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How to Take & Source Effective Student Notes

Good study notes: the key to passing your exams

The amount of knowledge conveyed during a single lecture can overwhelm even the best students. Unlike in high school, where teachers dictated ready-made definitions, at university, it is up to you to decide what is most important. Solid, legible student notes are the absolute foundation for preparing for midterms and exams.

Well-organized material saves dozens of hours of study during finals week, eliminating the need to wade through hundreds of pages of thick academic textbooks.

The best methods for taking lecture notes:

• Cornell Method: Dividing the page into three sections (keywords, main notes, and a summary). It’s a brilliant system that makes later review much easier.
• Mind Mapping: Visually representing information using keywords and arrows. Perfect for visual learners studying fields that require connecting multiple themes.
• Outlining Method (Bullet points): Classic, hierarchical division of material into headings, subheadings, and key thoughts using dashes.

Where to get student notes? Material exchanges and knowledge bases

Let’s be honest—nobody can attend 100% of lectures or perfectly write down every word the professor says. That is why collaboration is so important at university. Student note databases created by previous years are a real lifesaver before exam season. Where should you look for the best materials?

1. Degree-specific groups on Facebook and Discord: This is where students most frequently share files, Google Drives with materials from previous years, and “exchanges” of exam questions.
2. Upper-year students (year representatives): Students in higher years are the best source of verified materials. They often pass on complete drives to the next cohorts, containing scans, study guides, and tips on what a given professor focuses on most.
3. Note-taking platforms and apps: Instead of a traditional notebook, students increasingly choose digital solutions (Notion, OneNote, GoodNotes, Obsidian). They allow for instant text searches using keywords and easy sharing of notes with group members.

A golden tip: When creating student notes on a computer or tablet, try to categorize them immediately based on the course syllabus. Use colors to highlight definitions and keywords that the lecturer has identified as “guaranteed exam topics.”

Sharing notes and copyright

Exchanging materials between students for educational purposes is completely legal and common. However, remember that directly selling presentations prepared by professors or publishing them on public forums without the author’s consent may violate the university’s copyrights. Stick to trusted, internal year-group groups.