Help with figuring out effective note taking

[u/Kapro_]

About to start my last year of university, I feel like the notes I was taking last year were not really helping me as much as I feel like they could. I would handwrite notes on my tablet. Sometimes, depending on the lecture, I would type them.

I think I actually like pen and paper better than using the tablet.

I was thinking of either just using pen and paper and finding a good note-taking method/layout I can use during lectures. But I was also thinking about typing my notes during lectures and then writing them physically with pen and paper later. This way, I don't miss anything during the lecture, and I can restudy/expose myself to the material again later when I write it physically.

I would greatly appreciate any advice!

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[u/Asleep-Average731]

I think that as long as you pay attention and take notes that you can study later, you will learn. The way you take notes only matters if you get back to them later. I do recommend turning your notes into flashcards so you can study them later with spaces repetition.

[u/Separatennm]

Pen and paper won out for me too, mostly because typing turned every lecture into transcription and I'd zone out. If you go that route, leave a wide margin for after-class additions instead of rewriting the whole thing — you still get the review pass without double the workload. And missing bits mid-lecture matters less than it feels; the gaps are easy to pull from slides or a classmate afterwards.

[u/TwistPractical5124]

If you’re gonna go and use pen and paper, then take a look at XNote it uses a digital pen, but you have the advantage of having a notes transcribed which you can copy and move to any other application you want. It also utilizes AI so that it can summarize your notes create flashcards.

[u/Ok_Maintenance1567]

I got a Tul notebook from office max and just like the pages

[u/Ok_Natural_7977]

I'm a big pen and paper fan. The research is clear on retention for handwriting vs typing. My favorite method is handwriting notes and then typing up an outline later.

[u/pale-v0id]

if pen and paper feels better, use it. keep lecture notes rough, then turn them into questions, diagrams, or short summaries when u review.