Transitioning from high school to college

[ƒ(x)]

So, the point is this thread is to make it more probable that college freshman will not crash and burn. I'm a senior in high school myself, so I obviously have a personal interest in this topic and, also obvious, haven't yet had a college experience; so feel free to correct anything I write here.

A teacher of mine recently started giving stand-up lectures without talking points, handouts, assigned readings, or writing anything on the blackboard. I realized that I really don't know a good way to approach note-taking and assumed that there are lots of high schoolers in a similar predicament (hence this thread).

There are many websites out there dealing with college note-taking, but I wanted to hear from some people who most likely have taken similar courses to those that I will take.

What's a good note-taking method for college? I ran across http://lsc.sas.cornell.edu/Sidebars/Study_Skills_Resources/cornellsystem.pdf" and was wondering what else there is.

Also, any other tips for going from high school to college would be welcome.

Thanks.

 

[gmax137]

I took crummy notes. I started by writing down everything written on the board (mostly long mathematical derivations that didn't always work right). This I found to be a waste of time, because I invariably got behind and lost. Then I tried writing down the 'important' parts. This quickly devolved into doodling and sometimes daydreaming. By the end of my senior year I would sit wide eyed in the front row and listen as hard as I could to the words coming out of the professors mouth. This is harder than it sounds.

Another good idea is to read the book ahead of the class (not the whole thing, but keep up so that what is said in class is something you just read in the past couple of days. That way you questions (conscious or not) may be answered by the lecture. This is hard too, and isn't always possible - some classes don't follow a book.

Finally, looking back, I got lousy grades - so don't necessarily follow my advice. The most important thing I learned in college is, I can teach myself anything if I really want to, and put the effort into it.

 

[ƒ(x)]

I'm considering getting/making a notebook with Cornell styled pages

 

[micromass]

Taking notes in class is a great thing to do! However, what kind of notes that you take depends on the class. Some advice is

1) Never try to write everything down! You WILL fall behind, and your notes WILL be full of careless errors. I tried writing everything down in my first year, but when I tried to learn, I found it harder to decypher my notes, then to find everything back for myself.

2) If the professor has lecture notes, try to work with them. Follow the class with your lecture notes next to you. In that way you only have to note something that isn't in your lecture notes. And you will have time to follow class.

3) The best advise is to read what the lesson is going to be about beforehand. That way, you will already know what's important and what things you have to add in your notes. However, this requires a lot of discipline, and I rarely did this myself...

 

[Ryker]

2) If the professor has lecture notes, try to work with them. Follow the class with your lecture notes next to you. In that way you only have to note something that isn't in your lecture notes. And you will have time to follow class.

I second that. A lot of times professors have powerpoint presentations, which they also post online, so just write down what isn't on them. Of course you'll still need to practice some discretion and find the best balance between putting things down for the sake of it and putting things down because they are important.

 

[Dembadon]

I'm considering getting/making a notebook with Cornell styled pages

You can make a http://www.timeatlas.com/5_Minute_Tips/General/Word_Templates_and_Cornell_Note_Taking" .

 

[ƒ(x)]

There's a "www.eleven21.com/notetaker"[/URL] that let's you make your own PDFs

 

[aspiring_one]

You will be on your own most of the time and depending on the professor class may seem like a waste of time. HOWEVER, always attend classes. With regards to note-taking: some professors will have outlines you can print out and bring to class, some will won't. If they do not then its a good idea to try and take notes on the concepts they are talking about. Once you know the concept you can always look it up in the textbook. Most of these concepts are outlined in the syllabus anyway.

College/university takes a great deal of responsibility and devotion. Make the most out of it.

 

[thegreenlaser]

For me, the hardest part of the switch from high school to college was the drastic increase in workload. Be prepared to do a LOT more work to succeed. There's no real way to fully prepare yourself, but just expect to be blown away by the amount of extra work you'll have to do. The courses aren't necessarily any harder than high school, they just seem to move 20x as quickly, so you're expected to master the material at a much quicker rate.

 

[negru]

Definitely read the material before class. Even if you don't understand all of it, you'll at least know what to expect and when to pay extra attention.

 

[zcd]

It really depends on your personal learning method. Some of my friends print out the lecture slides that the professors post up and they do just fine looking at them, occasionally jotting stuff down, and then reviewing later. Others type their notes pretty much word for word as shown in lectures and also review them afterwards. I know that for myself I learn material the best when practice by hand, so I stick to writing manually. Also I learn the most not from studying but from doing practice problems, so my notes tend to have a lot of reference material and derivations.

Some of the professors I have/had like to stick to central themes of the course when they lecture and these "themes" often show up on exams. If you can spot the lecturer alluding to these themes in their lectures its most likely a good idea to write them down.

On the subject of Cornell notes: I was introduced to this method in middle school and it's always been too foreign to me to be of any use. I've gotten through just fine using my own method of reference and practice. If the Cornell method works for you, by all means use it, but I'm convinced that the way to take effective notes is really a matter of personal preference. After all, your notes are meant to be your own commentary to supplement what you're learning from, not just a regurgitation of facts.

 

[Ryker]

You will be on your own most of the time and depending on the professor class may seem like a waste of time. HOWEVER, always attend classes.

I don't think you can generalize like that. If classes are useless and you'd be better off spending time studying on your own during that time, then don't attend them. Of couse if you're going to be in small classes where it's important for the professors to see you're there, go, but if the classes have large amounts of students in them, attend the first couple of lectures and then decide.

 

[ƒ(x)]

Are there any other styled like Cornell's?

 

[ƒ(x)]

Are there any other styles like Cornell's?

 

[Pengwuino]

I don't think you can generalize like that. If classes are useless and you'd be better off spending time studying on your own during that time, then don't attend them. Of couse if you're going to be in small classes where it's important for the professors to see you're there, go, but if the classes have large amounts of students in them, attend the first couple of lectures and then decide.

ALWAYS go to class! Not because everything the professor has to say is important, but because what if they announce a change to the testing date? Or say a certain assignment is no longer due? Always go, even if it's just for practical issues such as this.

As for the original poster, one thing that can catch students off guard is the fact that they are compleeeeetely on their own when they're in college. If you join a frat, you'll be wasting your time and money. If you live in dorms, try not to get caught up in the stupidity that is dorm life. You'll be surrounded by people who still think they're in high school. Beyond that there is no social structure, no support system, etc. Most classes don't take attendance and if you don't like your grade or feel a class is tough, professors and TAs will tell you to take a hike. The freedom is a double edged sword to some freshman.

 

[Newtime]

ALWAYS go to class! Not because everything the professor has to say is important, but because what if they announce a change to the testing date? Or say a certain assignment is no longer due? Always go, even if it's just for practical issues such as this.

This is quite true. If i can add one more reason: I've taken more than one class in which the professor randomly gives extra points to the final grade of everyone who is in attendance. So in a class of a few hundred, if the professor notices a significant portion are missing, he would announce that he was going to do this, pass around a sign in sheet, and we would all get a point or two added to our grade.

 

[Ryker]

ALWAYS go to class! Not because everything the professor has to say is important, but because what if they announce a change to the testing date? Or say a certain assignment is no longer due? Always go, even if it's just for practical issues such as this.

Usually things like that get posted somewhere else on the website, as well, it's not as if they just announce it in class and then screw the rest. Even if they did do that, there's such a small probability of those events occurring that it doesn't really outweigh the time you're wasting if it's a bad lecture. Well, in any case, I am now attending all lectures, but during my first degree, I attended around 30% (and even then because I felt bad not going), and still finished top 2% by GPA. So it doesn't really make much of a difference, if any. There's stuff you miss by not going, and there's stuff you can't get to because you're spending time in lectures.

 

[allispaul]

Usually things like that get posted somewhere else on the website, as well, it's not as if they just announce it in class and then screw the rest.

On the other hand, some professors are really lazy in terms of updating websites. Likewise, some professors teach straight from the book, in which case class is less important if you're good at learning from the book, and some go all over the place. You're more likely to encounter the first type in your freshman-year classes, but still, knowing the professor's style is really helpful.

On that note, unlike high school, your professors will probably interact with you personally a lot less. They probably won't be grading your homework, and classes (especially math/science) will involve much less discussion. So you should take every opportunity you can to get to know them, after class or during their office hours. If you have questions about the material, ask them; if you understand everything perfectly, try to extend your knowledge into unfamiliar territory and ask them about that. Not only is this a really valuable educational experience (you'll often learn things that you would never have glimpsed in class), it also makes it easier to come back to those professors for letters of recommendation later on.

Finally, you'll have to get used to your textbook not being the be-all and end-all of knowledge for your class. Seeking out other reading will often help your understanding of the topics, and might even teach you new techniques. Bibliographies are your friend!