Note's Sample

07/20/10 (Date everything this is important in case you have to go back in your notes it makes things easier to find. this also separates the 1st half of a semester aka. midterm from the rest)

The Origins of Western Civilization (Title of the Subject for that day. this ensures that when the time comes around to fill a study guide things are easier to find)

Stone Age (Subtitle is important to separate between concepts covered on the same day. the umbrella is The Origins of Western Civilisation but under that there are going to be other things covered)
Social Expectations:
- relative position of male and female about equal (main ideas of the lecture most likely points on PowerPoint or outline given by instructor)
- life expectancy is about 25 years of age
- relative beginnings of a hierarchy are developed
government positions begin to be established (specific facts that are important)
beginnings of trade also develop

The Neolithic Age
Institutional Changes
-Establishment of permanent settlements
people stop being nomadic

My notes on the computer usually look something like this. I always title everything and put the date on it. It makes it easier for me to keep track of everything. Also when i write my notes i write them in New Times Roman 12pt. This helps me if i need to cut and paste something to a paper i am writing because its in the same format. If the instructor specifically states that something will be on the test i put a double ** Astrix next to it and then change the color to red.
I know there are people that create a different word document for everyday of notes but i just keep it in the same word document file. After my midterm i create a definite separation between the 1st and 2ND half of note taking. the way to separate it is up to you some people like a row of ******** Astrix some people just write it out Part 2 or something like Midterm when you take it with a date and then continue with your regular note taking.

My notes usually follow this format regardless of whether i type them or do them by hand. I always title everything and date it. If the instructor by some chance specifically states that something will be on the test this is then written in Red Pen or i underline it in red. I like writing my notes by hand in blue ink. I only ever use pencil for math and i rarely ever use black pen. This is just a personal choice i believe i just don't like seeing notes in black pen. Also pencil might run on you and notes in college are precious!!!! so i just don't do them in pencil just in case. Also i am very careful with highlighter. I am the highlight Queen i go a bit crazy. so i only ever use highlighter when i am filling a study guide i make a small mark along things that are on my study guide. The only reason why i am careful is because i will highlight what I think is important versus what i should highlight!! I only ever use yellow highlighter i don't like pink or blue its too dark for me or green it is also too dark.

I know color coding different parts of note taking work amazing for some people. unfortunately it just becomes to much work for me to keep up because it doesn't work for me. If you find that it does not break your flow to color code things as you take notes then great!! also if it helps you focus on different things and decipher your notes better then great.

Also in the beginning its going to be difficult to find which style writing by hand or typing will work for you. i prefer to do it by hand just because i don't like carting my computer everywhere. therefore for math, English, and other classes i take notes by hand. specially if i don't particularly like the class it gives me something to do and something to focus on. On the other hand for history i always type just because its usually a lot of notes. a lot of things are covered a lot of dates and i don't want to miss anything. i panic when i get behind or can't hear so it just makes it easier on me. this is something to consider when choosing a style. if you find that you can't keep up and your notes have no information then you might consider typing your notes or developing a short hand of some sort.
I did forget to mention that i do all my hand written notes on notebooks. i don't like using loose leaf paper because its loose leaf and its more maintenance to keep track of them and make sure you don't lose pages.