Nancy Riecken serves on the national board of the College English Association. She has edited numerous academic publications, including the three-volume series, How to Succeed in College. She also enjoys writing children’s stories, personal essays, and poetry. She may be contacted at rieckennj@roanestate.edu.
By Nancy Riecken
Notetaking is an integral part of any successful artist, musician, lawyer, dentist, or (fill in your profession here ____). You didn’t get good at riding a bike until you’d fallen off a few times, right? In the same way, you don’t get good at college course work (in any subject area) unless you practice. And notetaking involves practice. Here’s an example:
You’re given a task/assignment/job to do. Your professor or supervisor tells you what the assignment is, gives you a verbal and maybe even a written outline of instructions, and tells you when the work is due. Now, being the smart person you are, you take it all in, remember it exactly, and have set to work on it, assured that you will do a bang-up job and win high accolades for your work.
Of course you would, but there are some folks out there who’ll just give a blank look and say “Are you serious?” or “I’ve never done that before,” or “I can’t do it.” Well, those folks should remember they got themselves into the mess by taking the job or signing up for the class or wanting to get some degree for some reason that has to do with making a living and having a future.
Sure, note-taking involves listening and writing down the important stuff, but it also involves going over those notes and practicing them. “Practice” involves
Physicist Albert Einstein said he made 1,000 mistakes before coming up with a good idea. Impressionist painter Degas made 200 sketches before settling on a painting project. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma practices, well, let’s say “a lot.”
Taking notes of what failed and what worked leads to success. Reflect on your mistakes and take notes so you can go down the right path to your goal. Making the same mistakes over and over won’t get you down that road.
Check out a song from my very distant past on YouTube: The Rolling Stones’ “One More Try” is a mantra for success. Here’s the third verse and chorus/refrain:
The things that don't matter they just come and go
And the things that satisfy only come real slow
You gotta know and watch it all in your mind
Cause it's better when you get it if you really try.
Sit down, shut up, don't dare cry
Things will get better if you really try
So don't cha panic, don't cha panic
Give it one more try.
College course work isn’t easy. It takes time, effort, and persistence. One-hit wonders come and go, and you’ll meet people who say they “tried” college but dropped out.
Einstein pointed out that nobody can solve problems with the same thinking used to create them, but if you want to succeed, don’t panic. Keep trying.
And making use of good note-taking is something all successful people have learned to do in order to be successful.
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