February 6, 2013 at 12:10 pm

In the summer of 2010 I got engaged. The courting period lasted around 10 months, and at the time of my proposal I had very limited knowledge of this person. Over the past three years we have grown closer. I have set aside the upcoming summer to learn more about my fiancé. On July 31, 2013 I will be wed to The Oklahoma Bar Exam.

While I have never been engaged to an actual human being I dare liken the journey to law school. If your goal is to become an attorney a law degree will only get you part of the way. The Bar Exam is the final and most strenuous challenge in becoming a licensed attorney (so I’ve heard). My knowledge of engagements is limited, but these are the comparisons I have come up with.

Law School:

1. Acceptance to school and enrollment
2. Set Date (Bar Exam)
3. Preparations for Bar Exam (3 years of classes)
4. Rehearsal Summer
5. Bar Exam (crying included)
6. Bar Trip
7. Bar Results

Engagement:

1. Acceptance of marriage proposal
2. Set Date (Wedding)
3. Preparations for Wedding (cake and flowers?)
4. Rehearsal Dinner
5. Wedding (crying included)
6. Honeymoon
7. Baby?

The day I enrolled at the University of Tulsa College of Law I made a committment to the legal profession and education. I intend to honor this committment throughout my career. However, the value of a law degree is not singualrly bound to the legal profession. A myriad of different options could be placed in my comparison above, and despite the varations the value of a legal education never diminishes. Law school has provided me with skills to be successful in any profession I intend to marry.