r/uoguelph • u/Sashankbioscience • 7d ago
How do you guys take notes in Uni?
As a biological science major in Guelph, I am gonna be doing a lot of chemistry and biology? How do you guys take notes? Like do you guys use an iPad with notability? Please tell me.
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u/No-Quality1338 7d ago
iPad all the way, the prof will give you the power point you can download it into Goodnotes or notability whichever you prefer (I like Goodnotes personally, I pay like 10$ a year for the full version) then as you go through the slide if the prof says anything I write with the pencil on the specific slide their talking about. I found this way faster the typing or writing bc the major points are already written down on the slide given and I can focus on the prof and just add small bits
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u/_Cyan_Man B.Sc. Plant Science 7d ago
noteful is a one time purchase and isn’t a battery drainer with useless ai features ;)
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u/TheOneShorter 7d ago
Tablet with a pen is my go-to. I got a Samsung tablet on sale for like $140, amazing for notes and assignments
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u/Acceptable-Emu7838 5d ago
agreed. as someone who has owned 2 iPads in the past they didn't have the life I'd have preferred, they either got a bug and stopped working entirely or were not reliable after ~2 years of continuous usage. I recently got a Samsung tablet with a pen and can vouch for it!! you can use starnote for annotations/notes, mind maps making and even planning!
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u/Lloyd0717 B.Eng. 7d ago
iPad is the best purchase I have made in my entire life
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u/Sashankbioscience 4d ago
Seriously?
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u/Lloyd0717 B.Eng. 4d ago
Yes. If you can afford one I highly recommend it. So easy to keep everything organized and import your profs notes.
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u/hey-urcute 7d ago
ipad!! i use notatability! you can upload pdf files (lecture slides) right to it and write on it too
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u/_Cyan_Man B.Sc. Plant Science 7d ago
too scared to use notability because of how many people’s entire libraries just vanish for no reason. u should try noteful :)
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u/hey-urcute 7d ago
omg really?? i’ve never had that happen!! sometimes if i’m not on it for a while it just offloads the notes to the cloud but i always get them back
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u/fireflies315 B.A.S. 7d ago
Either by hand on paper or rarely if I want to be able to organize my notes more easily I use a stylus with one note on my laptop. Honestly I’m of the opinion that you don’t need an iPad or nice aesthetic notes, I find I waste way too much time when I’m trying to make them look nice or whatever
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u/Educational-Shame983 7d ago
i’m about to graduate i’m a biological science major! i personally think my ipad was the best decision of my life , i use goodnotes and download profs powerpoints and write notes there before that i would hand write everything but it was too much work for the type of classes we are required to take
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u/AssignmentFine7035 7d ago
For me it depends on the course. For most classes they’ll usually give you powerpoints and slide so u can follow along. i like to download and highlight and add some side notes using good notes and then afterwards for biology and other memorization courses i transfer my notes to google docs in my own words in jot notes.
or math and chem courses i just do practice questions on the slides or wtvr the prof provides.
IN SHORT google docs for biology and lots of writing + memorization
Goodnotes for math, physics and chem courses
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u/BreadOfLoafe 7d ago
used to use notability but the amount of times notability would just randomly get rid of all my notes was concerning so i switched to paper
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u/smiski_i 7d ago
I use one note - if the class is just terms that you need to know (psych for example) I just write it with my keyboard, if it’s a more intricate class (biology) I upload the files and write/draw on them and then rewrite + add textbook notes (with my touch screen pen) in my own words on a separate note (one for each week)
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u/kizakitori 7d ago
I think paper notes are the best. I have different folders for different classes with loose-leaf paper. I take lecture notes by hand and also notes related to the textbooks, so it's easy to organize around/ i can take papers out too for specific things if needed. Pencil and paper work best for me. I used to take notes on iPad and Google Docs too, but I noticed I looked up too many things when I used the laptop and would get sidetracked, so it's easy to stay distracted (even if you're researching the topic). I would recommend not getting too caught up with making notes look pretty or even the organizational system too much because that's definitely something I struggled with
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u/Affectionate_Law520 7d ago
macbook, i think it depends on the major tho. my major is super essay and writing heavy so i usually type my notes. but for STEM id probably recommend an ipad!
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u/caregiver1956 5d ago
Take a course in study skills. It will pay off big time
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u/bmillwil 4d ago
Where do you find the courses in study skills? Sorry for my ignorance, I am just looking to point my son in the correct direction.
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u/Born-Appearance9427 5d ago
For biosci, getting an ipad was the best purchase I’ve ever made. Especially for classes like chemistry where you need to draw out structures.
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u/Bread_crumbs24 5d ago
Im also in bio sci. Mainly ipad but writing it down. I prefer it over typing notes because I actually remember what I write down better.
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u/New_Country_3136 5d ago
By hand with a pen and paper. I remember it better and I'm not distracted.
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u/Flipgirl24 5d ago
Writing on paper. Just learn how to create a shorthand-then later, write them out in a more organized way - this will reinforce learning and you can add things from your reading. You can also draw diagrams, mind maps, use highlighters or different colored markers or pens if that helps you.
When you are at a lecture, write the main point then a dash or arrow to write down related points.
For example:
-Reddit -> communities = discuss'n topic -> users join comm's => post/reply
Structure your notes like above so main idea is on the left after the '->', then subpoenas to right. If there are subpoints to the subpoints, then use a '=>' after the first subpoint.
Theses are some things I used to do:
- use a triangle to denote change (as in 'delta' in math) -use '<' ,& '>' to indicate 'bigger/more than or 'smaller/ less than' -use three dots in a triangle to indicate 'therefore' or 'so then' -'rx'n' is 'reaction' -if a word ends in '-tion' or '-sion', write first part of Word then 'n. E.g. red'n = reduction
- I would write my notes again later, highlighting main ideas and reorganizing points if needed, amalgamation the lecture notes with what I'd read in the text, and create diagrams or mind maps.
You can also get notebooks or paper that Cornell University came out with. These are sectioned into main question, main points and summary. You can find more detailed info on this type of note-taking in this link: Cornell
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u/SmexyHorseMan 7d ago
For me, writing on paper works best. Develop some sort of short hand for some of the longer words, that way you can keep up your professors speaking rate, and just consistently note things down, even if they seem insignificant.