If you go to class you’ll notice that there are many types of students, but around 80% of them will be taking notes. Not everyone takes good notes and some people don’t even know how to take notes at all. Everyone remembers things differently, but by taking notes you can ensure you’ll do better. Some students will bring their laptops to every class and take notes that way, but there are a few pros and cons with this.
Pros
- Efficient
- You can organize your notes easily
- Don’t have to read messy handwriting
- You can sell your notes easily
Cons
- Difficult to draw pictures
- If your battery dies you’re in trouble
- You could potentially get your notes stolen (if your laptop gets stolen) or lost
- Terribly distracting thanks to facebook and email
- If you drop it, leave it in your car during winter, spill on it etc, you can lose everything
Pros
- A notebook won’t get wrecked when it freezes or if you drop it
- If you run out of paper there’s always someone in class that will be able to lend you a sheet
- Some people find it easier to remember material if they write it down a few times
Cons
- It sometimes can be disorganized
- It can be hard to read your own writing
Don’t Waste Your Time and Be Efficient
Some profs use power-point presentations, some use the chalkboard/whiteboard, some even use an overhead projector. They all have different teaching methods and your note taking will have to adapt to whatever they do. My preference is when professors post their notes online so you’re able to download them. It probably hurts the attendance, but students that show up to class tend to be more engaged in the material and they can add their own notes to supplement the ones printed off.
Stay Organized When Taking Notes
Coming from me this is a bit ironic, but by staying organized you can save yourself big headaches when you need your course material quickly. An easy way to keep things organized is to keep your subjects separate. This seems obvious, but I ran into people who had trouble with this simple task, so I thought I would mention it. I take nothing but a clipboard to class and some paper, so I’ll have 3 or 4 different subjects in there at once, at the end of the week I usually throw everything in their correct binders. The most important thing to do is to put the date on every page of notes (both sides if necessary) in the top corner. If you are a disorganized individual like myself, then this alone will make things easier on you.
Note Taking – The Refresher
My brother never studied much for exams and did very well. I on the other hand took half decent notes and studied my ass off, although admittedly it was usually much too late, and got mediocre grades. His secret was reviewing his notes at the end of the day for 15-20 minutes. He remembered the material better and by the time the exam came around he remembered at least 75% of the material right off the beat! I ended up trying this technique in my last year and my grades improved quite a bit! Take a look at my brothers follow up to this article, tips for taking notes
Everyone has their own unique note taking style. What little quirks and tricks did you pick up?