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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

If you don't mind telling us, how did you balance your personal experiences vs 'what you'd actually do' in the situational VI questions? I feel like I overdid the personal experience bit and that might be the problem
See I thought I completely messed up because I didnt draw on my personal experience bar in the last question briefly. I found it very difficult to try and cover everything in 2 minutes so I felt like I explained my process/way of thinking more than talking about my experience
 
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See I thought I completely messed up because I didnt draw on my personal experience bar in the last question briefly. I found it very difficult to try and cover everything in 2 minutes so I felt like I explained my process/way of thinking more than talking about my experience
Thank you!! I think you picked the better strategy after all ahahha

Too bad I won’t find out if it was my VI or that 3 on my Amberjack that was the issue
 
Thank you so much for the advice, @Afraz Akhtar ! I really appreciate the swift reply. Just as a follow-up, how should I approach writing the email? Should I mention that I have a clashing AC, even though I booked a time slot for Firm A first, or should I keep it vague and say I have "immovable academic commitments"?
@Afraz Akhtar I'm so sorry to double tag, it's quite urgent and I'd really appreciate your guidance. Thank you so much and once again apologies for the double tag 😓
 
Can someone who has applied for OC help out a friend and give advice on structure for Q2. The question is - What work has Osborne Clarke done recently that is of particular interest to you? Why are you interested and inspired by this work? (Max 300 Words)

I have looked at a deal but am not sure how much I should go into the deal and how much of my interest and my experiences which link to my interest in the deal.
I got through to the virtual AC last year and for this question I picked two big deals/pieces of work. I linked one to a practice area and linked the other to a sector and spoke about why each interested me and why the firm was strong in these areas. I did not go in depth into the deal that much I focused more on my interests and experiences.
 
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I know this might be silly but I got so excited that I got an AC offer for RS that I missed the bit in the email that said do not book a slot if you require reasonable adjustments…I now emailed grad rec and explained the situation. Is it silly to think that they will now think my attention to detail is crap😭😭 I know this is so silly but I was contemplating not even saying anything and going without adjustments in the fear that it will negatively impact me
I would just not overthink. That's not going to make them rescind the invitation.

Well done! Can I ask what you got for your pillars and if this is for WVS (weird that the deadline was the same as spring and summer?), spring or summer?
 
I would just not overthink. That's not going to make them rescind the invitation.

Well done! Can I ask what you got for your pillars and if this is for WVS (weird that the deadline was the same as spring and summer?), spring or summer?
RS has winter and spring only! And they didn’t let us pick our preferred dates (I checked the Vantage form today), so I think some people might be moved to spring randomly.
 
Thank you so much for the advice, @Afraz Akhtar ! I really appreciate the swift reply. Just as a follow-up, how should I approach writing the email? Should I mention that I have a clashing AC, even though I booked a time slot for Firm A first, or should I keep it vague and say I have "immovable academic commitments"?
Hey @FoodieMcFoodieBigBack I think its fine to mention that you have a clashing AC, so you are engaging with both to enquire about which one you could reschedule. I would imagine they would be very understanding, as the process is just as much competitive for top talent as it is for candidates.

However, if you want to play it safe, I'd start off the communication with a simply referencing a conflicting appointment that cannot be rescheduled, no need to give them so much detail at the outset.
 
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Hey @FoodieMcFoodieBigBack I think its fine to mention that you have a clashing AC, so you are engaging with both to enquire about which one you could reschedule. I would imagine they would be very understanding, as the process is just as much competitive for top talent as it is for candidates.

However, if you want to play it safe, I'd start off the communication with a simply referencing a conflicting appointment that cannot be rescheduled, no need to give them so much detail at the outset.
Thank you so much, Afraz! This was really helpful; fingers crossed at least one of them can accommodate. Thanks once again!
 
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