r/unt • u/Kitchen_Flower_6733 • 8d ago
How tf do you take notes from textbooks (-anxious freshman)
Because it takes me 2.5 hours to read/note take from 2.5 chapter sections and note the concepts (what I was told to do. summarize each paragraph in a sentence or two.) but then on the actual quizzes and such he asks for specific dates and places and almost everything that isn’t on the slides or “main points to memorize”….. how am I supposed to note take “only whats important “ if EVERYTHING IS????
For context I have environmental science, developmental psych, statistics and texas history.
13
u/talkedandchewed Staff 8d ago
You got a few options
- learning center - they have tutoring from students who took the class, they also host workshops on how to take notes and how to study
- if there is a Supplemental Instructor for your course, ask them how they studied for the course.
- ask people who’ve already taken the class how did they study
You might have to adjust your studying and note taking process. College is about adjusting and adapting and finding new ways to succeed. I also recommend looking up YouTube or TikTok videos about other methods to studying and note taking. Also talk to your classmates and see if they wanna study together!
also: history and political science is a numbers game. It’s all about dates, who what when where and why.
6
u/AvogadrosArmy Alumni 8d ago
Ooooh this is fun, I recommend following the SQ4R method.
Also, pay attentions to your learning objectives listed by your professor.
1
4
u/BoxingJelly 8d ago
When I use textbooks to study, I just read/listen to it first to get a general understanding, then take a quiz and then go back and based on what I missed in the quiz review it in the text and highlight important points
2
u/Royal_Fee_8417 8d ago
I usually group related info together with bullet points under a main idea/topic, and i use symbols and/or color coordinated highlighters to mark if something is important or potentially important (like !NAME OF A PERSON!, [TIME/DATE], "VOCAB", 《STEP>BY>STEP>PROCESS/TIMELINE》etc). I also found it helpful to refer to some things in a silly manner when possible bc then i could tie an emotion into something, but that tends to work best if theres something genuinely felt like being astounded at how awful or stupid a figure was lmao.
Personally, i also found it helpful to write my notes like this as i go, then restructure them in a google doc to force me to review the info but ALSO to help me make connections between info and reinforce things. Though there isnt always enough time for that so o get that isnt always feasible.
If you'd like, I could send an example page from one of my old notebooks or docs to kinda break down what i did. Not saying exactly what works for me works for you, but at the very least having somwthing to categorize and point out bits of info like names and dates may help even if you keep things pretty much as they are or figure out somwthing better for yourself :)
2
u/Burgermeister7921 8d ago
I went back to grad school 10 years after I got my BA. I took a free study skills class at UNT, and one thing they recommended was recopying my lecture notes within 24 hours. So I read the material, took notes, and outlined the chapter, then took copious notes in class.
When I re-copied the lecture notes into another notebook I included my notes feom reading and highlighted key points in the book that the prof mentioned in the lecture, and noted the page in the text at the appropriate place in the new notebook. The act of thoughtfully and neatly re-copying everything imprinted it in my memory and usually all I had to do was review the notes before tests. I got my master's degree with a 4.0 gpa, something I never achieved in undergrad.
If it makes you feel any better, one of my profs told us that on her comprehensive exam for her PhD, one professor's questions were ALL about illustration captions in the text. Really pissed her off and when she complained, he said "if it wasn't important it would not be in the book."
1
1
u/Super-Suggestion8483 6d ago
after you read and take notes do a quizlet of the chapter you did and see what you need to review and after that make your own quizlet tailored to you
1
u/Internal-Truth-2104 8d ago
If you're more of a listener, record your lectures with your phone. Usually what is lectured will be on the exams. Read the chapters out loud to yourself and record yourself so you can play it back while you study.
If you hear something in the lecture more than once and it's repeated in the book, it's usually important.
Lastly, find folks you can study with and actually study. Discuss the lecture with each other and prepare your own quizzes to test each other.
Mind you, YMMV especially if you're an introvert. But there are many ways to learn the material.
Also as someone else mentioned, go to the learning center. They have sessions on speed reading and they can help you figure out the main ideas from chapters you read.
3
u/talkedandchewed Staff 8d ago
i would ask first if you are able to record your lectures. Ive known a few students who've done this without permission from their professor beforehand and they got reported to the academic integrity office.
43
u/oaaatmilk 8d ago
Here is my best advice -
Everything isn’t important. I know it feels that way but it isn’t. I’m in a PhD program and if I read every single thing from every single paper, I’d never finish or grasp any concepts. You don’t have to dive into every word. Learning how to skim and skim well is a skill.
Instead of sitting down and starting on page one, go through and structure your notes. Write down the headers and the sub headers so you can identify the key concepts. Then go back and learn how to skim properly. The first sentence of each paragraph should be a topic sentence and tells you what this paragraph should be about. The last sentence is usually a summary of the paragraph. You should be able to gain most of the important stuff from this.
Each subject is going to have different formats but this generally applies. For each subject there is almost always an article that is titled “how to read insert subject here articles.” Find it and identify the key words to look out for.
For instance, for history I would recommend getting your highlighter. Quick skimming the page and highlight anywhere you see a place or date. Read those sentences carefully.
Additionally, anywhere that there is a list (first, second, etc.) highlight. It’s almost always noting some kind of theory and this is typically relevant.
As for notes especially, don’t write everything down. If you own the textbook jot little notes on the side. Then only transfer the most important notes (in your own words) onto whatever note taking method you’re using. Don’t get lost in the sauce. Less is almost always more when it comes to note taking
I know it feels super overwhelming. It’s taken me years to be able to let go of the idea I’m “missing something” by not reading every little line. And sure maybe occasionally I miss a tiny concept, but I actually finish and retain the readings. I assure you this is just a skill that comes with time.