Med School Necessities?

[gumdrops]

On Evernote, I'm not quite understanging the 1 GB limit. How do you get around this? I'm assuming there will be much more data than 1 GB that you'll need access to while studying.

The Evernote 1 GB per month is the number of notes you can upload per month with a premium subscription. 60 MB is the amount per month with a paid subscription. As a heavy, heavy Evernote user, I have never maxed out even with 60 MB/mo only. I don't make audio notes, however.

I see several people touting the advantage of OneNote on the forums. Can anyone shed light on how it's useful for med school?

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[malaika]

So which is better Macbook Air or Ipad for your classes/taking notes.

 

[ChEMD]

So which is better Macbook Air or Ipad for your classes/taking notes.

I prefer an iPad because I like to write directly on my syllabi/powerpoints. If you prefer to type your notes, both the iPad and the MacBook Air will work, although I'd recommend getting a Bluetooth keyboard if you're going to go the iPad route.

 

[coffeesnob]

mac air and external monitor and good quality chair.

 

[solitarius]

Well, I plan on skipping lectures.

How come nobody mentioned a quality bed? Full or queen, firms springs, pillow top.

 

[malaika]

I prefer an iPad because I like to write directly on my syllabi/powerpoints. If you prefer to type your notes, both the iPad and the MacBook Air will work, although I'd recommend getting a Bluetooth keyboard if you're going to go the iPad route.

What app helps u write on slides on the ipad?

 

[HopefulReapp]

Well, I plan on skipping lectures.

How come nobody mentioned a quality bed? Full or queen, firms springs, pillow top.

For mattresses make sure you shop around and compare the price at sleepy's, raymour and flanigan, etc. They all work on commission and they all sell the same mattresses, but different model names so they can advertise a bogus price matching. Find the spreadsheet online whenever you are looking to find what each exclusive model is the equivalent of at the different stores.

 

[malaika]

For mattresses make sure you shop around and compare the price at sleepy's, raymour and flanigan, etc. They all work on commission and they all sell the same mattresses, but different model names so they can advertise a bogus price matching. Find the spreadsheet online whenever you are looking to find what each exclusive model is the equivalent of at the different stores.

Oh wow..there's algorithm to mattress shopping. First world problems!
Where i come from, i am simply happy to have a place to put a mattress and hope rain doesn't fall on it (or on me while on it).
You are living the life dude! Wishing you sweet dreams on your mattress.

 

[ChEMD]

What app helps u write on slides on the ipad?

I prefer an app called GoodNotes, but there are a ton of different ones out there. Notability is another popular one too. You can import PDF files and directly annotate them in both of these apps.

 

[solitarius]

No doubt, a bed can be expensive. But having slept on the same $170 mattress for the last few years, I can say it's worth it.

Say no to feeling the spring coils sag and press against your back and arms.

 

[HopefulReapp]

Oh wow..there's algorithm to mattress shopping. First world problems!
Where i come from, i am simply happy to have a place to put a mattress and hope rain doesn't fall on it (or on me while on it).
You are living the life dude! Wishing you sweet dreams on your mattress.

I just like haggling! In another life, I'm pretty sure I was into finance.

edit:

Where i come from, i am simply happy to have a place to put a mattress and hope rain doesn't fall on it (or on me while on it).

Virginia?

 

[Status Sciaticus]

No doubt, a bed can be expensive. But having slept on the same $170 mattress for the last few years, I can say it's worth it.

Say no to feeling the spring coils sag and press against your back and arms.

While it's an expensive route, I have a tempur pedic and it's the best bed I've owned.

A downside is that you might not want to leave the bed though lol.

 

[coffeesnob]

memory foam mattress from ikea is under $100.

 

[eefen]

The Evernote 1 GB per month is the number of notes you can upload per month with a premium subscription. 60 MB is the amount per month with a paid subscription. As a heavy, heavy Evernote user, I have never maxed out even with 60 MB/mo only. I don't make audio notes, however.

I see several people touting the advantage of OneNote on the forums. Can anyone shed light on how it's useful for med school?

Here's how I use it. Also, there's a pretty helpful video in the beginning of the post too by the same guy who has a couple of helpful Anki videos. Sometimes it's nice to see things instead of just read about them.

 

[malaika]

Here's how I use it. Also, there's a pretty helpful video in the beginning of the post too by the same guy who has a couple of helpful Anki videos. Sometimes it's nice to see things instead of just read about them.

Hi awesome dude I am reading your blog - you are totally my hero
I am learning everything from you and stealing your knowledge

 

[eefen]

Hi awesome dude I am reading your blog - you are totally my hero
I am learning everything from you and stealing your knowledge

Haha! Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

 

[lovemango]

I highly second having an iPad for note-taking. I use the Notability app and a bluetooth keyboard case for my iPad (I looked at a lot of different models and ended up choosing the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard) and it's so nice to not have to lug my Macbook Pro around at school.

 

[HLxDrummer]

What do you guys see in the iPad over a laptop other than ability to write on the PPTs? I like tablets for studying at home/on the go, but I think the laptop is much easier in class. Don't have to rig up a keyboard, keep a keyboard and an iPad charged, get special apps, and a laptop is usually faster/easier to type on. I can't imagine an iPad with a case and keyboard is much lighter than a Macbook Air/Pro.

 

[coffeesnob]

What do you guys see in the iPad over a laptop other than ability to write on the PPTs? I like tablets for studying at home/on the go, but I think the laptop is much easier in class. Don't have to rig up a keyboard, keep a keyboard and an iPad charged, get special apps, and a laptop is usually faster/easier to type on. I can't imagine an iPad with a case and keyboard is much lighter than a Macbook Air/Pro.

i don't think it's a good idea to have an iPad alone. when i study, i have at least 3-4 windows open (one lecture video, one powerpoint, one word document, and google). iPad doesn't support multitasking; that's why i opted for mac air. 2 months into med school, i purchased an external monitor which i hook up to my mac air. this set-up has made a world of difference. ymmv. but i am actually looking into getting one more monitor. it really helps with efficiency.

 

[lovemango]

What do you guys see in the iPad over a laptop other than ability to write on the PPTs? I like tablets for studying at home/on the go, but I think the laptop is much easier in class. Don't have to rig up a keyboard, keep a keyboard and an iPad charged, get special apps, and a laptop is usually faster/easier to type on. I can't imagine an iPad with a case and keyboard is much lighter than a Macbook Air/Pro.

Mine is a keyboard/case combination; there's no separate keyboard and I type just as fast on it as my laptop. It's still smaller than a Macbook Air (and definitely much lighter than a Macbook Pro) and I can quickly swipe between Tegrity, Safari (for googling information), and reading ebooks/pdfs. Saves me the hassle of carrying actual textbooks around (although that's also a benefit with laptops). I can quickly label images/write notes on powerpoints. Definitely used the Visible Body app a lot during my anatomy class, and I flip through Anki flashcards during downtime.

I mainly use my MBP for making Anki flashcards; otherwise I do almost everything on my iPad.

 

[ChEMD]

What do you guys see in the iPad over a laptop other than ability to write on the PPTs? I like tablets for studying at home/on the go, but I think the laptop is much easier in class. Don't have to rig up a keyboard, keep a keyboard and an iPad charged, get special apps, and a laptop is usually faster/easier to type on. I can't imagine an iPad with a case and keyboard is much lighter than a Macbook Air/Pro.

You said the reason: the ability to handwrite directly on your notes. If you exclusively want to type, go with the laptop. If you like the ability to draw things that may be hard to convey with typed words, go with the iPad. If you want to do both, go with the iPad.

 

[HLxDrummer]

Interesting to see how everybody uses their electronics to study. I think the main reason I use my laptop in class is because my (original) Kindle Fire doesn't have bluetooth support so no keyboard. The screen is also only 7" so that makes it difficult.

No multitasking is a pain but it is also nice sometimes (get less distracted if you have to switch apps to go browse the web). Sometimes I use my Kindle Fire as an extra monitor (drag iTunes/Pandora over there) which is nice. A real monitor would be sweet, though.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Did you guys have dress codes at your schools, or was this just for certain occasions?

People wear all sorts of piercings, wife beaters, hats, etc., at my school. No real enforced dress code. One of my classmates wears snake-bite piercings.

Of course, when it comes to clinics and rotations, we look as professional as can be.

 

[malaika]

We need to come up with a poll for ipad / macbook-air or tablet computer use.
I am very curious to see what people realllllly use! What works for u guys.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

If I decide I want to use a tablet, not for reading as I prefer textbooks, but for taking notes, is there a distinct advantage to owning an Ipad over a galaxy note or surface pro? I have never owned an apple product and sort of view them as trendy and expensive. Should I just suck it up and get an ipad due to the medical apps available, compatibility and ease of use?

Should I wait until school starts and decide or get one early to use before day one?

 

[HLxDrummer]

There are a lot more quality medical apps for the iPad so that is nice. However, like you said they are expensive for what they are. The Surface Pro or Galaxy Note would be much better for notes with the digitizer. Depends on what you will be using it for, I guess.

I would wait until school starts to decide what you want (assuming you already have a laptop). You may decide you don't want a tablet at all, or that a certain one is more supported at your school.

 

[gumdrops]

Here's how I use it. Also, there's a pretty helpful video in the beginning of the post too by the same guy who has a couple of helpful Anki videos. Sometimes it's nice to see things instead of just read about them.

I would add your blog to a list of medical school necessities as well. It's extremely informative, helpful and well-written. Thanks for providing and maintaining such an awesome resource. You rock!

 

[Augstartcodon]

I start in August, but at least for the last semester of undergrad here I've been using a Samsung ATIV book 8 with touch screen along with onenote. I just upload powerpoints into the onenote and I can draw/type into them. Is there anything that Evernote can do that Onenote can't?