Recent or current students, how did/do you take notes?

I haven't been a student since spring 2002. In those days, everybody was handwriting notes on lined paper (free sheets or notebooks). Have there been any changes since then?

I will be a student again starting this June, and am feeling a bit nervous about note-taking. Even if the most common method is handwriting, still apprehensive as I haven't taken notes for a long time, so am completely out of practice in terms of writing at speed for a long time daily.

Do the majority now bring laptops and tablets to class? Typing, or writing with a stylus? Anybody use those electronic note-taking pads?

Thanks!

4/26/2014 5:47:50 PM

Note taking isn't too bad, but you must be active with your notes. By this I mean write the important information (what the professor or you know is necessary) in a way that is obvious when you go back to review them. Other information that is not as pertinent, write that down too but keep the focus on the overarching theme of the notes. This will also depend on the class, but this works in general. It can also be helpful to just write everything the professor says in case if they want you to know specifics or details (overall it's just good to do).

a few pointers

1.) Don't worry about technology, in fact some professors (most that I have had) will tell you to not use it in class. Studies have shown that handwriting notes helps you retain the information later.

2.) Review the notes after class if possible, and rework everything they went through so you can better understand the processes.

3.) Finally, check those notes the day of and day after the class. Also, the day before a class read the chapter you are going to cover (you may not understand everything, but the point is for you to learn the information and then use the class to solidify the information).

I hope that helps, if you want any clarification just ask!

4/26/2014 11:11:20 PM

I used OneNote and had a different tab for each class (and used sub-sections for classes that required multiple tabs). Most of my professors used power point or PDFs for lectures, so I would print those to OneNote and take handwritten (or typed) notes on the slide. I also audio-recorded some of the lectures in OneNote, its helpful because I could just ctrl-f and search for anything and when I found it in my notes I could go directly to that point of the audio. If lecturing out of the text I would take pictures with my phone of pages/images/diagrams that we were discussing and take notes on them.

My wife (gf at the time) also used OneNote but took paper notes and used a LiveScribe to archive her notes into OneNote so they were searchable.

4/27/2014 11:21:50 AM

1. Write down important shit.
2... that's pretty much it.

4/29/2014 8:52:08 AM

Cornell notes

5/13/2014 10:19:23 PM

I used MS Word for basically everything, including math classes. I got really, really good with the equation editor. It was a pain in the ass in class but a life saver at test time.

5/17/2014 2:08:39 AM

When in doubt, use a pen/pencil and paper

5/21/2014 2:06:54 AM

I take notes by hand--usually with a clipboard and loose leaf paper, using abbreviations where necessary and minimal organization.

I often throw them away immediately, or glean key pieces of information, store each piece in its appropriate fashion, and then throw them away. For a traditional classroom setting where I'm expected to apply the information, I might organize and rewrite the notes...and then throw them away.

I keep a reporter pad on me and jot notes on that as well. But, again, I always "deal with" the information within a day or two.

I suppose I have two sets of notes: there are the ones I take in the moment and, from there...they might get integrated into the second set, which is the more extensive framework organized through a number of apps/pictures/links/documents/lists/boxes/etc... I revisit the framework periodically, pruning and cultivating its contents and containers.

I need to get to work....also, uh, maybe stop talking about myself.

5/22/2014 10:10:34 AM

I use blank, unlined paper or engineering paper. I file it in a binder for the class, and then retire it to a manila envelope when the class is over. I've opened up two manila envelopes afterwards, once for my prelim.

More than one study has indicated you learn/retain more when you record notes by hand than when you use a computer.

5/29/2014 9:51:31 PM

Its 2014...COMPUTER.

I always got a kick out of showing up at non engineering classes and seeing people using paper and pencil.

[Edited on June 3, 2014 at 2:19 PM. Reason : .]

6/3/2014 2:17:28 PM

I always get a kick out of people typing up notes while I just have my computer dictate the professor verbatim with speech-to-text

6/3/2014 11:18:02 PM

I graduated in 2013 and it seemed like a pretty even split on computer vs paper for note taking in the classes I was in. I prefer pen and paper. It helps me retain the information better and stay more focused on the lecture. It's also easier for me to make annotations, tables, etc in my notes when using pen and paper.

But it's all personal preference really. Some classes you take may be more conducive to computer note taking and other classes you may find that you're better off with pen and paper.

6/11/2014 2:24:45 PM

Thank you all very much for your valuable advice and suggestions.

I am going to start taking notes on Monday, and since all my classes are software intensive, I have to take my laptop to class. But, I will also take a notebook and pen for writing down important stuff.

6/13/2014 5:47:58 PM