Balancing academics, social life, and the need to make money can often seem like an overwhelming challenge for students. However, there’s a smart strategy that can serve dual purposes: creating and selling high-quality study notes. This not only enhances your own understanding of the subject but also offers a way to earn some extra income. This article will provide you with practical tips and guidelines on how to craft these study notes effectively.
Study notes in a nutshell
Study notes are condensed summaries or key points from a larger set of information, such as textbooks, lectures, or research. They serve to highlight the most important concepts, definitions, formulas, or ideas, making it easier to review and recall essential material.
Definition: Study notes
Study notes are concise notes that you can take when studying or during classes, so you can remember the essential things from the lesson. They help in organisinginformation in a clear, concise manner for quicker understanding and efficient revision. Studies indicate that writing is the best way to recall things, so making study notes can benefit more than just your grades. You can sell the lecture notes to other students. However, the challenging thing about these class notes is preparing effective ones.
Why make study notes?
Before you think of selling perfect class notes, you must first understand why they are so significant. Making perfect study notes is beneficial for several key reasons:
- Better grasp: Summarizing information in your own words helps deepen your comprehension of the source material as it forces you to process and internalize concepts. According to the Learning Pyramid model, the passive form of a lecture is the most ineffective method for retaining information.
- Efficient revision: Excellent notes condense large volumes of information into concise summaries. This makes it easier to review key points without needing to go through the entire textbook or lecture in class again. Writing encourages active listening and engagement with the material, so you’re more likely to remember what you’ve written down.
- Personalized study aid: By creating perfect study notes, you tailor the information to your specific needs, focusing on areas where you need more clarity. It also helps you organise ideas logically and highlight relationships between topics, which in turn improves clarity and structure in your learning.
How to sell study notes?
Selling perfect study notes can be a great way to earn money while helping others learn. Teachers are experts in their fields and have built their knowledge through extensive study and sharing that expertise with students by teaching them. Selling your additional notes that you have put great effort into, is a perfect way to make money as a student without negatively impacting your academic performance. Besides earning extra cash, making and selling notes can also teach you entrepreneurial skills. So, how do you do it? Below, we have created some tips on where to start.
Create high-quality notes
Before selling, ensure that your study notes cover all key topics to a particular subject or class, and that they are well-organised . Keep the language simple or add explanations for jargon so that everyone can understand it, and of course proofread it for possible errors. Make the format look appealing by using headings, bullet points, charts, and diagrams.
Choose a platform to sell
Digital notes are easier to restructure and sell to more students than handwritten notes. You can select multiple popular platforms, such as Stuvia, to upload and sell your summarising notes to other students. There is also the possibility of using Knowt, which is a free Quizlet alternative, where you can upload your videos, documents, PDF etc. for free. You can make your own flashcards, attach images, and use their practice test features. Simply password-protect your flashcards or practical notes and share the password with other students on your campus or on online platforms for some money.
Set a fair price
Now that you know where to sell your perfect study notes, you need to research how many similar notes are selling for. Depending on the depth and quality of the material, prices usually range from $5 to $50. If you also want to sell your study notes to classmates, you can ask them what they would pay for the notes at maximum, just to get a general idea. If your notes are detailed, high-quality, and cover exam-relevant content, you can charge more, but keep in mind that students generally have a low budget.
Promote your study notes
To inform other students of your new side business, you can ask classmates or friends to tell other students about it since word of mouth is a very valuable tool for promoting your notes. Additionally, you can share that information on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, or blogs with educational communities.
Use legal and ethical practices
You should avoid directly copying from textbooks or copyrighted material to ensure that the content is original or rephrased. Some schools and universities have policies against selling notes, so check your school’s guidelines beforehand to ensure compliance.
How to create study notes?
If you choose to make and sell study notes, the first step is learning how to make great notes. Remember that your study notes are your product; therefore, their quality matters a lot. You can also share or access notes for free on websites like Studocu. Below are guidelines for effectively creating perfect study notes.
Prepare and organise
Decide whether you’ll be handwriting notes or using a digital tool. If you don’t have a laptop, you can write down lecture notes on a piece of paper to later digitalize and edit those rough notes in a tool like Google Docs, Notion, or Microsoft Word. Collect textbooks, guides, handouts, and any other relevant study materials to learn the topic in its entirety and add relevant points to your initial notes. During lectures, pay more attention to terminologies and definitions shared by your teacher and write them down.
Break down the information
Go through your materials and note the key topics. Focus on important concepts, formulas, and processes. Some university students prefer writing their notes as paragraphs, whereas some might prefer using bullet points. Structure your notes with clear headings to separate different sections. After all, if your study notes are pleasing to the eye, it is easier to retain information and can make studying fun.
Condense information
Rather than copying word-for-word, rephrase the information in your own words to better understand and retain it. Using simple language and synonyms will make your notes easier for other students to comprehend instead of wordy notes. Even though you might prefer paragraphs, using bullet points and lists occasionally, makes for perfect notes due to being more digestible and helps highlight essential facts and ideas.
Incorporate visuals
Visual aids, such as diagrams, charts, graphs, and tables can simplify complex information and make it easier to remember. Make sure to use different colours, bold text, or underlining to draw attention to important concepts, formulas, or terms to ensure perfect notes.
Review and revise
Review your notes periodically and revise as you gain more in-depth understanding of the material. Ensure that your study notes reflect accurate and up-to-date information. Lastly, correct any errors or misconceptions. Tailor your notes to your learning methods. Some people prefer using study methods like flashcards, while others like mind maps or flowcharts.
Tips for becoming a top seller
Besides making effective notes, you also need to come up with strategies for standing out from your competition. Below are some helpful tips:
Offer free samples
Everyone likes freebies, especially students. Providing at least one free page of your notes can capture interest, get students to see your note-taking methods in and out of class, and help boost your ratings by giving potential buyers a taste of the quality you offer.
Set affordable prices
Since your primary customers are students, it’s essential to keep your prices reasonable. Offering study notes at affordable rates will attract more buyers and improve your sales and ratings. If your business is taking off, you can consider increasing your prices at a later point.
Understand your audience
Tailor your notes to the specific needs of your target audience. Focus on popular courses or subjects where plenty of students often require extra help. Encourage satisfied buyers to leave positive reviews, if possible, on whatever platform you use.
Promote your notes
Use social media platforms to spread the word about your study notes. Posting on student forums, noticeboards, and groups can significantly boost visibility and drive sales, especially when the content addresses exam questions or essential questions.
FAQs
Study notes are short and summarized notes that are created for revising purposes. You can make them during classes or during personal revisions with added textbook notes.
You can make effective notes by focusing on keywords, relevant content, and essential questions useful for exams.
Digital notes are more convenient since they are easier to edit and format for better clarity. It is also easier to upload them and sell them to other students, which makes them a popular method for earning extra money.
In most cases, it is legal to sell your study notes as long as you’re not including copyrighted material. However, you should check your university’s policy to make sure that there aren’t any rules prohibiting you from doing so.
