What to do before, during, and after the lecture

To become a successful college student you need to know what to do before, during, and after a lecture. There are a lot of students that simply show up to class to just be present and then head home without absorbing all of the information that was presented. Some students feel that if there are no assignments due or no test that they can skip class. Skipping class should never be an option. Take advantage of your education and the money being spent on it.

Before the Lecture: Prepare for Effective Note-Taking

• Do the assigned reading. The best way to prepare for class is simply reading the chapter that will be covered that day. This makes it easy to understand what the professor is talking about during the lecture.  Reading the assigned chapter beforehand will make the class more of a review session than a lecture.
• Arrive to class 10 minutes early and grab a seat up front. Getting to class early will give you an opportunity to review your notes from the previous class.

During the Lecture: What to Write Down

• Get off the internet!
• Do not focus on writing everything down. If you read the assigned readings, you should be able to differentiate the important points from the fluff.
• If your professor doesn’t mind, record the lectures. This can come in handy if you miss something or cannot write fast enough to keep up.
• Key things to write down:
• Anytime the professor says, “You need to know this,” or “This will be on the test.” Duh.
• Anytime the professor repeats himself.
• Anything the professor writes on the board or includes in a PowerPoint slide.
• Anything the professor repeats very slowly so that it can be taken down word for word.
• If your professor starts talking more quickly, or loudly, or with more emphasis.
• Watch for language that shows relationships between ideas. These sorts of points are often where professors get their exam questions from:
• first, second, third
• especially, most significant, most important
• however, on the other hand
• because, so, therefore, consequently
• Write down any examples or hypotheticals the professor gives during class.
• Take note of any upcoming assignments or dates that the professor mention

After the Lecture: Review, Clarify, and Synthesize

• Review and clarify your notes right after class. Make sure that everything you wrote down makes sense and is relevant.
• Synthesize your notes. This means combine your reading notes, class notes, and other things such as vocabulary into a solid review.