Marathon-notasprint - To Help Me

This fake brain actually has the same consistency as the real deal. So now you know how concussions happen! 

college note taking 101: how i take notes and use them to study for exams

in lecture:

i like to take quick/shorthand notes because i think learning to discriminate between what is and isn’t important material is a good skill to have so i’m not drowning in useless information when it’s time to study for a midterm or final.

i like to bring my ipad and use the notability app. it’s easier for me to just carry an ipad mini and stylus than it is for me to lug around a heavy notebook/binder and several pens/pencils.

if the professor makes lecture slides available to students online (via a class website), i like to download them onto notability and annotate them as the professor goes along. that way, i can focus more on what the professor is saying and less on merely writing everything down.

if lecture slides aren’t available, i type out my notes as i find it faster than handwriting them.

at home:

once i’m home, i take out my ipad and copy down my lecture notes into a specified notebook for that class, explain everything more thoroughly, make them neater, and organize them in a way that makes more sense to me (as opposed to copying them down exactly as how they were presented in lecture).

i like to use lots of colors, highlighters, and etc. and make them as pretty as possible so i actually want to use them to study from in the future.

integrating reading notes:

normally, what professors will do is assign reading from a textbook and base their lectures around the reading (or have the reading be based on the lectures). usually exams/tests will rely mostly on what was said in lecture instead of in the reading and this is partly because they overlap so much. what the professor says in lecture, you should consider the “important points” in your reading. sometimes, though, there are things in the reading that seem important and weren’t mentioned in lecture.

what i’ll do if this is the case is take post-its, write the piece of information down, and stick the post-it in my notebook in the corresponding section (i.e. where it fits best with my notes)

i like this method as opposed to taking notes directly in my textbook or having a separate notebook for only reading notes because 1) i’ve consistently found that reading material is not as heavily focused on in tests as lecture material and 2) i like to have all of my information in one place

using my notes to study:

when an exam is coming up, what i like to do is take all of the information in my notebook and condense it into a study guide that i can use to study from.

the format of my study guide varies depending on the class and which type of study guide and method of studying i think will help me best. my study guides range from flash cards to mind maps to sheets of paper with a bunch of condensed information.

if i come across a concept on my study guide that i can’t completely explain to myself/don’t fully understand, that’s when i’ll look back in my notebook for a better and fuller explanation of it.

i also like to give myself some time before an exam to completely read through my notebook and look at all the notes i’ve taken (not just what i have on my study guide) because i think it’s a good refresher of all of the lecture and reading material and all of the information will be brought forward in my mind.

[* a few of you have asked me for a advice on note taking: how i take notes, methods i use, how i study from them, and etc. i hope this post was helpful to you! feel free to message me if you have any other questions. happy studying! ^_^]

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Study time!

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mapping some chem notes

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My Study Method

My post 10 types of planners got way more notes than I expected. So today I will show you how I prepare for my exams. The method I’m going to explain is the one I’ve developed over the years and got me to get all A’s in high school. From taking notes, to nailing your exam.

1. HOW TO TAKE NOTES

1.1. Sit in the front of the classroom Don’t give a f**k if you look like a dork. Make sure you can see the blackboard clearly. You should be able to look at your teacher and the other way round. In case my experience is not enough: Studies show that those who “sit in the front and center (middle) of the classroom tend to achieve higher average exam scores”. Plus, your teacher will know who you are and will be aware that you pay attention in class.

1.2. Ask questions Don’t be afraid of asking questions. This took me years. Your teacher won’t think your question is stupid - in fact, it is their job to make sure everybody learns whatever they are supposed to teach. AND even if it looks as if the whole class has already understood the lesson, trust me, they haven’t.

1.3. Don’t write every word the teacher says There’s just no point in doing such thing. Contract words and use symbols and doodles. Once you get home, fair-copy your notes if they are not clear enough (or at least, re-read them). Otherwise, when you try to study with your notes a few weeks/months later, you won’t understand a thing.

1.4. Clarify your notes What did you just write down? Was it something that didn’t appear on the book? Was it an explaination of what the book says? Some info you should expand? Use a color code or symbols to clarify your notes. It doesn’t take time but will save you time in the future.

1.5. Compact notes Write with tiny (but legible) handwriting. It is quicker, tidier, and it saves paper. Also, write in two or three columns.

1.6. How to stay motivated to take good notes Last year I told one of my best friends (who is one grade bellow me) that I would give her all my notes at the end of the year. People normally dream of setting fire to their notes (and at least in Spain, people actually do that). But this other option (giving away my notes) was good for her and for me, since whenever I felt like writing carelessly, I’d think, “she won’t understand these notes, I have to do it better”.

2. PRE-STUDYING

Start pre-studying the very first day of class.

2.1. Active reading

Everytime I see someone whose book is entirely highlighted I’m like “why don’t you just dip it in a bucket of yellow paint?”. Seriously, stop.

Underline only the key words, not the whole sentence.

Use a different color (at least) for each paragraph.

When you read a paragraph, open a key in the margin and summarize what that paragraph is saying. Use between 1 and 10 words. Write as small as you can.

Right after you finish with a page, do an outline of the whole page in order to make sure that you have understood what you’ve just read. How? Scroll down.

2.2. Make it visual

Outlines, mindmaps, graphics… it really depends on the subject. All I know is that I just CAN’T study from a block of text.

Separate coordinated sentences and link them with symbols.

Use bullets or numbers and indent.

Color is not decorative. The same color links together different ideas.

Pink highlighters are cute but they don’t highlight at all.

Small handwriting and columns are your friends.

Highlight just the KEYWORDS. About 4-8 words per page.

Don’t use the same template or style on every page, unit or subject.

Number your pages.

Here you have a messy and a tidy example:

3. STUDYING

3.1. When should you start studying?

When I was in high school, I used to start studying one or two weeks before the exam. A few days before when I was too busy. The day before when I was about to jump out the window.

Divide whatever you have to study in equal parts to make it more approachable.

Try to organize yourself so that the day before the exam you don’t have to study because you already know everything (and you just need to revise a little bit).

3.2. Studying (and by studying, I mean memorizing) Once you have read it and understood it, you have to memorize it. My favourite quote is: “Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.”

These are my methods. I also recommend reading this article for more. Use the method that works best for you or all of them to ensure you’ve got it.

Write your mind-map again and again and again. Don’t change the placement of each concept in your mind-map or you’ll become confused in the end.

Translate words into drawings. Translate your drawings into words. Repeat. Repeat!

Read a little bit, try to explain it out loud as if you were a teacher. Repeat endlessly.

Make a story that helps you fully understand what goes next and WHY.

3.3. Keywords list This is the spine of my whole studying method. So basically, reduce each sub-topic to ONE word. Then reduce each topic to ONE word. Study those words by heart.

In the exam, just write down your list of keywords and you will easily remember each topic and sub-topic.

4. EXTRA TIPS

4.1. When studying a list of words or names It is really important to know how many words there are.

Make a sentence with the first letter of each word.

Make a song. You can use a jingle you already know.

Picture a scene which contains all the words.

4.2. IMPORTANT!

Highlight, bookmark and make a list of those concepts that you usually forget or make mistakes, so it is the first thing you see (and revise) the next time you study.

The night before the exam, write in a little piece of paper that thing (an important formula, something that you always forget, your keywords list…) and that’s the only thing you should revise the following day.

Talk to older students and ask them for their old exams. Your exams will probably be different, but if the teacher is the same, they’ll be similar.

5. HOW TO NAIL AN EXAM

First of all, you should take a look to the Text Anxiety Booklet. It contains a lot of information for the ones who get really anxious.

5.1. Appearance matters My teachers always say that when they are correcting our exams, illegible handwriting really pisses them off. Since they are humans, that attitude towards your exam will be unconsciously reflected on your mark. On the other hand, when they get to a visually appealing exam, they are more compassionate. Conclussion: MAKE YOUR TEACHER’S WORK EASIER.

Use your best handwriting.

Write your name on every page (if you are asked to do so).

Leave margins.

Separate your paragraphs.

Indent when necessary.

Number your pages.

5.2. Don’t ever leave a question in blank Ever. Every little point adds up to you final mark, and a blank question means 0 points. If you write something and it is wrong, you simply made a mistake. But if you don’t answer, your teacher might think that you didn’t do it because you didn’t study. However, remember that your teacher is older and wiser than you, and will notice if you are trying to fool them.

In some tests, mistakes subtract points. In that case, you’d better leave the questions you don’t know in blank unless you like taking risks.

5.3. What if you go blank First of all, wait a minute and take a deep breath. This is not a waste of time because it will actually help you do better. Now, do the rest of the exam and come back later. Then, if you still can’t remember, try retracing not what you studied but what you were doing while you were studying. Maybe you were drinking tea, maybe your father came into your room or maybe you heard something on the street. And remember that you control your breathing, and your breathing controls your feelings.

5.4. An exam is not a race I guess some people believe they’ll receive a prize if they are the first one to hand in their exam. Those people have all of my disapproval. Use all the time your teacher gives you and always, I mean ALWAYS, revise your exam before handing in it. Revise. Your. Exam. Did you follow the instructions correctly? Did you answered all the questions? Are there spelling mistakes?

That’s it. I hope you found it helpful.

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Hi I’m really indecisive and I’m trying to create an effective note making system for this year. Do you have any tips on how you take notes or use colours, post it notes or anything else? I'm hoping to do maths, science or language subjects if that makes a difference. Thank you! x

Hello!

Personally during high school I kept two notebooks per subject. In general, I used one of them (notebook A) to take notes during lessons, and the other (notebook B) to rewrite them at home adding information from textbooks and making sure I understood everything. 

For maths I followed the lessons on my book and did most of the notes at home. I kept a notebook to write the theorems and explanations I had to study, and an other one to do all the exercises and problems.

For science I had lessons very full of information, so on one notebook (A) I would write really fast everything I could, and on the other (B) I would rewrite everything checking the textbook. When I saw the teacher was following my textbook pretty closely, I just underlined the parts she explained during the lesson and added the extra information she gave in the margins. Then I would write the notes assembling the underlined parts and the margin notes in a notebook (B). If there were any graphs I had to write, I would do that in a different color.

For language subject I’m n to sure what you mean… But if it’s literature, I took notes during lessons on sheets of paper and combined them at home with the information on the textbook in a notebook. If it’s a foreign language, I personally studied latin, and I had a notebook for grammar and one for exercise.

I used highlighters in my textbooks, and even though I didn’t exactly color-code, I did use different colors to underline concepts of different importance. For example, I would use a more visible color such as a green/blue/pink for the most important concepts, and a more subtle one, like yellow, for less important (but still important) things. If there were textbooks that I did not want to ruin, I underlined with a pencil and a ruler, using a double line or a zigzag line for more important things.

In my notes I use colors to write important words or concepts. It doesn’t really matter to me which color I use, but to keep my notes very clean I tend to use black and blue. I use a lot of colors when I condense a lot of information in a small amount of place, like on one sheet of paper. In that case I use different colors for different topics. For example if I want to condense information about macromolecules, I would use a color for carbohydrates, a color for proteins, a color for fats etc.

I only use post-its in my textbooks to find easily where certain topics are, but I don’t really use them in note taking.

I hope I was helpful!

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List of Free Science Books

Here’s an alphabetical list of all available free books. Note that many of the links will bring you to an external page, usually with more info about the book and the download links. Also, the links are updated as frequently as possible, however some of them might be broken. Broken links are constantly being fixed. In case you want to report a broken link, or a link that violates copyrights, use the contact form.

A

A Beginner’s Guide to Mathematica

A Brief Introduction to Particle Physics

A First Course in General Relativity

A New Astronomy

A No-Nonsense Introduction to General Relativity

A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century, Fourth Edition

A Review of General Chemistry

A Simple Guide to Backyard Astronomy

A Text Book for High School Students Studying Physics

A Tour of Triangle Geometry

About Life: Concepts in Modern Biology

Acoustic Emission

Adaptive Control

Advanced Calculus

Advanced Learning

Advanced Mathematics for Engineers

Advanced Microwave Circuits and Systems

Advanced Technologies

Advances in Computer Science and IT

Advances in Evolutionary Algorithms

Advances in Geoscience and Remote Sensing

Advances in Haptics

Advances in Human Computer Interaction

Age of Einstein

Aging by Design

AMPL:  A Modeling Language for Mathematical Programming

An Introduction to Elementary Particles

An Introduction to Higher Mathematics

An Introduction to Many Worlds in Quantum Computation

An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning

An Introduction to Mathematics

An Introduction to Proofs and the Mathematical Vernacular

An Introduction to Relativistic Quantum Mechanics

Analysis 1 (Tao T)

Analysis 2 (Tao T)

Analytic Functions

Astronomical Discovery

Astronomy for Amateurs

Astronomy Today

Astronomy with an Opera-Glass

Automation and Robotics

B

Basic Algebra, Topology and Differential Calculus

Basic Concepts of Mathematics

Basic Concepts of Thermodynamics

Basic Concepts of Thermodynamics Chapter 1

Basic Ideas in Chemistry

Basic Math: Quick Reference eBook

Basic Mathematics for Astronomy

Basic Physics

Basic Positional Astronomy

Basic Principles of Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics

Basic Principles of Physics

Basics of Physics

Beginner’s Botany

Biochemistry

Biochemistry (practice book)

Biology

Board Notes for Particle Physics

Book of Proof

C

Calculus

Calculus Based Physics

Celestial Navigation, Elementary Astronomy, Piloting

Circuit QED — Lecture Notes

Classical Dynamics

Classical Geometry

Classical Mechanics

Climate Models

Collaborative Statistics

College Algebra

Complex Analysis

Computational Geometry

Computational Introduction to Number Theory and Algebra

Computational Physics with Python

Conceptual Physics

Consistent Quantum Theory

Cook-Book Of Mathematics

College Physics

Crude Oil Emulsions- Composition Stability and Characterization

Curiosities of the Sky

D

Decoherence: Basic Concepts and Their Interpretation

Do We Really Understand Quantum Mechanics?

Differential Equations

Diophantine Analysis

Discover Physics

Dr. Donald Luttermoser’s Physics Notes

Dynamics and Relativity

E

Earthquake Research and Analysis

Earthquake-Resistant Structures – Design, Assessment and Rehabilitation

Einstein for Everyone

Electromagnetic Field Theory

Elementary Mathematical Astronomy

Elementary Linear Algebra

Elementary Particle Physics in a Nutshell

Elementary Particles in Physics

Elements of Astrophysics

Embedded Systems – Theory and Design Methodology

Encyclopaedia of Mathematics

Encyclopedia of Astrophysics

Engineering Mathematics 1

Engineering Mathematics with Tables

Essential Engineering Mathematics

Essential Physics

Exoplanet Observing for Amateurs

Experimental Particle Physics

F

Fields

Foundations of Nonstandard Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions about Calendars

Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics

Fundamentals of Analysis (Chen W.W.L)

Further Mathematical Methods

Fusion Physics

G

General Chemistry

General Relativity

General Relativity

Geometric Asymptotics

Geometry and Group Theory

Geometry and Topology

Geometry Formulas and Facts

Geometry Study Guide

Geometry, Topology and Physics

Geometry, Topology, Localization and Galois Symmetry

Great Astronomers

H

Handbook of Formulae and Physical Constants

High School Mathematics Extensions

Higher Mathematics for Engineers and Physicists

History of Astronomy

Homeomorphisms in Analysis

How to Use Experimental Data to Compute the Probability of Your Theory

I

Intelligent Systems

Intrinsic Geometry of Surfaces

Introduction to Astronomy and Cosmology

Introduction to Cancer Biology

Introduction to Chemistry

Introduction to Cosmology

Introduction to Elementary Particles

Introduction to General Relativity

Introduction To Finite Mathematics

Introduction to Particle Physics Notes

Introduction to PID Controllers

Introduction to Quantum Mechanics with Applications to Chemistry

Introduction to Quantum Noise, Measurement and Amplification

Introduction to Social Network Methods

Introduction to String Field Theory

Introduction to the Time Evolution of Open Quantum Systems

Introduction to Quantum Mechanics

Introductory Computational Physics

Introductory Physics 1

Introductory Physics 2

K

Kinetic Theory

L

Laboratory Manual for Introductory Physics

Laws of Physics

Learn Physics Today

Lecture Notes in Discrete Mathematics

Lecture Notes in Quantum Mechanics

Lecture Notes in Nuclear and Particle Physics

Lecture Notes in Particle Physics

Lecture Notes on General Relativity

Lectures on Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Cosmology

Lectures on Particle Physics

Lectures on Riemann Zeta-Function

Light and Matter

M

Mag 7 Star Atlas Project

Many Particle Physics

Math Alive

Mathematical Analysis I(Zakon E)

Mathematical Biology

Mathematical Methods

Mathematical Methods 1

Mathematical Methods for Physical Sciences

Mathematical Methods of Engineering Analysis

Mathematics, Basic Math and Algebra

Mathematics for Computer Science

Mathematics for Computer Science

Mathematics for Computer Scientists

Mathematics For Engineering Students

Mathematics Formulary

Motion Mountain

Music: A Mathematical Offering

Mysteries of the Sun

N

Natural Disasters

New Frontiers in Graph Theory

Noise Control, Reduction and Cancellation Solutions in Engineering

Nondestructive Testing Methods and New Applications

Nonlinear Optics

Notes on Coarse Geometry

Notes on Elementary Particle Physics

Notes on Quantum Mechanics

O

Observing the Sky from 30S

On Particle Physics

Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces

P

Particle Physics Course Univ. Cape Town

Particle Physics Lecture Notes

People’s Physics Book

Perspectives in Quantum Physics: Epistemological, Ontological and Pedagogical

Photons, Schmotons

Physics Lectures

Physics Tutorials

Physics Study Guides

Pioneers of Science

Practical Astronomy

Practical Astronomy for Engineers

Preparing for College Physics

Primer Of Celestial Navigation

Principal Component Analysis – Multidisciplinary Applications

Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Volume 1

Q

Quantum Dissipative Systems

Quantum Field Theory

Quantum Fluctuations

Quantum Information Theory

Quantum Magnetism

Quantum Mechanics

Quantum Mechanics

Quantum Mechanics: A Graduate Course

Quantum Mechanics: An Intermediate Level Course

Quantum Notes

Quantum Physics Notes

Quantum Theory of Many-Particle Systems

Quantum Transients

R

Recreations in Astronomy

Relativistic Quantum Dynamics

Relativity: The Special and General Theory

Review of Basic Mathematics

Riemann Surfaces, Dynamics and Geometry Course Notes

S

Short History of Astronomy

Sintering of Ceramics – New Emerging Techniques

Solitons

Some Basic Principles from Astronomy

Special Relativity

Spherical Astronomy

Star-Gazer’s Hand-Book

Statistical Physics

Street-Fighting Mathematics

String Theory

Structures of Life

Supernova Remnants: The X-ray Perspective

Superspace: One Thousand and One Lessons in Supersymmetry

System of Systems

T

The Astrobiology Primer: An Outline of General Knowledge

The Astronomy and the Bible

The Astronomy of the Bible: An Elementary Commentary on the Astronomical References of Holy Scripture

The Basic Paradoxes of Statistical Classical Physics and Quantum Mechanics

The Beginning and the End

The Beginning and the End of the Universe

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Sun

The Convenient Setting of Global Analysis

The Eightfold Way: The Beauty of Klein’s Quartic Curve

The General Theory of Relativity

The Geology of Terrestrial Planets

The Geometry of the Sphere

The Handbook of Essential Mathematics

The Moon: A Full Description and Map of its Principal Physical Features

The Open Agenda

The Origin of Mass in Particle Physics

The Particle Detector Brief Book

The Physics Hypertextbook

The Physics of Quantum Mechanics

The Planet Mars

The Small n Problem in High Energy Physics

The Story of Eclipses

The Story of the Heavens

The Structure of Life

The Wonder Book of Knowledge

The World According to the Hubble Space Telescope

The Zij as-Sanjari of Gregory Chioniades (June 27, 2009)

Three Dimensional Geometry

U

Understanding Physics

Unfolding the Labyrinth

Utility of Quaternions in Physics

Uses of Astronomy

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if you’re looking for some journal inspiration, i recommend following pepperandtwine on instagram! she posts beautiful journal spreads every day that are just so inspiring and creative❤️

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Requested // more close ups and extra pictures of chemistry revision cards for AQA C2. And yes I did colour in my banners since before I didn’t 💁🏽✨

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