The top 5 note-taking mistakes that every student makes (and how to fix them)

Posted on by J.J. Hamilton

Busy first term at Uni, huh?

I remember being so overwhelmed with the sheer number of new things that I could do and interact with that I barely even had time to think about learning things. You’re kind of just expected to show up and…do The Thing.

I suppose that’s probably why First Year doesn’t really count towards the vast majority of final grades. It’s a bit of a training year. That’s why it’s important to experiment in your learning. You should experiment with:

Experimenting will lead you to making a lot of mistakes along the way. Thankfully, I’ve probably already made them all – and figured out how to avoid them, so that you don’t have to. Here’s my guide to the top five mistakes that all students make when taking notes at Uni – and how to fix them.

1. Trying to write everything down

    The teacher or lecturer in the room is seen as this mystical being of knowledge, and therefore you might feel compelled to write down absolutely everything that they say. Doing so leads to passive note-taking, where you’re so busy writing that you don’t actually have the capacity to process and understand the information.

    How to avoid: You are an editor, not a transcriber, so it’s about a mindset shift. Listen out for keywords and concepts, focus on the main ideas, and summarise them in your own words. Start using abbreviations, symbols or dual code notes as images to speed up your process.

    2. Only highlighting or underlining a textbook

      Who doesn’t love highlighting? It makes you feel organised and productive but, if you’re not doing something with that highlighting, it becomes utterly pointless – and you’re not, ultimately, learning anything. Highlighting without note-taking is a passive activity that won’t improve comprehension or retention.

      How to avoid: Treat highlighting as a first step, but not the only step. Once you’ve highlighted a sentence or phrase, write a brief summary or question in the margin, or pop that phrase and your thoughts into a separate notebook. This will force you to think about what you’ve read, and the Cornell Notes method actually works really well with this.

      3. Waiting to review your notes

        The forgetting curve shows that we forget information really quickly after we learn it, and the amount of information we forget increases the longer it’s been since you’ve looked at your notes, or done some form of interleaving, like a quick knowledge check. If you don’t look at your notes again until just before an exam, you’ll have probably forgotten most of it.

        How to avoid: The best way to avoid the impact of this curve is to review your notes within 24 hours. Don’t spend hours doing this (especially since it’ll be information overload at Uni), but a quick 10-15 minute review after class can dramatically improve retention. Clarify anything that’s unclear, add missing details, and summarise your main points. Speak to your friends who were there too if you’re still unsure about anything.

        4. Not having a consistent system

          Swapping from analogue to digital note-taking, or scribbling everything into random note books without rhyme or reason, can lead to a system that’s really quite tricky to use. Not having a clearly defined system creates stress and wastes your time.

          How to avoid: Choose a consistent method that works for you – whether it’s Cornell Notes, the Outline Method, Spider Diagrams, or something else entirely. Experiment with digital and analogue note-taking to see which works best, and establish a consistent structure for each class, using folders, tabs or tags to keep everything organised.

          5. Simply copying slides or the whiteboard

            Simply copying whatever’s on the board is a huge mistake. Slides should be made to summarise key points, or as a visual aid for the lecturer. For a school teacher, that’s the best way to use slides, since you shouldn’t ever just be reading from the board to educate others. 

            How to avoid: Listen to the lecturer’s explanations and add context to whatever’s being said on the slides. Add examples, your own questions, thoughts generated from the pre-reading, and anything else that’s not been explicitly shown. Your notes need to be a supplement for the slides, rather than a duplicate of them.

            Actually, maybe you’ve not actually started Uni yet – if not, no bother; but you’re in the right place. Here’s my guide to the essential list of 50 things that you need to take to Uni (and what to leave behind).

            If you liked that, you’ll love…

            While you’re here, why not stay up-to-date with my socials?

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