There has been at least one time in most students’ lives in which they are sitting in the back of a classroom, completely trying to listen and understand what their teacher is saying and feeling lost. It can be extremely frustrating to be putting forth as much effort as you can into paying attention and still feel like you’re not absorbing as much as you should. You would think that taking notes would help better contribute to your understanding, and it does, but you need to find the right note taking style for you.

As time progresses, most students are drifting away from the use of manually written notes, because of the adaptability of google docs and other online sources. Though typing notes can be more efficient, it also creates a disconnect between the brain and the ideas. The article “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking” reports that three studies found “students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand.” Studies like these give us reason to consider going back to paper and pencil.

I personally enjoy taking my notes by hand, I find that the personalization of hand-written notes helps me register the information and create a layout that I enjoy looking at; this being said, I recognize that not everyone has patience- or the handwriting and any type of note taking is better than nothing (handwritten or typed).

Here are three common note taking strategies you might want to try:

#1: Cornell notes

In the past few years there has been a boom in cornell- note taking. Cornell notes use a table format with two columns of different widths to put the word and/or concept and it’s deeper explanation.

#2 The Outlining Method

This is my favorite way to take notes. I enjoy adding small graphics and doodles when needed to help stay focused and also make them pretty so that you’re motivated to go back and look at them again.

#3 Free form notes

Free form notes can be in whatever format you want and may include pictures, tables, doodles, colors, etc. This type of notes are best done on paper or with a tablet.

The best way to find out which note taking style is best for you is to try several different styles and see what feels best.