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Op-Ed | The Five Types of Note Takers

By Morgan Hixson

11 April 2019


If you are like me, you are a college student. As college students you and I have many things in common, including the necessity of taking notes. However, I noticed it can be quite difficult to do this. With so many ways to take notes, it can be difficult to figure out which one is best for you, causing you to panic and not take any notes at all! Well, do not panic because lucky for you I am here with this handy, dandy, all-inclusive note-taking guide to solve all of your woes! Without further ado, here are the five types of note takers for you to learn about and decide which one you would like to be.


The Overachievers

The overachiever writes the most out of all the types of Note Takers (NT). Not only does this NT write everything from the professors slides, but they also write down every word the professor says, tries to say, forgets to say, or even just thinks about randomly. Think of them like amateur stenographers, but with mind reading abilities. The very best of them can level up and write down everything their classmates say as well.


The Underachievers

The Underachiever is kind of like the Overachiever, only the exact opposite. For every note the Overachiever does take, the Underachiever does not. This NT never walks out of class with more than eight words written down in total and they are usually not at all related to each other. (Fun Fact, in a survey conducted by me, this NT was voted most likely to be cramming a random Quizlet he found the night before a big exam.)


The Doodlers

I am sure you have heard the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words." If that is true, then the doodler gives the Overachiever a run for their money on most words taken in notes. Their notebooks are like 99% drawings and like 1% actual notes. A glance at this NT’s note page will reveal doodles of everything from animals to flags to caricatures. I once saw an epic visual novel in the margins of the Doodler who sat next to me in Chemistry.


The Unknowns

The Unknowns are the future doctors of the world. Their notes might as well be taken by a dog with a sharpie in his mouth. No one can read what this NT writes down, including the Unknowns themselves. The strange thing is that the horrific scribbles they call their handwriting change style from class to class, yet still never even approach anything resembling legibility.


The Technicians

Finally, we have the Technicians. This NT can always be seen with their laptop out in class writing in a word or google doc on the left side of the screen while the professor’s slides are pulled up on the right side. The typical Technician has this bad habit of developing a superiority complex due to the ‘higher’ form of written communication he/she partakes in. This NT is the one curled up in a fetal position in the classrooms where technology is banned.


Well, that concludes my list. I hope you found it helpful and informative. Good luck in all your future note taking endeavors!



Photo Credit: Wix Images

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Infuse Student Media or Southwest Baptist University.

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