Page 202 - Keys to College Success

Note Taking, Memory,

and Studying

HOW CAN YOU RETAIN WHAT YOU LEARN?

What Would You Risk? Chandra McQueen

THINK ABOUT THIS SITUATION AS YOU READ, AND CONSIDER WHAT ACTION YOU WOULD TAKE.
THIS CHAPTER PRESENTS NOTE-TAKING, MEMORY, AND STUDYING STRATEGIES THAT WILL HELP
YOU SUCCESSFULLY RECORD AND REMEMBER KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU CAN USE.

Understanding the risks her single mother took to provide initially a bit overwhelmed academi-
for her and her three brothers, Chandra McQueen was cally and was heartbroken when she
determined to become the first in her family to graduate got her first D. “I was my worst critic,”
from college. That ambition blossomed in high school, she said. “I wanted to make honors,
where she was inducted into the National Honor Society, like I did in high school.”
played first chair clarinet in the concert band, was a cheer- Used to more intimate class settings
leader and majorette, played tennis, and ran track. “I was than the large lectures, Chandra struggled
really driven to change my situation,” she says. “One of to record lecture highlights. Because she found it tough
my favorite activities was going to the library and reading to discern what information was valuable enough to write
about different places and people. This nurtured a desire down, her notes were frequently missing key points—an
for me to make a difference in the world.” issue in coursework that applied to her double major. With
As an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, her note-taking skills lacking, she had trouble converting
Chandra risked aiming for a double major in American her knowledge into success on papers and exams, and
government and sociology. She dove into college life, rewards seemed out of reach. As Chandra says, “It was
joining Delta Sigma Theta sorority and working in student sink or swim.”
government and as a resident assistant. However, she was To be continued . . .

MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS
STRUGGLE TO TAKE IN
THE MASSIVE AMOUNTS
OF MATERIAL FROM LEC-
TURES AND LESSONS.
WHAT WORKED IN HIGH
SCHOOL OFTEN DOES NOT Working through this chapter will help you to:
WORK AT THE COLLEGE
LEVEL. YOU’LL LEARN • Record effective lecture notes P. 166
MORE ABOUT CHANDRA, • Understand and use different note-taking styles P. 170
AND THE REWARD RESULT- • Understand how memory works P. 175
ING FROM HER ACTIONS,
WITHIN THE CHAPTER. • Identify and use mnemonic devices and other
memory techniques P. 177
• Build studying effectiveness with targeted strategies P. 180
• Summarize notes and combine class and reading
notes in a master note set P. 186