Successful note-taking requires work before, after class and during class, said BJ Soto, a counselor for international students and writing lab coordinator of the Academic Support Center, at a note-taking workshop Tuesday organized by the Academic Support Center.
During the workshop, students learned about topics that included learning how to write quickly and efficiently, organize notes and focus on the most important part of lectures.
"I came to this workshop to improve my note-taking skills and develop a helpful strategy in order to succeed in different classes," said Aysel Sharifova, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business. "I have real problems because I am missing a lot of information and, on the other hand, note down something completely useless, so I do need to take some action."
Students were also introduced to the Cornell note-taking technique, which Walter Pauk developed at Cornell University more than 40 years ago. The main secret is to use wide margins on the left-hand side and bottom of the page.
The Academic Support Center offers other programs beside the note-taking workshop, including appointments with professional counselors, referrals to peer tutors and group supplemental instruction sessions for student-athletes, according to the center's Web site.
Different people come in to the center each day, said Soto, who has worked in the center for four years.
"Every day different people come," he said. "But mostly they are students. However, twice I even had professors visiting our sessions."
Soto said he wished he had learned about the note-taking techniques he now teaches while he was still in college.
"I used to be a terrible note-taker at college," he said. "I used to take notes and just throw them out. And, from my point of view, strategies we present can really help in classes you struggle with."
Most of the time the Academic Support Center receives positive feedback about the workshop, Soto said.
"Sometimes I work one-on-one with students to enhance their note-taking skills, and I do get a lot of feedback," Soto said. "There are students whom I stay in touch with for several years. It is great to see how they progress"
