Stop Taking Notes (The Wrong Way) 🛑

Hey y’all,

Happy holidays!

Okay… I know, I know. I’m talking about school while you’re on winter break. But if you opened up this email, I know you’re ready to lock in as soon as the new year starts.

Today, I want to talk about notetaking—in particular, bad notetaking. I want to ensure that as soon as the new semester starts, you know how to take notes that genuinely help you learn.

What is “bad” notetaking?

Picture this. You’re sitting in AP Bio and your teacher starts rambling about the Krebs cycle. That diagram on the board—pretty scary-looking, right?

(For those unfamiliar, check out said diagram below.)

So what do you do? You start scribbling as fast as you possibly can. You can hear your teacher talking, but you have no clue what her words actually mean. You’re rushing to capture down every single word, syllable, sound that she enunciates.

As soon as she’s done talking and you look up, however, you have no clue what’s going on.

You captured the content, but you seldom understood it.

This is a mistake the vast majority of students have made (myself included). Scribbling down notes feels stressful, sure, but it also makes us feel productive. By writing everything down, we feel like we’re magically transferring that knowledge into our heads.

But that’s not how learning works. While your hands might be pretty active, your brain isn’t.

And you know what’s funny? Almost everything you’re scribbling down is probably online or in the textbook. I promise you the Krebs cycle isn’t running anywhere. You can very much find the diagram on your own time and process it at your own pace—outside of class.

During class, however, spend less time taking notes and more time trying to understand your teacher’s words. More specifically, try to understand the high-level concepts. Instead of trying to memorize all the moving components of the Krebs cycle, try to instead understand what the Krebs cycle even is.

(The answer, by the way, is a cycle that breaks down nutrients to release energy.)

It’s funny how this obsession over the minutiae blinds us to the bigger picture, which is arguably much more important for assignments and exams.

So what should I do instead?

Use your notes not as a way to transcribe lecture, but rather, to capture the points that you struggle to grasp. If a fact seems obvious—or better yet, if it’s one that you already know—do. not. write. it. down.

Use your notes to capture questions, interesting points your teacher makes, or anything you want to diver deeper into on your own time.

Another helpful strategy is to take notes “in chunks.” Instead of writing down everything your teacher says, paraphrase your teacher’s main points every 30 seconds or so. (Obviously, the interval may vary depending on the content and your teacher’s pace.)

Chew on the information a bit before you write it down. This way, you’ll engage your brain a form of active learning that’ll benefit you come exam time.

I could also spend some time right now diving into the different kinds of notetaking, but we’ve already covered that in a previous newsletter. (As tedious as Cornell notes are, they are pretty effective, I must admit. 😔)

With the right mindset surrounding notetaking, you’re bound to ace your classes in 2025. Wishing you all the best and happy holidays everyone!

Alright y’all, I think I’m going to start using these newsletters to inspire my long-form videos. If you want me to produce a long-form video about this newsletter in particular, let me know below!

(And if you don’t want me to, that’s also cool, lol.)

If you want study help, come join my Discord! We have a global community of students helping each other succeed in school. I’d love to see you there.

And if you need help with college essays, check out Next Admit! We have a team of Ivy League consultants eager to help you navigate the admissions process.

I’ll see you next week!

Best,
Gohar