Semester Wrap Up

Well, with this being my last week this semester, I thought I would take some time and reflect back. Read on to learn more about how my philosophy developed during this semester, towards both life and school.



First of all, this semester has in many ways been a huge improvement for me personally. Last semester, I wanted to go to Law School, sure, but on one hand I was just along for the ride. I applied, got accepted, and started. I went to class, did my reading, went to bed at night, repeated it the next day. Along the way, I got involved in some other things, but for the most part, I just drifted through. It wasn't until after first semester had ended and grades came out that I really started to think about why I was in law school, and what it meant to me. Part of that meant admitting to myself that one day, i would be a lawyer. This alone was a scary thought, even though I had a professional career prior to law school, I don't think I ever really saw myself as having a full time career...

Having done this bit of introspection, I was able to start changing lots of things in my life. One such thing was taking school more seriously. I started to see my classes not as something that I completed to avoid bad grades, but instead training for the rest of my life. I started arriving at school in the morning, then getting lunch and hanging around the library reading, rather than running home for a nap. This helped me get back into the gym, get my work done on time, and get more involved. I also found that by taking the time to work on my reading and other assignments, when my peers gathered on the quad to discuss classes, I was able to participate more fully, being caught up in my work. This not only made me feel better, but helped me get deeper into my classwork.

Similarly, I also decided to approach other aspects of my life more seriously. Last semester, most of my blog posts were simply shot off at 2am just to meet the deadline. This semester, I started taking my writing more seriously, and began planning out stories in advance. This lead to posts about the Bee and Salary Guide. This in turn has opened up some great networking and publicity for me, which will be a permanent part of my resume. Additionally, I was able to meet some new professionals on UB's campus, and interact on a personal level with my professors.

I think that there is an important lesson here. Sure, it hurts when you put yourself out there and fail. When you really try your best, and it just isn't good enough. But I think the alternative is much worse. Sure, if you never try, you will never lose, but then again, will you ever really win? When people used to ask me about what I wanted to do with my law degree, I used to just mumble something about first years taking only required classes. No one ever really criticized my choice, but no one ever really supported it, either. Now, when people ask, I proudly tell them about my interest in intellectual property. I don't know if I will ever be an intellectual property lawyer. I may not make it. I may change my mind somewhere down the road. But if I never try, I will never really know. So in the meantime, I am putting forth 100% effort. And if I fail, it is going to sting, bad. But if I make it...

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
-Theodore Roosevelt

To my devoted readers, this may be my last post here. I love doing this, but I am not in charge of this blog! Thank you for enjoying my little column, I know I had fun writing it. If you desire to continue to follow my virtual exploits, I maintain my personal blog at http://misterspencer.tumblr.com/