Learn to take good notes. Your ability to take helpful notes will directly impact your ability to study for exams and succeed in courses. Taking notes requires you to be an active participant in class, listening to what’s said and deciding what’s important and what isn’t.[27] •You may be tempted to take notes on your shiny new laptop, but studies show that you’re more likely to remember stuff if you use good ol’ pen and paper.[28]
•Write down anything your instructor writes on the board; it’s likely to show up later. Pay attention to anything your instructor emphasizes or spends a lot of time on.
•See if slides are available online. If they are, print them out beforehand and supplement them with your own notes, rather than trying to copy out all the slide information.
•Don’t bother with complete sentences. Use keywords and phrases to get the big idea. Just make sure you don’t use so many abbreviations or shortcuts that you can’t interpret your notes later.[29]
•Most colleges and universities have some sort of academic support or counseling center. These centers often offer handouts and classes on developing better note-taking and study skills. Use these resources!