Having a pretty good idea of where you’re headed and what you need to do to get there.
After that, you’re headed to the end of the year, and eventually, to your college degree.
You need to have–or brush up on–certain skills to do this work.
Taking Good Lecture Notes
Better nail down this skill right away, if you don’t already have it, because you’re going to need it soon.
You open your notebook and, for the first time, really look at your lecture notes.
Maybe she took better notes, you tell yourself in a panic.
You’re doomed. You can’t escape the lecture.
It’s a fact of your life right now–as inevitable, perhaps, as the need for Oxy 5 and caffeine.
Most students actually stay awake throughout these lectures; many even listen hard and try to learn.
Meanwhile, the many students who take terrible notes wonder why they don’t do better on exams.
Nevertheless, there are some general guidelines that can help you get the most out of those long lectures and make your note-taking more productive.
Even if you don’t have time to study the material, at least try to read over it the night before class.
If, for example, tomorrow’s lecture in biology will deal with the circulatory system, do the reading assignment and become familiar with the terms and concepts your lecturer will be using, so you don’t just sit there, stupefied and obviously lost by words such as “capillaries.
Get to class on time.
The professor may also start out by offering to answer questions and clear up any loose ends from last time.
Make the most of it.
Throughout the lecture, try to figure out the bigger picture.
You may not always agree with this interpretation, but you need to know what it is (for your next exam, if nothing else), and you need to get it into your notes.
Some professors write out their lectures word for word; others don’t write anything but speak totally off the cuff.
With a little practice, you can quickly pick up how the professor has organized the lecture material.
These lead-in lines reveal something about the professor’s own thought patterns and attitudes. If you find yourself taking dictation instead of taking notes, you’ll probably get bogged down in details and miss something really important. Are you going to school to become a stenographer? No? Then leave out the little words and phrases and focus on the big points.
Be sure you understand terminology.
In economics, for example, some essential terms include GNP, cartel, marginal productivity, and equilibrium; it’s almost a whole new language.
If the professor uses an unfamiliar term during the lecture, ask a question early for clarification.
This may be the most important tip of all.
Fill in the blank spaces, complete the fragmented ideas, and–this could be key–write a one- or two-sentence summary of the main points.
Cold notes–notes with isolated words or figures that mean absolutely nothing to you weeks later–aren’t much help at all at exam time.
Take the time today and save the torment tomorrow.
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