[speaker001:] Oh... I am really worried about the exam. I have no idea what will be on it.
[speaker002:] Why? Just read your notes.You can see what the professor stressed in the lectures.Probably the exam will ask about things he stressed.
[speaker001:] Yes, but my notes are all nonsense. I can't figure out what is important.
[speaker002:] Let me see them.Are these all the notes you have?
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] But Laurie, how can you do well in school if you don't take more notes?
[speaker001:] What do you mean? You think I don't write enough.
[speaker002:] I'm sure you don't write enough.Look at this. Here you wrote, Russian Revolution. 1917. Bolsheviks. Real revolution, or coup? And that's all? I remember he lectured for a half hour about that question.And you didn't write any of it!
[speaker001:] I know, but I listened.
[speaker002:] Yes, but did you remember? You need good notes to help you remember.
[speaker001:] I suppose you're right. But what can I do? I don't know what to write down.
[speaker002:] There are different things you can do.For one, the university offers a special free course on note-taking.You should go to the course. Also, I am pretty good at taking notes. I can help you on this exam. I will photocopy all my notes, and you can compare them to your notes.Then maybe you will see what kinds of things to write down.
[speaker001:] That would really help me, Sue. I appreciate it. All this makes me feel like an idiot.
[speaker002:] Don't feel that way. I know you are very smart.Note taking is a special skill. All students need to learn it.Some people are very smart, but they just haven't learned how to take notes yet. I'm lucky because I had a good English teacher in high school.She taught me how to take good notes. It's not hard.
[speaker001:] Alright. University and high school seem very different to me. I suppose I just need to learn how to manage lecture classes. Then I will do better.