• Taking Notes
• Dealing with Professors and Tough Classes

Basics

1. Clear, Concise notes are more effective than copious notes.
2. Instead of using a spiral, use loose leaf notebook divided into class sections.
3. Make all notes on loose leaf paper. In an upper corner title and date each sheet as you use it.
4. Rewrite and combine your old study and lecture notes into a new single set of notes or outline. Use them as a replacement for your old notes in the loose-leaf binder.

Lecture Notes

1. Sit near the front of the class to avoid distractions.
2. Be a good listener - Focus and concentrate on the main points of the lecture. Get them down on paper. You'll put them in your own words later, along with your study notes. Pay attention to the Instructor's clues as to what they consider important.
3. If there is something you don't understand, ASK!
4. For fast classroom access to key information on major topics, use a Quick Study chart, if available.
5. Immediately after a lecture, without looking at your notes, try to recall on a separate paper as much as you can about what you have heard and learned. Then review your actual lecture notes to confirm and/or supplement your memory.
6. During your next study session, quickly recall again on paper what you learned. Then review and reorganize your lecture notes in your own words.
7. Repeat the recall process several times over several days to commit the new information to memory!

Dealing With Professors and Tough Classes

• Go to see your professors during their posted office hours. They have to sit there whether you show up or not, so take advantage of the opportunity.
• Talk to other students to find out the real scoop, which professors to avoid, etc.
• Don't be afraid to ask other students and professors for copies of old exams. The questions may change but the style usually remains the same.
• Make sure your professor knows your name. Putting a face with a name will be a big help, especially if your grade is on the borderline.
• Problems with faculty should be handled honestly and calmly. Always try to remedy conflicts with faculty members first. If the problem remains unresolved, seek advice from your academic advisor, a student support services staff member, or your student handbook as to the next step.

1. Department Chair
2. Dean of the College
3. Chancellor or Vice President of Academic Affairs
4. Ombudsman
5. Student Government Attorney

1. Sleeping in Class
2. Brown Nosing
3. Not going to class
4. Lack of responsibility
5. Not reading syllabus
6. Excuses
7. Not meeting deadlines