One really great feature of the 1L classrooms are the tutors. Each class has 2 tutors, similar to undergraduate TAs, who serve as resources to help us succeed. They are either 2L or 3Ls who have received A’s in the topic with the professor. As we all know doing well in a class means not only knowing the material, but also knowing how your specific professor likes the information presented. The tutors have not only done well in their respective subject, but also with that professor. They are very well qualified to supplement our classroom experience.
To support us, they hold weekly office hours, provide hypothetical cases, and have group review sessions. They also are a little less intimidating than going to see the professor. My first week I was reading a case and the ruling included the phrase: “notwithstanding the verdict.” I used my Black’s Law Dictionary (convenient little app on my phone) to look up every word of the sentence. But still, I had no idea what the judge had ruled. I was too embarrassed to go see the professor and to ask what the words meant. So instead, I went to the tutors’ office hours to ask them. Essentially, “notwithstanding” means “unless.” But I felt much more comfortable approaching a peer.
In law school, it is expected that students will be creating an outline/study guide for each course throughout the semester. There is simply too much information to wait until finals to synthesize and learn all the material from all our classes. The idea is, by making an outline consistently, we are studying a little bit every week for the final and will have a document prepared to study in finals season.
However, knowing that we need to make an outline and study, is not the same as knowing how to outline and how to study. To meet our need and ease our fears, the tutors from three of my classes got together and hosted a “How to Outline” session. They gave an introduction to outlining and some basic information. Then each pair gave tips on how to outline for the specific course with the professor. For example, they told us our property professor is really concerned with the policy: “By issuing this ruling, what are the courts encouraging or discouraging?” They suggested that each case in our outline should have a note about the policy.
So far the tutors have been fantastic. They are encouraging, knowledgeable, and hard working. The tutor program is a way I have felt very supported here. Loyola really wants us to succeed and they provide the resources for us to achieve our potential.
Questions for Amie? Email law-admissions [at] luc [dot] edu with the subject “Ask Amie” and she will make sure to answer them.