How do you take notes for class, anyway?

Published

Ok, I have some messy piles of paper staring me in the face from last semester and I want to be more organized this semester. Here is the thing--I like to take reading notes but when I add lecture notes it gets super sloppy. Do you guys type them up? I wish I was brave enough to bring my lap top to school but I havent seen anyone do that...I think I would feel really conspicuous.

Any good ideas??

Hi everyone! I start LPN school in a month. I am really excited. However, being a mom and part time worker I have to multitask. I love the idea of recording the lectures. I looked into getting the Olympusws 100 someone mentioned. I see amazon has it for 77.00. Does anyone know if this is a good price? Should I jump on it? It seems to be marked down. Thanks Colleen

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Hi everyone! I start LPN school in a month. I am really excited. However, being a mom and part time worker I have to multitask. I love the idea of recording the lectures. I looked into getting the Olympusws 100 someone mentioned. I see amazon has it for 77.00. Does anyone know if this is a good price? Should I jump on it? It seems to be marked down. Thanks Colleen

I got mine on Amazon for $60 in February. I went to Radio Shack, the same recorder (olympus ws100) was $100. You can also check eBay, you will probably get a better price. You can record up to 27 hours of recording. It only runs on one AAA battery for 13 hours. Your money will be well spent.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.
I would take notes and also tape all the lectures with my Olympus ws100 digital recorder. Within 24-48 hours of every class, I would download the lecture to my laptop. While I listened to the lecture, I typed the notes. I type close to 60 words a minute, so it worked for me. I would also use the book as a reference, just in case something was not clear. My classmates loved my typed notes.

I like this idea! I think that's how I'm going to take notes. That way, if I ever have questions about the lecture, I'll have it on tape and not have to worry about missing something. Thanks!

I also liked the idea of the pathophysiology sheets. I'll try that, too. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Yep, I def need to devote the time to rewriting my notes...

I guess the laptop thing just seems cumbersome--I'd have to cart it around on breaks and everything cuz I go to a VERY urban school (LOTS of stealing). And on Tues I have lecture from 10-3--lots of breaks to the potty/cafeteria/my car, etc with my laptop?? Prob. wouldnt work...It would work better to handwrite then type up later. It would be a good review too.

Thanks for the imput!! :)

People steal everywhere, urban or rural.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LDRP.
People steal everywhere, urban or rural.

Yes, they do...

...but obviously there is more crime in some areas. My school has a lot of crime, believe it or not (attacks in the parking garage, thievery, even guys that come in the bathroom stalls and peek). We have an open campus--so we are constantly warned about the crime. So that's what I meant. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics Only.
Hi everyone! I start LPN school in a month. I am really excited. However, being a mom and part time worker I have to multitask. I love the idea of recording the lectures. I looked into getting the Olympusws 100 someone mentioned. I see amazon has it for 77.00. Does anyone know if this is a good price? Should I jump on it? It seems to be marked down. Thanks Colleen

Dont know about the price..

However, just make sure you are allowed to record classes. Some professors dont allow it, and you dont want to spend 77$ if you cant use the recorder.

Good luck in nursing school!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I searched yesterday for the Olympus 100 and 200s and found the best price to be http://pagecomputers.com. It was almost half price.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Infusion, Med/Surg/Tele, Outpatient.

Does anyone use a digital recorder-download system with voice recognition software? Does OneNote do this?

Does anyone use the Cornell system? http://wiki.43folders.com/index.php/Cornell_Notes

I use the syllabi and PowerPoints to type preclass outlines, read the books, filling in details, print this out and take lecture notes and/or mark revisions on this paper. Then I simply edit the doc to add lecture notes etc. In some prereq's I had 'review questions' given prior to the test...I simply answered these from the book and printed that out to take to class for lectures. A little cumbersome, but man, can I type now. :wink2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I just wanted to let you know that my Walmart has clearanced their RCA digital voice recorder. It is on sale for 15.00. It only goes up to 12 hours. I picked one up today. Colleen

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro ICU.

With the laptop thing - you can pick up a netbook nowadays for $200-250, and they're so small and portable that you can basically close it and toss it in your purse while running around campus. I still prefer my 15" notebook for working on, but if I'm going to be running around a lot or need to stay mobile, the netbook can't be beat, and the keyboard on my Dell 10v is nearly full-size - wasn't hard to adapt to at all.

I hate hand-taking notes. I can type 90wpm, and when I take notes on my laptop I find I can get the relevant information recorded and actually listen to the explanation/rationales/connections being made instead of struggling to keep up with my scribbly awful handwriting and achy wrists! I don't know how y'all do it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm really lucky, and the teachers at my school all print out handouts that are fill in the blank notes...so we know exactly what info we need, and can write it in and highlight and all that jazz, and write extra stuff in the margins. It's great because it helps keep us focused, reduces the amount of writing we have to do, and shows us what they feel is most important. I love it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We print off outlines and I take my notes directly onto the outlines. If I need clarification later on a topic - I google and either print out helpful info or add that to my already written on outlines.

For other classes like AP and AP Lab - I write as fast as I can to get all the info in, then type them up and print (front/back side).

This is seeming to work so far. I stared at a pile of ridiculous unreadable notes and knew I'd be rewriting or retyping.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion