Make sure you do the required readings and investigate the topic and its content on your own before the lecture.
You don't want to write too much... make a note of anything the lecturer deems important, also listen to hear if he/she explains a concept in an interesting or new way.
Everyone has his or her own style of note-taking. I suggest trying different methods for the first week or two, while the content is light and most likely high school revision. I personally just use a 4-colour pen and lined notebook to jot down any interesting concepts and insights that I encounter, usually with headings and maybe a diagram. Not pages and pages though. Some people prefer to use a laptop, which can be handy. When done effectively, digital notes can be edited easily, integrated with lecture slide material, searched for particular words or phrases, and can be manipulated for a number of printing or presentation needs. It's really up to you to find your own way.
The challenge is to make the notes detailed and meaningful enough for revision (hopefully later that day!) without going to unnecessary lengths. Don't make your notepad a reference book, that's what textbooks and lecture slides are for. Compress the information into small chunks. This makes revision quite a lot easier.
I stumbled across this article recently, it has some good tips:
http://artofmanliness.com/2012/01/27/write-this-down-note-taking-strategies-for-academic-success/Good luck with your first week!
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