Notetaking system for lecture/textbook

[thirk_dds]

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Hello! So I'm trying to find a good notetaking strategy that I can use for lectures and/or textbook reading. For lectures I assume it's a bit easier since the prof will go over main ideas and examples. However, when I have to read the textbook, what is the best or most efficient way to gather and comprehend concepts material from dense texts like chem or bio? What I've gathered is that books are usually full of useless info (to make it look more important in book size for sales) and I would like to preread or at least read and take good notes ahead a bit before it's covered in class the following day. This way, I can compare what I read with what the prof talks about to add supplemental info and really lock in my comprehension and give me time to work on questions/problems. Ive been researching the Cornell notetaking system and it seems like it would be a good strategy for both cases.

I start college (again) in Jan and, daily, I research strategies, motivation, and tips for excelling in science courses since I did not apply myself the first time in my early prereqs. I will be taking most of my prereqs, starting with bio and chem I at a state college for d school and take upper levels at the local univ so I can save money (work about full time with bills). Advice is much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[fogorvostan]

You'll find a method that works best for you. I think a lot of people get caught up in wanting to do everything - prereading, taking notes in class, writing notes, reading the book after lecture, taking notes on the book, doing practice problems, researching on YouTube, going to office hours, etc. for every lecture. You just don't have the time for that IMO, especially if you are working/volunteering/shadowing/taking classes full time. Some classes will work best if you do a certain combination and other classes will work best if you do a different combination.

And unfortunately, there may be lectures where you do need to do basically everything just to make it through... but I think those are rare.

 

[BYU4you]

By the end of College you will never look at a textbook and hardly look at power points and do just as well haha

I am starting my D1 year soon and I have an IPad Pro and have been playing around with it using my old college slides. Realllly wish I had this in college to take handwritten notes directly on PowerPoint and have audio connected to it.
(E textbooks available too)


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Charles_Darwin]

Here's some stuff that I use, but as @forgorvostan says, it totally depends on your personality! Here are some tactics I used, depending on the class, for the past year while holding 2 jobs and a well-filled class schedule:

- Took super detailed notes on lecture slides, very pretty-like. Gave reasonable gaps for parts of the slide that were ambiguous/I didn't understand. Then, during class, write in any necessary details in the gaps (usually not that much)

- If the class didn't have slides, did a light reading of the necessary chapter in the textbook (~30 min)

- If the class is being recorded, don't rely on the recordings 100%. There WILL be something that the professor says that won't be in slides or anything. My solution- didn't study ahead, but on the day of lecture, came in with my laptop and typed whatever he spoke. This depends on your typing speed, but it's easy to pay attention if you can type fast without looking at the keyboard. Then, go home and rewrite those notes easily!

- Send emails! I have bad experiences where professors would say something and it wouldn't be clear and I'd do it wrong. Emails were efficient since I'm a commuter student 🙂

Most important tip:

If you have a class where they upload the slides beforehand, and you can get your hands on the first week's slides before the beginning of the semester, study those slides 100%! Then when you start you'll already be a week ahead, and it's a lot easier to stay ahead that way.

& Take time to relax 🙂 happy mind = happy grades

 

[Polkadotfan]

I would highlight. Some people despise this but idc. I like it and it helped. For notes I would use the slides as a basis (starting in the Google Docs so I could open anywhere) then supplement with lecture notes/book.

But mostly in the end it for me it became go to class, maybe write important stuff down, look at slides and really study only what I didn't know well. Except Biochem. That class was a lot of writing for me to remember tiny tiny details that would show up but that was that class and a rarity.

I would start off really well and then get comfortable in what I felt was right for me. Beginning of semesters are always rough for me, but the end is better and for other it's opposite.

TL;DR. Don't freak out and work hard and you will form the best way for you.