Tuesday, November 17, 2015

My Stationery Essentials

I like to write my notes with a pen and paper. Call me old fashioned but I find that I can scribble stuff down faster than I could with a laptop, and also that I tend to comprehend more of what I physically write than what I type. This means that I need pens that can write nicely and without smudging.

I have issues with pens that smudge as I tend to drag my hand across the paper when I write (similar to left-handed people) which also means that I get blisters on my little finger when I write (as well as ink...). So this is a list of all the pens that I like as well as other items that I find I like to have with me.

Pilot G2-07
I find that these pens have a nice tip that makes my writing look really nice. Although the ink is a little slow to dry I find that it doesn't smudge too much. These pens also have a great lifespan, they usually last me a term at university, so I only go through four a year.

Sharpie Stylo Fine Point
I love felt pens, but for me this is the only one that doesn't smudge. However I find that I go through quite a lot of these. I tend to push quite hard when I am writing which means the the tip disappears quickly.

Stabilo Swing Cool Highlighters
I have used these highlighters since I started high school. They are a nice size and they last forever, I think I have only replaced them three times, and you can buy each colour separately meaning that you don't have heaps of one colour waiting to be used.

Kikki K. Felt Tip Pens
These are slim felt tip pens that I like to use for underling the titles and dates in my notes, as well as writing things in my planner (colour coding duh..). These pens are cheap and last a long time. I would also recommend Stabilo Point 88, but they are not so easy to buy in New Zealand, well you can buy the packs but if one runs out good luck finding just that colour. So I like Kikki K. as they always have replacements.

Ruler
When I rewrite my notes I like to make sure that the underlining is straight so I always use a ruler. It doesn't have to be a long one I just use a 15cm (5.9in) one.

Post it Flags
I like to use these to flag pages in my textbooks as well as in my notes. I also colour code these.

Post it Notes
These are great for writing little notes, whether it be things to add to my notes, or for notes inside a textbook these have so many great uses that I can't live without them.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Taking Notes in Lectures

Taking notes in a lecture can be stressful, the lecturer talks too fast, too slow or they just use slides all sorts of things can change the way that you are able to take notes. So I though that I would write a post on taking notes in a lecture the way that I found has worked in many different situations. See my other College Series posts for other forms of note taking.

First of all I like to get to class early, this gives me time to read over my previous notes and get my pen and paper sorted out. By doing this I am more focused and not in a rush at the start of the lecture, therefore putting pressure on myself to keep up.

At the top of the page I write the date and the name and number of the lecture. During the lecture I tend to write as much information down as possible. As long as it is somewhat readable I really don't care what it looks like.

I underline the headings in the colour corresponding to the subject that the lecture is on. I mainly take these notes in a bullet point format, this allows me to jot down as much information as possible without having to worry about sentences.
After the lecture when I get home I rewrite my notes into my notebook. I add in details from the slides (if there are some) and add in diagrams.

After I have rewritten all my notes I will go through and highlight things like references to the textbook, people's names, important dates and key words and concepts. This means that I am inadvertently studying my notes by rewriting them, and it helps me to remember what was covered.

How do you take notes in a lecture? Do you like to rewrite them? Do you have any good study tip that you find help?