23 Responses for "The Cornell Note Taking System"

1. Brady White

   November 30th, 2004 at 12:33 am

   1

   lol. Learned this in my junior college “Student Success” class. I used it once for the assignment and found it useless. The best notes are just taking as many as you can and structure them the way you remember them. I prefer flash cards for memorization, but other than that I think cornell notes are unneccessary.

2. Diogo

   November 30th, 2004 at 7:08 am

   2

   I can’t imagine taking notes according to someone else’s system. I find it’s a very personal preference, you organize the information as it seems more logical to /you/. I don’t think there’s a right or a wrong way to go about it, unless of course someone else will use your notes.

   Or maybe I’m just disorganized.

3. dusoft

   November 30th, 2004 at 7:23 am

   3

   Very true, Diogo.

4. Tob

   November 30th, 2004 at 8:22 am

   4

   If I take notes, it is usually in the outline form. The cornell method looks confusing…

5. Vinnie Garcia

   November 30th, 2004 at 10:13 am

   5

   I write all over the place when I take notes. Works for me, but nobody else can understand my chicken-scratch. Luckily, I tend to type everything up later for easier consumption by others.

6. John D. Mitchell

   November 30th, 2004 at 10:48 am

   6

   Try MindMaps — they are visual (like most people) and focus on the relationships.

7. Sage Olson

   November 30th, 2004 at 7:34 pm

   7

   Woah woah woah – are you (Scrivs) saying that you were never forced to use Cornell Notes in high school? Lordy, I want to go there!

   The teacher here are friggin’ crazy about Cornell Notes… even my Calc teacher requires them (SUMMARIES for MATH notes? Excuse me?!?). When my AP Lit teacher told our class that we didn’t have to use Cornell Notes, the whole class literally broke out in a huge applause – that shows how much it’s shoved down our throats. It’s actually a very good way of taking notes for subjects that concentrate on memorization (like history), but otherwise it’s a worthless waste of time.

8. Dan Allen

   December 1st, 2004 at 10:21 am

   8

   The funny part is that I went to Cornell for 4 years and I have never heard of Cornell notes. I guess they don’t eat their own dog food.

9. Michele Dohse

   December 11th, 2004 at 9:38 pm

   9

   It’s been many years since I had to take notes in a class, but in taking notes for meetings, at work, etc., I tend to use a loose outline-based form (in high school and college, I would underline or highlight key ideas to study for tests). I have been looking into the “Cornell Method” because, although my chldrens’ teachers are crazy about them, EVERYBODY DID THEM DIFFERENTLY! Some of the teachers even took off points if the notes were not in Cornell form. Though I’ve enver used it, it seems to demand too much analysis at the time you are writing down the notes.

10. Erika P.

    December 21st, 2004 at 11:13 pm

    10

    I actually use it and find it extremely helpful, but there are several things about that that make me the exception:

    1. I am very anal about things and like hyper organization.

    2.The Cornell system makes recall for exams so much easier. Especially since I am a crammer, and looking in the left margin saves time I would not have had I read ALL the notes.

    3. I began using this voluntarily in college (um, yeah, I’m still in college BTW). The fact that I wasn’t forced may make a difference as to why I actually enjoy this system of note taking.

11. Russell

    January 10th, 2005 at 8:53 pm

    11

    I think people are missing the point with the Cornell “system”. While it does impose a bit of structure to your paper, and provides some structured activities for after the lecture is over, the actual note taking in Area C can be anything you want. You organize that section however you want, then distill that information later in Area A, pointing out the major “topics” covered (more like an index), and then in Area B, you give a few sentence summary of the entire lecture.

12. The juan

    August 15th, 2005 at 11:50 pm

    12

    Cornell notes are useless foos, I don’t know why Ms. Wardak (my AVID teacher) wants us to do 20 a week, they’re deadly, gosh! SO therefore I agree with you guys
    Post if you agree w/ me

13. watch me

    August 31st, 2005 at 6:29 pm

    13

    hmm…:?

14. the jap

    October 26th, 2005 at 7:27 pm

    14

    Using this in school is so dumb. It is required that we take a note this way. Of course I never really do pay attention, so I was looking on how to do it. I hate this cornell note taking. Sure it can help SOME who don’t have a way to take notes, but my indention scheme works just fine for me. I point out the important stuff, then indent and put the details. Oh. Btw, the link doesn’t work and is shut down “due to copyright issues”. Again, stupid Cornell Notes.

15. Hector

    February 1st, 2006 at 4:04 am

    15

    I really like the system. I heard about it before college, but I took a “Success” class and I was suggested to do it. Haven’t looked back. It works well for math, especially if definition and theory are overtaking computation.

    Basically what #11 said is right. The core of its use is the page format to strengthen review: summary + auto-notecard. If you want to use color code, or highlights, graphs, pictures, etc. in Area C go right ahead.

16. Arianna

    September 20th, 2006 at 5:10 pm

    16

    Im a senior in high school and I’ve learn many other techniques of note taking and so far I am doing good, Using the new Cornell system is just confussing. I think that It a useless way. You can take your own notes. If you dont understand you own notes then you have a problem

17. cilla

    September 8th, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    17

    who made cornell notes and wht year?

18. jurrrd gary

    October 6th, 2008 at 12:35 am

    18

    cornell notes is some bullshit.. and yall niggas who is commentin on it is wak as a bitch..

19. Lesag97

    October 11th, 2008 at 5:14 pm

    19

    Cornell notes were developed by Walter Pauk in 1949 at Cornell University out of frustration low law students test scores. If they are done and used correctly, they can be an invaluable tool for study.

    Obviously, #18 has no education whatsoever and probably has never taken a note in his life.

20. Lara Field

    October 26th, 2008 at 7:39 pm

    20

    Well, if I could get my high school students to take ANY notes, I’d do a back-flip and a half. When asked to read even a short text section, they act like I’ve asked them for a kidney, (their last one, at that). I have to have some means to measure that the necessary reading is getting done.

    So for you’ins who’ve never actually been taught how to take notes, (reference #18), this would be a lifesaver as a start-up “kit” to at least get you in the habit, and perhaps might just perk up the test scores. As mentioned above by those obviously not feeling the Cornell system is being rammed down their throats, the middle section can be done ANY way you want…so more power to ya.

    It would seem that the problem for some is not so much the method, but feeling like they have no control of their own notebook. If I were your teacher, I’d say by all means do what works for you, BUT if your grades don’t “prove up ” YOUR method…Well, then it’s MY way (Cornell) or the high-way!

21. mr. adrian

    May 5th, 2009 at 1:23 pm

    21

    i am a middle school math (algebra 1 and pre-algebra) teacher and i have my lower students use cornel notes because otherwise their notes are very disorganized and when i used ask them to show me their notes and explain, they couldn’t. they couldn’t understand their own notes. many children today are not taught how to take notes. cornell notes is way to take organized notes

22. BIG POPPA

    May 10th, 2009 at 8:02 pm

    22

    RE: The Juan

    Holy shit 20 a week….dayum my sympathies bro my avid teacher(useless class btw) her names ms cody shes a bitch ha some old black lady anyway yea i agree

23. De101

    October 18th, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    23

    I’ve read about Cornell and I like the concept, for me it’ works. I’d rather use Cornell long hand rather than typing. My current assignment requires using Cornell typed, however I’am unable to find a software (free preferred) for MAC. I’ve created a template using Word (2008) however when using more than 1 page, this causes the margins to change dramatically making it a challenge. I will complete the assignment longhand and either do the typed copy at the school library or pull out my old laptop (Windows Word 2001) and re-type there. Funny that MAC nor Microsoft for MAC included Cornell note as part of the software when some instructors are insisting on it’s use