The Importance of a Study Journal

I have to say, the single greatest tool I've been taught to utilize, probably in the entirety of my Bachelor's degree, is that of a study journal. The amazingly brilliant and helpful Dr. Shaffer at WT started me on the habit when I took his 'Great Books' course offering through the Honors Program. We were encouraged to keep a journal of our thoughts regarding our assigned readings for each class session, including anything from knee jerk reactions to the text, to favorite quotes or lines from the book, to questions for discussion during the following class period.

I began to value the study journal as a means of elucidating my thoughts on paper, and organizing my mind during the learning process. Since that course, I've continued to use it off and on, and it's been absolutely invaluable. It's a habit I would encourage anyone to pick up. It's taking notes in an informal fashion, and particularly helps in post study discussion with another person. You always remember to bring up those points and questions you had while reading because you wrote them down. And I find that my retention is significantly enhanced by the process. A picture of a random page from mine below:

It may not work for everyone, or be their own cup of tea. But it's something I think I'll always use, from time to time, for the rest of my life. Why is this not a basic skill encouraged during early college work? I suppose I know the answer to that question: It's not very valuable in regurgitation course work, only in higher level thinking, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation studies. But isn't that the kind of mental agility that should be encouraged at the collegiate level?