Help with note taking in college?

Question

I just started Uni, and the reading assignments are def. different than HS! Usually in HS, I would just do the reading but not take notes except for in class.(except AP Psych, and that took about two hours to complete daily) Now that I'm in Uni, it's like every assignment as AP Psych. I started taking notes for my classes, and figured I was taking waaay too long to get finished (Everybody else on my hall in my dorm finished their hw at a reasonable time and is out having fun and hanging out, but yet I'm still cooped in my room writing notes)

Today I tried highlighting in my book what I want to summarize in my notes, but then I realized I'm just typing word for word what I highlighted, which would make notes pointless.

So I'm at a loss here! What should I do? Should I just suck it up and write notes for hours on end, or just highlight and reference the book later? Or is there some other way I can do this?

Answer 1

Your university probably has a study/reading center where you can talk to someone about your note-taking difficulty. They may be able to suggest a more efficient way to take notes. One thing I learned along the way was that textbooks always have questions at the end of the chapter. Read the questions first, before reading the chapter, and then look for the answers as you read. The questions emphasize the most important points of the chapter, so it's a way of focusing your reading and helping you learn the most important material being covered.

Answer 2

It's a time management thing. You'll get used to it and you'll be able to read like crazy (or stay up all night) in a few months.

If you're taking notes on your readings then you should write down the important things. I'm sure your professor has Power Points or handouts that will give you a guideline of things you need to know. If they don't, feel free to shoot them an email asking what will be on the test or something.

Answer 3

Do what works for you even if it takes a long time. You don't know what kind of grades the ones who get done in a reasonable amount of time are getting. Maybe you could work your hardest all week and promise yourself a free weekend. Suck it up for now so you are not sorry later.