Written by Scot Goins, Associate Dean of Academic Achievement, Bar Success, and Data Analytics
Earlier today, I had a student thank me for helping them with a question, and they casually said at the end of our conversation, “I don’t know how you do this day-in and day-out.” That comment gave me a momentary pause, because truthfully, I never really think about the how. I answered the question by saying, “This is my passion. Your success is my passion. I want this for you. I want to see you successful on the bar exam, and I am willing to do whatever I can to support your journey.”
This wasn’t just hyperbole for me, and I was not just saying something in the moment half-heartedly.
Helping people pass the bar exam is truly my passion. There is no better feeling than helping someone learn a concept, experience a lightbulb moment, or finding calm in the storm that is studying for the bar exam.
It is a stressful time. It is a big deal. This is not only a huge moment, but it is also the culmination of so much hard work in undergraduate and later in law school. So much work goes into arriving at this moment in time, to even have this opportunity to take this next step, and I want to see Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School graduates succeed.
Our graduates are hard workers and more than capable. I know that without a doubt. And the truth of the matter is that this is easy for me to do day-in and day-out because I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to walk this path to bar exam success with so many. I am willing to do whatever it takes, whatever time of day, to help ensure that when the passing results come out, our alumni get to see their names and I get to celebrate them and their success.
I have heard often that if you truly love your job and that if you are truly passionate about what you do, you will never consider it work, and that is how I feel. It is my privilege to be here with our graduates on this journey. Every single workshop that I do, every text message that I answer, every email I respond to… if it equates to a passing score, then it is always worth it.
I love my role in bar success, and I love seeing our graduates succeed.