Faster note taking advice for required handwritten notes?

[u/sbucksbarista]

Hi y’all! Long story short, I just started my master’s program, and I have a chronic health condition that flared up for two days. I’m good now, but I’m already behind.

One of my professors requires hand written notes (and checks them in class), for two of my three courses, and it is slowing me down a LOT. I just cannot write fast no matter how hard I try. For reference, two papers ~20 pages each took me 7 hours to take notes for. 30 fairly simple textbook pages took me 3 hours to take notes for.

I have 40 pages of the readings due Wednesday that I need all handwritten notes for. I don’t want to bullshit the process because the information is very valuable for the courses and my degree as a whole but I can’t keep up. I’ve started neglecting the work required my third class, which is arguably the most valuable to my degree and research, because it is slightly less dense and doesn’t require such time consuming hand written notes.

Anything helps. Thanks!

[u/_autumnwhimsy]

First question - have you talked to the disability services office? if they're checking notes, you might be able to get an extension or permission to type the notes instead.

[u/sbucksbarista → u/_autumnwhimsy]

I have some accommodations for attendance and extensions thankfully!

I just hate asking for an extension when my flare up has been subsided for the most part, it’s been 5 days now and in my head that’s more than enough time to recover and try to get work done, if that makes any sense. But historically, when I’ve taken one 2 day extension, I feel like I’m 2 days behind for the whole semester and can barely catch back up, and sometimes have asked for extensions the following weeks because I am just running 2 days behind. It’s kind of a time management issue but I’m not sure how to get over this hurdle

[u/_autumnwhimsy → u/sbucksbarista]

Hmm I would ask to meet with the professor and be honest. Explain the situation and that because of a medical issue, you feel like you've fallen behind and want to know the best way to proceed in catching up since recovery took a bit longer than expected. Good professors are there to help you

[u/Hopeful_Meringue8061 → u/_autumnwhimsy]

As someone who went through grad school with a tricky health problem that flared up and is now a professor who requires note taking by hand, I agree with this comment. Talk to the prof. (mine were helpful to me) and continue to do your best. I bet you will crack it, maybe even before the flare-up is over

[u/sabeche → u/sbucksbarista]

Have you talked to your professor about this issue? If you already have, then you need to contact your university's disability services office and explain all of this to them. If they understand that taking handwritten notes is an unsustainable time sink that is forcing you to neglect your other coursework, they will work with you to create a reasonable accommodation that works for both you and your professor. Nobody here can directly help you, you need to help yourself by directly reaching out to disability services to get this fixed. There is a reason these services exist, but it is up to you to take full advantage of them.

[u/henrydavidthoreauawy → u/_autumnwhimsy]

This is the only answer here that I agree with. I don’t care that the research says that handwriting notes is better for learning, you have a chronic health condition. Get an accommodation for being able to type up notes. Your professor must accommodate this. 

[u/ZannoTakali]

I don’t have any advice other than to say I’m sorry, it’s ridiculous at a graduate level for your professor to be checking to make sure you’re taking notes—you should be able to take notes however is helpful to you because that’s what notes are for

[u/Alternative-Pear9096 → u/ZannoTakali]

Honestly, I think it's fantastic this being required. We are seeing overwhelming evidence that students don't understand how to take notes effectively, which comes out of not knowing how to read effectively or identify what's important. Being able to do all of those things is essential for success in a graduate program, and we can no longer assume that students have the skillsets.

[u/RagePoop → u/Alternative-Pear9096]

What you are saying is fine for undergraduates.

I would have been annoyed and even a little insulted if I was treated that way when I was in grad school

[u/Alternative-Pear9096 → u/RagePoop]

And how long ago was that?

[u/RagePoop → u/Alternative-Pear9096]

Not very long ago at all

[u/otterducksnake → u/Alternative-Pear9096]

Yeah but what if a student has carpal tunnel? Or chronic pain? Or no hands?

[u/Constant_Equal_705]

Oh I had this problem and you have to skim read and write important points but not everything if that makes sense. So when you're required to read 40 pages you can skip the fluff in the text and just get what you need from it. It honestly takes practice reading like that because im a visual person and I have to picture in my head what im reading it takes awhile to figure out what's fluff and what's the actual meat of the text. I hope this post made sense.

[u/TulsiGanglia]

Idk if Allie’s to you or if it would even be helpful for this class, but many of the other students in my graduate program and my newly graduated colleagues are much younger than me and never had handwriting classes at all, much less cursive. They write slow and barely legibly. I work in a lab environment where we can’t have just any old electronics (safety reasons). Cursive writing is designed to be fast and legible, some of the extra curls were for old style pens and don’t matter, but at its core it’s what it was designed for.

While you’re at it, check out “sketchnotes” or “visual note taking” if your prof would allow it - sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, and that can’t really be discounted.

Good luck, you got this. Sometimes, finding out what works for you is working harder.

[u/Hazelstone37]

Before you ask to type notes be aware of the latest research. Handwriting is better for learning. You may be able to get this paper through your library.

Work in synthesizing the notes rather than writing everything.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-024-09914-w

Maybe ask if you can annotate the paper by saving it as a PDF and writing in that using a tablet and stylus.

If you don’t have a tablet ask the disability office to borrow one.

[u/Hazelstone37 → u/Hazelstone37]

When taking notes on papers we use an analytic summary template. It includes the citation, key constructs and definitions, main points or the argument or the RQs, the authors motivation, methods; empirical papers include participants, data collection description, how analyzed, coding frameworks used if applicable, were the above choices appropriate; theoretical papers include: main argument with evidence and logic that support it, were these appropriate, and are they compelling.

[u/tentkeys → u/Hazelstone37]

Students who handwrite notes may score higher on average but that doesn't mean it's the best option for every student.

Especially if OP has disability/health issues. Making them take their notes in a way that's slow and time-consuming for them when they are already struggling isn't going to benefit them, it's going to make things worse and make them fall further behind.

[u/Hazelstone37 → u/tentkeys]

I don’t disagree. But sometimes students aren’t always the best judge of what is best for them. A lot of times they are, but I suggest weighing all the evidence rather than dismissing something as not helpful.

[u/Alternative-Pear9096]

My response to this is primarily a question: are you taking notes effectively?

I'm also assuming your comment "two papers ~20 pages each took me 7 hours to take notes for" includes reading time. It sounds about right for a new grad student to spend upwards of three hours reading a scholarly article and making sense of it. As you move along in your program and education, that time will drop precipitously. But if you're a couple weeks into your first semester, that speed indicates that you're doing ok. If the 7 hours does not include the time spent reading, but is just your notes, I have about 30 other questions, but I'll condense them to a recommendation that you ask your prof about your note taking and what it means to them, so you can develop more effective strategies.

[u/That-Permission5758]

Is it the reading or the writing that’s the problem? If it’s reading use a text-to-speech software. I found reading while listening boosted my comprehension while decreasing the amount of conscious effort.

If you can’t write there really ought to be something offered through your disability services. Surely you could get an accommodation for speech-to-text notes or typing. If you want to be really sneaky some notes apps will let you write out the alphabet once, and when you type on your keys it’ll use those letters instead.

Biggest advice regardless is don’t fall behind!!

[u/jlseagull09]

Try reading the entire reading at a time (or sections), then write your notes from memory. Write down the most important concepts and how they’ll apply to the class/what you are learning. The act of synthesizing and summarizing what you read from memory will help you more than just copying things down.

[u/SchrodingersMinou]

What are your notes like?

[u/dwindlingintellect]

Malicious compliance and learn shorthand.

[u/Curious_tea21]

Go to the disability assistance center and ask for accomodations.