I got a rejection 23rd December last year.
GR are always working… sleep with one eye open😭
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
GR are always working… sleep with one eye open😭
Has anyone on here done Osborne Clarke's deductive reasoning SHL test? I just did it and I think it was by far the hardest law firm test I've ever done... so little time for questions which aren't necessarily "hard" but realistically just can't be done that fast because you need a couple of minutes to work some of them out!
Hey,
Biggest and best advice I could give you is to enjoy the time off. Give your inbox a rest from the constant refreshing!
Enjoy the holiday period
Attended Paul, Weiss’s webinar on PE deals today. As much as I found it useful, I’m honestly feeling quite discouraged from applying. Their associate said that we should speak with many people from every firm we’re applying to and how spending a week on an application isn’t enough time (as apparently, the associate speaker spent a whole year on their K&E vac scheme app answers and seemed to be super focused on landing a US TC at a top M&A/PE firm). He basically portrayed the whole process as a multiple year strategy, implying that getting into a firm of this calibre starts in your first year (or at least undergrad), and that working just a week on an application is nothing.
I just don’t see the point of applying if some candidates are this connected to top firms from their first year onwards. I can imagine that a lot of them will have done first year schemes or vac schemes at other firms, while all my experiences are in completely different sectors. On top of that, I did my law degree outside the UK and only decided to go corporate after I graduated, so this whole application world is new to me compared to LLB students in the UK that did first year schemes or were ambassadors etc.
His whole speech, while coming from a place of trying to help, made me think that unless I can back my motivation with very strong PE-related experience or open day at the firm, I might as well not apply. I can very well explain what I know about PE, why I want to work at a transactional firm, etc but honestly can’t compete with the likes of candidates the associate seemed like, given how selective PW and similar firms are.
Basically, my whole profile is very different to the usual successful candidate at firms like PW, K&E etc. so I’m trying to figure out if applying is even worth it. Regarding today’s discussions, I personally think that tailoring application answers makes a huge difference but perhaps trying with firms that are actually paying attention to them and trying to hire diverse people is a better idea.
Any insights?
I just don’t see the point of applying if some candidates are this connected to top firms from their first year onwards. I can imagine that a lot of them will have done first year schemes or vac schemes at other firms, while all my experiences are in completely different sectors. On top of that, I did my law degree outside the UK and only decided to go corporate after I graduated, so this whole application world is new to me compared to LLB students in the UK that did first year schemes or were ambassadors etc.
His whole speech, while coming from a place of trying to help, made me think that unless I can back my motivation with very strong PE-related experience or open day at the firm, I might as well not apply. I can very well explain what I know about PE, why I want to work at a transactional firm, etc but honestly can’t compete with the likes of candidates the associate seemed like, given how selective PW and similar firms are.
Basically, my whole profile is very different to the usual successful candidate at firms like PW, K&E etc. so I’m trying to figure out if applying is even worth it. Regarding today’s discussions, I personally think that tailoring application answers makes a huge difference but perhaps trying with firms that are actually paying attention to them and trying to hire diverse people is a better idea.
Any insights?
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Honestly I found it so so tricky timings wise too and I haven’t heard anyone say they actually finished it! At least someone has to get picked for the AC so you never know
) And honestly if anyone actually found it doable they deserve it lol
How on earth did they justify basically giving no one a TC lmao whattt?
What was even the point in running that scheme in the first place lmao. I’m lowkey interested to hear what their excuses were for that. 🥲
This is why I'm low key still stressed about getting another vac scheme...it almost feels like getting freshfields alone is SUCH a gamble with the conversion rate being so low
Orrick (I believe two years ago) had no one from their vacation scheme convert to tc. All their tc offers were from the DTC...
Hello!
A good way to tackle this question is to show intentional, proactive learning (rather than an "I'll learn as I go" approach). To do this, you could touch on a few areas:
- Seeking feedback regularly: asking supervisors and colleagues for constructive feedback and actively acting on it
- Reflective practice: reflecting on tasks that you have completed, and discussing what went well / what didn't, and what you would do differently next time
- Using resources: you could discuss keeping up to date with legal developments through training sessions, CPD, internal know-how systems, etc.
- Asking questions and taking initiative: one of the main ways is to show how you would continually show curiosity, seek clarification for any points that you don't understand, or volunteering for work that you haven't had the opportunity to complete before
- Learning from others: observing senior associates / partners, learning different working styles, and collaborating with those around you
- Setting development goals: for example, this could be identifying skills that you want to specifically build during each seat and tracking your progress.
I hope that helps as a starting point!
So am I supposed to write a master's dissertation with no guarantee that they'll even look into it? 😂
I assume the DTC offers were given after the Vs was held rather than giving them to DTC applicants and running the VS?
they took 9/41 from the summer. i know someone that did it and it was just brutal
I think it’ll be 24th - 1st.
Back to work on the 2nd unless they book it off.
Second this. Even someone with some PE work and US degree have spent app prep since 1L (first year of law school) to apply for 2L summer associate. By this case I won't apply for these types of PE heavy firms anymore. BYE GIBSON DUNN & PAUL HASTINGS!
Me applying P, W in my first cycle and first app with a day prep is so irrational and lame tbh. I took it as a bait, maybe should do an experiment for smaller firm 🤣 I felt so quirky now when read it back 😆
"5 days? Rookie numbers mate" - @Harvey Specter
It’s is vey demotivating handing that many vac scheme offers out to then not give Tc’s. I’d be a wreck. People also reject other firms to go to a MC vac scheme so if you had rejected another firm and then saw them conversion rates would’ve been terribly annoyed.
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