TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[kim wexler]

currently the only vac applications i have left waiting are travers smith and shoosmiths... also applied to TC at withers and some other firms but those are very unlikely so.. TRAVERS SMITH AND SHOOSMITHS PLEASEEE PULL THROUGHHH

 

[Donna Paulsen]

I have come to join the Covington Sunday PFO Club x

@Covington, even God took a day of rest you know x

 

[Shiv Lawy]

Anyone else feel that the competition this year must be so high (every PFO mentioning high volumes of qualified candidates) that anyone with mitigating circumstances doesn't stand a chance?

 

[AryanAgg]

Anyone else feel that the competition this year must be so high (every PFO mentioning high volumes of qualified candidates) that anyone with mitigating circumstances doesn't stand a chance?

Im curious if AI supported applications have started reaching critical mass.

 

[Shiv Lawy]

Im curious if AI supported applications have started reaching critical mass.

It's a vicious cycle because every high quality, targeted application to a dream firm that rejects post-app fuels the pressure to apply to two more firms with less tailored applications at the risk of wasting an application cycle

 

[trainee4u]

Im curious if AI supported applications have started reaching critical mass.

My perspective has changed a bit on AI, and I saw a good quote on a Youtube about it "if you can't be bothered to express your thoughts in your own words, I can't be bothered to listen to it".

As such if I was a recruiter and saw any kind of AI tropes at all, I'd be hitting the reject button so fast I'd not read the rest of the app.

This reflects (personally speaking) seeing all these AI slop posts on X and LinkedIn, and even now AI-generated music on Youtube doing big numbers over people who actually put in effort. Also every time I open FB there's some AI slop video that people are commenting on, and I have to hit "do not show me this", but the people at FB and Youtube and so on don't see a problem with this disgusting AI slop because it's increasing viewer minutes and ad impressions and so on and the average person is fooled so why not (from their perspective) obliterate all art and human expression and replace it with worthless slop - the slop keeps coming no matter how many times I try to block it.

If you only use AI for limited typo checks, then it will only help, but I have a suspicion that AI will have made the average application worse, at least assuming that the average recruiter is as allergic to any hint of AI generation as I now am.

 

[Shiv Lawy]

My perspective has changed a bit on AI, and I saw a good quote on a Youtube about it "if you can't be bothered to express your thoughts in your own words, I can't be bothered to listen to it".

As such if I was a recruiter and saw any kind of AI tropes at all, I'd be hitting the reject button so fast I'd not read the rest of the app.

This reflects (personally speaking) seeing all these AI slop posts on X and LinkedIn, and even now AI-generated music on Youtube doing big numbers over people who actually put in effort. Also every time I open FB there's some AI slop video that people are commenting on, and I have to hit "do not show me this", but the people at FB and Youtube and so on don't see a problem with this disgusting AI slop because it's increasing viewer minutes and ad impressions and so on and the average person is fooled so why not (from their perspective) obliterate all art and human expression and replace it with worthless slop - the slop keeps coming no matter how many times I try to block it.

If you only use AI for limited typo checks, then it will only help, but I have a suspicion that AI will have made the average application worse, at least assuming that the average recruiter is as allergic to any hint of AI generation as I now am.

I 100% agree, but I worry that the response to recieving a higher proportion of AI slop apps for recruiters as not been to reject based on AI, but to increase the score thresholds one must achieve to get progressed and not read as many applications at all

 

[Bbhu19]

My perspective has changed a bit on AI, and I saw a good quote on a Youtube about it "if you can't be bothered to express your thoughts in your own words, I can't be bothered to listen to it".

As such if I was a recruiter and saw any kind of AI tropes at all, I'd be hitting the reject button so fast I'd not read the rest of the app.

This reflects (personally speaking) seeing all these AI slop posts on X and LinkedIn, and even now AI-generated music on Youtube doing big numbers over people who actually put in effort. Also every time I open FB there's some AI slop video that people are commenting on, and I have to hit "do not show me this", but the people at FB and Youtube and so on don't see a problem with this disgusting AI slop because it's increasing viewer minutes and ad impressions and so on and the average person is fooled so why not (from their perspective) obliterate all art and human expression and replace it with worthless slop - the slop keeps coming no matter how many times I try to block it.

If you only use AI for limited typo checks, then it will only help, but I have a suspicion that AI will have made the average application worse, at least assuming that the average recruiter is as allergic to any hint of AI generation as I now am.

I agree that the common use of AI is sloppy but in my opinion if your able to use AI as a tool just like you would use Google or grammarly rather than use it to offload your thinking, it’s much more efficient then using your brain on its own, leading to some people being able to apply to 12 firms pass 9 first stage and get 4AC whilst some apply to 5 and get 4 pfo post app (hypothetically)

 

[ttso]

My perspective has changed a bit on AI, and I saw a good quote on a Youtube about it "if you can't be bothered to express your thoughts in your own words, I can't be bothered to listen to it".

As such if I was a recruiter and saw any kind of AI tropes at all, I'd be hitting the reject button so fast I'd not read the rest of the app.

This reflects (personally speaking) seeing all these AI slop posts on X and LinkedIn, and even now AI-generated music on Youtube doing big numbers over people who actually put in effort. Also every time I open FB there's some AI slop video that people are commenting on, and I have to hit "do not show me this", but the people at FB and Youtube and so on don't see a problem with this disgusting AI slop because it's increasing viewer minutes and ad impressions and so on and the average person is fooled so why not (from their perspective) obliterate all art and human expression and replace it with worthless slop - the slop keeps coming no matter how many times I try to block it.

If you only use AI for limited typo checks, then it will only help, but I have a suspicion that AI will have made the average application worse, at least assuming that the average recruiter is as allergic to any hint of AI generation as I now am.

Sadly, there's no surefire way to do so accurately though. I would imagine your instinct as to hitting the reject button quickly is rather accurate, but no doubt they get it wrong A LOT. All that has happened with AI usage is that more applications are being pumped out that are of a decent quality, which means people who actually try are getting pushed out of the process.

It just means the better AI gets, and the more applicants there are, the more luck you need to get through this process. From day one, my only thought has been "it does not matter how good you are, it matters how lucky you are". Which is twofold - keep going as you may get lucky, or give up because it was never about your skill in the first place.

I personally prefer the mentality of the former.

 

[aliiiisonxooox]

For AC’s, group presentation- does it matter if you are 4 people in a group, whether you speak first, or second or last? For example, how can I make sure that I will be able to speak the second? I don’t wanna be last.. cause it looks bad doesn’t it? Does anyone have any insight on this?

 

[Harvey Specter - Presiding Partner]

Sidley, Travers and Covington are probs gna break Milbank’s current world record for longest wait for a post app PFO. These are the league tables for longest wait post app I’ve got currently:

1st place: Milbank (38 days) - RECORD HOLDER
2nd place: Sidley (35 days) - CATCHING UP???
3rd place: Travers (31 days) - RUNNER UP???
4th place: Covington (28 days) - HURRY UP???

I’d include FF on this list but that would be unfair cos they’d smash it out the park (took 62 days for my stage 2 adjustments and currently at 36 days post stage 2 job sim and VI).

Does anyone have any league tables of their own of firms that are taking a long time? I saw a post saying Simmons was at 100 days??!! I really want to have a stint in grad rec or HR lmao.​

I’m very pleased to announce that after waiting an incredible 30 days, I’ve finally received the long-awaited PFO from Covington at 11:32am today.

Unfortunately this means Covington has failed to make it past 4th place on the league tables. I wish them the best of luck in the next cycle.

Anyway as it stands now this is the league table:

1st place - Milbank (38 days) - RECORD HOLDER
2nd place - Freshfields (38 days) - CAUGHT UP
3rd place - Sidley (37 days) - RUNNER UP??!!
4th place - Travers (33 days) - HURRY UP??!!

I saw that the ultimate record holders on the forum are Gibson (165 days), Simmons (100-120 days) and Slaughters (80-90 days)…​

 

[Vasil2004]

Does anyone have any insights into SPB VI- London office? Happy to trade for info on other firms, I have HSF (AC +VS), White & Case (AC + VS), Weil (AC), Slaughters (AC), WFW (AC) and many other VIs
I did HSF and White & Case last year, for reference