sample admission essay

Effective note taking is almost always a bane among college students. In fact, students who get low test scores or, worse, fail the entire course has one naughty monkey on the back – finding the best way to digest all the information that spirals around a particular college classroom.

This difficulty can be attributed to the early years, when youngsters in K-level to even junior college are inadequately trained to put the teacher’s words into paper. We can notice poor thought organization skills or, more appropriate to this generation, breakneck attention spans that leave professors and teachers thinking, am I in a school or a mall?

As these students enter the august halls of college, he or she is dumbfounded and shocked to see how past misgivings are taking their toll.

What can the beleaguered student do amidst all the chaos? Start with effective note-taking. Before the term papers, reports and exams, students should know how to take notes. Without it, the battle is lost before it even began.

Effective note taking starts with listening. Active listening, that is. You don’t attend class just to listen to teachers or lecturers in a way akin to going to a theater or a family reunion, or passive listening. In active listening, you listen to understand and understand really well.

When the teacher starts the lecture, turn off the iPod, ditch the PSP, or forget how your seatmate looks like. Listen intently.

As you carefully listen to what the lecturer is saying, first check for cues about the lecture’s purpose. What is the teacher talking about? If you get the main point, then your further travails will be a lot smoother because as you listen further, you would only relate the subsequent utterances to this grand purpose.

Then check for the way the teacher organizes the lecture. Watch for the big introduction, like “Today’s lecture is about the masters of Renaissance art.” This will provide the best guide on how your notes should be organized. Look for statements of emphasis, especially those that start with “remember” or “don’t forget,” enumerations, starting with “number one, number two” or “first, second,” and transitions, with “next” and “finally”. Almost always, these should reflect on your notes.

When you write, you must also be organized. Follow the cues and the keywords uttered. Start with the date and topic on top. Follow on with subtopics at the bottom with terms that you should define, names that should be introduced under that particular heading. As you hear all the words or sentences the lecturer emphasizes, mark it down right away and make sure you understand what you wrote. If you did not understand what the lecturer said, call his or her attention and have it repeated. Of course, try to learn how to write faster.

The most crucial part of effective note taking is reviewing what you wrote. Do it after class. It allows you to clearly understand the lecture. If not, the lecturer is always at hand.

photo credit: Paul Worthington