Developed by Emily Tan ’19

ON NOTE-TAKING

Problem 1: Trying to write too much

• Easy to want to write down everything the professor says– but that’s impossible
• Notes don’t make much sense afterwards, and while trying to take down everything they’re saying you miss the main ideas

Solution: Stop taking dictation, start writing only the most important information

• Concentrate on the lecture, listen for the professor’s main ideas
  • Try to identify an intro, its points/examples, a concept, its points/examples, etc
  • Use short phrases rather than sentences
• Write an outline of the lecture by memory
• Write a summary of the lecture in your own words

Problem 2: Writing too little

• Some students have the opposite problem, and only write an occasional note
• This may help with interesting facts/things you think you should memorize, but this usually doesn’t help with retaining the main ideas

Solution: Aim to have a minimum number of pages per hour of lecture

• For example, aim to take 2-4 pages of notes in a 1 hour lecture

Problem 3: Not recognizing the main points and other important information

• While this manifests itself in notetaking, this problem is not caused by notetaking

Solution: Compare with peers

• This could be a situation in which comparing notes with other students in your class could be helpful
• See what they considered important, ask what they considered important, and compare notes.

ON STUDYING

Problem 1: Procrastination

• One of the most common problems, even if you don’t know you’re doing it!

Solution: Take a ten minute break

• When you sit down for the next attempt, your head will be clear and you’ll be more ready to tackle your work

Problem 2: Disorganization

• Hard to focus on studying if your notes/agenda/mind is disorganized

Solution: Dedicate time to reorganize

• Put aside an hour or so to restructure whatever you feel would be most important
• Commit yourself to reorganizing, rather than stressing out about wasting time you could be spending studying
• Seek help for reorganization — ARC, friends, online resources (Be Focused.com/ app)

Problem 3: Not knowing where to start

• Feel overwhelmed and don’t know how to begin

Solution: Make a plan 

• Go through syllabus, revisit work from throughout the semester
• Construct a plan of how you are going to tackle your studying
  • Start early; don’t wait until the last minute
  • Be realistic. Break your work into chunks that are doable over the weeks
• You have made it this far! Build from your foundation up.

Problem 4: Unproductive environment 

•  Having trouble focusing

Solution: Find the best environment to work in for you

• Everyone’s ideal study environment is different– don’t diminish your studying just because your friends have different ideal study environments than you
  • Note: this does not have to be the third floor of the library
  • Some people are distracted by silence, others by noise, some prefer desks, some prefer comfy chairs, etc

Works Consulted

Fishel, Judy. Straight A’s Are Not Enough: Breakthroughs in Learning for College Students. Stuart, FL: Flying Heron, 2015. Print.

Ender, Steven C., and Fred B. Newton. Students Helping Students: A Guide for Peer Educators on College Campuses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. Print.

Blog, Independence. “7 Note-Taking Skills Every College Student Should Have – California College San Diego.” California College San Diego, Oct. 2016. Web.