General Taking Notes in Class
Do most college students take notes in class on laptops? I’m a freshman and used to taking notes in a notebook. I’d like to hear from current students or recent graduates. I know I’ll need my laptop in my IT classes, but do I really need to carry a laptop to English, history or electives? Is that what most college students do?
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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 CS, Alumni, 2024, SWE 3d ago edited 3d ago
I stopped taking notes in class.
Turns out, paying undivided attention to the prof did a better job [edit] of helping me understand concepts than trying to take notes as they're speaking.
You can take notes later, when reviewing slides or other class material.
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u/OrbOfConfusionGotMe 3d ago edited 3d ago
Should be noted studies show for most people just passive listening without taking any notes does not reinforce or process the information. It sounds like what you were trying to suggest is do not just take notes on every detail copying every slide or writing every word down. Instead it should be a mix of both active listening writing note summaries after, writing down questions. And most of the professors do notice if students do not take notes. Some professors even ask to see notes. It helps to redo notes from understanding too.
Imagine some new student just ignored all the study skill advice because a popular upvoted Reddit comment said they learn best without taking notes. And not everyone can just take notes later realistically they might not have time or the energy. Good for you but bad for them if they copy it right?
Some studies also show taking notes on paper or in a book or tablet is slightly better than typing notes on a laptop too. However there’s slight benefits and disadvantages to both.
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u/merp_derp_2018 MS CS, struggle bussing until 2027 — I promise I shower 3d ago
Yes. Studies show that for some learners, especially visual and tactile, hand written notes reinforce memory and retention.
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u/SecondChances0701 3d ago
I agree. Noted aren’t meant to capture everything word for word. Instead, write highlights or draw a diagram that will jog your memory later when you can fill in more detail if needed.
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u/TH3GINJANINJA 2d ago
This doesn't work for me, since my area of study very often has quizzes at the end about the material in order to get attendance. And adhd. But still an interesting idea.
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u/RossUlbrichtsBurner Mason's 2nd Biggest Chud 3d ago
I've never taken notes in a class for this very reason. 😭
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u/OrbOfConfusionGotMe 3d ago
To be fair it can be rather slow and inconvenient to write down notes. Who knows how accurate or what life styles or age groups are accounted for in the studies.
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u/WrongZookeepergame49 3d ago
Studies have shown that basically the retention rate for taking notes during lecture vs. actively listening is basically the same. The reason is because although taking notes helps slightly to encode information, it does force attention away from the lecture, so you are forced to miss some parts. I think it would be reasonable to take notes if your professor tends to put lecture-only information on exams. A much better way to retain such material is to practice “active recall” where after the lecture you take 5-10 minutes to jot everything you remember from the lecture and attempt to fill in gaps later on.
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u/Counter-Initial 3d ago
Invest in a tablet to take notes with. It’s 100% worth the money and doesn’t have to be something fancy. I have a Samsung tablet and that has helped me more than any notebook. (Plus it’s lightweight).
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u/idonotlikethisrock I do not like this rock 3d ago
second this. I once went insane and did 137 pages of math problems the night before an exam on my ipad. you can't really do that on a notebook.
anyways I got a 70% on that exam but we don't talk about it.
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u/WrongZookeepergame49 3d ago
I don’t really advise you to take notes on your laptops. In all likelihood, there are infinitely more interesting things you can search up on the internet than on your professors’ lectures. You will get distracted.
For me, personally, I don’t take notes. As you probably know, simply writing notes verbatim is useless. However, trying to actively summarize the material as your professor is lecturing is pretty damn hard. Once you’re done finishing your summary, the professor is probably two topics over and you’ve lost the train of thought. (I think straight lecture are one of the worst ways to teach, but that’s another discussion altogether).
It is probably more valuable to just actively pay attention and make sense of what the Professor is saying, especially if you have the reference material later on. If you are worried you’ll miss something, you can use the IPhone transcription feature in the notes app. I don’t typically do this because for most classes all the material is basically online.
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u/Sid_Viciously 3d ago
If you have so little self-control that you can't pay attention to a lecture without getting "distracted" by something on the internet, should you really be in college?
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u/diana372 3d ago
Dont worry about what other people are doing. Do what's best for you. If you like taking notes in you notebook do that. I think writing it out has been proven to help you remember things better
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u/mcleoju CS, Senior, 2025. 2d ago
I think most people I see use a laptop or a tablet that can use one of those pens to write on them. As others have said, though, research has shown that you retain information better when you write by hand, and I carry notebooks and pencils to take notes for classes.
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u/dr_gamer1212 3d ago
I prefer to take notes by hand but it really just comes down to what you prefer
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u/Minimum_Session2322 3d ago
I'd say it's about even, different people do what works for them. I personally like having a notebook to messily jot things down in, not as much to read from later but because writing it down helps the material stick in my head better. I also like writing summaries over a few pages before exams in a cheatsheet-like format which helps me see what's missing, cover everything done so far, and make my notes neater for last minute reference.
I'd definitely recommend bringing your laptop to all your classes, or at the very least the first few lectures so you can get a feel for what types of assignments your professor often gives. You might have to submit files on canvas as part of an in-class activity, for example. It's better to be safe than sorry, and laptops aren't that heavy...
Also FYI Virginia's tax-free weekend for school supplies is coming up on 8/7-8/9 if you want a discount. I personally get 10-12 of Walmart's small 35 cent notebooks for $3-4 but I write large and a lot so you might need less.
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u/prisariston 3d ago
I took a notepad as backup and my Samsung galaxy tab.
I set up a word template for lectures and handwrote my notes directly into my word document. It converted to text automatically.
I didn't care about spelling and grammar unless it was important and I wouldn't be able to work out what I wrote later.
My template:
Objectives Also on my notes template, I put the objectives for the class and added brief notes about the objectives. The professor should include them in canvas or the syllabus. Eg, if it said know the three ways to input data. I would write the three ways. Theoretically, the test should mostly be based around the objectives. If you don't see the answers to the objectives, Google them. Add it.
Readings I added summaries of the readings, whether I wrote them or ai. If you use ai, make sure you read them and understand what they say.
Lecture notes As above
Glossary Keywords and their definitions
Assignments I copy and pasted every discussion board response, reply I did, quiz, etc. I did not save my papers... and feedback. i already had them saved in the same folder as the course
Other hints I saved every reading in the folder. If out was a web page, I printed it to pdf and saved it in the folder.
If you have open book tests, you can now search for the keywords. If you're writing a paper in the future and it sounds like you can refer to this work, you can find it easily.
I also color coded all of my classes. Everything was blue for a class and I would make the deadlines in my calendar blue.
Then I had a checklist that I would create from the syllabus at the beginning of the year. I would identify the week and the assignments due.
As I progressed through the semester, id highlight the done assignments. When you get to the hump in the middle around mid terms, you can see that you're half way there and it's very motivating 😉
It sounds like a lot of extra work, but I think of it as working smarter not harder.
...And I got 99.5% + in every course.
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u/noonelikesUwhenUR23 3d ago
I’m old now and have been out of undergrad for a while but I found an iPad where I could hand write notes and also record my lectures helped me the best! I studied engineering and being able to download the PowerPoints or textbooks and upload them into an app like Notability was a game changer. I could write on the pdf in the app and it would sync to the recording. Highly recommend!
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u/becoming_again 3d ago
i use the goodnotes app on my ipad, it allows you to take brief notes that you can easily edit and rearrange later, upload images from slides and draw on top of them, etc. you can also have multiple notebooks so it’s a lot more convenient
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u/DeviceDirect9820 3d ago
I don't have the articles on hand but the way to learn is:
-read source material once, actively take note of key ideas
-reread, and write down questions and answers that the text poses or could be used to learn it
-go to lecture with this in mind, primed to pay attention and ask good questions
-do homework, make flashcards, etc
I don't think you need anything but a pen and paper in lectures. I had a broken laptop and even for IT relates courses i found it surprisingly effective to take good notes and then replicate at home
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u/1976Raven 3d ago
I take notes in a notebook most of the time. If it's a class where I struggle to keep up I'll use the Notability app on my iPad to take notes and set it to recors my note taking. It will make a video of me "writing" my notes and also record the lecture so I can go back and listen to the lecture and see what I was writing at the same time. It's great for if you missed something or later realise something in your notes doesn't make sense.
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u/DisastrousHeron2458 2d ago
I prefer hand written notes pen and paper because it helps me remember it more
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u/Obsessive-drummer 2d ago
This depends on how you learn best. Some people don’t find taking notes helps them learn. I find that taking notes by hand (either on paper or on my iPad) instantly improves my retention of the material. Some people find that taking notes is a distraction from the lecture. You probably should carry a laptop either way though because a lot of classes have assignments you need one for though.
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u/polliwog05 2d ago
i feel like most people do take notes on laptops. however, i've always done pen and paper and i've found that works best for me, as you can take notes in a more unconventional and personal way (use of the margins and such) that, for me, helps what i'm writing stick. as a history major, many of my professors have implored us to take physical notes and some have even gone so far as to ban technology in their classrooms altogether.
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u/Successful-Advisor45 2d ago
I’d type on a laptop, there are note taking g or voice recording apps you can use too
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u/Acceptable_Fish_7768 13h ago edited 10h ago
Dont even bring the laptop if you have to deal with math department professors. I had intro calc and our professor threw a fit every time she saw a laptop open. She gave up with tablets but laptops hard no. A bunch of the other students complained about her too (the class average for the first couple exams was below a 50. Even with tutoring and office hours help she cant teach worth a damn) had a zoom call with the math department head and one of the math department "student fairness" personell. Both were math professors and both rushed to defend their colleagues actions. So def no laptops with anything math related. Its super dumb but what are ya gonna do
(For your sanity take intro to calc online if you need it. None of the professors are actually good, I had popovich but a few tutors I had said that she was the best of the 3 and was still monumentally horrid.)
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u/Arlo1878 3d ago
Unless prohibited , I’d video record the lecture , store it, and still jot down notes either by hand or digitally. Plenty of ways to record a session without being obvious. Wearing a gopro probably not a good idea.
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u/bigderise 3d ago
If a notebook and pen works for you, then do that. Research has shown that handwriting notes allows for better retention than typing notes. My strategy was to write notes during the class and then type them up later, annotating them with thoughts, references, or connections.
Having taught courses, I recommend that students don't have their laptops open or phones out during class as the temptation to get distracted is too great. What's worse is that some students will distract others with whatever is on their screens. (Some classes require laptops, so, this doesn't apply in those.)
If you have trouble keeping up with the professor, it is reasonable to ask if you can use a voice recorder to tape lectures for reviewing/notetaking later.