I am a student myself but I can add a couple of tentative details about the differences between a traditional tail configuration and a traditional tail that I know about:

1 – with a normal tail, when you go full power the plane noses up by itself. That comes from the fact that the airflow of the prop is lined up with the elevator and the increased airflow on the elevator will increase the negative lift on it (elevators have negative lift in normal conditions). This makes it easy to climb and descent with engine power because all you have to do is increase throttle and the nose will stay up or will go down on its own without you having to work too much for it (at least initially, you will have to trim later as the airspeed changes though). A T-tail is generally immune by the prop speed (which has the advantage of making it more “predictable” and consistent, so to speak).

2 – with a normal tail you can’t slip with full flaps down (usually) if your plane is also a high wing (not too sure about low wings). If you slip with flaps down, the airflow over the elevator will be disrupted by the lowered flaps and you risk an elevator stall (which at low altitude probably ain’t gonna be pretty). A T-tail should be immune to that (with the added note that usually T-tails are low wings. Have not seen a high-wing T-tail … yet).

Of course all this refers to the small, prop planes, trainers for the most part.

Jets … well, if they have underwing engines they are usually normal tail, if they have rear engines … they are usually T-tails …

… and this is the extent of my VERY limited knowledge.

🙂