Teeps.

While in class: Taking notes is possibly the best way to keep up with the syllabus. Requires no extra study-time and allows you instant clarification.

• Keep a margin of about 2 inches to the left when you take notes. For trigger-words, little summaries, any trivia mentioned in class, doodles (very educational) - basically, pointers to help you remember what happened in class when you review them later.
• Use abbr.! Though you don't have to go as fr s rytng lyk dis - you might consider using abbreviations: either standard ones or personal code-words. Concentrate on getting the "feel" of what the Professor is telling you - use pauses wisely; taking down as much as you can when they stop to answer a question/the phone/nature's call? But this differs from lecture to lecture, really.
• Use purple colour pencils to highlight important stuff. Other colours ought to work too - I just remember reading somewhere that purple is most potent.
• If you notice a recurrent theme in the lecture - use a symbol to represent it and keep drawing it wherever you think the lecture refers to it. Helpful in making sense of your notes, later.
  PS: This is especially helpful in Shantadi and Supriyadi classes. eg. Use (I) to symbolise "Internalisation in the Novel Form" and whenever there is potential evidence supporting this, mark it with an (I).
• Jot down any ideas/doubts that strike you right away - ask at the end of the lecture or when the Prof. stops for questions. Don't try remembering it because you either won't be able to or will miss out on what's being taught for the rest of the class.
• Precision over Orotundity. Always.

More later. Meanwhile if you have discovered some strange little habit that helps you remember better, share to please.