CREDIT: MEGAN EASVELD
No matter what the program, all students must master the art of note-taking.

With the start of the new semester I decided to share a few tips on how to organize and take notes during lectures.

In high school one of my old teachers gave our class a lesson on note-taking and I found their information to be resourceful, but their method did not work well for me. Now I know everyone learns differently and also has different learning methods, but the method I use works well for any way of note-taking.

Depending on the class, I rotate between writing notes in a notebook and typing my notes on a computer. But with each sets of notes I take, I have one common trick I follow.


When starting my notes, I usually start with putting the title of the lecture and the week that the lecture in on the top two lines. So, when it comes time for making study notes I have a reference on where to start. Next, I typically use at least two different colours of pens and one highlighter when I am writing my notes in a notebook.

The key is to only take down the most important information on the slides and to highlight the important facts. For example, if there is a paragraph on the slide, I typically only take the dates and the most important information that go along with the heading of the lecture. I personally find it easier to divide my notes in sections by using one coloured pen to write the title of the slide and then the other colour for the information. But if there are important dates or words in bold, I typically highlight or use the same colour I used for the title, so it stands out.

When the lecture is done, I typically take my notes home and type them up so I have an extra copy I can use for studying when it comes to test. Plus, I find I retain the information more if I go from writing notes to typing them up again or vice versa. Sometimes I find that it is a lot easier to type notes in class if I know the professor giving the lecture speaks at a fast pace. Whereas if the professor giving the lecture speaks at a slower pace, I am able to write notes out.

It also depends on the class, for example in my music of the ’60s and society class I find it is a lot easier for me to take notes by hand because the material is not as heavy as my sociology class, where I find it easier to type my notes and keep them more organized for that class. But sometimes I find it easier to have the lecture on my computer screen in front of me so I can follow along and take notes by hand.

Overall these methods have helped me with keeping my notes organized and it has also enabled me to help out my peers when they need help clarifying something. I have even taught both my older and younger sister this method to help them stay organized.