How do I take notes on a lecture?

Andrea good question. Note taking is a vital skill to develop in college as you are going to have to take notes throughout your four years in college. It's good to hear that you are hand writing your notes and I will tell you why; many professors will allow you to bring your laptop to class and while it may be tempting as you can type quickly, I have always found it that people get distracted when they bring their laptops to class. Facebook, YouTube, the news, movies, and TV shows are all just too tempting and people can't seem to help themselves but get distracted during class with their laptops. By hand writing your notes, you ensure that your mind will not wander and I have personally found my retention of information to be better when I used a notebook and pencil.

It's not possible to write down everything the professor says and this is a good thing as it will force you to only write down that which is the most important. If a professor mentions things multiple times then write it down, if they tell you something is important then write it down, if they provide examples write it down etc. Don't bother with the tangents and side comments as those are a waste of time to write, focus on the big themes and idea. If you know what you're going to be tested on, be sure to take notes on the things that you'll be tested on. I had a professor that outlined his lecture at the beginning and end of class everyday and this was how I structured my notes.

Organize your notes in a coherent flowing manner so that you can follow them when you go back to study; if you don't organize them well then you won't understand your notes at a later date. I knew some people that used fancy colors and lines to connect ideas but I found this way over the top, bullet points and indenting further elaborations on a topic worked for me.

I also developed a form of shorthand for my classes and it worked miracles. Here's an example, if a professor said "international", I would write down "intl". While this may seem like nothing, it sped up my note taking significantly. When I was in History classes I used some of the following shorthand:

B=Britain WW2= World War Two WC=Winston Churchill

J=Japan RJW=Russo-Japanese War MR=Meiji Restoration

C=China MZD=Mao Zedong ZZY=Zhao Ziyang

(also, always use acronyms )

Andrea,

Note-taking is a skill you will develop over time. You can only hope that in the meantime, your grades don't suffer!

I believe good note-taking starts by being prepared. That is, you are up to date on the reading assignments, and have looked over whatever the professor has posted on the lesson platform. This way you have an idea of what will come. Not all professors are easy to follow. However, those who are skilled at what they do are presenting from an outline. While they may not make the outline available to you, try to pick up on transitional words. "Next," "moving right along," etc. If you can structure your notes to follow her outline, it will help.

During the lecture, just capture the main ideas. As soon as possible after class, and I do mean soon, review your notes and try to fill in the gaps in a way that it all makes sense. Try to form friendships with others who are serious about note-taking, and help each other out.

Also, as an aside, try to find out what the professor tests over. I like to ask that question during first day introductory information. They can usually tell you what percentage is from books and what is from notes. I've known people who go crazy studying the books, only to find there are no test questions originating from them!

And, depending on the subject, it is possible to find informative on-line resources to reinforce what was taught in class. I found this to be the case when studying legal cases. Neither the book nor the professor presented it in a very interesting manner. The on-line resource made it all clear.

Great question!