notes are too demanding..?

[megaman1]

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I like to take notes on the lecture recordings I take, and it's super time consuming. For each recording, it takes me like 3 hours to actually create the notes which I will then need additional time to later review.. This has made me fall behind in almost all of my classes... I mean when it comes time for exams, the notes are helpful... Should I abandon my note taking method (concept mapping) and go with something else? Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[PreMedOrDead]

Do whatever works best for you. No one knows that but yourself, and you may have to experiment.

Personally, the best study method I ever saw was:

1) Take notes during lecture
2) Review notes immediately following lecture
3) Take a break
4) Complete all assignments that day so nothing builds up

This requires incredible self-discipline and motivation that I simply could not do personally, particularly not with the schedule I had during undergrad. I generally took notes in class and crammed for exams, but it worked out, though it doesn't in medical school (but you also have time devoted to study, rather than time-killing extracurricular nonsense).

Either way, taking 3 hours to transcribe a single lecture into a concept map sounds incredible excessive (FOR ME). Maybe you need to figure out what you're actually using and what you're not. Being successful all ends up coming down to being efficient, and if your study habits aren't efficient you're losing a huge amount of your life's return on investment.

 

[philosonista]

Bump.
I want answers too.

 

[Shirafune]

I take notes in class. If the professor has powerpoints and uploads those to whatever course site, then I only take notes on things not on the slides and whatever emphasis the instructor gives. For conceptual things, I usually retain more information longer if I'm paying attention to the lecture. Often times you might be too busy writing down notes that you won't get the finer points of the lecture. I think it's a lot easier to jot down major points of logic/findings and learn to apply them later.

 

[ndafife]

I take notes during the lecture... write down as much as I can and circle the stuff that isnt clear to me/I didnt get all of. After class I take the time to look those notes up in the book or online.

Then a week or so before the exam I type up everything I have written down and just review through that. I usually make additional sheets - rewrite the notes/points that I do not know and so on - until I have it all figured out

 

[claduva94]

Only do it if you are getting a return on it. I rarely take notes because I don't find that I do better with them. No sense in making really detailed notes if you don't end up using them. I personally find it a lot faster to read relevant parts of the textbook and lecture slides. But it really depends on how you learn.