I never knew how to take good notes until I got to college. These last few years have taught me a lot when it comes to taking notes. Since we only have a week before school starts, I'd thought I'd share my top five note taking tips that have helped me the most!
1. Take notes on the PowerPoint.
Most professors post the power point online, which is perfect because that way you dont find yourself trying to write down everything the slide might say before they move onto the next slide. Having the power point infront of you allows you t take notes directly on he power point and add in any extra infrmation the professor may give. I usually like to print my power points in this format:
This allows me to take notes on the note lines, the slides, and the margins if I need to. I also do not print front and back, even though it saves paper. That way if I run out room on the side with the slides, I can still continue on the back of the page and keep all the same information together.
2. Using different colored pens.
Personally I have the usual blue, black, and red...BUT! I also have rainbow pens because I'm that person in class with all my pens laid out next to me. However, having blue, black, and red is definitely enough. I like to write in blue ink and add extra info in black. If there is any super important need to know info I write it or circle it in red. Having the different colors allows you to separate info, categorize the info, and mark certain things as super important.
3. Highlighters.
Highlighters are the next best thing if you don't have multiple colored pens. Two colors are usually good (even though I have all the highlighter colors I could find). Highlighting adds emphasis to certain key points in your notes. Your notes should look like you painted the pages with highlighter paint, highlighting is meant just to highlight important info.
4. Sticky notes.
Sticky Notes are great to add little notes to your notes. Not saying that you should take notes on sticky notes, I'm just saying they're great for reminders. For example, I like to use sticky notes to remind me when the test for those set of notes is, key things the professor may have said will for sure be on the test, or for me to write down questions about something in my notes so I can ask later. They are meant to be like reminders within your notes.
5. Diagrams within your notes.
I started college as a nursing major so I took A LOT of science classes. One thing I learned from all these science classes is that hand drawn diagrams in my notes are soooooooooo helpful! Of course diagrams are not just limited to science classes, but it is very helpful too draw things out in different colors in order to help you remember things. Especially for visual learners it is very helpful to see the picture and also draw it out. You'll remember the diagram better and on test day you'll be able to draw it out and ace your test!
Hopefully these tips are as helpful to you guys as they were to me! Have a great fall semester everyone!
