Whatever floats 'ya' boat.Īs long as you can understand your notes, it doesn't matter if they're shortened down or contain spelling mistakes. Shorten words like using '2' instead of 'to', 'too' and 'two', 'da' for 'the', 'w/' for 'with', etc.
#Effective note taking for college students code#
So, take some time to work out whatever shorthand code you're comfortable with and roll with it. These are your notes – they aren't going to be marked and the only person who needs to be able to read them is you. Using different colours and highlighters are also known to do the trick (as well as generally making your pages of notes look more exciting), but it's probably best to add these after class when you're reading over your notes again. If your lecturer is stressing something important, draw attention to certain words or phrases in whatever way will best help you remember it – but don't get too distracted with your artistic creations.
Most smartphones come with recording features these days but, failing that, you can find some pretty cheap dictaphones on Amazon. Pressing record and settling down to catch a few Zs isn't how it works. You can re-live the fun and listen to your lecturer's dulcet tones later on, making more notes in your own time instead of trying to multitask during class.ĭon't use a recorder as a replacement for paying attention or taking some notes, though – a bit of note-taking helps you process useful information. Wonder what to bring to lectures if you're a slow writer or struggle a bit with university note-taking? Taking a dictaphone to record lectures is a good backup in case you're worried about missing anything. You can then back these up with the lecture slides, which should be made available once the class is over. The key is striking a balance – listen up, and jot down particular phrases you think are important. Not only is attempting to get everything down on paper pretty much impossible, but it also means you won't really be listening to what's being said or giving it time to sink in.
This is an easy mistake that most of us have made at some point when taking lecture notes.