Hello everyone,

I am sometimes surprised when I walk into a class on the first day and a large number of students have come to the class without a notebook or writing utensils. Learning to take good notes is an important skill for success in college and it begins with understanding that, as a student, you must be ready to take notes in EVERY class.  For most of your classes, that means you should bring a notebook and a pen (at least one) to class.

Once you have brought your notebook to class, you have to actually use it.  I sometimes see students who have their notebooks open but who are not actually taking any notes.  Most students will not be able to remember the important points made in a lecture or a discussion if they do not take notes.  When I lecture, I try to be very clear about what I think the important points are in the lecture.  I will often say, “This is an important point.”  If your instructor says that, you need to figure out a way to put that down on paper.  In addition, I will write important points on the board (if I haven’t already put them into a Powerpoint presentation).  Anything that’s important enough to go on the board is probably something that I think is quite important to understanding the topic we’re discussing.

When I talk about this in my classes, students often ask what they should be writing down when taking notes.  There are many note-taking systems from which to choose.  I suggest that you try several to see what works best for you.  No matter which system you choose, however, your notes will not help you unless you look at them frequently after you take them.  I suggest you review the previous day’s notes before you do the reading for the next class.  And when it comes time to write papers and take tests, these notes will be invaluable.

I’d be curious to hear which note-taking systems you have found most useful in various situations.

Cathie