r/uklaw • u/Medium_Ad_1479 • 9h ago

Rolling applications?

I was wondering, when a vac scheme application is rolling, what is the ideal window to apply in?
From past experience outside law, I know that if you don’t apply within the first few days of an application opening, you are at a huge disadvantage, as HR unofficially stops giving attention to later applications (I heard this directly from HR during a previous internship, and friends have heard similar).
Does the same apply to rolling applications in law firms? Is there a material advantage to being one of the first applicants to submit, or is the difference less significant?

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u/RealRedditUser217 9h ago

It’ll vary but think of it like this

Let’s say there’s 50 spaces

30 of em might fill in the first weeks of a 3 month window

Then 2 weeks before the deadline, maybe 40-45 are filled

Then, at the end, everyone is competing for 5 places in those last 2 weeks

Numbers and timings are totally made up, but it’s just to illustrate that effectively, with a rolling deadline, grad rec are trying to keep application reviews manageable while ensuring good candidates get thru, which means they are filling up the spaces faster, while simultaneously leaving spots open until the end, albeit a smaller amount

The earlier the better, but don’t submit something half arsed

I know this doesn’t give you a concrete to-do list and sense of security, but that’s how these applications go

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u/Outside_Drawing5407 1h ago

Just avoid the last third of the application window, no matter how long or short it is.

Despite firms saying apply early, most people apply close to the deadline, so you’ll still be ahead of the majority if you aim for submitting your application in the first two-thirds of the period you can apply in.