Hope you were able to take some great new learning skills from our blog.  Utilize those resources, get those notes organized and study effectively to help you through your post-secondary adventure.

Please feel free to email us with any questions about student success. Make sure to watch our videos and follow up on our links for any additional questions you may have.  Thanks 🙂

As a college student your time is extremely valuable, so it is imperative that you stay organized in your studies.  One of the keys to your success is your through your study notes.  These notes are going to be one of the biggest assets you will have. They allow you to grasp key concepts and provide essential review material when it comes time to study for tests and exams. Answer this honestly, what is the first thing you think about when you are asked to create study notes?  Is it “I don’t have the time or patience to write and then rewrite summaries of information I can find in my textbook” or “I listen to the lectures, I don’t need to make extra notes.”  It is true it does take some time out of your busy schedule to create good study notes and can seem like an overwhelming task however it really doesn’t need to be. Believe it or not, this will actually save you time and a lot of stress down the road. If you think you are going to just attend the classes regularly, jotting down the little tidbits of information the lecturer goes over during their presentation and succeed, you have another thing coming and it isn’t that “90” you were hoping for.  You need to make these notes in order to fully grasp and remember the course material to be successful.  You can create really great notes without having to spend hours and hours perfecting them.  Start out by determining what your ideal learning style is. Is it visual, audible or tactile?  This will help you in determining what types of note structures will benefit you, keeping in mind you will need to use more than one style as there is not a single structure to fit every classification of college course material.  Next, review the variety of note structures available and determine which would best suit the material you will be covering in your course.  Some of the most popular structures are Outline, the Cornell method, Mapping, Charting, and Sentence. Of course there are many more that can be utilized. Take a look at these resources for more details on how to organize each structure and then practice with different styles, this will allow you to feel out what you are comfortable with.

https://medium.goodnotes.com/the-best-note-taking-methods-for-college-students-451f412e264e

https://www.gvsu.edu/cms4/asset/91D2F15F-DAF4-C2F7-B659ECCACE9E7375/1five_methods_of_notetaking.docx_updated_7-09.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AffuwyJZTQQ&vl=en

You will also want to determine how you are going to take notes.  Do you prefer handwriting in class with that trusty pen and paper or are you more comfortable with typing as you listen to your professors lectures? There is no right or wrong here.  If you are more inclined to using a computer during your studies there are several note taking software programs available to you. This method can also save you time when it comes to revising your notes as you will not need to completely redo them, just add on or tidy them up as needed. Once you have identified which structure you will use, create a draft of your notes prior to your in-class lecture by reading and summarizing the material expected to be reviewed in the lecture. Making majority of your notes prior to class will allow you to follow along adding those key points given by the lecturer that were not discussed in the textbook or provide the extra clarification that was needed when you initially reviewed the material.  Don’t forget to ask questions for any material that you did not get clarification on at the end of class or during that section of the lecture. After class you can add and clean up the additional notes you jotted down into each topic or subtopic of your notes to make them complete. All that is left to do now is read them over. Do you understand the material that you summarized? Do you remember what you just read? If so, your study notes are clearly working for you and you are on your path to succeeding in your colleg

References

“Five Notetaking Methods” October 8^th 2010. Retrieved from https://www.gvsu.edu/cms4/asset/91D2F15F-DAF4-C2F7-B659ECCACE9E7375/1five_methods_of_notetaking.docx_updated_7-09.pdf

Frank, Thomas. October 9^th 2014. How to Take Notes in Class. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AffuwyJZTQQ&vl=en

“The Best Note-Taking Methods for College Students  & Serious Note Takers” May 9^th 2018. Retrieved from https://medium.goodnotes.com/the-best-note-taking-methods-for-college-students-451f412e264e

 

 

It’s important to know and understand the content you are learning verses memorizing and forgetting it later. The key to success down the road is to understand the concept of studying and knowing how to do what is being asked of you. Think of a doctor, they need to know how they can help or answer your questions. For example, a surgeon would need to be able to know how to get the job done in a safe manner. They need to know how to deal with the unexpected. Therefore it is so important to know what it is you are learning and to understand. Steps to studying effectively is to always have confidence in what you are doing, give yourself a break every hour for about 10 minutes, and of course make sure you are getting the sleep your body needs. It is also good to practice. Doing practice questions helps you with the skills of getting better, like everyone says practice makes perfect. This is what will help you with study habits with your time in college.     

Oftentimes colleges offer resources that many students are not aware of and do not take advantage of. This is a shame as these are very valuable resources and can be hugely beneficial to academic success.  One of the best places to start is the library. While most students are aware of the basic books and workspaces that the library offers, many are not aware of the excellent workshops and tech guides that are also available. For example, the Mohawk library offers workshops in both Office 365 and in APA formatting. Similarly, the library offers tech and IT help, as well as laptop borrowing services. Colleges are quick to stay modern, and many of the coursework and assignments need to done using specific programs and formatting. It is absolutely necessary for students to be comfortable using the computer programs necessary for their classes, and library workshops are a great way to familiarize yourself with them.

The learning resource center is another source that should definitely be taken advantage of. It offers study help and tutoring for an array of courses as well as peer assisted study sessions and tutoring. Peer tutors are a very valuable resource as they have been through the courses themselves and can share their own experiences on what worked for them, or what they found to be important parts of the course. You can simply stop in at any time during open hours for quick help, or book a time for a longer session. Part of being successful in college is taking advantage of all of the resources available to you. Colleges want you to be successful, and they do their best to give their students every chance possible to be successful. It is then up to you to use these resources.