About one week ago when classes really got started, I came across a dilemma - how should I be taking my notes this year? See, if this was 2018 and I was in first year, I would be taking digital notes in…
My Experience with Volunteer Note-taking at U of T
I’ll admit that when I first heard about the volunteer note-taking program, I was kind of hesitant to join. I didn’t know how helpful it would be, and whether or not I felt comfortable sharing my notes with people I…
(Comic)ally Good Notes
Computer. Tablet. Notebook. Photographic memory.
Regardless of how you do it, we all take notes in some way or another. Some of us may take notes a little less frequently than we should, while others take notes with the frantic detail of a court stenographer. Personal note-taking preferences seem to depend on a couple things: how much of the course is based upon lecture material, how much sleep you got the night before, how neat your handwriting is and if you charged your laptop today.
Taking notes are a huge part of attending lecture and the quality of your notes can sometimes determine how well you will do in a course. The goal is finding that perfect balance between understanding most of the course material as it’s taught and jotting the most pertinent information down before your brain moves onto the next genius thing your prof says. Unfortunately, not all of us are lucky enough to have found that balance. Here are some of the types of note-takers you might know.
The Doodler
This sort of note-taker is miraculously talented enough to somehow ‘doodle’ penciled creations you couldn’t dream of and write down all of the prof’s main points. Which, now that you think about it, are really all you needed anyways. You squint to see what you thought was a doodle of a dog, only to realize this guy has done his own rendition of the Mona Lisa. Inspired, you attempt to make a doodle of your own.
...No. Scratch that. Handwritten notes in cursive are about as creative as your margins are going to get.
Pros: The Doodler’s notes are one of two things: Heartbreakingly hipster or total pinterest aesthetic.
Cons: In the time they spent doodling, you applied to four summer jobs. #$$$
Ubuddy is my Buddy!
School has just started and I'm already tangled up in a web of course announcements, emails from my professors and fellow classmates, newsletters from the university, events listings from associations I take part in, college newsletters etc. It is exhausting trying…