Best study/notes method...iPad, Laptop, Pen & Paper?

[abry1222]

So, I understand a laptop will be necessary and I'll be taking notes in class anyways, but do any of you use an iPad to do it all for classes? I am thinking about getting one instead of taking a laptop to school every day but what are the pros and cons to each? can I effectively take notes well enough and access everything I need to for class? thanks for your input!

[sartort]

I have an iPad and I love it. I have a scanner designed for the iPad so I can quickly upload documents, convert them to pdf and write on them with a stylus. I wouldn't use the stylus during class though because it's a slow method compared to pen/paper. For me it's just a back-up that I can take with me without huge stacks of paper. There are also some great apps for studying anatomy and you can read e-books on them which is also really nice since a lot of programs give access for free now. I enjoy watching TV on it while I jog on the treadmill too. I don't have a keyboard so it's possible you will find it useful for notes during lecture if you get one. Personally I would be concerned about getting distracted browsing the internet rather than focusing on class if you had it in front of you all the time, but lots of people use their laptops and have the same temptation.

[briepm]

I use my ipad for half of my classes and the paper handouts they give in the other half. I had thought I would exclusively use the ipad, but there are times when I really like having the paper copy in my hands that I can highlight in a thousand colors and actually hold.

 

You can get the notability app for ipad for 99 cents and it has everything you need to either type or write with a stylus, plus insert pictures, videos or sound. You can write on top of imported PDF's and power points or take notes on a blank sheet. Plus, you can organize your notes in folders and have them immediately link to your dropbox, which eases fears about losing them if your ipad were to crash, get stolen, etc.

[winterallsummer]

Most people use laptops, there are a handful of people still writing on hand notes. Those with iPads IMO (despite the above posters comment) find them not very useful to study other than reviewing notes.

[Cleverisallxx]

Just curious... are you taking notes on the laptops? I've always taken notes with pen/paper, I feel like the act of writing it aids in learning. Sometimes I also type up and print out my notes to study. Has anyone else who prefers handwriting notes benefited from having an ipad or laptop in class?

[winterallsummer]

Yes I take notes on my laptop during class. For the first ~6 months of PA school I printed out the notes and wrote with pencil. As we got more and more material I came across two problems:

 

1. Couldn't write fast enough

2. Was going through my printed notes (with hand written notes on them) after class and making an outline. Found it was 10x more efficient to just make the outline in class (copy and pasting things from the powerpoint to basically a word doc and adding notes as I went) - saved me tons of time as I could go straight to studying.

 

A small percent do still use pencil to take notes and I guess it works for them. But laptop saves a ton of time for me.

[abry1222]

I like that idea of having an iPad and being able to write directly on PDF's and powerpoints. Basically my main concern is being able to (1) keep things organized (2) be able to take adequate notes (and fast enough) and (3) not having to take a laptop AND a textbook AND a notepad just to study.

 

@sartort, are you saying you take notes by hand then scan them into your iPad?

 

And sorry I am not more tech-saavy, but @briepm, is the "dropbox" you talk about just like your personal email or how does that work.

 

Thanks again guys for all the input, I have all summer to think about it still so keep on with the comments if you have any.

[sartort]

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. That way they are organized, you can use DropBox (go on their website, it's a free storage space online) and always have a back-up/access. There's a good chance you will need to take your laptop with you to class often enough that you will want to regularly even if you prefer hand-written notes. Exams are usually taken on them and you'll probably have at least one every week or so. If your program gives you online access to textbooks you won't usually need to have them with you (a lot of people don't buy them unless they need them for clinic if they are free online) so the laptop will be the heaviest thing in your bag. Also, some programs provide lockers where you could leave stuff that you use every day in class but don't need at home.

 

Maybe get in contact with your program and ask them what they recommend or what students in class now seem to prefer. I'm sure they will help you.

[Guest]

A good laptop will surve you well. I recomment a mac. People in class are having trouble with their windows.. (crashing, dying, etc). Unless you write really fast, writing just isn't doable for most people. Things go too fast!. You could print power points and write on those but professors will ofter (a) forget to post them the night before, or (b) change their slides. Keep this in mind as something you will do in EACH class!!!

 

[EMEDPA]

I'm a paper and pen kind of guy. you can always print out the power points and take notes on them.

it's been a while since I was in pa school. one guy in my class( that nerdy guy) had a new invention called a "laptop".

[vermont11]

For the notability app: Is it possible to copy and paste from the pdf that you've written all over/added pictures or videos to into a word doc in order to create a study guide? Or is the format pretty much locked?

[vermont11]

For the notability app: Is it possible to copy and paste from the pdf that you've written all over/added pictures or videos to into a word doc in order to create a study guide? Or is the format pretty much locked?

[sartort]

You can do that, but if you plan to do it off of multiple documents to combine to one often it will be fastest to save what you have in dropbox and then make the new study guide document on your computer, then put it in dropbox and back on your iPad if you want. It's faster than it sounds.

[sartort]

You can do that, but if you plan to do it off of multiple documents to combine to one often it will be fastest to save what you have in dropbox and then make the new study guide document on your computer, then put it in dropbox and back on your iPad if you want. It's faster than it sounds.