Nathan Martin ’26
Nathan Martin ’25
JD Student
Hometown
Huntsville, Alabama
Undergraduate Institution
Roger Williams University
Undergraduate Major(s)
Paralegal Studies
Year of Undergraduate Graduation
2021
Area(s) of Legal Interest
Criminal Justice and Victim Advocacy
What kind of support and resources do you find most helpful for prospective students considering Northeastern Law?
For prospective students considering Northeastern Law, I think the biggest aid to that decision is visiting the campus and speaking with students in-person. NUSL has a lot to offer beyond what you might see at-a-glance online.
What extracurricular activities have you been involved with at Northeastern Law?
I am a board member for the Criminal Law Association, a member of several other organizations, a Lexis influencer, a Helix student rep and I am very involved with the campus CAVS organization.
What has been your favorite part about doing co-op while at Northeastern Law?
Co-op has been great! I did my first co-op this past year with the U.S. Navy JAG Corps, which was a great experience. I took the NUSL Reflections course to receive additional credit toward graduation while on co-op. I’ve really appreciated the support from staff in figuring out my co-op plan, and it has made a huge difference.
Nathan’s Journal
Tips to Thriving in Your 1L Year
A few tips to help you thrive in your 1L year at Northeastern University School of Law, from a fellow student:
* Calendar! There will be a lot on your schedule in your first year, and I’m not just talking about classes. Whether it is student organization events, prospective employer mixers, NUSL-hosted events, bar reviews, or anything else, there will be a ton of events taking place that you may be interested in. Double-booking yourself for two events can be embarrassing, and missing a call with a prospective co-op employer can be devastating. Make sure you get in the habit of scheduling everything on a calendar early on.
* Review, review and review. One of the biggest differences you’ll find from other programs of study is that memorization is not key here. You need to understand key concepts and you need to build on those concepts. If you invest all of your time in reading and preparation for the next classes and don’t review the concepts you’ve already learned, you’ll be backloading your study needs and making your end of semester more stressful than it should be. Take time to review what you’ve learned and cement it in place.
* Go to office hours! The professors at NUSL are really great about helping you understand hard-to-grasp concepts, and if you are stuck on something during class hours that you need to get a better explanation for, office hours are your ticket to resolving that issue. They have set the time aside to talk to you, so why not go?
* Finally, relax. You were offered admission to be a student at NUSL because you CAN do it. Don’t push yourself so intensely that you let stress take over your life and you don’t invest time in yourself, because that will lead you to rapidly burn out. Boston is a beautiful, historic city with a million things to do and see, and the time you invest in relaxing, engaging your interests outside of academics and letting yourself just be a person again will pay off.