• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Law School Toolbox®

All the tools you need for law school success

  • Tutoring
  • Courses
    • Start Law School Right
  • Job Help
  • Law School 101
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • About

Why Relying Too Heavily on Supplements Could Hurt you Academically 

January 22, 2018 By Jennifer Warren 2 Comments

Why Relying Too Heavily on Supplements Can HurtLaw school supplements are everywhere these days. There is an abundance of commercial outlines, canned briefs, readymade study aids, video lectures, and other resources that will purportedly help stressed law students understand the material. Whether it’s due to the increased availability of supplements, the ease of accessibility through the internet, or this generation’s unique learning style, it seems like more and more students are relying very heavily on supplements to get them through their reading, class, and final exams. Of course, law school supplements have been around for a long time – Seven L. Emanuel of Emanuel Law Outlines first started selling his handmade outlines when he was a law student in the mid-seventies! – and supplements can be a beneficial part of your study plan. But supplements have some serious flaws, and when you rely too heavily on these generic study aids, you risk hurting your chances for achieving your full academic potential.

How Supplements Can Hurt

There are several downsides to using supplements at all, let alone as your primary source of information. The most obvious downside is that supplements are not tailored to your specific course and may not contain the information as your professor wants you to know it. Furthermore, some supplements (particularly those found through random google searches on the internet) are unreliable or incorrect. Another concern with relying too heavily on supplements is that it may make you feel like you know more than you actually do. Students often think they have a handle on the material after reading a concise commercial outline or watching a barbri lecture, but then struggle when it’s time to independently spot issues or articulate the law.

Perhaps the biggest drawback, however, is that relying too heavily on supplements compromises your ability to develop the critical thinking and analytical skills that form the foundation of a legal education. Using a supplement may mean you are skipping over the most important step in the learning process. Instead of summarizing, organizing, synthesizing and processing the material on your own, you’re skipping ahead to a finished product that has already done all of the hard work for you. While reading a difficult case or understanding a new concept may be a frustrating, lengthy struggle at times, this struggle is often an essential part of the learning process. Using a supplement may cut out the struggle or speed up the process, but it also fails to develop your study skills or give you a nuanced understanding of the concepts.

Still not convinced that supplements can hurt your study process? Just think about how much easier it is to read and memorize your own words as opposed to someone else’s words. Supplements may seem like a quick fix in the short term, but relying too heavily on them during the semester can make the review and memorization process before finals a lot more difficult.

Where Supplements Can Help

Overuse of supplements may have some major drawbacks, but there are some areas where they can actually help. If you’re uncertain about how you’ve synthesized a rule or organized some concepts in your outline, double-checking your own work against a supplement can clear up the confusion and help you feel more confident about your study aid. Supplements can also be helpful if you’re feeling lost regarding a particular concept – reading a concise summary of the concept from a reliable source may provide the context you need to better understand the cases you’re studying. Note, however, that in both of these examples the supplements are only used to support your own analyzing and learning of the material. Supplements don’t replace your own case briefing, outlining, or class attendance, they supplement it. Lastly, supplements can be extremely helpful if you are in need of practice problems. To excel at legal analysis and exam taking, you have to practice your skills, and supplements that include questions with model answers can be a great practice resource.

Law school supplements are obviously a double-edged sword – helpful in certain circumstances if used correctly, but harmful if relied on too heavily. If you plan on using a supplement but want to limit the potential drawbacks, you must use a reliable and accurate product. Don’t trust everything you read on the internet and instead get recommendations from other students, or even your professor – they often prefer particular supplements over others. Most importantly, however, you must have the self-discipline to do the hard work – reading, briefing, outlining, reviewing, practice, etc. – on your own. Go through your own learning process first and make your own study aids, and only turn to supplements as a backup resource. Be skeptical of supplements and give yourself a chance to master this material through your own effort and determination. Supplements can be used appropriately, but overuse of supplements will likely lead to more harm than help.

For more helpful advice, check out these articles:

  • Save Yourself a Few Bucks – Buying Law School Supplements
  • Recommended Law School Supplements
  • 4 Steps to Managing Law School Material
  • What Can Your Law Library Offer You?

 

Looking for some help to do your best in law school? Find out about our law school tutoring options.


About Jennifer Warren

Jennifer received her B.A. in Politics cum laude from New York University and her J.D. with highest distinction from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. She has several years of experience in the areas of juvenile law and civil litigation and is the Academic Achievement Coordinator at Oklahoma City University School of Law.

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. How to handle getting a bad grade – Nationaljurist says:
    December 20, 2021 at 3:18 pm

    […] If all else fails, is there a commercial product that might help you (be cautious of […]

    Reply
  2. The best strategies for outlining – Nationaljurist says:
    December 20, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    […] you have completed a particular topic in your outline, or maybe at the mid-term, you can use commercial outlines to check the information you have in your outline. I am not recommending that you add things from […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Us

If you find law school tough, you are not alone! The Law School Toolbox team is here to help you through it. Check out our helpful free content, podcasts, courses and one-on-one tutoring. Thanks for stopping by and drop us a line if you have any questions. We also invite you to join our weekly mailing list, for advice right to your inbox.

Recent Posts

7 Ways to Be a Great Intern

7 Ways to Be a Great Intern

Once you land a great internship, your job is not done. You have to be a great intern. Being an intern is hard, but simple things can make you a … Read More about 7 Ways to Be a Great Intern

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 391: How to Show Up as a Summer Associate (w/Sadie Jones)

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we have ex-BigLaw recruiter Sadie Jones on the podcast to talk about the expectations that law … Read More about Podcast Episode 391: How to Show Up as a Summer Associate (w/Sadie Jones)

Ten Tips to Prepare for Success in Your Oral Argument Assignment

Ten Tips to Prepare for Success in Your Oral Argument Assignment

If you’re someone like me who cringes at the thought of public speaking and debating, doing an oral argument for your legal writing class or moot … Read More about Ten Tips to Prepare for Success in Your Oral Argument Assignment

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 390: Listen and Learn — Vicarious Liability (Torts)

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we're discussing the circumstances under which a principal is vicariously liable for the … Read More about Podcast Episode 390: Listen and Learn — Vicarious Liability (Torts)

How to Know if Biglaw is Right for You

How to Know if BigLaw is Right for You

If you’re a law student, you’ve probably heard about BigLaw – large law firms that offer high salaries and prestige (along with some other … Read More about How to Know if BigLaw is Right for You

Want Better Law School Grades?

Sign Up for Our Exam Tips!

Footer

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
  • Job Help
  • About
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Refunds

Copyright 2023 Law School Toolbox®™