How to be an effective note-taker.

Effective note-taking is a skill not easily acquired over night. Throughout my undergrad, particularly as an underclassman, I had no idea what I was doing in class. I would just copy down everything on the slides during lecture and then look at them later after class or again before the exam. As an upperclassman, and after investing in an iPad, I learned the hard way (meaning from horrible grades) what I was missing when taking notes. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a senior with an iPad to be an effective note-taker, below I outline how to start now.

Stop slide copying during class.

The worst thing you could do for yourself during lecture is copy what is on the slides! Below I will show you why and just what to do before, during, and after class with a few different scenarios:

1. Your professor uploads the lecture slides BEFORE class.

• BEFORE Class

  • Write down the content from the slides (physical in a notebook or digital on device) (this may help with muscle memory and retention if you like to write your notes multiple times )
  • Print out a copy (physical) or download the lecture slides onto your device (digital on laptop/tablet) and bring them with you to class
• DURING Class

  • MOST IMPORTANT: Now that you do not have to focus on the content on the slides, ACTUALLY listen to the lecture! (I found myself enjoying going to class because I was less stressed about writing things down and was enjoying listening to lecture)
  • Follow along with what you prepared before class and spend your time writing down what your professor is saying about the slides! Draw anything they draw, circle and underline topics they spend the most time on during class, and write down any questions you may have.
• AFTER Class

  • This will depend on your study habits, and I will make a separate post about what to do with your notes once you take them
  • After class, personally, I always re-wrote the content from the slides and incorporated the additional notes I took during lecture to make one cohesive set of notes from that lecture

2. Your professor uploads the lecture slides AFTER class.

• BEFORE Class

  If your professor does not upload slides on time before class, which can easily happen, do not worry! Take this time then to read ahead in the textbook or review from last class.

• DURING Class

  Write down the slide number and take notes like you would if you were writing directly on the slides. Again, you wont have to worry about writing down the content on the slides since you will have access to it later! Still spend this time listening to the lecture and writing down what the professor is saying. Don’t forget to note which slide corresponds to which notes.

• AFTER Class

  Download or print the slides and write them out as one comprehensive set of notes. Fill in missing parts from the slides with the notes you took during class.

2. Your professor does not upload slides at all. (And won’t)

This is a really rare scenario, but might happen. My organic chemistry class had no slides, my professor wrote all of the lecture information on a chalkboard during class! In our virtual world this is unlikely, but I wanted to outline every scenario.

• BEFORE Class

  Take this time to read ahead in the textbook as a preview of what to expect for this class or review from last class.

• DURING Class

  • You can ask your professor if they mind you audio recording the lecture on your phone (I recommend this for all classes honestly) Some professors will say yes and others will say no. If they allow it, great! You will then spend your time during class writing the slide content or what they write on the board and will able to go back after class and add what your professor said during lecture.
  • The worst case scenario is that they do not allow you to record the lecture and they don’t have/ wont post slides. Here I would recommend shorthand writing (anyway you will be able to understand them later) the content, and trying to add anecdotes of the lecture when you can. Do not stress, the notes will not be pretty. Try to underline and circle in your notes what topics your professor spends the most time on. This way you will still obtain the emphasized topics by listening to the lecture.
• AFTER Class

  • Listen to the recorded lecture and re-write your notes with added information from the lecture. (I recommend this for all classes)
  • If you do not have a recording, re-write your shorthand notes the best you can. I would go into the textbook too for more information on the topics your professor spend the most time on during class.

This post was not about what you write when you take notes, this was about how to take them better and more efficiently. Below are examples of notes I took on the slides during class and the comprehensive notes I compiled after class. I will be making an iPad specific post about the best apps for note taking and how to use them!