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Take Notes at School

42 Responses (Add) | Friday, January 11th, 2008 at 7:29am

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High school and college aren’t easy for most people to fly through. Here are some tips sent in by regular community member Snakeyes. He is a college student, and wants to share his tips for study and information retention.

  • Go to class and be prepared, don’t show up with nothing to write with. What I see a lot, is students go to class with no paper or pen/pencil. It may also help to bring more than one writing utensil. You may want to bring a highlighter and some extra pens. If you use a laptop to take notes make sure the battery is fully charged, or find the closet outlet. Be sure to save previous notes and study them every day. You never know when there be a pop quiz or a test. Don’t save your homework till the last minute. Read your assignment and do your work before it’s due.
  • Have a conscious effort to listen and be attentive. Sometimes students will ask off topic questions and you get bored and you fall off topic. So always be prepared and stay attentive. Be prepared to be Adapt to whatever direction a lecture takes. When a lecture takes an unexpected detour, say a student asks a question you aren’t particularly interested in, students have a tendency to “zone out.” Before you know it, the lecture got back on track five minutes ago, and you missed crucial information that should have been noted. It’s very easy to get off topic, If YOU do miss anything that day in class ask a friend or someone else for notes. If you were sick one day are you come back to class to then realize your having a test, don’t blame the instructor for planning the test on that day, always ask someone for notes when you were sick so you can write them down.
  • Use a method that works for you. If you are a big fan of two column notes than use that method. Be sure to also start each lecture on a different page and make sure you date and label all your notes. Don’t use the same notebook for each class. Use a different notebook for each one. You don’t want to be writing notes for your history class in your math binder. Make sure you always keep your notes dated and put them in order, this will help you study for tests and final exams. It’s always important to Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols you can use wherever possible.
  • Pay close attention to content. if something is written down on the overhead or the chalkboard write down, even if you think it’s not important. Write down definitions to words that are listed. Make sure you write down anything that is repeated or spelled out, Usually when my teacher writes something down multiple times I know it’s going to be on a test later on.
  • Last step, Review your notes. Re-read/study at least 24 hours later to make sure it’s still fresh in your mind. Be sure to Edit for words and phrases that are illegible or don’t make sense. Write out abbreviated words that might be unclear, so that you have a better meaning of the word. If you need to make corrections or would like to edit your notes, choose another color to determine what u actually wrote in class and what you just edited. If key words and questions are still unclear to you look go back and re-read the chapter and fill in the definition in the left column. If you are still unclear circle it or underline it and ask the professor or teacher. Fill in anything you may have left from the textbook as well make sure the textbook and your notes match.

Kat was on the Ventrilo server with me during this video, and wanted to add a tip she used in college.

When taking notes, I wrote absolutely everything down. I began college at the age of 29, as a single mom who worked full time. Since I had been out of school so long, I was concerned about information retention and studying. After class, I would then go through all of my notes, and highlight the important areas. Then, I would get fresh paper, and make myself an outline for that day’s class. Once I found how easy this made it for me to remember things, I made it a practice for every course through my entire college career. It certainly helped me to graduate Summa Cum Laude, with dual degrees.

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42 Comments

Windows Vista Torrent

January 7th, 2008
at 10:45pm

Tech Interviews Good Blog Comments Monitor Your Web Site?s Uptime for Free Find Local Computer Repair Are You a First Person Shooter N00b?Take Notes at SchoolThe Widget Gadget Gizmo Desklet Thingamajig (Chumby!) Buy an iPhone Case How to Buy a Laptop Optimus Maximus Keyboard: Horrible Customer Service Shopping for Wii Accessories

nelson1tom

January 10th, 2008
at 11:55pm

dude i totaly needed this for my school work.
my teachers are always tryin to teach me this…
thanks

wynjones1

January 11th, 2008
at 1:45am

had a welsh mock exam :(

swinnie92

January 11th, 2008
at 2:24am

Great Tips!

Good luck to Ponzi for when she starts her degree!

When I am ill I will ask my friend for his notes and just scan them in and also borrow a text book for the section, I will also scan that and then write stuff out from that.

swinnie92

January 11th, 2008
at 2:30am

Just thought of this…

YOU ARE NEVER TO OLD TO LEARN! If you want to learn something go and do it! Dreams are not there to look at, they are there to be acted on!!

redpapers

January 11th, 2008
at 3:55am

I like those tips. In addition to note taking, I like to use a voice recorder for some of my classes that lean more toward content discussed through lectures.

pspaddict01

January 11th, 2008
at 4:12am

tehe he waffled his way threw the test thats what do but only on English.

bwest0179

January 11th, 2008
at 5:33am

Thanks for the insperation. I would like to be a writer to. Right now i’m taking academic english.

Snakeyes11123

January 11th, 2008
at 12:52pm

w00t, Thank you for taking the time to read my top 5 chris.

Rasmus Abrahamsen

January 11th, 2008
at 9:09am

I have a hard time focusing on school when I bring my Mac. The school has wireless network and everything is more interesting than what happens on the blackboard. I don’t fail, well not in all classes and I am sure that I generally will survive. If you want to do a good job, bring paper and pen. Write it down in school, when you get home (or 24 hours later), type it on your computer.

Ralle

CrashGames2108

January 11th, 2008
at 5:16pm

That’s writers for you, can fill pages and pages with nothing but filler. I’m too succinct to be able to do that.

PSP365

January 11th, 2008
at 5:44pm

hey, i have a suggestion on what i do to study. im in high school.
I’ve found out in my years that there is only way i can study. Anything else has not worked for me. I like to write, so this helps to. here are a list of my tips.
1. Rewrite notes over a few times before a test. helps you remember what you wrote,
2. think up something silly about a key word for a definition or something. helps me b/c i can think of those silly things. better than boring definitions. it will also make studying a little fun. :)
3. take neat notes in class. my teachers know how great notes i take, and when someone is absent, they ask me to take my notes to the copy room to give them a copy.
4. always WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING!!! that needs emphasis. i can’t stand when i look through my notes for help and im missing something.
5. Pay Attention In Class!!! that’s key. and will save you much time later. you may not even have to study if you listen during the day!!! :) happens to me alot. i know nobody likes homework!

well, hope these help!

*PSP365*

Nick Volpe

January 11th, 2008
at 5:45pm

For me the hardest part about being a college student is my computer. It is both my lifesaver for times when I am bored and need to do quick research. However, I find browsing the web to be 100% of the reason that I procrastinate and ALWAYS save my work for the last minute. However, I totally agree with the tips that Chris, Kat, and others have given in regards to college and studying. I would also add that college libraries are great places to study and do homework while getting away from dorms, your house, etc.

shadowmeyer

January 11th, 2008
at 6:03pm

Hey Chris thanks for the info. I am a 9th grade student and i just hate when we get pop quizzes when we just learned the lesson yesterday, but now i take notes on everything the teacher says and i highlight it later. Thanks again.

afrothunder

January 11th, 2008
at 6:16pm

hey chris great tips i find that when taking notes if i get destracded and don’t pay attention there is almost non way to catch so i sugest aying attention and if you do get behind pick up where the teacher left off not where you left
thanks-afro

Gabby

January 11th, 2008
at 6:25pm

I recently bought a tablet PC after seeing someone in my Physics class with one and it’s absolutely the best way to take notes in my opinion. I got mine off the official Fujitsu eBay store refurbished for around $950 which is a lot less than what it retails for new.

I use OneNote on my tablet so if your prof puts up his PowerPoint lectures you don’t have to waste paper by printing them out you can just insert it into OneNote and write on top of them. It’s great because you can make text in images searchable so if you’re looking for a definition or something while studying it will search the notes you typed/written , anything you’ve inserted (including pdfs and PowerPoints for example) and pictures. I could go on and on about OneNote; I love it.

Not a note taking tip but just a study tip this page is incredibly helpful: http://www.thememorypage.net/ I read a memory book when I was in elementary school and I have been using similar techniques to those described in that page ever since.

chunks

January 11th, 2008
at 6:33pm

I have had many problems in the past where I would take notes during class (on the rare occasions when I did take notes), put the notes away and completely forget about them. Even though I passed most of my classes, I forgot a lot of information that was taught in those classes. Reading this post has started making me think about how I take notes and has given me a few ideas on how to improve my note taking skills which is probably a good thing since I just started school again and I am taking some difficult classes this term.

chunks

kevinm

January 11th, 2008
at 7:35pm

I’m a Junor in college and I’ve done pretty much of what you shouldn’t do to get good grades. One extremely important piece of advice you need to know is that you NEVER procrastinate. Putting off assignments to the last minute lead to tragedy when you have to pull all nighters. You need sleep. Great tips!

LaithBSoul

January 11th, 2008
at 9:25pm

so true always come to school very well prepaired or you will not be able to do your work and you will lower your grades.

Kryptic

January 11th, 2008
at 9:31pm

I am a university student and I have had a hard time keeping constant focus in class so when I begin a new course and I don not know anyone I try to befriend a classmate so that once in a while we can compare notes. the reason for this is becuse I have found that others have diffrent and sometimes interesting views that could be very useful in exams/test. Also talking with others about the material, I find helps in learning the material and can sometimes be helpfull to get someone more your age to explain material in a simpler form.

OmniDragon

January 11th, 2008
at 9:31pm

I use Omni Outliner for taking notes in college. Unless I’m close enough to the teacher to where I can just fire up Audacity on my laptop then record everything they say. Works like a charm and allows me to actually listen rather than concentrate on typing. Audacity ftw :)

Mario372

January 11th, 2008
at 9:32pm

I usually take my laptop to school to get that stuff.I hate writing, b/c my hand writing is sloppy as crap.I cant even read it,so I try to take my laptop everyday.I also have a hard time staying on task,I usually wind up goin in lala land or something.Usually I sleep in class to,if it gets to boring.studying get your parents to help you,go over them for about 15min then get your parents to ask your questions it helps alot.

Kryptic

January 11th, 2008
at 9:46pm

I am a university student and I have found that befriending another classmate in the course especially when i don’t know anyone, so that i can compare notes every so often. By doing this I find that I sometimes miss things in class and see diffrent points of view that I have from time to time to be very usefull. Also I found that talking about the course material with other classmates helps me remember it better, than just rely on my own notes. Finally, if you have a hard time concentrating in class and are in college/university it is sometimes benifical to ask if you can recorde the lecture (some professors/teachers will allow you), so you can listen back to the lecture and make better complete notes.

Kryptic “keep looking forward never look back”

dabrace1984

January 11th, 2008
at 9:49pm

When taking notes, I wrote absolutely everything down. I began college at the age of 29, as a single mom who worked full time. Since I had been out of school so long, I was concerned about information retention and studying. After class, I would then go through all of my notes, and highlight the important areas. Then, I would get fresh paper, and make myself an outline for that day’s class. Once I found how easy this made it for me to remember things, I made it a practice for every course through my entire college career. It certainly helped me to graduate Summa Cum Laude, with dual degrees.

While I am by far an academic genius, I do have two bachelors degrees (Music and Education) and a masters degree (Educational Technology). I would like to comment on what Kat mentioned. It is not always practical for a student to write down everything (for all of their classes especially if you are taking 5, 6, or 7 classes in the same semester or working full/part time) and then later go through and highlight what is important. If you want something similar to that, get a digital tape recorder that connects to your computer, and listen to the lecture a second time and take notes at your own pace. That it was what I would do, just make sure you buy rechargeable batteries to save money.

James

January 11th, 2008
at 9:54pm

One useful feature I found for taking notes in Word was a Word Notebook. Take you notebook to take notes, as it will probably be easier on the hands. Also, be sure to learn to type, as it will be easier and faster if you do.

P.S. Love your show Chris!!! Keep it up!!

blckpythn

January 11th, 2008
at 10:00pm

I’m currently doing all my high school classes online to make time for a full-time job. About note taking, for me, all the information I need is usually in bold letters but the way the website is set up I can’t have other windows open while taking tests or else my session is invalidated. This has led me to finding new note-taking methods:

While going through course material write down absolutely everything that seems even slightly important.

Read everything as if it was on a test because when it comes to test time you have nothing to fall back on unless you wrote it down, which you won’t likely do unless you see it as something possibly “testable.”

Just make sure that you have all your bases covered and you should be alright.

omgnah

January 11th, 2008
at 10:21pm

Yeah I agree with all the tips but most of us students don’t really follow those tips no matter how many people might say the same ones over and over again and I’m one of those persons most of the time i don’t take nothing to school but good this i have everything in my locker just ready to take out but anyways those tips are good…

upthera5

January 12th, 2008
at 8:33am

FUCK ME… i’m glad i live in ireland. pop quizes, surprise tests, fukin gay!!!!! here u just do ur proper exams and fukin DRINK!!!!!!!!

Paranj

January 12th, 2008
at 9:19am

As PSP365 stated using the keyword, I tried it and it works great thanks Snakeyes11 and Psp365. You can quite easily remember the definition without having to spend hours trying to memorize. Plus, if you forgot to study then you are in tough luck cause you probably won’t remember everything :)

Great tips from Kat also thank you Kat.

studiochronoqua

January 13th, 2008
at 7:45am

college text book is a scam?
ahahaha….
I will keep that in mind…ahaha

wtfisthislawls

January 13th, 2008
at 12:07pm

When you buy them on campus they are

homieBtotheJ

January 14th, 2008
at 7:14am

common sense ftw.

every normal person would know those tips that were given

pov1us

January 14th, 2008
at 10:08am

i hope this will help me

maVerick12346

January 14th, 2008
at 12:02pm

lol this guys is sad apperently he hates macs so much but he uses a macbook..lmfao he uses a drawing of his face to cover up the apple..sad

chocolatewheelchair

January 14th, 2008
at 2:44pm

dude, chris loves apple products.

kpslover007

January 16th, 2008
at 9:20am

Thanks Snakeyes. I can really use these tips in college. I didn’t do so well my first semester, I passed but with low grades. Hopefully the tips will give me some A’s and B’s instead of B’s C’s and D’s. Also, as Kat said, it’s never too late to go to college. I see a few adults that have kids that go to college and sit next to me in my classes. I welcome them with open arms and often look up to them for inspiration. So if you are not 18 or 19, you will still fit into the college atmosphere.

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