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You need to develop and practise a variety of writing skills to perform well at university. The most important of these are:
• Writing notes
• Writing assignments, for example essays
• Writing reports as part of research projects
• Writing a thesis or mini-thesis in your final year of study
WRITING NOTES
Writing notes of important points is a skill that is not taught at university. This is something students have to learn on their own. Writing notes usually takes place in three different contexts:
• In a lecture setting, where you take notes of what a lecturer says
• In a study setting, where you write notes to summarise information in textbooks and other material
• In a research setting, where you need to take notes from a variety of books and articles in order to use them in a report or assignment
TAKING NOTES IN A LECTURE SETTING
It is usually impossible to take down everything that the lecturer says. Therefore you must learn to interpret and summarise the content of the lecture by writing down the key points. You don’t have to write full sentences that are grammatically correct. It is more important that you understand what you have written. accept that you won’t be able to get everything down. It is more important that you follow the logical argument or explanation as the lecturer speaks, and jot down keywords and phrases that will help you recall his words when you later read through your notes. Your text book and handouts will provide the full context, so don’t get anxious. Think of yourself as a sponge that absorbs the information as the lecturer speaks. a few drops of water will inevitably escape!
TIP -
notes do not have to be neat, but ensure
that you’re able to read what you have written.