Longtins Tips for Taking Notes

I was, perhaps, one of the worst notetakers in my undergraduate studies. I would borrow loose sheets of paper
from friends, use multi-subject notebooks, mix and match lectures from different classes in one notebook, and
generally be unorganized about the entire process. It is a wonder that I survived college at all. I dont have a
single page of my undergraduate notes.
When I started graduate school, I made the conscious decision to improve my note-taking skills. The following
system is what I adopted and implemented. To this day I have every notebook from every graduate class I took.
While it is not a perfect system, and may not be for everyone, it made all the difference to me. Good luck.
Jon Longtin

Step 1: Equipment

Notebook Single-subject, thick cover, 80+ sheets, college or regular rule OK

Pencils Mechanical, 0.5 or 0.7 mm. Use B or 2B lead (not HB) get two! My favorite: Pentel P205
Eraser vinyl (white) eraser. Either brick or pen type is OK get two!

Step 2: Taking Notes in Class

Use a separate notebook for every class. Do not mix notebooks, ever
Use pencil only
Write on one side of page only (the right-hand side)
Start each lecture on a new page, with day and date, regardless of how much free space is available on
the previous page from the last lecture Number the pages consecutively

Step 3: Reviewing your Notes

When reviewing notes, erase poorly drawn or illegible notes and re-write
Compare notes with colleagues to minimize errors
Use opposite (left) side of same page for additional information, skipped steps, expanding on confusing
concepts, etc.
If you dont understand a concept, put a question mark next to it and move on. Revisit later; if still unclear add a second question mark and again move on. If, after a third visit the concept remains unclear,
seek the TA or professor for clarification.
If you miss a lecture, leave 34 sheets (or average lecture amount) blank and continue taking notes.
Then get lecture notes from a friend and fill in.

Additional Thoughts:

Come to class. As silly as it sounds, many students skip class often. There is little hope for them.
Sit in the front row: the area of interest (board, professor) will fill a larger fraction of your field of view,
you wont be distracted by students/phones/laptops in front of you, and the volume will be louder to
maintain your attention (ever wonder why TV commercials are louder than the show?)
Put name and contact info in each notebook (in case you lose them)!
Leave 12 pages in front for a table of contents or list of lectures, if you wish
The mechanical act of taking notes is both kinesthetic and tactile; it aids the body in learning/remembering information. Notetaking also allows you to organize information in a way most suitable for your learning / preference.
Taking good notes is a skill that you will use for a lifetime; it is worth learning how to do it well now!
Copyright 20032014 J. Longtin