Well, really there's only one question. On application forms where it asks you the question "Why are you interested in this firm?", what exactly are they asking you for?
I'm thinking that they want reasons why you want to do the Vacation Scheme in particular and not just why you'd want to work at the firm in general. For example, it wouldn't be a good idea to apply for a VS at Freshfields, mentioning the three-month seats that you would do on a TC. Likewise, you wouldn't say that you want to do a VS at Bird and Bird because of their particularly strong reputation for IP as it's unlikely that you'll be having all that much to do with IP on the VS.
Or are they looking for these more general reasons why you're interested in the firm?
I'm almost certain that it's the former that they are primarily after, with maybe a bit of the latter, but surely the point of the VS is to get to experience what the firm is like and see whether you like the sort of thing that they do. That doesn't really leave all that much to talk about and so surely you'd have to talk about something else (for example, the firm's strength in a particular area).
I'd appreciate any help you could give me, ideally from your personal experiences. Keep any derogatory comments to yourself, and let's not let this descend into madness like my last VS thread.
Thanks.