• 📅 Vacation Scheme Applications 2025–26

    Planning to apply for winter, spring or summer vacation schemes? Join our dedicated threads for support, deadlines, and discussion:

    Let’s make this your strongest application season yet 💼

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  1. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    If it is only one it's highly unlikely you will be rejected only on this basis. I remember reviewing my cover letter before starting my VS and to my surprise I discovered two or three typos/grammar mistakes in my writing. Thus, in my experience the general rule that if the application is on the...
  2. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    On a quick look on their website, I would say they are the same. The firm lists categories like 'Financial Services' and 'Entertainment and Media' as industries, but these are the same terms that are use to describe economic 'sectors' firms operate in.
  3. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I would say yes - I remember I was also slightly put off by the stats last year, but I applied, and ended up getting both a VS and a TC offer. Following my VS there over half of the TC offers were made to non-Oxbridge students and several Oxbridge vacation schemers did not convert, so I don't...
  4. Andrei Radu

    SKADDEN WRITTEN ASSESSMENT TIPS?

    Hi @TC Chaser and first of all congrats on getting through to this stage. I have quoted bellow two different posts that I think may be of use to you. The first is a description of a candidate's experience with the Skadden assessment last year, while the latter is a recent post I made discussing...
  5. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    To make sure your answer about Davis Polk's work is persuasive enough, after you finish writing you should ask yourself the following questions: Is my description of Davis Polk's work very specific to the firm, or is it general enough to apply to many other firms? Am I being specific in...
  6. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I think this structure sounds great. The work/non-work split is a good way to organizing your reasoning, though it is not necessary to mention it explicitly or to religiously stick to it. If the parts that appeal to you the most about the firm all involve its practice area strength, client base...
  7. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I see - I have went on to do a little more digging but it's just hard to say. Since the firm's graduate recruitment page (which you can access here) names Scott as the Training Principal, I think I would then go with that; it should be a more reliable source of information. I also think Andrew...
  8. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Hey @kokoprep for this type of question I think what ultimately matters is (i) for your interest in the topic to be genuine and (ii) to ensure you explain it in a very clear and structured manner. For (i) you have a lot of discretion as to the topic of choice, and I believe it is completely fine...
  9. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Hey @hello123 I completely understand your anxiety, I used to feel much the same after finishing written exercises, but please try not to worry. I made significantly worse errors with typos and formatting - my final written work did not look neat at all, and in some cases actually had unfinished...
  10. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    On a quick look there is some conflicting information on this online - the firm website has Scott listed, while the firm's 2025 Chambers UK profile lists Andrew as Training Principal. Both of their LinkedIn pages also have the title listed, so it's actually hard to tell who was the previous...
  11. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    @Jessica Booker will be able to tell you more, but my advice would be to just explain factually what happened: when did you first notice symptoms, what were they, when did you receive a diagnosis, and how has the condition likely impacted your results. I know friends who have proceeded in this...
  12. Andrei Radu

    Ask Willkie Farr & Gallagher Anything!

    Hi @andrecsaa I spent a week in PE and the a week in the competition litigation team. A significant portion of my work involved research tasks, as I would look up relevant past caselaw, regulatory decisions, and articles on some procedural and substantive elements of disputes the firm was...
  13. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I do not have any advice specific to Kirkland, Willkie, or Weil, but since a number of people have been asking for VI advice I thought it may be useful to link again my Guide to Competency Interviews. It is based on my and other successful candidates' experiences and includes a step by step VI...
  14. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    For these questions I think it is normally not necessary to speak a lot from your own experience. The aim of the interviewer is more to see if you have structured way of considering an action plan when dealing with a problem or situation you have not encountered before and if you are generally...
  15. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    For shorter/less substantive work experiences (say, a Forage course) I think a few sentences describing the nature of the main tasks you completed will suffice. For longer/more substantive experiences (say, a part time job or internship) I think you would ideally use the STAR structure: describe...
  16. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I think a 65% is a very borderline case - the firm used language like 'strong' or 'high' 2.1 without describing exactly what this translates to numerically. On forums, I have seen people describe grades in the 60-63% region as low 2.1, 64-66% as middle 2.1 and 67-69% as high 2.1. However, I have...
  17. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I don't think you should necessarily limit your preparation time. If there is no limit imposed by the firm, I would simply take as much time as I needed to perfect both my substantive points and the way I expressed them. Now, while I don't think there's much to be gained by spending hours doing...
  18. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    The firm does not require a first, as recruiters have told me they only expect a strong 2.1. In my vacation scheme, I knew there were people that did not have overall 1.1s, so I think this is a genuine statement of recruitment policy. I was told that the firm will consider candidates who do not...
  19. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    I think it makes for a nicer and more formal look if you can include your details as well - it may just be an aesthetic preference in my case, but I really like a cover letter that looks similar to an actual letter. That said, it is definitely not a requirement, and I would only advise you to do...
  20. Andrei Radu

    TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

    Yes, I definitely do not think the first question is meant to get you to provide an overview of all of your experiences and achievements. Similarly to almost all essay-like application form questions, it is more likely meant to make you choose a few particularly relevant experiences to explain...

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