<p>Clearly the correct answer is electronic pen and paper. ;)</p>
<p>For classes where the professor uses powerpoint, I use a laptop so that I can keep up with the professor’s speed of lecturing, since I’ve noticed that when professors use powerpoint, they tend to speak rather fast and by the time I finish writing something down, they’re already onto the next point. If they’re using the board or there’s diagrams involved, I use my notebook.</p>
<p>I’ve experimented with both laptop and old-fashioned handwriting note-taking, and the traditional pencil and paper is best for me. With electronics, it’s easy to just type whatever the professor spews out; therefore, I don’t really register the important information given. Consequently, when I look back at my electronic notes, I tend to leave out little bits of details that makes it hard for me to understand what exactly is I meant. However, when I am actively listening and writing down everything my professor says, I actually do better in class.</p>
<p>If the professor has powerpoints on the student database, I usually print them off and write along the bullet points to get the extra info for each “big idea.” Highlighting is also an essential must for me when I prepare for exams.</p>
<p>Not to change the topic of discussion too much, but how about textbooks? Did you bring textbooks into lectures? How about e-textbooks vs. actual, physical textbooks?</p>
<p>I take notes using pencil and paper, I remember things better when I write them down than typing them. Some of my teachers don’t allow laptops (they are usually in math/science classes where a laptop is pointless anyway).</p>
<p>I’ve only been in college one year, so I haven’t had a ton of classes, but I never bring textbooks to lectures. Spanish class was the exception, I needed my book sometimes in class. Most of the discussions I have had I used the textbook. I don’t like e-textbooks, I like reading paper instead of a screen and i get distracted very easily on computers.</p>
<p>As a bonus, a study technique to try: as you read through your notes, write down what you don’t know/kind of don’t know/know but think is important enough for you to look over again in another notebook. I might read 30 pages and write down 5. Then rip out and study those 5 until you know everything on it. Works for me.</p>
<p>99¢ spiral notebooks and a pencil. You’ll learn more if you rewrite your notes in your own words each day after class is over.</p>
<p>Well first it’s best to go to your classes… you’ll find out what will all be going on, and some professors don’t allow computer use during class. Also you may get to know your professor a bit and figure out if they’re a fast talker where you might have to the laptop route…
I pretty much always take notes with a notebook and pen. Even if we’re lecturing from powerpoint, in which case the slides will be online for us to look at whenever, because they don’t always stick to the slides.
You have to also consider that a laptop may be distracting… for you, if you might end up going to facebook or other non-school pages… or for others sitting near/behind you because the screen may be in their way of sight, or they just may be curious as to what you’re doing on the computer.</p>
<p>I can’t learn things by typing them when a professor is talking - I have to write them by hand. I usually buy a three-subject notebook for academic classes, then a small 99 cent lab notebook and different colored pens.</p>
<p>There are definitely some students who use laptops, and to be honest typing the information is probably a little bit faster. But I found that it’s much, much easier to be distracted by email/internet/solitaire/etc., so I usually remember less. Just my two cents.</p>
<p>The Cornell method.</p>
<p>I don’t take notes unless there’s a weirdly specific list I need to memorize. For most college courses if you understand how to approach problems you are in much better shape. Spend class time really trying to learn and understand rather than frantically remember everything.</p>
<p>Try LaTex :D</p>
<p>whenever i can, i will print off the powerpoitns before class than write additional notes on the side</p>
<p>I just use a good-old notebook and pen for all my notes. While typing on my laptop might be easier, it’s the actual writing of the words that helps me remember the information better. Plus, when I study, I like to be able to lay on my bed and just flip from page to page and not sit up and face the glare of my laptop for an hour. That’s just going to hurt my eyes. There’s also the guilty confession that if my notes are on my laptop, I’ll distract myself with the internet. Sad but true. With a notebook, my laptop will be safely shut off and as far away from me as possible.</p>
<p>Also, the fact that I use a notebook allows me to doodle on the margins. That habit hasn’t died.</p>
<p>I did what I did in high school. I copied down anything that the professor wrote on the board.</p>
<p>I had straight A’s first semester, so it worked for me. I found that in classes where the teacher writes something on the board, what they write on the board tends to be important and is asked on quizzes/tests.</p>
<p>I had a professor who wrote everything out on powerpoint. I just used the powerpoint presentations as a reference for homework and then re-read over them once or twice before tests. I didn’t even really need to go to class to learn the material, but she had iclicker points that counted for about 10% of your grade, so I went to class for those.</p>
<p>Second semester, I had a professor who didn’t write anything down, but he did point out key words and would repeat definitions as necessary. The notes in that class for the whole semester only totaled two or three pages. That ended up being my only non-A. I received an 89 in that class.</p>
<p>I think your note taking habits will probably remain largely the same in college as they were in high school. At least, that’s what I found. What works for you now will probably continue to work for you.</p>
<p>
I didn’t take notes in high school, so I started from scratch.</p>
<p>One word document for each class is where it’s at for me. </p>
<p>I have dysgraphia (yes, it’s a real thing) so basically my handwriting sucks, a lot. I pretty much had to take remedial handwriting throughout elementary school because I was always WAY behind. My teachers often had trouble reading my handwriting. I typed and turned in many assignments every other student wrote by hand. In the state writing tests in 8th and 10th grade, I was allowed to use a computer, and on AP, SAT, and ACT I was given extra time on the writing portions. </p>
<p>However, there was no precedent at my high school that allowed me to have a computer in class just because of my writing problems. That was reserved for students with more severe impairments. So having a laptop to take notes in college is a blessing for me.</p>
<p>What about for courses like economics and Spanish? Do you think it’d be better to use notebook or laptop?</p>
<p>^For my French courses, I used a combination of my phone and my paper notebook. I only used my phone to translate words I didn’t know and to quickly look up verb conjugations, otherwise I wrote everything out on paper. I found paper to be the easiest because of things like accents. (Although accents are very easy to do on my phone, but are a terribly long process on a PC).</p>
<p>But there were people in my class who used laptops and ipads as the main usage for note-taking. I’d say it’s a personal preference and depends on the professor. Since language courses tend to be smaller, you’ll probably see more people using pen and paper.</p>
<p>
I want to know how many Cornell students actually do that. It really annoyed me when I was forced to do it that way in high school. Or, since I’m an auditory learner and have writing difficulties, was forced to produce class notes in any way for a grade. It’s something I definitely don’t miss from high school.</p>
<p>I’m a CS major, and can type faster than most people. I also can’t even read my handwriting. I try reading a page Of my notes and can barely read every other word. As above poster mentioned, I also have dysgraphia and was allowed computers for all ap tests and college tests.</p>
<p>That said, I still use a pen and paper to take notes. I seem to learn it a lot better when writing.</p>