Taking Notes In University

[Anfield]

A few quick questions before undergrad starts:

 

1) Do you use binders to take notes in university? Or do you use a notebook? Or what? When high school started I was forced to use a binder and I simply don't enjoy using binders at all. So should note-taking be done by using a notebook for a specific class?

 

2) Should I buy my school supplies from the bookstore (I haven't been there so I don't know if its cheaper) or just buy everything now from Staples?

 

3) Any other advice on what school supplies to buy/not buy/consider before school starts? I'm sure there are some stuff that are needed or will be more helpful in university than they were in high school.

 

Thanks!

[thestar10]

I personally wouldn't grab anything before.

 

Personally I used cheap notebooks for classes with handwriting notes and laptop for classes that posted lecture slides.

 

With the exception of classes like math and physics (maybe chem) everyone uses a laptop.

[NeuroPreMed]

Pretty much what Labgopher said. Unless you're in a class that requires things like an equation that you can't put into a computer everyone uses laptops (or at least the vast majority). Those that don't use laptops usually use notebooks.

 

School supplies can be cheaper at the bookstore, but not always. Sometimes staples can have sales that will put it a fair amount lower than the bookstore.

 

The only item I recommend is that you buy a good backpack, if you plan on doing well chances are there will be more than an adequate amount of books in there at all times so make sure it can handle it.

[penguin92]

Personally I usually wouldn't go for things in the bookstore except the occasional textbook that I couldn't find used and had to resort to buying a brand new one.

 

I was a pure binder/paper notes guy but I would say at least half the class uses a laptop with the exception of things like math and physics. I would often print out the lecture slides cause typing notes just wasn't for me.

[Intrepid86]

I was a pure binder/paper notes guy but I would say at least half the class uses a laptop with the exception of things like math and physics. I would often print out the lecture slides cause typing notes just wasn't for me.

 

Same. In undergrad it was all pen & paper. I didn't even have a laptop.

[aaronjw]

I wager (based on observation) most of the people using a laptop to take notes in class are using their laptop for more than just notes so at that point you're simply typing out what's being said and not actually synthesizing the information.

 

I used a livescribe pen (thanks again Birdy!) to take lecture notes (with course slides with me). For anything I miss I go back with my own to replay what I didn't get down in lecture.

 

Next I synthesize those notes (that or the next day) using my own words as much as possible into a formal document/notebook and then fill in gaps with textbook to have a complete set of notes tht include both lecture and textbook material.

 

Then I continue to refine the material on a bi-weekly basis again putting as much as the material into my own words.

 

Once I get to exam time, I can pretty much teach the core concepts/material to my wife/cat/dog/wall so that all I'm left with is trying to lock in the mundane details.

 

Sure it's time consuming but once you get into a routine and system it actually becomes pretty efficient and you end up spending less time actually studying for exams because you're mostly just reviewing as all the real studying has been done already.

[Birdy]

I write all notes by hand as I find that I absorb the material a lot better. I can write what is being said on a computer without thinking; I have to think about the information to write it out succinctly. I sketch in important diagrams, colour code headings and highlight as I go. I have a system for underlining/circling things depending on how often they are emphasized in class.

 

I bought a bunch of spiral bound notebooks last year. At $0.10 each, they were a good buy. One 80 page notebook is enough for lecture notes for one class for one semester. Though I did come within a few pages of filling a couple books last year. I write small, so your mileage may vary with something like that.

 

At the end of the semester, I snip the wire and put the notes in a binder at home for future reference.

 

Even with classes that have slides posted online, I take my own notes. The little desks in lecture hall seem really awkward and uncomfortable to use laptops on. I have my iPad with me all day if I need it (I have several books on it too) but have never once felt the need to drag my laptop to school. With Dropbox, I have all the same stuff on my iPad anyway.

 

Buy supplies at Staples or Walmart. Not sure about your school, but the stuff at my university book store costs way more than back to school sales at Staples and Walmart.

 

Oh, buy a geometry set. I cannot tell you how often that came in handy in labs for making my in-lab reports neat.

[Birdy]

I wager (based on observation) most of the people using a laptop to take notes in class are using their laptop for more than just notes so at that point you're simply typing out what's being said and not actually synthesizing the information.

 

I used a livescribe pen (thanks again Birdy!) to take lecture notes (with course slides with me). For anything I miss I go back with my own to replay what I didn't get down in lecture.

 

Funny thing is that I've recommended those pens to many people who now love them, but I still haven't bought one myself. My friend who uses and loves hers shares almost all classes with me so I mooch off of her recordings. :-D

 

Also, yeah, it seems having a device for taking notes (either tablet or laptop) seems to result in a lack of attention in class for most people. I have to pay attention or I end up with incomplete notes. Ends up saving me a lot of time down the road.

 

I also sit right up front (first or second row in every class) and would be dreadfully embarrassed to be found to be so disrespectful of my professor as to be ignoring them during lecture by playing games or going on Facebook.

[Cerena]

I write all notes by hand as I find that I absorb the material a lot better. I can write what is being said on a computer without thinking; I have to think about the information to write it out succinctly. I sketch in important diagrams, colour code headings and highlight as I go. I have a system for underlining/circling things depending on how often they are emphasized in class.

 

I bought a bunch of spiral bound notebooks last year. At $0.10 each, they were a good buy. One 80 page notebook is enough for lecture notes for one class for one semester. Though I did come within a few pages of filling a couple books last year. I write small, so your mileage may vary with something like that.

 

At the end of the semester, I snip the wire and put the notes in a binder at home for future reference.

 

Wow, Birdie, the tip I have bolded is total gold.

 

Personally, most of my handwritten notes are mindmaps that I draw. This really helped for pharm and patho. I take a blank sheet of paper with me to class, and then in lecture I create mindmaps while the lecturer speaks. I love to draw, so this makes class 100X more enjoyable for me For memorization, I audiorecord my flashcards and quiz myself when I go to the gym.

[Anfield]

For the lifescribe pen, few questions: do I need special paper for it? What about underlining or highlighting, can I do that after using the pen and have stuff still work? I'm also seeing different versions of the pen (wifi, echoo)--what should I go for?

 

I agree with what was said: taking notes on a laptop will draw my attention away from paying attention to what's being said and instead I'll be focusing on making sure I'm typing correctly.

 

So far what I need seems to be:

- geometry set

- (maybe) livescribe pen

- good backpack (which I bought last year so I might not spend money on a new one)

- small 80 pages notebooks for each class

[Birdy]

For the lifescribe pen, few questions: do I need special paper for it? What about underlining or highlighting, can I do that after using the pen and have stuff still work? I'm also seeing different versions of the pen (wifi, echoo)--what should I go for?

 

I agree with what was said: taking notes on a laptop will draw my attention away from paying attention to what's being said and instead I'll be focusing on making sure I'm typing correctly.

 

So far what I need seems to be:

- geometry set

- (maybe) livescribe pen

- good backpack (which I bought last year so I might not spend money on a new one)

- small 80 pages notebooks for each class

 

 

I find those notebooks useful for myself, and they are cheap which was good for me. I bought 100, probably won't need them all for undergrad but paper won't expire over my scholastic career, so I figure I'm good there. You may find you don't like them - it's all about what works for you!

 

For the Livescribe pens, you do need special paper. They sell notebooks as well. The notebooks are numbered and you set each book to a class and the pen indexes your notes for you based on the books themselves. Highlighting and underlining are both fine; the pen uses a little camera to find where it is on the page based on the micro dots printed on the paper. They are detectable under a highlighter.

 

I believe my friend has the Echo, which is pretty neat. Check reviews, I'm sure you'll find one that suits your needs. Also, check with profs before you record as a courtesy, some don't like it (though my friend has never had one refuse.)

 

I will recommend Dakine backpacks. I abused the crap out of mine and it still looks new. It was nearly $50, so not terribly expensive either. Has a cooler compartment for me to bring my lunch too.

[Anfield]

Really...special paper. I tend to use a lot of paper so things might get expensive. I'm not even sure if this pen is worth it. Wouldn't it be better to just record the lecture alone?

[Birdy]

Really...special paper. I tend to use a lot of paper so things might get expensive. I'm not even sure if this pen is worth it. Wouldn't it be better to just record the lecture alone?

 

The appeal of the pen is that it links the audio recording to what you write. When you want to go back over a certain part of the lecture, you tap that part of your notes and it plays the audio recorded at that time. It also links the digitized version of your notes to audio files. It's really convenient in that way. I have a little digital audio recorder that I have used at times (when I'm really sick, I record lectures since I'm not at my best) and it is a less streamlined way of doing things.

[Anfield]

Oh I see. I'm noticing the 8GB version has evernote premium. Do you think this is useful?

[Jaybird]

Depending on how much paper you go through, a similar app on tablet may be cheaper

[NutritionRunner]

I wager (based on observation) most of the people using a laptop to take notes in class are using their laptop for more than just notes so at that point you're simply typing out what's being said and not actually synthesizing the information.

 

I used a livescribe pen (thanks again Birdy!) to take lecture notes (with course slides with me). For anything I miss I go back with my own to replay what I didn't get down in lecture.

 

Next I synthesize those notes (that or the next day) using my own words as much as possible into a formal document/notebook and then fill in gaps with textbook to have a complete set of notes tht include both lecture and textbook material.

 

Then I continue to refine the material on a bi-weekly basis again putting as much as the material into my own words.

 

Once I get to exam time, I can pretty much teach the core concepts/material to my wife/cat/dog/wall so that all I'm left with is trying to lock in the mundane details.

 

Sure it's time consuming but once you get into a routine and system it actually becomes pretty efficient and you end up spending less time actually studying for exams because you're mostly just reviewing as all the real studying has been done already.

 

This is essentially what I do. Since I'm studying all semester long, when it comes to exams, I only have to review things - I never have to cram or pull an all-nighter.

 

It's worked well for me. The past two years I've only had one mark below a 90 (an 86 in a cross-listed undergraduate/graduate course).

 

You will also tend to retain material better if you take notes by hand. Here are some articles and studies on this:

 

http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2013/08/15/why-laptops-dont-belong-in-lectures/

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/writing-and-remembering-why-we-remember-what-we-write.html

[Birdy]

just a question to everyone that uses those spiral notebooks, how the HELL do you use those?!?!! when you're writing on the left page the spiral metal thing gets in the way of your right hand as you get to the right margin... hate those notebooks!

 

I'm ambidextrous and switch hands sometimes, but since I'm usually faster writing with my right because that's the side the tables are on I usually just angle the book and keep writing normally. I've not found it to be particularly annoying.

[aaronjw]

just a question to everyone that uses those spiral notebooks, how the HELL do you use those?!?!! when you're writing on the left page the spiral metal thing gets in the way of your right hand as you get to the right margin... hate those notebooks!

 

I use top-bound spiral pads.

[future doc]

Depending on how much paper you go through, a similar app on tablet may be cheaper

 

plus a tablet will do much more than the pen;)

[Indent]

Most professors have PowerPoints and post them before class, so I make an effort to read through them (if I have time). I also suggest thinking of some good questions.

 

While they post them online, I still write down notes during the lecture. I just remember things better that way. I also practice the Cornell method for notes.

 

A laptop invites too many distractions.

[Anfield]

Whats the Cornell method?