The frustration and exhaustion you're feeling are completely valid. It's incredibly disheartening..
Your message hits incredibly close to home for me. Just now I received a rejection email from Mishcon after an assessment centre, and that concludes my cycle - I have not secured a single vac scheme. I cannot help but feel a mix of anger and exhaustion. Like you, I've put in a huge amount of effort and dedication: I achieved a first-class law degree and distinction in my LPC, which I self-funded. I even took electives such as private acquisitions to enhance my commercial knowledge and improve my performance in case studies (as some here suggested) because I was struggling with those.
After the case study at Mishcon I had high hopes as the associate even complimented me on identifying all the issues accurately and doing a great job!! It leaves me wondering, what more do they want? This process was for just a week-long work experience and I prepared so so much, giving it my all. I'm at a point where the thought of dropping out and never applying again feels tempting because I can't stand the constant cycle of hope and disappointment any longer. So I completely get you. There's a part of me that wishes someone had warned me about the uselessness of all the effort I poured into my law degree.
Despite the pain and frustration, I want to say to both of us: if this is truly our dream, we shouldn't give up on it. The road to achieving our goals is often much tougher than we anticipate, and sometimes, it feels outright impossible. Yet, the value of our experiences, our degrees, and the effort we've put in doesn't vanish in the face of rejection. It's incredibly tough, I know, but each setback is a stepping stone towards our goal, even when it doesn't feel that way.
Your qualifications and experiences are amazing and demonstrate your dedication and capability. I'm genuinely sorry you're going through this, as I am too. Let's try to hold on to our dreams a little longer, and hopefully, our perseverance will pay off in the end.
