<p>Personally I find taking notes on papers to be more effective and easier to memorize, although sometimes I am tempted to use a laptop because of its ability to instantly search or lookup some terms or concepts online during class. Which method do you prefer??</p>
<p>It depends on the class. I can type as fast as people talk, so from that perspective it’s easier for me to get everything the professor says if I type. But, it’s easier for me to retain information if I handwrite my notes. Combine that with the fact that I have a lot of math/science classes, and I usually end up handwriting my notes for most of my classes. For social science and humanities classes where the professor talks pretty quickly, I type and then handwrite my notes after class to better retain the information. If they talk at a more normal speed, I just handwrite.</p>
<p>You are said to retain information better when you handwrite notes - if you are motivated enough, you can handwrite your notes during the lectures and then go home and type them where you’ll be able to better organize them in a system that works for you and revise unnecessary or confusing information. I prefer handwritten notes just because I sometimes draw diagrams or graphs to illustrate information which would be pretty frustrating and tedious to do on a laptop. </p>
<p>Plus laptops have the internet.
And the internet distracts me.
A lot. </p>
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<p>Write down notes by hand and then make outlines or study guides on a computer.</p>
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<p>It’s a matter of preference, and self-control. A lot of people with laptops in class often end up browsing the internet instead of paying attention and taking notes with it. After a couple of years, I have developed a system using a combination:
For CS classes, I use my computer so I can try out the code we’re designing (unless the prof. forbids computers).
For classes with powerpoints posted before class, I use my iPad and draw/write on the slides
For math classes (to write equations), some science classes, and boring classes (to avoid distraction), I write by hand. And usually end up doodling a lot.</p>
<p>It depends on the class for me. I’m an engineering major, so most of my classes don’t lend themselves to computer usage. There are just too many symbols and equations, so notes are easier by hand. I tried taking notes on my computer for a summer class I took on philosophy. However, it was dreadfully boring, so I ended up surfing Facebook more than listening. </p>
<p>As almost everyone has said, it depends on the class.</p>
<p>In straight-lecture classes, perhaps like history or philosophy, a computer is a sensible option. Most people type much faster than they can write, so if writing everything the professor says is what you need to do, a computer’s the way to go. Relatedly, you might be aware that computers are the only way anyone takes notes in law school, and that this has been the case for far longer than computers were very common in undergrad classes. Remember Legally Blonde? <a href=“Legally Blonde - Great Clip - YouTube”>Legally Blonde - Great Clip - YouTube;
<p>In any class where you need to draw diagrams and graphs - economics, calculus, physics, chemistry, biology, etc. - it’s probably preferable to take notes by hand.</p>
<p>As a personal anecdote, when I was taking a class where the professor talked a bit fast, there were many mathematical symbols, but there were few graphs, I decided to go all out and LaTeX my notes. 
There’s nothing like math mode! </p>
<p>I feel bad for killing so many trees, but I strongly prefer everything on paper when it comes to note taking. I like the greater “freedom” and mobility of being able to underline and markup things when on physical paper. I find paper notes easier to study and far less distracting than using my laptop - which is also slow and has a low battery life, which doesn’t help if you’re in a lecture hall without any power sources. I’m also a sucker for social media so I’m bound to stray to one of those sites whenever an internet connection is available, haha. I’ve also heard my fair share of horror stories about people’s entire notes being erased or unavailable due to their computers having issues the night before a huge test so that has also discouraged me from depending on a computer for note taking. In the end, it all depends on your motivation and your self control. I know a lot of people who swear they need to use a laptop for notes, so it’s up to you. I’d experiment with both techniques and find out what works best. </p>
<p>I prefer to type on a laptop. My hand cramps up like crazy whenever I’m taking notes on a notebook for an extended period of time. I also can’t write fast and legibly without looking down at my notebook, and having to constantly look up and down between the board and my notebook to make sure my writing isn’t slanting off the lines is an annoyance. Also when I’m typing, I can actually type the important things my professors are saying, whereas with physical notetaking, my professors speak so fast that I have trouble getting the words down before they move on to another important point in their lectures.</p>
<p>Depends on the class, as many have said. For example, in math classes, I always use handwritten notes. Also you can’t ctrl+F your handwritten notes, I find it easier to flip through and read than computer notes. In my general chem class, all the Powerpoints were posted online so I took almost no notes, but I did use my computer if I needed to look up something or if I wanted to do my chem online homework during lecture. More often than not, though, I ended up on Facebook.</p>
<p>I think for math or science classes with a lot of formulas, it’s easier to write first and type later. Other than that, I prefer typing just because I type so much faster than I write. When taking notes in class, I make sure to exit out of my internet, so that it would take a little more work to reopen the websites I like to zone out on (Pinterest, Facebook, etc). I know that doesn’t seem like that much work, but I guess I’m lazy lol usually by the time I could get my internet back open and my sites back up, the prof has moved on to important stuff I need to know.</p>
<p>I rewrite the information from classes in outline/review format before exams to retain information sometimes, but usually everything I do is on the computer. I use this program online that lets me make my own flashcards and quizzes, and then I can pull that up in the app I have for it on my phone to study if I’m on the go. Sometimes I print the study review notes I create on the site I use because they’re really easy to format, and I can format them easier than just a plain word doc.</p>
<p>Oh! There’s also an app that blocks certain websites from use for an allotted period of time that I would use for while I was in class. I would block those from the start of my first class, until my last class ended, and then still have access to exam time (the site I use) and google if I needed it in class. I get Facebook, IG, and Pinterest on my phone, so if I really needed or wanted to still look at them, I could just use that. Otherwise, once again, it was too much work.</p>
<p>Well, I hate my handwriting so I just type everything unless the teacher doesn’t let us use our laptops in class.</p>
<p>Math classes - I handwrite notes
AP Science classes- I make powerpoints per topic
Social sciences & history - type notes into Microsoft one note</p>
<p>My school actually gave each student laptops and most teachers just make powerpoints now and then the students add in information.</p>
I always handwrite them, I remember it better. Plus science classes have too many symbols and diagrams.
I teach linguistics, and it’s (kind of ironically, for a field dealing mostly with spoken language) an incredibly visual field, with diagrams and charts and unexpected alphabets and so on. I always have a couple students each class who take notes on a laptop, and I can’t imagine how they get half the stuff they’re supposed to be getting.
TL;DR: It probably depends on the class.
Yess, LeechBlock is your best friend.
I prefer taking notes on a computer. I type much faster than I write, I can capture more information, and it’s easier for me to move that information around later when I need to organize it. I also don’t have to concentrate as much on the process of typing as I do on writing, which means more of my attention is on the speaker.
If you have a computer with a touch screen you can easily use a stylus or your finger to draw diagrams and charts. This wasn’t an option when I was in college but it is now, especially if you have a computer that folds around 360 degrees.
I use Microsoft OneNote to do most of my note-taking. In fact - and this is going to make me feel old, lol - my college class got Microsoft OneNote given to us for free because it had just come out the year before I started college, and they wanted more college students to try it out and advertise it to their friends. So I started using it about 12 years ago, and have just used it ever since then. You can draw directly on a OneNote page right around any of your words, and you can also insert drawing tools. Evernote is a decent option as well.
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