Studidentity

Note-Taking

Hey guys! So I’ve been receiving questions regarding my note-taking style and strategy for quite some time now but I believe I have never answered them in detail. The good news is, I finally decided to make a post about this (plus, I had fun making the graphics :D). Note that I am a visual learner, so my note-taking methods may not be effective for some of you, but I hope you can all learn something.

Class Notes

I only use one notebook for all my class notes, an A4 grid notebook whose pages I divide into two columns.

I use the outline method for in-class notes, which means I write information chronologically, in the order that they are taught. Some teachers do not have properly structured presentations/lessons (good thing my physics teacher does) so when in need, I use arrows to connect related information.

Abbreviations to me are one of the most important things to master when taking notes. I personally make them up as I go along. Some examples of abbreviations I use are:

w/c - which

w/ - with

cpd - compound

envt - environment

digenz - digestive enzyme

It might be confusing, but to me, knowing the context and part of speech are enough for all abbreviations to be comprehended.

Here’s an example: ‘Indonesia’s tsunami pre-warning system is made up of two types of components’ could become ‘Indo’s snmi pre-warn sys 2 type comp’.

After Class

The first thing I would do is highlight keywords and terminology (and sometimes formulas). For physics, since my teacher is relatively succinct, I don’t really highlight, but for humanities and biology, I look for words that would be expected by a mark scheme, words that are crucial to the understanding of each particular piece of information.

I would then check if the material taught coincides with the syllabus, and if not, note down any points that are missing or have yet to be taught. You could write these on a post it or on the syllabus itself, but I prefer to highlight the syllabus’ pdf file.

Rewritten Notes

My rewritten notes are arranged based on the order they appear in the syllabus unless there are pieces of information that are related to more than one topic.

I use a black pen for rewriting notes as well as colored pens to write keywords and terminology only. I know some people who write whole sentences in colored pens but to me that is ineffective; we all have our own learning styles. When making tables, I usually use different colors for different columns (see the table for different types of radiation above) which is most often the color I associate with each word. For example, water would be blue, ocean would be a darker shade, ice would be a lighter shade, and water vapor would be purple.

I still abbreviate words in my rewritten notes, but they’re not as condensed as the ones in my class notes. Another thing I find helpful is leaving a bit of space between separate points especially if the page doesn’t have a lot of diagrams. I can’t think linearly, so I can’t remember super lengthy bullet points.

I use mildliners and a drawing pen to make my diagrams (more of these in my biology notes) but I only start with pencil if it’s a complex diagram. I rarely highlight my rewritten notes, but even if I do, it’s usually only the headings and formulas.

I don’t have a rough draft for my notes, but I try to visualize the layout. I try to alternate between words and pictures/diagrams so that when I’m sitting for an exam, all I have to do is imagine that I’m looking at that page and I can remember where everything is.

awhhh of course i can!!

FINALS PREPso those big exams are around the corner for us all. what we want is to be prepared and to knock’em dead. here’s a few tips that i found useful: 

get all of your notes organized by class

plan out your days by the hour

don’t forget to plan breakfast/lunch/dinner!

try to change up the subjects you’ll be studying each day 

prioritize by exam importance and/or amount of material needed to study

eat healthy

fruits

blueberries help with memory!

salads/other vegetables 

nuts 

limit the junk food even if it’s super tempting 

get sleep when you can 

try to go to bed early

if you can’t, try napping when you have time 

just know your body and when to rest it 

shower every two days; three is a stretch 

it’ll wake you up 

feeling fresher helps with focusing 

wash your face or just splash it with water

fast cleansing 

get you back into focus 

think positive 

don’t feel like you’re going to fail

imagine yourself acing your exams 

keep your brain healthy with positive thoughts 

if you need a break, TAKE ONE

don’t overwork yourself

know your limits

recharge

but get back to business afterwards 

First of all, take a short break. In it you can:

eat apples (that works, I swear!! it’s scientifically proven)

drink black tea

get up and move around for a bit (stretch!!! or do jumping jacks or push ups or whatever)

open your window! fresh air! (beforehand make sure none of your papers will fly away due to wind!! optional: go for a walk!)

wash your face and forearms with cold water! (if you have time, you could also take a cold or cold-ish shower. you don’t need to freeze but water too warm makes you sleepy.)

drinking something really cold works for me too but I read somewhere that it’s unhealthy so idk but i personally love iced tea . (i just take normal tea and let it cool and put ice cubes in it cuz i’m a cheap person and it’s healthier.)

if you’re too tired, go to sleep or at least take a nap. seriously, if nothing you do can keep you awake, chances are, your work won’t yield great results

remember to start doing things earlier the next time!!! (haha most of us struggle with this, i know)

Archaeologists have revealed that the area of the Faliron Delta, 7.8 k south-west of the Athens center, is home to the largest cemetery of the Classical Age. A section of the site cleared in March revealed 80 skeletons – from a total of 1,500 – placed side by side in a 2.5-meter deep grave, half of them shackled. Metal handcuffs attached to many of the skeletons have led them to be known as the “captives of Faliron.”

The bodies recovered belong to well-built young men with excellent teeth and no bone fractures. The remains indicate that the men enjoyed good health until the time of death, possibly by mass execution. The skeletons were lined up, some on their backs and some on their stomachs. “The fact that half were shackled doesn’t mean all of them weren’t,” says archeologist Sevos Agouras who is involved in the excavations at the ancient cemetery. “They were all positioned with their hands behind their backs, and this indicates that they were probably bound in some way.”

I’ve been getting a lot of messages pertaining to my note-taking methods. I’ve decided to put together a little guide and hopefully this will answer most of your questions.

Remember, what works for me might not work for everyone, if anything use this as a guide to pick ideas from and create your own perfect note taking system!

Read a passage and take very detailed notes of everything. This includes not only the main important topics, but things that might help you understand the overall picture later on. 

Make sure you do this with the entire chapter/session you are studying. This will probably be a tad time-consuming, but the important thing is that as you are reading, comprehending and noting down passages you are also studying. Don’t think of this portion as “note taking”, think of it as part of the overall studying process.

After you have taken very detailed notes, feel free to put your book or reading source aside. You are done extracting the information.

At this point you will have a nice thick set of notes to work with. Remember, the more detailed the notes you took at first the better! Start reading your detailed notes and further intertwining concepts and ideas. As you begin absorbing the material, begin crossing out the parts that you feel you have memorized well enough and are not necessary anymore. In other words, get rid of things that you feel are not adding much anymore.

It’s really important to make sure you have a concept down before you do this. Do not discard information or concepts that you are not fully comfortable with.

At this point, you will begin to rewrite your notes. You will create a condensed final version.

In my experience, the amount of information I learn and retain when I take my own notes is vastly greater than if I just read from the book before an exam. Reading straight from a book does absolutely nothing for me. A book is there for you to extract the information and adapt it to fit your own study methods.

This is the point where I get “creative”, which is the portion of note taking I get the most questions about.

If you are a visual person like me, colors, shapes, and all kinds of different creative approaches will make sure a concept truly sticks with you. If I am having trouble in an exam, I’ve been able to get back on track more often than not by remembering the diagrams and colors used to distinguish things.

Here are some of my favorite tips in regards to creativity:

 WHEN USING COLOR, BE CONSISTENT! Make sure you use a different color for different concepts, do not use the same color for two different things, trust me this will just complicate the process. Remember you are using color as a way to help you memorize, therefore it is very important to create an association between a color and a concept.

CREATE LISTS This is extremely helpful for concepts used to “identify” or “diagnose”. A lot of times books will not break things down for you and they’ll just give you everything in a couple of sentences. Make sure you break the concepts down yourself! Make a list! It is a lot easier to look at something from a  “1, 2, 3” perspective, than a long sentence.

DIAGRAMS AND OTHER METHODS Create charts, circles, drawings, and all kinds of fun methods. Have fun and get creative! This is all part of the process! You are solidifying concepts by translating them into different formats.  If any of you have taken Biology, you might be aware of the Krebs Cycle and what a pain it can be to name all those products and enzymes *shudders*. I got the concept down pretty darn fast while everyone struggled by drawing the whole thing out. I created a flow of colors and information. When my test rolled around, I was able to visualize every single step without problems.  Draw it out!!

4.6.16+11:45am // 30/100 days of productivity // made a reference page for frames (with a different color scheme!) to use while taking notes! i switched to the purple pilot g-2 because my navy one is almost out ): zoom in for better quality!