawn on. I was in a similar position to you last cycle, as I had experience at my university's legal clinic and was on a few society committees, so I'd definitely utilise these experiences as much as you can and draw out the transferable skills.

In terms of your academics, firms will likely notice your grades, but many recruit holistically and usually take mitigating circumstances into account, particularly where these can be disclosed. If an application gives you the opportunity to explain your circumstances, I would encourage you to do so briefly and factually. If there isn't a dedicated section, it is still worth checking whether graduate recruitment would like you to submit mitigating circumstances separately.

I also would try not to let one non-conversion knock your confidence (easier said than done, I know!). Plenty of candidates don't convert their first vacation scheme but go on to secure training contract elsewhere - as I mentioned above, I didn't convert my schemes but was successful in the DTC application that I made later in the same cycle. I would try to reflect on any feedback that you received (if there was any) and think about what you can improve for next cycle, whether that is application writing, commercial awareness, or your interview/AC performance.

Going into the next cycle, I would focus on submitting high-quality and tailored applications rather than applying elsewhere. As you have experienced a US firm during your vacation scheme, this should have given you more of an idea of what you are looking for in a firm, so I'd use that to narrow down your applications and refine your motivational answers. Make sure that each application clearly demonstrates why you are interested in that particular firm and why you'd be a good fit, and include insights and examples from your work experience and vacation scheme to back this up. I would also continue to build your commercial awareness and practising interviews, as those are areas that can make a real difference once you start progressing through these processes.

Finally, don't count yourself out before you have even applied! You already have evidence that you are capable of getting through a highly competitive process, and your application will be even stronger this cycle because you'll be able to draw on your vacation scheme experience and everything else you have done since.

Wishing you the very best of luck for the upcoming cycle, and please do ask questions or update us along the way!

Hi @Abbie Whitlock !,

Thank you so much for such a detailed and reassuring response, I really appreciate it, particularly given that you have been through a similar experience yourself. I am really sorry for the lengthy message but I have 5 questions, I hope that's okay!

i) One thing I have been struggling with is how significantly the advice seems to differ depending on who you ask. This is not only across general online forums, but sometimes even within TCLA. Some advice suggests that firms recruit holistically and will give proper consideration to documented mitigating circumstances, whereas other comments imply that a 2:2 in second year, or individual module grades below 60%, can make applications to leading firms very unlikely regardless of the wider profile.

Why do you think there is such a difference in the advice given? Is it mainly because firms genuinely assess academics differently, or because it is difficult to predict how much weight an individual recruiter will place on mitigating circumstances?

ii) I would also be very grateful if you could provide an example of how you would structure a mitigating-circumstances answer. In particular, what information should be included to give recruiters enough context, and what should be left out to avoid the answer becoming overly emotional or lengthy? Should I explain the effect on specific assessments and provide evidence of my performance before and after the affected period, or keep it more general?

iii) I also wondered whether you would recommend contacting graduate recruitment teams before applying, particularly where a firm states that it expects a consistent 2:1 academic record. Would asking how they consider mitigating circumstances be helpful, or could it draw unnecessary attention to the grades?

iv) Lastly, in your opinion, with a vacation scheme and an internship at a US law firm this summer (which just got confirmed!), would it be better for me to apply through DTC? How should I decide how to go about this?

v) Are there any resources that TCLA provides or otherwise as well, that I can access to help my situation? I considered seeking advice from someone with similar circsumtances, but as I understand, no one would willingly state their low grades or MC on LinkedIn and hence there is no one I can reach out to in particular.

Thank you again, your response has definitely encouraged me not to rule myself out before the cycle has even started.