Study Prof

Part 1 was about how cramming actually costs you way more than you gain. In this post we’ll discuss another way in which we shoot ourselves in the foot by taking too many notes on the wrong stuff.

Question: why is TiVo so popular? Answer: it lets you get rid off all the stuff you don’t care about, like the commercials, and focus on the stuff you do care about, like Carmen Electra. Good notes are like TiVo; they allow you to avoid the useless schlock that won’t actually be tested and concentrate on those golden knowledge nuggets that will.

Did you know that studies on note taking (yes, people actually do research on note taking) show that writing down every word the prof says is only slightly more effective for recall than taking no notes at all? Why? ‘Cuz you aren’t processing the information. You spend all your time just trying to get it all down before your hand cramps up. Even if you do manage to get most of it down, you’re just going to have to go back and pick the M&Ms out of the party mix, so to speak, at a later date. Why not just take down the testable bits to begin with?

There are a couple of reasons. First, we feel like we’re supposed to take down everything. Somewhere sometime someone convinced us that novel-length notes are good notes. Not true! Good notes are discerning. Quality over quantity, people.

So next time you’re in class and the girl in front of you is scribbling madly to get down “electrolytes have been shown to prevent muscular cramping. That is why athletes often drink sports drinks containing electrolytes, such as Gatorade,” you can write, “electrolytes prvnt cramps (ex. Gatorade),” and watch smugly as her hand seizes up in a muscular rictus. You might offer her some Gatorade at this point.

Another reason students take too many notes is because they aren’t sure what’s important–better safe than sorry. I’m all for erring on the side of caution, but let’s be realistic. It’s not like you intend to memorize everything you write down. You plan on going back later and deciding what to actually study for the test. Good note takers just make that decision before they decide to write it down. Some students actually write down stuff they already know. What’s the point of that? Notes are there to help you learn stuff you don’t know.

I’ve already blogged about the specifics of how to take focused notes, so no need to rehash it. Bottomline? Too many notes waste time and effort. Make the decisions about what you will actually need to study while you listen to the lecture and while you read taking just enough notes to help you recall it accurately later as you study. Anything else is wasted effort.

Next up on The Top Five Ways College Students Work Too Hard, reading too much.

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Top Five Ways College Students Work Too Hard

1. Cramming
2. Taking too many notes on the wrong stuff
3. Reading more than you need to
4. Studying the wrong way
5. Not taking care of your brain

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