9 Best Note-Taking Methods for College

Students

JOE SABALLA

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

Have you ever heard of the saying, “If you aren’t taking notes, you
aren’t learning”?

Some people may think that note-taking is a boring and time-wasting

activity. But taking notes during college will help you remember
details that would otherwise be lost.

However, if you think note-taking simply involves jotting down what

you hear during a lecture, that’s where you’re wrong! There are
multiple methods that you can follow to get the most out of note-
taking, learn the material, and ace your exams.

Here are nine of the best note-taking methods for college students.

1. The Cornell Method

Do you have a short-term memory when it comes to mind-boggling
concepts and ideas? The Cornell Method might just save you!
This systematic format involves creating two columns in a notebook.
The left side (30 percent of the page) is for the “cue” section, while
the right side (70 percent) should be allotted for the “notes” section.

Write all the keywords you’ll hear during a lecture in the left column,
while the right side is reserved for a more thorough explanation or
information regarding those keywords.

Include a brief summary of the topic at the bottom of each page. This
way, you can speed up your reviewing and studying — which is
always a big advantage with a college course load, right?

Pros:

 Sums up all information in a systematic way

 Allows you to easily extract main ideas and concepts
Cuts down time in organizing and reviewing your notes
Cons:

 Creating the page layout can be time-consuming

 May require you some time to summarize ideas

2. The Outline Method

Probably the easiest and most common note-taking technique for
college students, the Outline Method involves picking four or five key
points covered in a lecture.

For each key point, you write a more in-depth explanation (using
bullet points, of course!) based on what’s being discussed by your
professors. By using this strategy, all topics and their subtopics will
be presented in a structured and easy-to-read way.

Curious about why this is probably the most commonly-used

method? That’s because this technique has a structure that allows
students to see connections between ideas. You can also easily
convert the points into questions to quiz yourself later on!

Pros:

 Neat and organized presentation of information

 Highlights important points of a lecture in a logical way
May reduce your reviewing time
Cons:

 Cannot be used if the lecture is too fast or doesn’t follow a specific

structure
 Not appropriate for lectures involving formulas and charts (such as
mathematics and chemistry)

3. The Charting Method

Similar to the Cornell Method, the Charting Method uses columns to
organize key points and additional details. You can create a table or
spreadsheet consisting of three to five columns, each representing a
unique category that can make the rows easily comparable.

For example, if you are a communications student and you’re

learning about various camera angles, your first column may include
the kinds of shots, the second descriptions, the third column the
specific shot’s meaning for a photo or a movie, and the fourth tips
and tricks.

But how about heavy content that includes stats? Well, the Charting
Method is also a great method for those. This technique allows you
to highlight key pieces of information to organize facts for easy
review. How convenient!

Pros:

 Suitable if you need to memorize a lot of information

 Helps you keep track of details
Allows you to easily compare points
Cons:

 Time-consuming
 Not effective if the content of the lecture involves long explanations
By taking notes during college, you will remember important pieces
of information that would otherwise be lost or forgotten. Photo: Gift
Habeshaw/Unsplash

4. The Map Method

If you’re a visual learner, this is the note-taking method for you! The
Map Method helps you organize your notes by dividing them into
branches.

Begin with writing the main topic at the top or middle of the map
(your call!), then divide it into subtopics using arrows. Use the entire
page until you reach the smallest information related to your main
topic.

Remember to start off with broad, general ideas before adding sub-
concepts such as dates and supporting facts. This will enable you to
establish relationships between the topics.

Pros:

 Relationships between topics or ideas can be viewed easily

 Allows easy editing of your notes by adding marks, numbers, and
color coding
Main points can be extracted easily and pieced together using a
larger structure at a later date
Cons:

 Not as space efficient

 Can make you confused if one piece of information is misplaced

5. The Boxing Method

Do you prefer it when everything fits into neat little boxes? Using this
technique, all information related to one specific subject is grouped
together in one box, cutting down the time needed for reading and
reviewing.
This method is more convenient for college students who are using
an iPad since it has digital note-taking applications
like GoodNotes that allow you to subsequently reorder or resize
contents. It also lets you zoom in on a specific page to help you focus
on one topic at a time.

Pros:

 Sorts out information in the form of boxes

 Can help you familiarize the relation between notes in a visual way
Allows you to focus on one box at a time during review
Cons:

 Can be ineffective for some lecture types (such as fast-paced or

cluttered lectures)
 May require you additional time to group all information

6. The Sentence Method

If you’re attending a fast-paced lecture and the above methods are
slowing you down, the Sentence Method is your knight in shining
armor!

The technique requires you to simply jot down everything that’s

being discussed to the best of your ability. You should start each
sentence (or each point) on a new line. This allows you to cover a lot
of information quickly and can help you identify which details are
relevant or not after the lecture.

Pros:
 Requires little preparation
 More organized than using paragraphs
You can easily scratch off points that are irrelevant or highlight
important information
Cons:

 Doesn’t show the internal connections between topics and

subtopics
 Might take time to clean up relationship between ideas before you
can review the notes

7. The Flow Notes Method

For students who love integrating drawings into their notes for
aesthetic or other purposes, the Flow Notes Method might be the
most effective note-taking technique to use.

The idea is simple: jot down topics (you can use keywords), then start
drawing arrows or make use of doodles, diagrams, and graphs to
connect the ideas together. If some details remind you of another
piece of information, jot it down to help you establish connections.

Remember that when using this method, there are three important
things to follow: simplify, visualize, and make connections.

Pros:

 Allows you to concentrate on the note’s content, cutting down the

time needed for review
 Helps you maximize class time and revise old lectures later at home
May help you feel like an ordinary student and not a lecture-
transcribing machine
Cons:

 Time-consuming, as you will need to draw arrows, diagrams, and

doodles to connect ideas
 Misplaced information may give you a tough time reviewing your
notes
Note-taking is also good for students who have short-term memory
or are visual learners. It will help you keep track of details discussed
during lectures. Photo: Judit Peter/Pexels

8. The Structured Analysis Method

In subjects where analysis and thorough explanation are important,
you might find the Structured Analysis Method is the ideal note-
taking method for you.

But how do you make use of it? Like the Cornell Method, you’ll create
a table with two columns — but the left side (70 percent) should be
allotted for your actual notes, while the right side (30 percent) is for
remarks.

During your lecture you can add the information you hear to the left
column, but write your own thoughts and analysis in the smaller
column to deepen your knowledge of the topic.

You can include strengths and weaknesses, references, comparisons,

or anything that will help you understand the topic more.

Tip: Try using different colors to distinguish various types of

information, for example green for strong points and red for weak
points.
Pros:

 Helps you save time since you can both take notes while also
analyzing them
 Best for topics with emphasized strengths and weaknesses
Can be combined with other methods (for example, you can use the
Outline Method in the left column)
Cons:

 You might find it difficult to choose which information should be

included in the right column
 Page consuming
9. The Writing on Slides Method
If your professor is the kind to make their slides available, take
advantage of it! Print off the slides or save them as a PDF and save
yourself the hassle of madly copying down the slide information.
Instead, you can focus on what your professor is saying!

This is where the Writing on Slides Method is most effective. The

slides provided by your professors will give you a leg up for the
outlining process. All you need to do is expand on key concepts
presented in the printout (yeah, it’s that easy!)

Pros:

 Can save you time since the key concepts have already been written
and provided
 Allows you to easily review topics and subtopics
Suitable for students who are not much into note-taking
Cons:

 Works only if the professors are using slides and willing to let you
print them off
 There may not be enough space to write supporting details,
especially if they are quite a lot