I began my educational journey later in life and had to balance a full-time job while pursuing education to begin a new career. While doing so, I took advantage of various opportunities to attend conferences that focused on my interests. At one conference I met a successful Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and after speaking about internships and getting involved with the profession, they said, “If you want to enter the profession, you need to get involved. If this is what you want, you need to prove it?” In the moment, the words felt harsh, but with the passage of time, how right he was. I needed to come to terms with the path I was seeking and knew it would require more involvement. Did involvement require the use of vacation time, evaluation of other commitments, and additional investment of my time? Yes, it did. However, getting involved has been the best investment ever, the return on investment continues to compound. So how to apply this life lesson to law school?  

            The reality of many evening students is we work full-time, have families, are involved in numerous activities, and are now trying to fit reading, briefing, attending class, reviewing class notes, outlining, and writing that first-year paper into our already busy, if not, overwhelmed, schedules. Here I am now encouraging evening students to embrace opportunities to get involved and recommending to get involved early in your time at law school, do not wait to you are a 2L or 3L. Four years sounds like a long time, but we all know how short of a period it truly is, law school will be over as fast as it began. I have noted, there is the passage of time in the real world and then there is the rate in which time passes while in law school. It is funny we use the same calendar, the same clock, and have the same number of hours in a week, yet time passes much more quickly.  

As an extended division student, attending in the evening, working full-time, coaching my son’s baseball team, spending time in the gym, involving myself with the Student Bar Association, attending various programs on campus, maintaining a social presence, and, last but not least, making time to play guitar, I am busy, may be an understatement. However, the words of that CPA continually flood the frontal cortex of my mind, “If this is what you want, get involved.” My reason for stating this is, despite how busy we are as evening students; we can and should carve out time to get involved in events that will support our journey towards entering the legal profession. Where did I start and where do I suggest you start? The answer, the calendar “Campus Events – Master Calendar.”   

            The Campus Events – Master Calendar is a great place to begin planning your involvement. If attending in the evening, classes will be held on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (as a 1L). Perusing the Master Calendar and identifying events that are held on the same nights as class allows for taking advantage of the fact you are already on campus. Most events begin at 5 pm, with a presentation on a particular topic. If you can attend an event prior to heading to class, you will benefit. You will be provided opportunities to network with fellow classmates and potentially with the speakers, prior to their presentation, if arriving early enough. Further, if living closer to campus, take advantage of an event that is perhaps on a Wednesday and stay for the reception. Receptions are the best time to expand your network and to speak with not only attorneys, but with your professors, fellow students, and the dean outside of the academic environment.  

As I write this, some key social events have already been added to the calendar, the Dean’s Picnic, September 20, 2025, and the Harrisburg Heroes Run, October 11, 2025. These events will certainly afford opportunity for networking, conversation, and some relaxation. Please note the calendar fills in as the year progresses, I personally found it beneficial to review it for updates at least every other week, there will be a plethora of events to choose from. I cannot encourage everyone enough to make plans to attend at least one professional event in addition to attending at least one social event per semester. Time is a precious commodity, and through proper planning we can manage our commitments and embrace available opportunities.