You’ve always been a straight “A” student, finished at the top of the class, won awards and prizes for coming first, made the Dean’s List or Honour Roll, graduated summa cum laude, got a high LSAT score and you got accepted to Law School.
You’ve never needed extra help with any of the subjects you’ve studied.
So, are you the kind of student who really needs a law school tutor?
Absolutely!
Here are ten reasons why a law school tutor is the smart choice for smart law students.
1. Grasping the initial concepts that can make 1st year law difficult.
There’s a saying that every law student is told about the three years of law school:
In first year, they scare you to death.
In second year, they work you to death.
In third year, they bore you to death.
Your first year of law school is going to be different from your undergraduate studies in a number of fundamental ways and at some point you probably will feel like they’re trying to scare you to death with those differences.
Those differences, when you’re being presented with new issues and new principles in all of your first-year classes can quickly become overwhelming and very stressful. You will be dealing with new terminology, a different way of teaching and a new way of thinking, and what will seem like, a huge workload. You need to study differently and prepare differently. A tutor can help you adjust and adapt to the differences and new ways that you will have to learn in order to succeed.
Some students will take the “let’s see how it goes at first” approach, expecting that the first semester is something of a trial period, when they can feel their way, make some mistakes, and learn from them. After all, law school is marathon, not a sprint. Right?
Wrong!
For many who struggle in the first semester and hope to improve in the second semester find the distance they have to make up too large and the challenge too great. Their marks are already struggling and in the time that is left, they may not be able to do everything necessary to improve their methods of preparing, methods of studying and methods of writing exams.
You don’t need a semester of bad grades to find out you’ve been preparing all wrong! Correct any problems as early as possible, or better yet, avoid them completely.
2. Helping you study efficiently & effectively during the semester.
Every first-year law student has to figure out how to study in law school. A lot of first year law students waste a lot of time before they figure it out.
When there are cases to read, cases to brief, material to read and be ready and prepared for every class, it can feel like you’re running very quickly – and getting nowhere. You have so many questions, but you don’t know who to ask. You would like to speak to the professor, but you don’t want your first impression to be as the only student who can’t figure the whole thing out. How will you ever be ready to start studying for your final exams.
A law school tutor can help restore order or provide structure to what you have to do and when you have to do it during the semester so that you build towards final exam preparations, rather than suddenly have to change gears when you’re suddenly faced with exam prep. A law school tutor can help when you feel lost and before you fall too far behind.
3. Experience – a law school tutor has been there.
A law school tutor will have experience in one-on-one teaching and experience in the practice of law. They will also have been where you are now – and they survived. A law school tutor will not only understand the course materials that you are studying, but they can also explain it so that you can understand, as that’s what they had to do for themselves. Law school professors explain the material in a way that they believe will work for everyone in the class. A law school tutor explains the material in a way that works for you.
Having the opportunity for an explanation and discussion of fundamental concepts on a one-to-one basis can be a huge benefit. What may have seemed difficult to understand and impossible to apply in a classroom full of many voices can become clear and straightforward during a discussion with only two voices.
4. Problem solving – solving your problems.
Law school professors are generally, brilliant, and accomplished scholars, often with years of teaching experience, some recognised as national and even international experts in their field. But that doesn’t mean that the way they will explain the subject to you will make it clear or even understandable. And they’re not going to change. When this happens, a law school tutor can help.
Questions can be asked, and explanations given that might simply not be possible in a law school classroom. Breaking a subject down, so that you get the explanation you need is the kind of help you will get from a law school tutor. A law school tutor can also find additional or supplemental material that can also help make clear what had seemed only confusing and frustrating.
5. Focussed and smart studying for exams
A tutor can save you a lot of time and help to ensure that the studying you do for exams is focused and smart. A tutor can make sure that you are studying the right way during the semester as you prepare your outlines and then as you prepare for exams as you learn your outlines and do practice exams.
If you are struggling with one subject or in one area, a law school tutor can help with the substantive legal issues and find another way to clear away obstacles and help you understand.
A law school tutor can also help you make a study schedule so that you know what you need to do and how much time you have to do it. A law school tutor can help to break down what might seem like an insurmountable amount of work so that it is clear, manageable, and achievable so that you are on track for the end of semester and end of year exams.
6. A source of feedback during the semester
In every First Year Law class, there is at least one student who seems and feels comfortable with the issues and work required for a particular subject, and only realises that they were struggling as they try to write the final exam. Unfortunately, in law school, the first time you might get any feedback about how you’re doing in a particular class is when you take the final exam.
A law school tutor can help identify any difficulties you’re actually having, or any gaps in your understanding that you might not even be aware of and clear up any issues that may not be as clear as you thought they were. A law school tutor may be able to see areas of weakness that you’ve got better than you can and come up with a plan to address any weaknesses. With the help of your law school tutor, you can approach your final exams with more confidence and therefore a greater chance of success.
7. Providing feedback when you need it.
As the end of the semester or the year approaches, professors may invite you to submit draft essays for feedback on a specific area or issue, but that invitation won’t be exclusive, so you will likely be one of many who submits work for review and feedback. That could mean that there will be a long wait before you get comments and feedback, and even then it may be too brief or not as helpful as you hoped.
A law school tutor can get work back to you quickly and will have the time to discuss questions that they or you might have about the work you did. This will give you more time to learn and improve.
A law school tutor will also be there to provide encouragement and support if (when) you’re feeling the pressure and get stressed out. They can help to deal with the pressure and make sure that you stay focused and stay on track.
8. The Convenience Factor
In addition to their experience and their abilities, law school tutors also provide the undeniable and very important convenience factor. Signing up for a professor’s office hours or waiting for their answer to your email might leave you stuck, confused, and frustrated about a problem or issue. A law school tutor lets you connect often immediately with the person who can help answer your question or solve the problem that might have slowed you down or even brought you to a dead stop. Apart from the benefits mentioned above, a law school tutor also offers the benefit of convenience. Instant access to a law school tutor’s knowledge, especially during final exam period, is invaluable.
9. A Competitive Edge
Let’s face it – you want to get the best marks you can in law school. Grades determine ranking, scholarships and help with summer jobs, articling, and jobs throughout your career. That starts with your first-year marks.
A law school tutor can help increase the success you have at law school and into your law career. A law school tutor can also help you prepare for interviews and with any of the extra-curricular activities you may decide to participate in to support your career interests and goals.
10. Flexibility – as much as you need, when you need it.
The amount of time that you spend with your law school tutor is entirely flexible and can be different for every student. You will receive tutoring support which is personalised for you.
You may want weekly meetings and discussions for help with reading and class preparation from the start of the year. You may want to start part way through a semester or change from weekly meetings for targeted help with course outlines and exam preparation. Some students only want feedback on assigned papers or on practice exams. You might also want some additional help with summer and articling interviews or CV and cover letter preparation.
You can have as much help and support as you want, when you want it. Law school tutoring is not one size fits all. It’s what size you want and when you want it.
A law school tutor in your first year is the smart choice as the success you have in your first-year matters.
The success you have in your first year at law school has a huge impact on the rest of your law studies and on your career.
The concepts introduced during your first year are the building blocks for the rest of the areas of law that you will study. At most schools, your first year consists of Contracts, Criminal Law, Torts, Real Property, Civil Procedure, and (possibly) Constitutional Law. Mastering the principles in these subjects will help you succeed in all of the other subjects you study in second and third year and will also help you throughout your career.
The success you have in your first year at law school has a huge impact on the rest of your law studies and on your career.
Doing well in your first year will give you both flexibility and opportunity in your next two years at law school and into your career. The grades that you get in your first year will determine what opportunities you have for work during the summers after first- and second-year law school. That can also affect the articling job opportunities that will be open to you. Doing well in your first year can have an impact on the rest of your legal career.
Your grades in first year will also have a more immediate impact on your next two years at law school. Many opportunities, such as law review or internships, will depend on how well you do in your first year as they will only be offered to those at the top of the class.
Getting or keeping scholarships will also be determined by your first-year marks. If you have any plans to transfer to another law school after first year, this will also depend on the grades you receive in your first year.
If you can afford a law school tutor, then it is worth it to invest in one. You might not need a tutor after a semester or a year of working with them—and this short-term investment can make a huge impact on how you start your law school career, the opportunities available to you over the summer and when you graduate, and for the rest of your career.
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