Note taking and organizing tips?

RDH2RN · Aug 5, 2005

Hi Missjen!

I just started back to school 2 semesters ago (last degree was 11 yrs. ago). Here is what has worked for me: I take lecture notes in spiral notebooks and keep the class syllabus, handouts and quizzes/tests in a three-ring binder. When it comes to textbooks, I am the highlighting queen! My classmates and co-workers are always teasing me, saying, "Why don't you just highlight the entire book?" :chuckle I highlight any terms/definitions in each chapter and anything else that sounds like something that may be on a test (key points).

I'm only taking two classes at a time, but I have separate spiral notebooks and three-ring binders for each class. I try to color-code them to keep them together. For example: purple notebook and purple binder for one class, blue notebook and blue binder for another. That way, when I'm packing my school bag the night before, I just have to grab all the same colored stuff for whatever class I have the next day.

When I'm taking notes in class, I usually put them in an outline form. It's spaced out nicely on the page and is easier to study. If you think about it, most lectures consist of terms and definitions or lists of things. So, outline form works well. I've seen my other classmates' notes, and they're just a bunch of non-stop words on a page, written like a story. I don't know how they manage to study that way! If you make the effort to take notes in outline form, you usually don't need to go back and re-write them.

If the teacher draws anything on the board, COPY IT into your notes too! I guarantee you...if he/she thinks it's important enough to draw on the board, it WILL be on a test. Another tip for note-taking: if the teacher repeats something more than once or says something and then pauses for a moment, WRITE IT DOWN!! They're pausing for a reason (they're waiting for you to put it in your notes). Once again, it will definitely be on the test!

When I'm doing my reading in the textbook, if I read something important that is not already in my notes, I go back and add it to my notebook. I also read through any "Study Outlines" at the back of each chapter and test myself.

Another thing: FLASHCARDS!! Buy yourself a bunch of index cards and make flashcards for anything and everything. They're a terrific, portable way to study, when you're not at school. You can carry them in your purse and pull them out whenever you've got a spare moment...waiting in a line somewhere, waiting at a stoplight, you name it! Using every spare moment you have to study is the key to success.

Finally, I've been using a messenger bag to carry all my books to school. Of course, a backpack is just as good. I just like the messenger bags, because they're bigger and can hold more.

Hope all this helps! I've done all this, along with having a full-time job and a family and have managed straight "A's" so far. The key is organization and putting in the study time.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!! School can actually be fun, if you let it! :)

Angel

Since it has been a very long time since I have been in school, I was wondering if any of you pros might tell me how you organize your notes, handouts, etc?
Do you use binders? Spiral bound notebooks with dividers? Accordion files?
How do you take notes? Do you transfer them later to another folder or file? Do you use highlighters, post-it notes, index cards? Hole punches?
And how do you carry all of this stuff around campus?
I am eager to sit at your collective feet and learn!

Fox · Aug 6, 2005

Good tips!!

Hi Missjen!
I just started back to school 2 semesters ago (last degree was 11 yrs. ago). Here is what has worked for me: I take lecture notes in spiral notebooks and keep the class syllabus, handouts and quizzes/tests in a three-ring binder. When it comes to textbooks, I am the highlighting queen! My classmates and co-workers are always teasing me, saying, "Why don't you just highlight the entire book?" :chuckle I highlight any terms/definitions in each chapter and anything else that sounds like something that may be on a test (key points).
I'm only taking two classes at a time, but I have separate spiral notebooks and three-ring binders for each class. I try to color-code them to keep them together. For example: purple notebook and purple binder for one class, blue notebook and blue binder for another. That way, when I'm packing my school bag the night before, I just have to grab all the same colored stuff for whatever class I have the next day.
When I'm taking notes in class, I usually put them in an outline form. It's spaced out nicely on the page and is easier to study. If you think about it, most lectures consist of terms and definitions or lists of things. So, outline form works well. I've seen my other classmates' notes, and they're just a bunch of non-stop words on a page, written like a story. I don't know how they manage to study that way! If you make the effort to take notes in outline form, you usually don't need to go back and re-write them.
If the teacher draws anything on the board, COPY IT into your notes too! I guarantee you...if he/she thinks it's important enough to draw on the board, it WILL be on a test. Another tip for note-taking: if the teacher repeats something more than once or says something and then pauses for a moment, WRITE IT DOWN!! They're pausing for a reason (they're waiting for you to put it in your notes). Once again, it will definitely be on the test!
When I'm doing my reading in the textbook, if I read something important that is not already in my notes, I go back and add it to my notebook. I also read through any "Study Outlines" at the back of each chapter and test myself.
Another thing: FLASHCARDS!! Buy yourself a bunch of index cards and make flashcards for anything and everything. They're a terrific, portable way to study, when you're not at school. You can carry them in your purse and pull them out whenever you've got a spare moment...waiting in a line somewhere, waiting at a stoplight, you name it! Using every spare moment you have to study is the key to success.
Finally, I've been using a messenger bag to carry all my books to school. Of course, a backpack is just as good. I just like the messenger bags, because they're bigger and can hold more.
Hope all this helps! I've done all this, along with having a full-time job and a family and have managed straight "A's" so far. The key is organization and putting in the study time.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!! School can actually be fun, if you let it! :)
Angel

Fun2, BSN, RN · Aug 6, 2005

I also used a spiral notebook for each class.....make sure you get a 5-subject because you may need lots and lots of paper! lol

I taped each lesson as well. When I got home, I'd combine my notes with the notes the instructor provided online, just in case there was something he/she didn't go over in class this time. While combining the notes, I also listened to the tape to make sure I didn't leave anything out, or to fill in blank lines I might have made b/c I couldn't write fast enough, etc.

After I had all my notes together, I made a CD for each test by reading and recording the notes, and burning it on a CD. I would listen to the CD in my truck to and from class, and on the way to take a test.

So far I haven't been a highlighter queen, but I've known several, and it seems to help them. I guess it all depends on what helps you.

I definately recommend drawing anything the instructor draws on the board. (Write anything he/she writes on the board, and anything he/she repeats!) I try to write highlights of whatever I feel is important, but I'd for sure get anything he/she says more than once!!

PHOTOS, PHOTOS, PHOTOS! I can't stress enough how much taking photos helped me in A&P and Microbiology!!

Studying in the truck while hubby is driving is a plus too...keeps my mind off his driving habits, and gets me farther along in my studies as well! HAHAHA

Good luck! :)

BTW, WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR AVATAR? I HAVE A DIFFERENT BETTY BOOP NURSE ON MY SITE.

danbranham_2000 · Aug 7, 2005

Hi Missjen!
I just started back to school 2 semesters ago (last degree was 11 yrs. ago). Here is what has worked for me: I take lecture notes in spiral notebooks and keep the class syllabus, handouts and quizzes/tests in a three-ring binder. When it comes to textbooks, I am the highlighting queen! My classmates and co-workers are always teasing me, saying, "Why don't you just highlight the entire book?" :chuckle I highlight any terms/definitions in each chapter and anything else that sounds like something that may be on a test (key points).
I'm only taking two classes at a time, but I have separate spiral notebooks and three-ring binders for each class. I try to color-code them to keep them together. For example: purple notebook and purple binder for one class, blue notebook and blue binder for another. That way, when I'm packing my school bag the night before, I just have to grab all the same colored stuff for whatever class I have the next day.
When I'm taking notes in class, I usually put them in an outline form. It's spaced out nicely on the page and is easier to study. If you think about it, most lectures consist of terms and definitions or lists of things. So, outline form works well. I've seen my other classmates' notes, and they're just a bunch of non-stop words on a page, written like a story. I don't know how they manage to study that way! If you make the effort to take notes in outline form, you usually don't need to go back and re-write them.
If the teacher draws anything on the board, COPY IT into your notes too! I guarantee you...if he/she thinks it's important enough to draw on the board, it WILL be on a test. Another tip for note-taking: if the teacher repeats something more than once or says something and then pauses for a moment, WRITE IT DOWN!! They're pausing for a reason (they're waiting for you to put it in your notes). Once again, it will definitely be on the test!
When I'm doing my reading in the textbook, if I read something important that is not already in my notes, I go back and add it to my notebook. I also read through any "Study Outlines" at the back of each chapter and test myself.
Another thing: FLASHCARDS!! Buy yourself a bunch of index cards and make flashcards for anything and everything. They're a terrific, portable way to study, when you're not at school. You can carry them in your purse and pull them out whenever you've got a spare moment...waiting in a line somewhere, waiting at a stoplight, you name it! Using every spare moment you have to study is the key to success.
Finally, I've been using a messenger bag to carry all my books to school. Of course, a backpack is just as good. I just like the messenger bags, because they're bigger and can hold more.
Hope all this helps! I've done all this, along with having a full-time job and a family and have managed straight "A's" so far. The key is organization and putting in the study time.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!! School can actually be fun, if you let it! :)
Angel

Great thanks! Needed this...

SusanJean · Aug 7, 2005

Oh, how I wish I could be so organized - I try, but it never works.

I get the notebooks w/ folders so I can keep track of all the handouts that way.

I get one notebook per class (different color for each) w/ at 3-5 sections (depending upon the amount of paper I think I will need.)

Rather than highlight the book, I try to take notes in one section of the notebook, so when lecture comes, I can highlight my notes on what was covered in class - and add to the notes w/ a different colored pen.

I use tons of notecards for studying for tests - put a couple key points on each card and have them handy anywhere, any time for review.

I use colored pencils for color coding concepts -

Everything goes into the car in a box - so I can swap stuff between classes, to study at school, etc. And a backpack to carry it to class. (Also holds PDA, cell phone, water, food/snacks, etc.)

A stapler is essential...mine keeps going astray, courtesy of my kids.

missninaRN · Aug 7, 2005

Great info here! Thanks so much for the replies.

Fun2care-I found Betty by doing a Google image search.

kristen38 · Aug 7, 2005

I dont' use spiral note books. I get frustrated when I need just one sheet of notes and have to rip it out of the book, or when the teacher gives out handouts that go with the lecture and they just get stuck inside of it. Or if a friend needs to photocopy the notes, I have to give him or her my whole book to copy instead of a few pages.

I bring paper on a clip board to class, and take notes, get handouts and when I get home I place them together with a paper clip and put them in a file folder (I have one for each class). My school (like many) is divided up into weeks and each week is a different topic or two, so if I need to bring any notes to school to work on or know that I will need them in class I only have to bring in the week before, and not all of them. Given the size of some of my textbooks, I could not imagine lugging around them plus a couple of binders.

I know that this sounds wierd, and several classmates have asked how I do that, but it works for me and makes my bag less heavy.

Kristen

Nrs_angie, BSN, RN · Aug 7, 2005

hello,

i started taking my gen ed classes with penn state and now i am a senior in nursing school. nursing school classes are much different than college classes. in college you may have 2 or 3 entirely different classes all in one day and several different courses each week. for me using spiral notebooks with folders worked just fine, one for each course.

but nursing school is a whole different ballpark. lets say you are taking nursing 100... you will have that class from 8 am til 3 pm, monday-friday... sometimes earlier or later... but you will be with usually the same instructor for the entire day. you may study cardiovascular for 2 weeks and then move onto neuro for 2 weeks and so on. this is what worked for me... and just about everyone in my class does this... get a huge 3 ring binder... a 1.5 inch or a 2 inch... and buy one of those slim 3 ring hole punchers for like 2 dollars at wal-mart, to punch holes in handouts and then keep them in the binder.... our instructors always gave us mounds and mounds of handouts. that was really nice because we didnt have to take separte notes... just add to the handouts if we thought something was important.... but some instructors dont give handouts and you have to write your own notes... so buy that loose notebook paper with the 3 holes... you will use lots and lots of notebook paper... then you can also buy those index dividers with the tabs you can label... whenever you finish with a section you can label it "urinary", "neuro", "integumentary", "nursing process", "fluid balance", "electrolytes", or whatever section you are working on... then keep all your handouts, notes, quizzes, ect on cardiovascular under the cardiovascular tab.... and so on.... then when its test time... you can easily find all your cardio stuff.... now you can also buy those really nice pocket folders for inserting into a 3 ring binder... they come in transparent or clear... and many colors... they are so nice to organize your clinical stuff... like all your med sheets can go in one, and all your care plans can go into another... all your patient assessments can go into another... the 3 ring binders with the clear outer cover is nice to insert your montly class/clinical schedule on top.... this way you always know where your schedule is.... and you can refer to it easily... so you can plan out your days... and on the spine of the binder you can insert a label for each nursing semester you are in... nursing 100, nursing 101, nursing 200, ect and so on.... i recommend keeping all the notes you ever take in nursing school... and keep those binders organized and in a safe place at home... because there are lots of times where i can not find the answer i need in a book... but i can remember learning about it in the beginning of nursing school which was like 2 years ago... and i can remember taking notes on that particular topic... so all i have to do is go back to my nursing 101 binder and look under alterations in oxygenation tab... and find the answer i need!

now as for highlighters... some people highlight everything and to me it just looks like a "pretty, pretty, rainbow".... doesnt seem to really serve a purpose other than looking nice... but there is a purpose to highlighting and that is to draw your attention to the really important stuff, such as test questions. our instructors would give a review at the end of each unit and thats what was going to be on the quiz. the method that worked for me... was highlight in one color only the stuff they reviewed or emphasized as a test question... then when the quiz was over... go back and highlight the stuff in another color that i had difficulty with on the exam.... then when it came time for the midterm or the final ( which were cumulative ), instead of studying 500,000 pages of notes... i would study only the highlighted material.

as for how to take good notes: outline form is okay... or you can even make it more simplified...

for example:

cardiovascular system ( at the top of the page ) note page #'s in text to refer to: ie: see p. 512-523 in text:

- key point

normal pathopysiology: see photo on p. 513 in text:

- key point

- ect ect ect

myocardial infarction: definition

etiology:

risk factors:

pathophys:

signs/symptoms (clinical manifestations ):

medical management ( treatment ):

nursing care (nursing implications):

medications:

angina: defintion

etiology:

signs/symptoms:

pahtophys:

* note how angina differs from myocardial infarction

treatment:

nursing care:

medications:

* asterics * anything that is important or a possible test question...

underline important defintions

highlight anything the instructor notes as important or outright tells you its a test question

in the margins make note of important page #'s to refer to from the text as your instructor draws attention to certain key images or tables in your books.

well thats all that i can think of right now... i hope this is a help to all the new nursing students! its going to be rough at first, but stay organized and you will do great! good luck,

angie

p.s. i just remembered, if it sounds like a 2 inch binder is going to be too big or bulky to carry in a backpack with all your books... just remember you probably wont need all your nursing books in the same day... you may just need one or two books that day... your instructors will let you know what book you need.... for instance you may only need a pathophysiology book every day for two weeks.... and there may be a day where you only need your pharmacology book.... so you don't have to carry every book all of the time... but always, always, bring your binder! it will be your best friend. it will have everything you need. plus if a friend wants to copy notes because he/she was absent... just lend out the pages which were missed, not all of your notes.... guard it with your life!!!

think of it this way:

your text book is that friend who is always around; but sometimes they are a pain in the ass, yet you just cant get rid of them because you may need them someday.

your binder is your best friend: you go everywhere together; without this friend you would be lost; this friend knows you better than you know yourself; always has just what you need!

ok, i know its corny!!! but it works! :rotfl:

RDH2RN · Aug 8, 2005

as for how to take good notes: outline form is okay... or you can even make it more simplified...
for example:
cardiovascular system ( at the top of the page ) note page #'s in text to refer to: ie: see p. 512-523 in text:
- key point
- key point
- key point
normal pathopysiology: see photo on p. 513 in text:
- key point
- key point
- ect ect ect
myocardial infarction: definition
etiology:
risk factors:
pathophys:
signs/symptoms (clinical manifestations ):
medical management ( treatment ):
nursing care (nursing implications):
medications:
angina: defintion
etiology:
signs/symptoms:
pahtophys:
* note how angina differs from myocardial infarction
treatment:
nursing care:
medications:
* asterics * anything that is important or a possible test question...
underline important defintions
highlight anything the instructor notes as important or outright tells you its a test question
in the margins make note of important page #'s to refer to from the text as your instructor draws attention to certain key images or tables in your books.
***************************************************
this is exactly how i do my notes and is what i meant by "outline form". i didn't mean an actual outline with roman numerals and letters/numbers. i just didn't explain it as well. lol thanks, nrs angie!! :)
angel

missninaRN · Aug 8, 2005

Okay, I am copying and pasting all this great info into my documents right now! Thanks so much!