College Strategies

Lesson 3: Going to Class; What to take, What to do, What to know

Effective note taking skills

If you feel you are a really bad note taker, find a friend in the class whose notes you can copy. This has to be seen as a temporary solution, because you will have to acquire good note taking skills if you want to survive. Everyone finds their own way eventually, but there are a few fool proof methods that can be helpful if you are lost in your own writing:

Don’t cram everything in one page; give yourself some space so your notes are more well-organized and you will be able to spot more easily where the appropriate topics are. Avoid writing everything in one large paragraph; rather leave spaces in between topics and clearly indicate what they are. If you are given sample problems in class, indicate them as such and indicate what the appropriate answer is. Also write the answer way below the question so that you can cover it up later and try the problem again on your own.

Use a different color to underline important sections, and use a ruler. It makes things a lot more pleasant to read afterwards. There are people who take notes in class and then never look at them again. Your notes are most probably your most important resource for any test and exam, and they should be given priority over any textbook. It is vital to have good and clear notes so you don’t loose time when you need it the most. You’d be surprised how often these simple rules are ignored. Students go to class barely taking a functional pen and randomly jot down things. It is important to realize what the essential information is and what can be dismissed more readily. The next section will deal with that.

Segregate notes from lectures and tutorials. At least clearly indicate which is which, and definitely do not mix up your exercises with your lecture notes. Keep them in a separate section of your binder or notebook. If it works best for you to use colored paper for your lecture notes do that, some people find it useful. You also have to establish your own “code” (everyone will do it naturally eventually, which is why it is so important to have your own notes, because only you will actually understand your own short forms best.). Develop a short form for words that are often used in a particular class. Does your professor mention “markets” at a rate of 10 times per minute? Consider writing down “mrkts” as a short form. This is mostly useful when professors talk fast, and that varies from person to person and also depends on your writing speed. The rule is to take neat notes, but that does not mean you have to write down every single word in its full form. Be careful with some short forms that can have several meanings: for example never use “mol” instead of molecule, because “mol” has its own meaning in chemistry. Eventually you will be very confused when mol means mol and when it means molecule. Using “molec” could be one of many possible solutions. Don’t worry about not being able to make sense of your own short forms; if you keep on using the same ones they will become as natural as real words, but if you are really worried write down the full meaning after the short form the first time you use it. That can eliminate all doubt later on.

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