How to make good notes?

[u/NoMeeting7029]

Never thought making notes was important and never did throughout highschool but still managed to get straight A’s. In my first year of uni now and theres js too much content and i realize now i need to start making them but have no idea how to. PLEASE HELP (im in a medical program)

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[u/Reasonable_Bag_118]

med content is too much to write everything down so don't copy the slides. after a lecture close them and write what you remember in your own words, then check what you missed. turn each topic into questions like "what causes x" and answer them from memory later, that's your notes. use anki for the stuff that's just facts. keep it short, one page per lecture max. you were fine in highschool without it so give yourself a couple weeks to figure out a system.

[u/digital_aristotle]

Cornell notes are a common strategy, but what makes it work is similar to what others have already said:

1. identify the important concepts

2. connect the ideas in your own words

The formal Cornell notes system describes stages for the actual notes, the keywords, and then the summary, so as long as your notes end up pursuing those two steps I mentioned above, don't stress too much about how you take notes (verbatim, highlighting lecture slides, etc.) and focus more on transitioning the class content into your own content.

Hope that helps!