This Time Last Year

This time last year, I had just completed a year of graduate school at Western Carolina University. While this year- my first year of law school- was very enjoyable and important, I have to be honest. Last year at WCU still ranks as the happiest year of my life.

I went back and read some of the blogs I posted for the Graduate Student Association at WCU. I had somewhat forgotten what a good time I had, and what a vital learning experience that year was for me. In addition to the year at WCU being my happiest, I also learned more from my social experiences than at any other time in my life.

In contrast, I viewed this year at FSU College of Law more as like my first year in a trade school. WCU was a cocoon, a retreat from the real world tucked away in the Great Smoky Mountains. FSU College of Law, however, is preparing me to be successful in the real world, a world where I will be forced to play hardball. I need to be at FSU College of Law, but I view my time here in more of a business sense. My eyes are on the prize here.

It is not that way for everyone, though. My first year of law school also went by the fastest of any year of my life thus far. This is in part because I am older and have had some work and social experiences.

But one of my colleagues sat down beside me at Potbelly's on Thursday night- the night we had taken our last exam of year one. He was among the first FSU students I met back in August when I arrived. At my first law school social, he saw me standing alone and invited me to come sit with him and his friends at a table.

He said to me, "Think back to the person you were back in August, and all the changes you've gone through and compare it with the person you are now."

I nodded my head and agreed with him. He has changed. He came to law school straight after finishing his bachelor's degree. I'm not sure that he's ever held a real job in his life. I remember when I was his age. Time moved much slower for me, too, and I could more readily identify with the changes of which he spoke.

But really, I haven't changed too much this year. Like I said, I view law school as an opportunity to learn a great trade. That's what I was about when I applied, and that's what I'll probably be about when I (hopefully) graduate.

I asked him if he liked the changes he saw in himself. He shrugged. "Yes and no. This is a great opportunity. A lot of people would trade places with us." Still, he said, there was part of him that was urging to get out of law school. "But we've invested in this now," he said. "What are you going to do?"

Law school is not for everyone, and there will be those who graduate and have careers in law but are not really happy. I hope he does not turn out to be one of them. I don't think that will be the case with me. I am very grateful to be here. I've seen the grass on the other side of the fence- and it is not greener. I'll work hard and become proficient in some area of the law and then head happily into practice, thank you very much.

If I could stay a young student at Western Carolina University for the rest of my life, I probably would. That is not an option, though. So, FSU College of Law is the place for me to learn skill sets that will help me and my family survive and thrive in this world. I can also make a positive difference in other people's lives. I'll do my best.

Until Next Time,

Nathan Marshburn