What'd Ya Say? Wednesday: Organization/Study Methods

As any aspiring professional, or at least I hope, I'm on a mission to gain as much knowledge as I can about my future profession. I want to learn it and retain it, every little bit. I just have some slight issues: note organization and retaining the mass of information. I'm able to remember the gist of things, and most details, but I want to remember it all so I have a great repertoire to draw from. As for organization, my notes from past and current classes are slightly organized in a few folders, but I'd like to have them better filed for reference. So how do I plan about doing these tasks? Here's what I've come up with:

I know I tend to learn by writing, so this may seem tedious for some. But for me, this should lead to positive results:

-Take notes in class and from readings, either in a 5 subject notebook or one notebook for all classes (you'll see why this doesn't matter as much later). Star/Highlight anything said multiple times or pointed out by teacher.

-Re-write these notes more neatly, and more organized, in the designated single subject notebook for each class/topic.

• color code all things that were starred/highlighted from notes: blue for terms/definitions; green for concepts; red for extra information pointed out or that seems important; yellow for assessment/treatment tests and techniques

- When it's near test time, re-write the notes in a summarized form, with the most important information. This will be used to study for tests (and re-read the full notes a few times as well).

-Make note cards to use for random practice throughout year to stay up-to-date on information.

-Place the single-subject notebooks and any handouts in an accordion folder/ small box for safe keeping and future reference. If there is extra room in single-subject notebook, then rip out pages and place them in a folder with handouts to put in accordion folder. The extra pages can then be used for another subject, and the folder will save space in the accordion folder/box. Be a tree hugger!

I'm hoping that by using this system I can be more well organized and create a way to store/ review information when needed in the future. Hopefully you find this, or an adapted version, helpful for your studies!