General Discussion

I took notes for every college class in my "rough notes" pad. They were hurried, written in fragments and messy -- and I just couldn't help myself, I HAD to re-write them neatly in another notebook. So usually within a few hours of the lecture, I'd copy over my notes, but turn the fragments into sentences and if I was missing something that was said, I'd look for it in the class textbook or other reference. For science class I'd often add little illustrations of what the professor had drawn or displayed.

I'd review my notes before a test, but I didn't sweat bullets studying, and then I sailed through the class with As or occasional Bs for really tough courses that didn't interest me (I'm looking at you, astronomy).

I had no idea that this was probably THE most effective way to learn, I just couldn't stand messy notes. They offended my aesthetic sensibilities.