Study Tips

I have a reasonably good memory. At least, I think I do until I want to remember something specific or need to remember something under pressure, and then my crystal clear recall fades into a blurry sorta-half-right-kinda remembrance that does no good for anyone else and makes me look like I’ve had too much sugar for one day. The only way for me to survive college and get good grades was to develop a keen system of note taking. No matter how carefully you listen in class or review a text, note taking will help you get the most of your lessons and achieve good grades in your college degree program.

When note taking for a degree course, write the class, date, and topic of the lecture on the top of the page. If the lecture corresponds with a chapter in the book, then write that in the top corner also. When its time to study and you want to look up information the top of your pages will become a handy index to locate the quote or fact you are looking to find. After the header, write down anything your professor writes down, particularly if it’s a date, chart or statistics. Professors don’t usually write something out unless they want you to know it. Write down any specific phrase or idea that is a main point of the lecture. Finally, if the professor mentions a page or paragraph in the textbook make a note of it as well to review of any exams that may contain it. The best rule of note taking for a college degree class is: if it’s important to the professor, it’s important to you.

Note taking from a text is a different kind of system. Many people simply highlight their book or write notes in the margins. The problem with that is when you need quick access to the information; you end up thumbing through the book to find it. A better way is to get a small notebook that goes with your textbook. When you highlight, write down the page number and topic or item you pointed out. That will help you locate the information in a timely manner.

We know that writing reinforces memory, and while you’re pursuing your college degree a good memory and a great set of notes can be your best friends.