<p>So at my cc i take notes by hand i write pretty fast and my teachers tend to not rush through lectures. However im scared thw transition to UCLA will be different. If i cant keep up writting by hand I would hate to have to take my macbook pro, it makes my backpack heavy! i also type super slow i gradauted high school when it was still acceptable to type 30 wpm.
Anyway im looking into getting an ipad mini for school what are your thoughts on its effectiveness for this purpose? </p>
<p>I want the mini because i have small hands lol </p>
<p>I take notes on my iPad with a bluetooth keyboard. Works rather well for me. The mini might not be as suitable for note taking and pdf reading/annotating but thats just me.</p>
<p>I would not recommend taking notes on an Ipad mini. It is just my opinion, but touch screen keyboarda are horrible for typing long paragraphs. </p>
<p>I have an ipad air and I use the notability app to record lectures and take notes at the same time. I think ipads in generals are great for notetaking but like others have said ipad minis aren’t as great. Even if your hand are smaller, I doubt they’re 7.9 inch small. </p>
<p>Practice typing on a keyboard now. Go to typeracer and raise that wpm.</p>
<p>@CalBruin What’s a Bluetooth keyboard, and how does it work. I have an iPad and I definitely need some good note taking tools.</p>
<p>At UCLA most students I have seen in the poli sci department have lap tops and a handful have iPads. Those that do use an iPad always have some kind of keyboard attachment for it. It really depends on what works for you. I am old school and have been writing everything by hand since CC and during my time at UCLA and never had any issues. </p>
<p>Get Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition…The best for a student</p>
<p>@2016Candles it’s a thin rechargeable keyboard that links to basically any tablet that is Bluetooth compatible. Just search Bluetooth keyboard on amazon and a bunch should pop up. I got mine for around 15.00 and it’s super lightweight, responsive, and I’ve only charged it once in the 9 months that I’ve been using it.</p>
<p>I prefer using it to my on screen keyboard because it’s basically the same size as a standard laptop keyboard and because it’s a separate product and not part of a keyboard case I can leave the keyboard behind when I just use my iPad for leisure.</p>
<p>Thanks @CalBruin
I will have to check it out. I really don’t wanna carry around my laptop, so this seems great.</p>
<p>@bolandgoo I was thinking of purchasing this, but then the note 2 phone for taking quick notes doesn’t work as well as I thought. How difficult is using Galaxy Note 10.1 from switching from hand written notes to typing? I personally like writing out my notes by hand, but being in mostly computer science classes sometimes it’s best to type stuff out.</p>
<p>If your considering an Ipad, you might want to consider an ultrabook. I think most of them would be slightly heavier, but trade off is more functionality if necessary.</p>
<p>I switched from a backpack to a laptop case/bag and it’s pretty awesome OP. I tend to not lug around books or notebooks though so this may not be practical for everyone. </p>
<p>I would suggest a regular sized ipad. You might want to look into stylus options or something like Penultimate. I may do the same or get some kind of drawing tablet for notes.</p>
<p>@sonic23 I agree with @credulitykills, a full size iPad is a great choice for a school tablet</p>
<p>@jonjon:
I don’t usually use it for note taking in the classroom (like you, I’m a CS student)…but it has its own apps pre-installed on the device only for note-taking…It should be pretty cool and easy to switch from keyboard to handwriting…I use it mostly for reading ebooks and it’s great…the screen, the battery, writing stuff(it has its own s-pen, and writing on the screen is very very cool, it’s pressure sensitive!!!) or highlighting etc. on my PDF books. so smooth.
I think it’s the best tablet out there. I download all my books from the internet. it’s a great investment, you won’t need to pay 300 bucks each semester for books.</p>