While you might have been able to slide by without taking notes in high school, learning to take good notes is essential for most college students. Taking poor notes, or not taking notes at all, can have a detrimental effect on your grades. Read on to learn some tips and tricks for getting the most out of your classes and readings.


Pay Attention
More essential than any note-taking strategy is paying attention. A lot of students make the mistake of taking so many notes that they're not in the here-and-now of the class. Others are surfing the Net, facebooking, texting, or tweeting. Focus on what the instructor is presenting, and make an effort to learn the material right then and there:

• Sit in a place where you can see and hear the professor clearly - the front of class is usually best (it's okay to be a nerd!)
• Clear your space of any distractions that could prevent you from focusing on the class
• If you're taking notes on a computer, turn off your wireless connection so you're not tempted to go online

The same goes for reading: Clear your space. Find a quiet, distraction-free spot, like the library. Take regular breaks so you can maintain the focus you need.

Get the Right Materials
Make sure that all of your note-taking materials are easily accessible in class or during a reading session. The following supplies can help you take good notes:

• Notebooks or binders, one for each class (3-ring binders can help you organize notes, syllabi and class handouts - you'll just need to invest in a good hole punch)
• Graph paper for diagrams, if applicable
• Pencils or pens (always keep extras with you)
• Highlighters
• Small sticky notes and/or flags

Take Good Notes in ClassRemember that you're a student, not a court reporter. You don't need to write down every word the instructor says. If you've done the reading before class (which is strongly recommended), you'll know what's in the textbook and won't need to write much of that stuff down.

Instead, write down info that isn't in the textbook and points the instructor emphasizes as important. Write in phrases, not whole sentences, and use abbreviations to save time and hand cramps. Here are some of the things you'll typically want to include in your notes:

• Info the professor puts on the board
• Facts you need to memorize, like names and dates (if this information is in your textbook, don't waste ink writing it down)
• Formulas you need to know, particularly in math or science courses
• Details emphasized by your professor (keep your ears perked up for signal phrases such as 'the most essential part is...' or 'this will be on the test')

Take Good Notes on Readings
You'll have a lot more reading in college than ever before, and you'll sometimes need to refer back to specific passages for class discussions, exams, and essays. Here are some methods for taking notes on key ideas:

• Highlight or underline text
• Use small sticky notes or flags, noting the line number, paragraph number, or first few words of text
• Write down info you want to remember in your notebook or on loose leaf paper, noting the page and paragraph numbers
• Record your thoughts in the margins as you read
• Write down any words or concepts you find challenging and want to spend more time on later

Organize Your Notes
Notes are pretty useless if they can't help you find information later. It's essential to write legibly and keep everything organized. There are no hard-and-fast rules for note organization, just find a system that works for you. Here are a few ideas:

• Write the course name and date at the top of each page, just in case some pages get separated
• Keep all of your materials and reading notes for each course together
• File your notes chronologically (this is where a 3-ring binder can come in handy)

Experiment and Find What Works for You
Ultimately, you'll need to decide which note-taking strategies work best for you. Fortunately, you'll get regular feedback through grades on exams and quizzes. If your grades are good, keep the system you've got. If your grades could be better, do some readjusting.

If you'd like additional help with note-taking or other study skills, look for an academic support or learning center on campus. If you're struggling due to a disability, contact your school's disability services office. They can help with any necessary accommodations, such as a note-taker or written transcripts of lectures.

Credits & Source: http://bit.ly/1vfpGHR

On our website now, The Jesus Film. 

Click on the image or HERE to watch the movie.

By: Steve Shadrach 

Only one percent of the world's population are college students and I commend you if you are one of the few and the proud that represent us in institutions of higher learning. It's one thing, though, to start college and quite another to finish it. In fact, most drop out somewhere along the way and just under 25 percent of Americans have actually completed a college degree.

My definition of college? A window of time God gives us to make critical decisions and prepare ourselves to live them out.

One reason students give up on college is because of "priority pressure," the constant stress of trying to choose what is good - versus what is best. If you're currently a college student, I know your life is swirling around you like a Kansas tornado, but unless you want to be picked up and swept away like Dorothy and Toto, read and heed the   "10 Essentials for Every Christian College Student."

1. Choose a Life Purpose - It is a choice and you get to make it. You have a free will, but an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God gave it to you. So why not revolve your life purpose - not your choice of major, mind you, but something much more basic - around the One Who gave you life in the first place? Don't let one more episode of (insert your favorite reality TV program here) go by before you've nailed this down. Lock your door, get your Bible out, and search.

As a sophomore I came up with: To glorify God through knowing Him and making Him known to others." Not original, but it was mine. Having a God-centered life purpose gets you up in the morning, helps you make good decisions, and looks cool on your bathroom mirror.

2. Develop a Biblical Worldview - I'm reading an intriguing book by Chuck Colson called How Now Shall We Live? that's giving me a major paradigm shift. After taking two Tylenol, I admitted that I had a puny, self-centered worldview and forced myself to ask, "Am I looking at life from my perspective or from God's?"

When we saturate our minds with the Word, we develop a God-shaped grid to run every song, movie and idea through.

3. Seek Out the Right Friends - My pastor says, "If you're trying to follow Christ, don't choose as your best friend someone who is running from Him." Studies show at least 50 percent of students have cheated and don't think it's wrong, almost one fourth are frequent binge drinkers, and cohabitation (us old timers call it "shackin' up') is at an all time high.

Be careful, getting tight with one of these folks could be more painful than watching an XFL football game on "ESPN Classic"! I'm not saying don't befriend non-Christians - that's the key to drawing them to Christ. But bind your heart to someone who is really seeking God: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Touche!

4. Join a Good Church - Away from home? No one to tell you to get up and go find one of those premium back-row seats at the fam's church? Now you can find out what you're really made of! Micro scooter yourself over to the late service of that local fellowship that:

1. Teaches the Bible as the Word of God
2. Has great worship
3. Welcomes you and your friends

Don't just sit and soak it in, though. Give your time, talent, and treasure to those folks. It will pay great dividends.

5. Form Consistent Study Habits - I'm a total hypocrite even mentioning this one because I don't think I cracked a book until midway through my junior year! Yeah, you can buy tests and papers via the Internet, and supposedly everybody does it, but why not keep your integrity intact? Besides, having a clear conscience and an educated mind is a powerful combination!

As I "matured" in college, I started going to every class, sitting in the front row, and finding the top student to study with. Stay focused and you'll get to be part of those 24 percent of U.S. citizens who possess a college degree. Be all you can be!

6. Initiate Personal Ministry - To balance out #5, I must say: Don't let your studies get in the way of your education! The biggest lesson you will learn at college is what God wants to do in your life - and through your life. Find a group that's trying to witness and disciple others. Pray about living on campus, starting or joining a small group Bible study, sharing your faith and seeing God change some lives for eternity.

If you really want to get radical, join the thousands of students who do short term summer mission trips. Look 'em up at www.ShortTermMissions.com.

7. Set up Dating Standards - Fifty-seven percent of collegians claim they're "sexually active." Think this is just locker-room braggadocio? Think again. Many are looking for sex without strings and relationships without rings. Over 16 million people are downloading their love life via online dating services. That's more people than have ever even heard of Roy Orbison's song Only the Lonely.

Here is a profundity: You will marry someone that you date! Commit yourself to only date others who have the kind of goals, faith and character you want in a mate someday. Think I'm being picky? Exactly!

8. Maintain a Proper Balance - Harry Potter's Professor Dumbledore sheds this light: "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Whether you like Harry's series or not, the prof's got a point. College is all about choices. With suicide now the third-leading cause of death among college age young people, it's time to adopt the foursquare life that Jesus sought in Luke 2:52: "He increased in wisdom and stature, in favor with God and man."

WWJD? He chose not to sweat the small stuff, but instead to develop Himself mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially.

9. Appreciate Your Parents - OK, so my wife put me up to this one. It is amazing, though, how much smarter your parents get once you leave for college! You begin remembering all their laborious lectures and suspect that maybe they did have a sliver of wisdom in those thick brains! And if you catch fire for Christ, don't make the mistake I did and go home and tell your parents they're going to hell. People most often become Christians through the witness of a family member. So call them. Visit them. Tell them you love and appreciate them; and if they oppose you getting branded with a "tribal art" tattoo - hear them out!

10. Keep Graduation in Mind - Nearly one third of freshmen drop out of college their first year. Congrats if you are part of the remaining two thirds! Also, know that those with college degrees earn nearly twice as much as those without. But more important than a diploma or an extra zero on your paycheck is what kind of person you plan on being when you graduate.

My definition of college? A window of time God gives us to make critical decisions and prepare ourselves to live them out. 

Set goals, seek the Lord, build a deep foundation and understand that the end of your college career says so much more about you than the beginning.

Oh, and have some fun, too!

About the author Steve Shadrach lives in Conway, Arkansas with his wife, five kids, two pets and six college students. Some of the students want to call their homestead across from the campus "The Compound." Steve didn't think that sounded too good. Steve is the founder of Student Mobilization (StuMo.org).

Credits & Source: http://bit.ly/1lJcSsu