5 Ways a Tutor Can Help You in Law School

All students need guidance at some point in their education. No matter if the guidance comes in the form of a counselor's advice or a tutor's lessons, you should feel comfortable collaborating with others. This practice - student-tutor relationships, specifically - enhances your chances of success in law school. Yet, as a law student, perhaps you are unsure of what a tutor can assist you with.

After all, the responsibility of familiarizing yourself with legislation, perfecting your writing, and more, seem to be solo tasks. Still, a tutor's guidance can serve to improve your understanding of the work and prepare you for legal practice in the future. To learn more about how a tutor can help you in law school, see the information below.

A Law Tutor Can Provide Invaluable Guidance

You might be the first person in your family to attend law school. If so, your experience as a first-generation law student can be a difficult thing to cope with. Further, since no one in your family circle has attended law school, you may lack the necessary guidance to reassure you in times of hardship – or even through your positive milestones. Having a tutor can help to fill that void.

When you have a law school tutor, you will have someone to lean on when you are struggling in your academic progress. You will have someone to consult with if you have difficulty understanding certain topics, or you need a push in the right direction in your studies. Also, like most academic careers, there are many routes you can take in your law school education, depending on your professional interests.

For instance, you may find one day that your interest lies not in the general umbrella of criminal justice, but specifically in poaching, under environmental legislation. As your interests and focus mature, your tutor can help to reassure you that you are on the right track toward your career and prepare you along the way. For these reasons and more, a tutor's guidance can benefit anyone, whether they are a first-generation law student or not.

Your Law Tutor Will Help to Keep You Accountable

After graduating from undergraduate courses, it is tough for many new law students to find their footing and establish a healthy pace in their programs. Many have become so conditioned to the rhythm of undergraduate programs that they have trouble acclimating to the format of graduate law school coursework.

This is primarily because the constant reminders that you got as an undergraduate student for homework and tests no longer exist in law school. Instead, you are responsible for keeping track of these deadlines on your own.

One aspect of a tutor’s job that many people do not realize is that they are there to hold you accountable to such deadlines. Once you sign up for a tutor, you can set official schedules for weekly or monthly meetings, according to your academic needs. Those who have taken advantage of this facet of a student-tutor relationship have found that their academics positively reflect the regular review and practice provided in meetups with their tutors.

Your Tutor Can Give You Feedback on Your Coursework

Sometimes, the only way you know whether you understand a subject, or can verify that your writing is clear, is to get someone else's feedback your performance. With a tutor, you will someone that you can relay information back and forth with, to solidify concepts in your mind throughout your program. Further, your writing will gradually be perfected when you have someone to function as your reviewer or editor before submitting the assignment.

Additionally, it is beneficial to have a tutor when you are preparing for exams. As you go through your practice exams, your law school tutor will review your answers and give feedback on your performance. They will evaluate the areas you are excelling or struggling in and assign you specific points on which to focus on improvement, ultimately advancing your overall academic standing.

A Law School Tutor Will Help You with Time Management

In law school, it is common for professors to assign massive amounts of work before your next lecture. Whether you have been in your program for years now, or you are just starting out, fresh from undergrad, this is a challenging task to take on. It is already a hefty responsibility to retain all that information, but it is also tricky to find the time to read the assigned chapters or write the necessary papers. Luckily, your tutor can offer some help here as well.

As you share your assignments with your tutor, they can help you solidify a healthy, effective schedule for completing your work before your next class. Even better, they will be able to point out where you can skim and where you cannot, based on what information your professor has given you.

As you progress through your program, you will discover that, during lectures, your professor relays the bulk of the information they intend for you to extract from your assigned reading. Your tutor can alert you to what you already know from lectures and what subjects you still need to be introduced to.

Your Tutor Will Ensure You Have a Strong 1L Year

This, of course, does not apply to all current law school students; however, it is still a crucial advantage to consider. Why? Your 1L year is a critical period for your present and future career in law. This time dictates many of your future job opportunities. For example, if you achieve high grades in your 1L year, you increase your chances of being considered for high-paying jobs upon graduation, due to a high class rank.

Further, your grades will broaden the availability of clerkships, scholarships, and many other academic possibilities that will serve to strengthen your status as a competent law student. With your law school tutor helping to keep you focused, providing accurate, objective feedback, and guiding you in your academic journey, you will undoubtedly secure future successes like these.

If you are a current law student struggling with time management, distraction-free studying, or a lack of feedback in your coursework, consider signing up for a tutorship program. Your academic performance will inevitably improve, and you will be on your way to a promising legal career before you know it.