For a student, the necessity of taking notes can never be over stressed. It forms an integral part of student life and building up this habit is also known to have positive effect on the professional life too. Most students would consider this an irritant to the otherwise colorful college life, but it is a necessary
evil. Unless you are blessed with a brilliant mind which would help you retain the smallest bits of information, it becomes imperative that one learns to develop the skill of taking down notes.

During a college class, a lot of information is given out on the central concepts of the course and this knowledge is bound to be tested in the exam papers. It therefore becomes crucial that students learn to take notes which will help them absorb the important information. One would probably find it difficult to keep their concentration in place during the lengthy classes. However, there are certain fundamental habits that students can build on which will ensure better information recall.

Listening plays a vital role while taking notes in a college class. It is an essential learning tool. Research shows that human beings can recall only 50% of what they hear, and 20-30% of it is incorrect! To help develop effective listening, students can follow the suggestions listed below.

1. Decide on reasons why the lecture is important to you. This will give you a reason to listen with more attention

2. Make up your mind to be a serious and motivated learner. The lecturer can create only a certain amount of interest; you will have to be responsible enough to derive the understanding and knowledge from the lecture

3. Make sure you are in a position to hear better. If you can't hear, you may be missing out on valuable information. Move away from sources of disturbance and distractions

4. Put personal prejudices aside. Listen to the speaker even if you don't like something about him/ her. Understand what is being said before you reject it.

5. Learn to distinguish the central ideas of a lecture. Read up a little on the subject before the class so that you can identify the major points in the discussion

6. Practice paying attention. It is very easy to let the mind wander to more attractive thoughts but in order to become a better learner, you have to increase your attention span

7. Write down the information given out. Even if you can understand or already know what is being said in class, it is likely that you won't remember most of it at a later date. Taking down notes helps in information retention