Taking Consistent Notes for Uni

08 May, 2024

When I was at uni, I used to take notes with the following set of tools:

A black pen (Pilot Super Grip F)
A yellow highlighter
A pencil (Uni Kuru Toga Roulette) and eraser In extreme cases (i.e., plots with multiple lines), I also used a multi-color pen (Bic multi-color).

I used to write on high quality reinforced filler paper (small squares). For each lecture I used a separate binder. Pages are sorted chronologically.

I had some simple rules to make my notes consistent:

Write the lecture date on the top right corner.
Main topic title:
- Black square (filled) symbol,
- Large capital letters,
- Highlight with yellow highlighter.
Sub topic title:
- Black circle (filled),
- Smaller capital letters.
Prefer keywords to full sentences.
Write things one below the other. Never write on the side, even if it means leaving large white spaces.
Never use colors.
No underlying, no circles, no arrows.
A consistent system is key. Don't fall for the trap of beauty and shallow.

The goal of note taking is to have something useful, which is clear, complete, correct. Something that you can trust. Anything else is optional.
The notes you take in class are 30% of the work.
The remaining 70% comes from carefully reviewing them afterwards, making sure that things are clear, complete and correct!
Make sure to understand 100% of what is written in there. Everything that remains unclear injects uncertainty and confusion, making you trust your notes less.
Understanding is key! Memorizing comes later.
Notes should be reviewed soon after the lecture and definitely before the next lecture.
Use a pencil to add personal thoughts (on the right, since you left space for it).
Don't be afraid to dedicate large chunks of time to complete and understand your notes. It is worth it.

Consistency is key for academic success. Having consistent high quality notes is the first step towards it.

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