Dear TDA,
I’m writing this letter because I just don’t think it’s working out between us anymore. It’s not that you’ve done anything wrong. Really. It’s just that it’s time for me to move on. While we’ve had a great run these three years we’ve been together, we’ve grown apart lately. I have to get out of here and move forward with my life, and you seem quite content staying at Duke Law, gracing these hallowed halls with your witty presence for time immeasurable. But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll meet someone else, someone who will make you happy and will fill your pages with both sentiment and sarcasm. I wish you all the best, and hope that you have a long and prosperous life making Duke Law students smile – and sometimes even think – for many generations to come.
Love,
Cat

The time has come. My last article for this paper, my last month at Duke. And although I know it’s trite and cliché, I have to say that the whole experience has gone by really, really fast. I distinctly remember walking in the first day of orientation, excited to begin even though I had no idea what was going to happen to me or what direction my life was going to go in. All I knew was that I had made it to a (then) top-ten law school – vindication against all those who said the only thing you could do with a B.A. in English was teach – and that I wanted to change the world. I knew nobody except the people I had met at On the Border the night before (several of whom, incidentally, are going to be my bridesmaids this August), and I had come straight through from a tiny women’s college in central Georgia that very few people outside of Georgia have ever heard of. But I was ready to take on any challenge Duke could throw at me. Or so I thought.
Law school has changed me. When I got here, I was a golden child. I was one of those people who pretty much could do no wrong. While I worked hard in college, I generally worked half as hard as a lot of the people around me and still ended up with better results. Things just came easily, and I was used to standing out. I definitely had a measure of humility to temper my pride, but I wasn’t used to having to try very hard to be outstanding.
I imagine many of my peers felt the same way; that many of you were used to being the biggest fish in the pond just like I was. But then I got here, and I realized that I was, at best, just average. Granted, it’s just that I’m average in a group of incredibly talented, intelligent people. But it was a hard thing to swallow when, no matter how hard I worked – and I clearly remember getting home from my classes 1L year and reading until it was time for me to go to bed, a good 6 hours at first – I never did manage to make my way to the top. There was always someone with a smarter comment, a better understanding, and certainly a higher grade. And I was ready to quit, because I figured if I wasn’t the best then there wasn’t any point in moving forward. For awhile, I wondered if coming here was a colossal mistake. Being an average Duke Law student took a long time to accept, and in order to deal with it I had to take a really hard look at myself and my place in the world.
I’m glad I found that place, and that I didn’t quit just because things no longer came quite so easily. I finally found my niche, really learned where my talents lie, and how I can best use those talents to pursue the goal that I set out for myself in the first place: to change the world. Had I given up when I wanted to, then I wouldn’t be heading off to my dream job next year. And I wouldn’t have had the experiences I’ve had in law school, as I’ve listened to, learned from and, most importantly, become friends with the amazing people who surround me.
My sage advice to those whose law school journeys still have a ways to go is to find your passion. Think back, think really hard, about why you came to law school in the first place. I lost sight of why I did for awhile, and almost ended up on a career path that would have made me miserable. When you decide where you want to end up once you leave Duke, make sure that it’s something that you’ll want to get out of bed for every day, regardless of the location or the pay or the nifty benefits you’re being offered. As much as I complain about the law school and about the corporate path that is advocated, Duke opens up doors for whatever it is that you want to do with your legal education. You have unlimited opportunities, because this education makes you a special commodity in the competitive legal world. No matter how average you might feel as you walk these halls each day. Because average at Duke Law is not such a bad place to be.
Oh, one last thing. Write for TDA.