Being organized can go a long way toward helping you succeed in college. Organization does not come naturally to all of us but fortunately it can be learned. Taking good notes in class and keeping them organized is very important and will help you make good grades.
You should get a different color notebook for each of your classes. Color coding is a mental short-cut. When you look at your notebooks before going to class, you don't have to even read the labels. Simply look for the right color. It is quicker to think "Red equals English 101" rather than take the time to look through your notebooks to find your English notebook.
Also, be sure to write your name, address (dorm and room number), and phone number in each notebook in case it gets lost.
May sure your notebook has at least five color dividers. Again, color is a mental short-cut for you.
Also, make sure you have a supply of three hole punched page protectors. Page protectors are clear plastic pages with three holes punched in them that you can slide your frequently referred to documents into. For instance your syllabus should go in a page protector. You can also purchase a single page three hole puncher to punch holes in handouts that are not pre-hole punched or simply put them in page protectors also.Here is how you should divide your different colored tab sections:
First section (Red Tab or Red colored tabbed divider) - Place your syllabus and any class handouts in this section. Use page protectors to keep these in good readable condition. Keep these in chronological (date) order.
Second section (Green Tab or Green colored tabbed divider) - Place your class notes in this section in chronological (date) order.
Third Section (Yellow Tab or Yellow colored tabbed divider) - Classwork you are working on or are ready to turn in goes in this section.
Fourth Section (Blue Tab or Blue colored tabbed divider) - Graded tests and graded assignments
Fifth Section (Orange or Orange colored tabbed divider) - Extra paper for note taking.
Also include a hole punched zipper bag to hold extra pencils, pens and reinforcements (round sticky things to repair torn holes in punched paper).
If you use a notebook computer for class, give each class its own folder and have a separate file within each folder for each day's notes.