If you are like me, you HATE taking notes in class.  Since high school I have never taken notes during class.  I didn’t take notes in high school either but that was because I was a slacker.

Now I don’t take notes in class because it is not the most effective method for most students. The key to not taking notes is reading in advanced.  And here is why it works.

Most professors teach exactly what is in the text book and a little less.  By reading the material before the professor even talks about it makes your life a lot easier. Most of the time when I am sitting in class I am just listening to the professor.  When he or she writes something on the board, most of the time I am able to think to myself “Oh, that is in the book and is already in bold text!  I can go back and use the book as my notes.”

The real reason this works so well is because of the commercialization of education.  Professors are now making courses for more students than they ever have, this makes teaching a bit more time consuming and it is much easier to use the material that is in the book.  Also, textbooks have much better designs now.  Go to the library and look at a really old calculus book and then look at your new $200 book.  There is a big difference in the organization and clarity. (However, older books are sometimes better at teaching material.)  The textbook puts everything you need to know in BOLD LETTERS, boxes and diagrams, and includes a clear summary at the end of every chapter.

But reading isn’t the only thing you need to do.

Congratulations, if you read the material before class.  You are doing better than most students.  But just reading it may not be enough.  You must try your hardest to understand the material.  Once you read it go back and see if you really understand all of the material.  Spend about 30 minutes trying to reinforce what you learned.

It is alright not to understand 100% of the material.  However, if you understand 50% of the material that is only 50% more you need to understand in class.  That is better than going to class not knowing anything.

What if the professor says something not in the book?

If you read the material, you should know what was in the material.  While you are listening to the professor you should be thinking “That was in the book,” “that was in the book,” “that was not in the book,” “that was in the book.”  If you noticed something that wasn’t in the book, then you can take notes, or if the professor is covering something you didn’t quite understand.

This doesn’t work for all classes.

This does not work for all classes.  Seminar and advanced courses may require that you take notes.  And some courses such as history may require that you take notes while you read, which is still a whole lot easier than writing really really fast to keep up with the professor during class.

This may not work for everyone, but it works for me.  Do you take notes in class?