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Whatever field of study you choose, chances are you’ll be sitting through quite a few lectures during your time in college. Thanks to advances in technology, students now have more options than ever for taking effective notes. Here are some tips for taking good notes and organizing them so they are useful to you as you study throughout the semester and review for the final at the end.

  • Pick a method and stick with it. Whether you prefer taking notes on your laptop, by hand, etc., it’s important to find a method that works for you and stick with it. That’s not to say you can’t adapt your method if it’s not working, but it’s far more difficult to organize notes that have been taken throughout the semester using a variety of different methods.
  • Keep your notes organized. If you take notes on your laptop or smartphone, create a folder (or several) for each class or unit and organize your notes in these folders as soon as you’re finished taking them. If you prefer to take notes by hand, keep all of your notes for each class in a notebook or a ring binder divided by unit. I prefer the ring binder method because it’s easier to move notes around and reorganize them if needed.
  • Portable is best. In the interest of efficiency, I prefer keeping notes in an easily portable form so I can study anywhere. Of course, smartphones and tablets are perfect for this. For those who prefer to take notes by hand, you can buy notecards that are organized in small ring binders that slip easily into a purse or small bag.
  • Develop a shorthand method that works for you.It doesn’t have to be the “official” shorthand once used by secretaries all over the country, but you should use some form of shorthand that makes sense to you. For example, my freshman year in college I took a history seminar on WWII. Instead of writing “Hitler” over and over, I developed a shorthand sign (an H with a circle around it) to symbolize his name.
  • If your professor writes it on the board, write it in your notes. A good rule of thumb is that if the professor thinks it’s important enough to write on the board or overhead projector, then it’s probably important enough to include in your notes as well.
  • Compare notes. It’s a good idea to compare notes with a classmate at the end of each lecture to make sure you have all of the essential information written down.
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14y ago

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