Although you’d not think it by looking at my garage, I am a pretty organized person. My shelves of stuff aren’t labeled with a label-maker or color-coded, but if you ask me where the box with the Christmas lights are, I’d be able to point you right to them. It’s not perfect, but my systems work great for me.
We don’t talk about organizing class materials in college very much. I’m guessing most students just sort of fall into a habit without thinking about it very much. At least not until you’ve lost a few things and then start thinking to yourself that you ought to get organized.
Taking even a single college class generates lots of notes, papers, thoughts, and other stuff. Thinking about some sort of filing system before you settle on your note-taking system is useful.
Filing Options
I’ll date myself and share that ipads, laptops, and cloud storage were not a thing when I was in college. Everyone took notes using spiral bound notebooks or loose-leaf lined pages of paper that we’d snap into 3-ring binders. My filing system back then? Usually a notebook for every class.
Some folks still prefer the old-school approach. And while much about the digital revolution has made college much more accessible, it has also made it a bit more complicated. One moment you’re downloading readings or accessing them online. You might take notes on paper in class but use your laptop to take reading notes. You might use a tablet to take notes in class but then have a set of folders on your laptop to keep other things in. Or maybe you’re using a cloud platform to do most everything, except for the scribbles in the margins of the books you buy.
The issue here isn’t that there’s one right way to do it, but that the variety of options means you have more places to keep track of. So how do you do it?
Things to Figure Out
Again, I’d not insist you use the system I’ve developed through 20-some years of school. In fact, most of these suggestions are more things to think about than they are specific recommendations. I’ll share some ideas here to get you started and encourage you to adapt them in the ways that work best for you.
- I’d recommend you think in terms of classes as your categories. For example, I like to store notes, readings, and other materials under a number, name and date (in this case, F means Fall): SOC 301 (F23) Social Theory. All of my reading notes might be titled: SOC 301 (F23) Week 1 Reading Notes. I might keep my class notes as a single running file as SOC 301 (F23) Class Notes. Papers you write can carry a similar tag.
- Try to set-up internet bookmarks in a similar way. As I visit blogs, websites, etc. that connect with class, I bookmark them under a similar class title.
- Although more rare than it used to be, you can create a notebook or set of file-folders using this same system for class handouts. If you use a consistent labeling system, you will easily be able to match your digital materials with the class papers.
- Keep your filing up-to-date. It is painful to dig through a 4 inch stack of papers on your desk or 40 downloaded icons on your desktop. Spending just a few minutes sometime during the day or at the end of the week will save you much heartache the night before the midterm.
- When you finish a class, put everything in a single folder and archive it. You’ll likely return to older materials, so file things in a way that you’ll remember. Keep it simple. Once you get it set up, stick with it. At the end of the semester or term, go back and file everything. At the beginning of a new one, set things up for the next set of classes.
- It probably goes without saying that you should back up your work in cloud storage, campus networks, or your own external hard drive. You’ll probably ignore this suggestion until you lose something really valuable. Once you’ve lost a paper, you’ll come to appreciate how important it is to back up stuff. If you learn to do it before you’ve lost something you’ve worked really hard on, you’re a wiser person than I.
As I shared earlier, there is no perfect way to set up your system. The four most important elements are:
- thinking about your system before you get started
- making it consistent across all your materials and courses
- cleaning up at the end of a class or term
- backing up your work
You’ll be glad you did!
Dr. Matt Friesen received his PhD in Sociology from the University of Oregon and has spent most of life as a student, professor, researcher and advisor. Check out www.gutsycollege.com for the free Workbook for Reading in College and Note Taking Template. For wealth of college tips check out Dr. Matt’s Gutsy Guide to Reading in College.
Noah Friesen’s artwork is featured in these blog posts. Noah has been drawing since 2003 and specializes in caricature and comic art. Connect with Noah, check out his gallery or commission him for your project at www.ko-fi.com/idekdraws.
