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Student Resources
Succeeding in Composition
Note Taking Strategies
Taking a full-load of courses demands of students a great deal of time and
energy, especially since most students can expect to spend 2-3 hours working
on course material for each hour they spend in class meetings. Add to this schedule
the hours most student spend working at their part- or full-time job, participating
in organizations and extra-curricular activities, and caring for family members,
and the importance of time management becomes increasingly evident.
Learning to make efficient use of your time can help you improve the quality
of your work and class participation while increasing the amount of time you
can spend on the other things you enjoy. But managing your time requires organizing,
or planning, and discipline.
The following guidelines provide simple strategies for maximizing your time
and ensuring the prompt completion of your assignments:
- Use a monthly calendar to record the dates when essays and
other projects are to be turned into your instructor
- Begin making lists of tasks to be completed each day
- Establish a consistent time and place for studying and writing
- Take study breaks
- Start projects early
- Divide large projects into a series of smaller tasks
- Equip yourself with necessary resources
- Reserve computers ahead of time
1. Use a monthly calendar to record the dates when essays and other projects
are to be turned into your instructor.
Most writing instructors provide the due dates for essays and larger projects
in the course syllabus handed out at the beginning of the semester. Noting these
dates on a monthly calendar will enable you to quickly judge the amount of time
you can spend on a particular assignment. If when glancing at your calendar you
notice that, in two weeks, you have a biology test on Monday and an essay due
on Tuesday, you can begin to divide up your study time to accommodate each. If
you continue recording these important dates on your calendar, you can avoid last-minute,
late-night cramming sessions and writing frenzies that leave you haggard and result
in weak essays and poor test results.
2. Begin making lists of tasks to be completed
each day.
On a sheet of paper or on a daily calendar, list all of the tasks you
would like to accomplish in a particular day. You might begin compiling
this list in the morning and add to it as the day goes on, or you might
find it more efficient to make your list the night before. Such a list
might be simply a log of key tasks, or each item on the list could be
assigned to a specific time of day.
List of key tasks:
- Writing class
- Work
- Get financial aid
- Psychology class
- Biology lab
- Call mom
- Library research paper
- Read ch.6 for biology & take notes
- Study for sociology quiz
- Basketball practice
| List according to time of day: |
| 8:30-9:30 |
Writing class |
| 10:00-12:00 |
Work at registrar's office |
| 12:00-1:00 |
Lunch/get financial aid form |
| 1:00-2:00 |
Psychology class |
| 2:00-3:30 |
Biology lab |
| 4:00-5:00 |
Basketball practice |
| 5:00-6:00 |
Dinner |
| 6:00-8:00 |
Read ch. 6 for biology & take notes |
| 8:00-9:00 |
Research at library--paper 1 |
| 9:00 |
Call Mom |
At first, your list may be unreasonable--often what seems to be a quick
and simple task may take longer than expected, or something may come up
that requires your immediate attention. Since you will probably be able
to accomplish only 80% of the tasks you have listed, begin projects early.
Do the most important tasks on your list first, then tackle each of the
others according to their immediacy. As you complete a task, mark it off
of your list. By doing so, you will see how much you have accomplished
that day and can then begin to judge how much time particular tasks require
and whether you are using your time effectively. Any remaining items can
be added to the next day's list, but keep in mind when these tasks must
be completed so that you don't miss an important deadline.
3. Establish a consistent time and place for
studying and writing. Consider setting aside a particular time
each day for reading, studying, and writing. Working these activities
into a set routine will help you avoid procrastination and the resulting
anxiety. When you do your reading, studying, and writing, choose an environment
that is conducive to concentration. The best environment is not the same
for everyone: some people prefer to write at a desk in a quiet place,
such as the library; others work best sitting on their bed with music
playing; still others prefer to work outside where they can hear the birds
sing and watch passerbys between tasks. Experiment with different times
and settings to determine when and where you can do your best work.
4. Take study breaks.
If your schedule doesn't allow you to set aside an extended amount of
time for studying, take advantage of shorter spans of time in between
work and class. In the thirty minutes between class and work, read a
few
paragraphs of an assigned chapter or write a paragraph for an essay.
Limit the amount of work you plan to accomplish during this study break
so that
you don't feel rushed.
5. Start projects early.
Writing an essay is one of many projects that requires an extensive amount
of time to do well. Few writers would suggest rushing through a writing
project during the few hours before it is due; rather, to write a good
essay, the writer needs time to think about the subject, plan the organization,
draft, and revise the essay. Sometimes, this process can take days or
weeks to complete. (The same is true for studying for major tests and
completing large projects.) If you have two weeks before an essay is
due,
take an hour or so each day to begin exploring your subject and organizing
your thoughts.
6. Divide large projects into a series of smaller
tasks.
Large projects, such as writing an essay, studying for a test, designing
a brochure or webpage, or reading a 400-page book, can often seem overwhelming,
especially if they must be completed in one fell swoop. These projects
are much more manageable if you set shorter goals, breaking up the project
into workable steps.
For instance, an essay assignment can be broken up into the following
steps: choose and explore the subject, research the subject, write a draft,
revise the draft, proofread and edit the essay.
Each of these steps can be broken down even further. The goal of drafting
the essay could consist of smaller goals. If you are writing a 5-paragraph
essay, write one body paragraph on Monday, the second body paragraph on
Wednesday, the third body paragraph and transitions for the three body
paragraphs on Thursday, the introduction and conclusion on Saturday.
Completing the essay in these smaller segments will not only make the
project more manageable but will allow you to rethink, further research,
and revise what you have written as the essay develops.
7. Equip yourself with necessary resources.
Stopping to find a pen, dictionary, or ruler can eat away the time you
have allotted for studying or writing. Consider working where resources
are in reach, or take the items you will need to the place where you will
be working. Although Internet connections and library reference collections
can resolve the problem of forgotten dictionaries and thesauruses, many
times, students working in the computer lab or library discover too late
that they have forgotten their textbook or pen. If you study away from
your studying and writing tools, make a list of items you will need to
take with you and check them off as you collect them.
8. Reserve computers ahead of time.
Because libraries and computer labs serve a large population of students,
many require that you reserve computers for an allotted time. If you
wait
until the last minute, all of the computers may be taken or, if one is
available, it may only be available for short time.
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