A good chunk of your time will be spent in classes listening to lecturers. In order to organise and keep track of all this new information that you will be inundated with, you will need to develop note taking strategies that work with different disciplines, lecturers and their varying speeds, styles and methods of lecturing. While you may be able to persuade a lecturer to slow down or repeat something, the reality is that you will have to find a way of taking notes quickly if you want to make the most of the information that is given to you in a lecture.

The best way to take good notes is to think of it as an active listening process and to BE SELECTIVE IN WHAT YOU WRITE DOWN.

DON'T attempt to WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING the lecturer says. Not only does this fall under the "mission impossible" category, it is also a complete waste of time since you would not have learned anything during the lecture and probably given yourself an ulcer in the process.

The most important thing to keep in mind while attending a lecture is to relax and try to understand what is actually being said. Your notes should serve as reminders as to what was said in the lecture.

If you want to improve your note taking skills, try these tips:

Before The Lecture
You should read the assigned material for that lecture. Even if you don't have time, spend 5-10 minutes skimming the material before the lecture. This will at least give you an idea as to what will be discussed that day so that you can be more relaxed and able to focus on the most relevant information from the lecture. If you can, quickly review your notes from the last class to give you better context. Always keep a copy of the course outline handy so that you can review it to see what topic you are focusing on.

During The Lecture
Watch for cues from the lecturer as to what information is most relevant. Notice how the lecturer has organised the material. If the organisation is not logical to you, try to organise the material with headings yourself. If there are gaps in your notes, trade notes with classmates, or fill them in right after the class while your memory is fresh.

NOTE: If you really don't understand something, ask questions - unless there is a more appropriate place to ask such as a tutorial class. Your lecturer should be there to help you, not to intimidate you.

Be selective in note taking. Don't write down every word the lecturer says, although you should write down any information that s/he puts on the blackboard or overheads. Develop a consistent set of abbreviations for use in note taking. Also, develop a quick and easy way of identifying key concepts and ideas in textbooks, such as highlighting them, drawing squares around them etc.

After The Lecture
Review your notes within 24 hours. Studies have found that we can remember more things within that time period.