firstly, well done on completing your first VI! not an easy feat! I think it's uncommon for most applicants not to have those thoughts, but what's different is that experienced applicants just move on - recognise that there is nothing you can do about it after you've hit submit, and that the decision and outcome is out of your hands.
I wrote about corporate banking as opposed to IB (I didn't explicitly state this though), because I'd genuinely been applying to corporate banking schemes last year with the bulge bracket banks and I think it's super cool to just deal with clients and learn about them and their businesses, their philosophies and drives and all that, it's really more of a client relationship management role than a financial modelling role like IB and imo pretty similar to law (and my reasons for law). It's really ironic cos I'm an introvert and not a super sociable person, but I just love meeting people and getting to know them!
I think that's super cool, I've gone down the mountaineering rabbit hole a few times over the last year and it's always so insane to think about how effective and skilled these people are at high altitudes, providing porter services and being insanely good mountaineers (Nirmal Purja is absolutely incredible btw). I also have a really idolised image of K2 and people who have successfully climbed it in contrast with the rather commercialised status of Mt Everest and its comparative ease of climbing.
don't think so, some people on the forum heard weeks after they passed wg
I wrote about sport! Idk how helpful this is though. Academic societies are probably fine as they aren’t an activity that’s “expected” of you
Maybe my approach/understanding was wrong but I saw "pursue" as really meaning anything that I've done outside of academic/professional life. I used STAR to describe a hobby and then explicitly answered why it was important and its personal development impact (I did XYZ, therefore A importance and BC skills). I further expanded on this with another STAR experience that arose from the first one (because I did XYZ, I got to do PQR), and again explicitly answered why it was important and how it impacted my personal development (skills, relating them to the role/tasks of a trainee). I think this approach lent more depth overall, especially on the "why it is important" part
omg twin! I did the same for my answer (wrote about a hobby in a similar structure), and I submitted my app for summer VS on 1st Dec without realising that wasn’t the deadline. 😭
Flick through the last 10 pages and you'll likely find them as there have been lots of recent posts on this!
I went with a politician/MP.
Notwithstanding his political positions, did you reference Robert Jenrick's past legal career at Skadden? 😆
@CuriousTrainee Thank you for taking the time to reply to my message. My DLA portal says "we are enjoying getting to know you" (2 December 2025). I had sent my online application the last day on 21 November. I was sent the WG test on 24 November and I took it on 28 November. On 1 December I received an email confirming that I had completed the WG test and saying "If you don’t hear from us immediately, please don’t worry, you will receive an update as soon as possible." I have not heard anything since that email on 1 December. 😅
Hi!
