Education Articles from College Matching Service

Final exams only days away? Loaded with stacks of notes, but can’t make any sense of it? Welcome to the reality and nightmare of student life!

The majority of the students fall into the trap of trying to write everything down that falls out of the Professor’s mouth. Believe it or not, you do not have to write out everything they say. Yet, while you don’t have to write down everything the Professor says, it’s a good habit to listen to every word spoken. Listen carefully for repeated words or phrases as this is an indicator of what the Professor values in his lecture and what may arise again in research paper prompts or exams. The challenge with every class is not taking down notes, but learning how to use those notes efficiently in preparation for exams.  For those students who are habitual front-benchers, diligently attending lectures and making copious notes, you might find it difficult to translate those notes into good grades- even more so for those students who rarely make it to lectures. Exams often include theories and concepts that go beyond the text and material stated in class and so you may find yourself struggling with the notes you’ve prepared in class.

To avoid sleepless nights and mind-wrecking tension, below are some note-taking mistakes you may want to stop practicing.  Below are tips to help you with notes, but for those struggling to make sense of what they have already, I advise you to code your work. Highlight those words repeated in lecture, reading material, and discussions. As you go through your notes, you will see a pattern emerge and possibly a thread that ties concepts together (and your color-coded words will definitely help with this practice). Should you find yourself struggling with your notes despite the tips below, you may want to take notes on your notes! It sounds silly, but the material you take out of your original set may be more relevant to the assignment or exam in question. A good rule of thumb for me was to revise my notes, using the coding system I mentioned above, after I received an assignment or before an exam so that I  can tailor what I pull from my notes to reflect what is needed for my assignment- doing this allowed me to focus on specific theories and facts and also narrowed my field of study to what is most relevant at the time.

Mistake No. 1: Trying to record everything.

You might tend to think that taking down every word the speaker utters will make your notes more helpful. The results are, however, quite the contrary. When taking down all that is said, you will lose out on precious time needed to think and connect material. Listening is a student tool in lectures and every student should learn to use this tool effectively. Speeches are generally built around a principal idea with a carefully prepared outline. While taking notes, it is essential to analyze the various ideas discussed and see how they fit in with each other. Such expansive notes only make it more difficult to sift through and retain necessary information. You can just make a note of the important phrases, terms or ideas discussed by the speaker and then make a summary.

Mistake No. 2: Making notes without prior preparation.

If you haven’t read up on the topic to be discussed or gone through the previous class’s notes, you will find it extremely difficult to keep up with the discussion. You will lose precious time trying to figure out what the important ideas or facts are that are being delivered in the lecture or reading material. It is advisable that you go through the previous notes and reading material so that you can easily identify the important parts of the lecture and structure your notes in a more efficient and effective manner.

Mistake No. 3: Tolerating distractions.

Students are easily distracted by talkative classmates, cell phones, and even their own imaginative minds. Such disturbances interfere with the listening efficiency, thereby hindering the learning process. Try to adjust to the distractions or simply avoid them. Choose a place that is far from any kind of noise and commotion and where you can see and hear the speaker clearly.

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