If you've taken five courses, chances are you've experienced five different teaching styles. This information allows you to organize your note paper right from the beginning of the lecture. Later, as the professor speaks, just fill in the details under the categories mentioned. Lecturers may emphasize different kinds of details, too. Some may use anecdotes to illustrate points, or relay real-life examples.
Some professors make extensive use of chalkboards or overheads.
Wild scribblings may seem unintelligible at the time, but may come clear later on. Arrows and lines often indicate key points or conceptual connections. Recognize conceptual structures. Although it may seem so in an early morning or late night class, information is rarely tossed out in disjointed chunks. There are usually conceptual connections, and these can be represented visually in diagram form in your notepaper.