1L of a Blog Series: Using Commercial Supplements Responsibly

Welcome to law school! This is a biweekly series with tips and tricks for success in law school. We’ll cover things like time management, outlining, preparing for exams, and more! Although this series covers skills and tricks that might be new to 1Ls, I hope that every member of the law school community can find something helpful here.

Commercial supplements – like commercial outlines, practice question books, and video supplements – are a hot commodity in law school. Some students even purchase these supplements before buying their casebooks! If you’ve used a supplement, you’re not alone, but do you know the best way to use it?

The key to getting the most out of commercial supplements is to first understand their purpose. Supplements are not a replacement for reading cases, attending class, and outlining. Instead, they help clarify difficult concepts, provide practice questions, and reinforce your learning. Further, there are different types of supplements for different stages of studying. For instance, some supplements are best used before you read to preview topics, while others are entirely practice-based making them helpful for review and exam preparation.

Supplements have a place in all stages of your learning:

1. Before Class

Keeping in mind that supplements are not a replacement for doing your reading, you can effectively use supplements to complement the cases you’re about to read. For example, you could use a video summary of a complex case to preview what will happen so you’re not reading the case without context. Additionally, you may find certain supplements helpful for previewing topics for a high-level overview of what you’ll be covering. You may also use supplements after your assigned reading to reinforce complex ideas and verify your understanding of the cases you just read. These uses are particularly helpful to give you more clarity and confidence going into class discussions.

2. After-Class Review

As you already know, post-class review is critical for solidifying your understanding of the material. Within 24 hours of a class, you should take a few minutes to identify key concepts and summarize your understanding of the material. Besides perusing your class notes, supplements can be a great resource for solidifying your grasp of the material. Supplements that provide summaries of the legal rules and a few reinforcing questions can be a great post-class review to reinforce your understanding and identify gaps in your knowledge.

3. Outlining

Again, supplements are not a replacement for doing the work yourself. You should never replace your outlining process with a supplement! However, supplements can support your understanding of the material at this critical stage of learning. Oftentimes, academically successful students will use supplements to better understand how complex topics fit together when they find they cannot see the “big picture” of the class. Supplements with flow charts and diagrams can also be helpful for visualizing the material as you try to create your own attack outlines.

4. Exam Prep

There is an entire collection of supplements that are geared towards helping students prepare for exams by providing practice problems. Many provide multiple-choice questions that you can use to test your understanding and ability to apply the law. You can also find supplements with short answer and essay questions to help with issue spotting and exam writing. Ask your TAs to help you find supplements with questions that will mirror your professor’s exam style to get the most out of your practice.

 

A brief word of caution. While supplements have a place at every stage of learning, make sure not to overload yourself with supplements. Picking one or two per class helps avoid being overwhelmed. Let your professor’s teaching and assessment style, as well as your learning style, lead you to the appropriate supplements for each class. Your TAs, professors, and academic support professionals can help guide you to the best supplements for your study needs. Additionally, always defer to your professor if there are any inconsistencies between class and a supplement – they’re the one grading you!

Supplements are a valuable piece of the law school learning system if you use them correctly. I hope you feel more confident adding commercial supplements to your regular study routine!

(Dayna Smith)