Note Taking for DPT Students

[EHCAT4]

Hello!

I posted this thread in the physical therapy forum, but thought I’d try it here as well!

“Hello all!

I was wondering if I could get some advice about recommendations for note-taking systems in DPT School? I know this is a topic that has been addressed a couple of times on here, but I was hoping for some new perspectives!

Just some background- I am a senior athletic training student planning to pursue my DPT studies in the fall. I have been accepted to Emory & Henry College's DPT program, have an interview at UNC in 2 weeks, and am waiting to hear back from other schools. I have made it through my undergraduate studies in athletic training without a solid note-taking system. I am ashamed to say that, but am looking to create a new system. I have been very successful in my studies and clinicals despite not having a good system, but really want to make one that works for me in grad school.

I have physical notes, OneNote notes, google docs, word, powerpoints, its a mess. I am not sure if I should create a computer-based system of notes such as writing on powerpoints and using OneNote/etc. or use a paper notes system. I realize printing all of the material would probably be insane and I know first hand how information dense classes such as anatomy and kinesiology can be hard to keep of with by handwriting.

I am just curious to hear what current or former students have done and any advice is appreciated!

Thanks in advance!”

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[PT703]

Hello!

I posted this thread in the physical therapy forum, but thought I’d try it here as well!

“Hello all!

I was wondering if I could get some advice about recommendations for note-taking systems in DPT School? I know this is a topic that has been addressed a couple of times on here, but I was hoping for some new perspectives!

Just some background- I am a senior athletic training student planning to pursue my DPT studies in the fall. I have been accepted to Emory & Henry College's DPT program, have an interview at UNC in 2 weeks, and am waiting to hear back from other schools. I have made it through my undergraduate studies in athletic training without a solid note-taking system. I am ashamed to say that, but am looking to create a new system. I have been very successful in my studies and clinicals despite not having a good system, but really want to make one that works for me in grad school.

I have physical notes, OneNote notes, google docs, word, powerpoints, its a mess. I am not sure if I should create a computer-based system of notes such as writing on powerpoints and using OneNote/etc. or use a paper notes system. I realize printing all of the material would probably be insane and I know first hand how information dense classes such as anatomy and kinesiology can be hard to keep of with by handwriting.

I am just curious to hear what current or former students have done and any advice is appreciated!

Thanks in advance!”

As a current DPT student I use a combo of handwritten notes and my own reiteration of PowerPoint notes. I also will sprinkle in flash cards when necessary. Overall, find what works in that first semester and stick with it. Enjoy your free time before the grind starts lol!

 

[CareerSwitcheroo]

As a potential incoming DPT student, I'm interested to hear what has worked for others as well. I have heard from many sources in the past that handwriting notes is more effective for learning versus typing them on a computer. It forces you to think more deeply about the subject matter. Check out this article: A Learning Secret: Don’t Take Notes with a Laptop

I would think that this method is even effective in those information-dense classes you mentioned. Many of the lower-level fundamental details (esp. for anatomy) are probably easily accessible via textbooks, online, etc. so paying attention to the higher level concepts and making sure you understand them is even more valuable.

Anyway, everyone's learning style is different so it mostly comes down to your own trial and error and figuring out what works best for you!

 

[MLBPT]

What really worked for me during undergrad was printing power points and just hand writing what the professor has said, thats not covered in the lecture slides, on the powerpoint themselves. Haven't yet started PT school, but I don't see why this won't work for me in PT school.

 

[beyoutiful_sunshine]

On a good week, I print my power point in an outline form and bring them to class and take Physical notes/ highlight while the professor is lecturing. Printing the power point outline beforehand and reading through it helps me really focus in class and I usually really get the information that way and retain it well.

On bad weeks when I don’t get the time to go over the material in advance, I do my PowerPoint outline as the professor is lecturing and add notes as the lecture goes. Still efficient but harder to do.

It took me a while to figure out that this worked for me. 100% handwritten notes are great but that’s not really realistic in PT school because it is just so much information.
That’s what works for me, hope that helps someone! 🙂

 

[CPHorseGirl]

I personally don't do well with hand written notes. Professors just talk too fast. I type in the speaker section of the powerpoints. Organization is hard, I know!
I just do a lot of folders within folders.
Ex) PT 505 -> Anatomy -> terms list Exam 2
Ex) PT 505 -> Lecture -> Exam 1 content -> date of lecture and name of power point

Now here is where I get it to stick.
1) rewrite on a small white board
2) talk it through and use teach back mechod
3) Ask professors to quiz you

 

[CPHorseGirl]

What really worked for me during undergrad was printing power points and just hand writing what the professor has said, thats not covered in the lecture slides, on the powerpoint themselves. Haven't yet started PT school, but I don't see why this won't work for me in PT school.

Just be super careful on how you organize these. Remember that you will be talking 3-4 classes with hundreds of pages of notes. Unlike in undergrad, after a semester, the notes don't matter much, but in PT you will want to be able to refer back to it a couple year down the road. I had a 5" binder for this past semester figuring I could print everything out, but it just became too much. If you do prefer to take notes this way, I recommend having an online way to save and organize notes for your future reference needs. Quickly type your notes in the speaker section.

I was told to always have 2 versions of the notes so you could totally do hand written and another online format!

 

[PTPTPTPPTPTPT]

Do many students take notes on iPads/Surfaces? Tablets seem like a very efficient way to organize "stylus written" notes.

 

[UbiDPT]

On a good week, I print my power point in an outline form and bring them to class and take Physical notes/ highlight while the professor is lecturing. Printing the power point outline beforehand and reading through it helps me really focus in class and I usually really get the information that way and retain it well.

On bad weeks when I don’t get the time to go over the material in advance, I do my PowerPoint outline as the professor is lecturing and add notes as the lecture goes. Still efficient but harder to do.

It took me a while to figure out that this worked for me. 100% handwritten notes are great but that’s not really realistic in PT school because it is just so much information.
That’s what works for me, hope that helps someone! 🙂

This is great feedback and I also learn best from handwritten notes! When I tried typing them instead of writing I was quicker and I was able to transcribe everything the professor said. But this method turned out to be less efficient because I could not easily recall what I typed out.
Does anyone in your cohort use the iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil or the Surface book with the pen?
I am highly interested in using notability or OneNote to download PowerPoints and write notes (with the pen or pencil) into the program. I hope that this could help my notes stay organized, accessible (thanks to cloud storage), and keep my studying habits efficient.
I do have a working (although a bit outdated) MacBook Pro and a modern desktop computer.
I start PT school at Texas State in May so I hope to purchase something by the spring! Thank you for your time and feedback!

 

[MetsFan15]

This is great feedback and I also learn best from handwritten notes! When I tried typing them instead of writing I was quicker and I was able to transcribe everything the professor said. But this method turned out to be less efficient because I could not easily recall what I typed out.
Does anyone in your cohort use the iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil or the Surface book with the pen?
I am highly interested in using notability or OneNote to download PowerPoints and write notes (with the pen or pencil) into the program. I hope that this could help my notes stay organized, accessible (thanks to cloud storage), and keep my studying habits efficient.
I do have a working (although a bit outdated) MacBook Pro and a modern desktop computer.
I start PT school at Texas State in May so I hope to purchase something by the spring! Thank you for your time and feedback!

I love my iPad and Apple Pencil! I wish that I had bought it during undergrad

 

[Hinges]

My school requires an iPad. What is the huge difference when using the pencil with the iPad compared to writing on a piece of paper? Would typing the notes on a computer still be a little faster?

 

[ATCandDPT]

For me, i type my notes because i can type faster than write. Plus, typing notes allows me to keep things more organized (at least for me), then i would write my notes in a notebook to help me study. I would also print out power points and write hand written notes, but i heard there is so much information in PT school that it becomes a hassle.

 

[EHCAT4]

I actually tried printing the out the outline form of the PowerPoints and writing on them! I loved it because I felt that I followed along better and I.T didn’t take up the massive amount of space that a full PowerPoint would.

I ran into an issue though. I had a physical therapy professor for anatomy this semester and he posted the powerpoints as a pdf, so you could see the slides but could not print an outline version. I tried copying and pasting the text into word, but it always messed up the formatting. Anyone know how to make this method work possibly?

Also thanks for the great responses and keep them coming! I’m glad to know this forum is helping others!

 

[EHCAT4]

On a good week, I print my power point in an outline form and bring them to class and take Physical notes/ highlight while the professor is lecturing. Printing the power point outline beforehand and reading through it helps me really focus in class and I usually really get the information that way and retain it well.

On bad weeks when I don’t get the time to go over the material in advance, I do my PowerPoint outline as the professor is lecturing and add notes as the lecture goes. Still efficient but harder to do.

It took me a while to figure out that this worked for me. 100% handwritten notes are great but that’s not really realistic in PT school because it is just so much information.
That’s what works for me, hope that helps someone! 🙂

I actually tried printing the out the outline form of the PowerPoints and writing on them! I loved it because I felt that I followed along better and I.T didn’t take up the massive amount of space that a full PowerPoint would.

I ran into an issue though. I had a physical therapy professor for anatomy this semester and he posted the powerpoints as a pdf, so you could see the slides but could not print an outline version. I tried copying and pasting the text into word, but it always messed up the formatting. Anyone know how to make this method work possibly?

Also thanks for the great responses and keep them coming! I’m glad to know this forum is helping others!

 

[CareerSwitcheroo]

I actually tried printing the out the outline form of the PowerPoints and writing on them! I loved it because I felt that I followed along better and I.T didn’t take up the massive amount of space that a full PowerPoint would.

I ran into an issue though. I had a physical therapy professor for anatomy this semester and he posted the powerpoints as a pdf, so you could see the slides but could not print an outline version. I tried copying and pasting the text into word, but it always messed up the formatting. Anyone know how to make this method work possibly?

Also thanks for the great responses and keep them coming! I’m glad to know this forum is helping others!

I wonder if your professor would've been willing to provide the original slide deck if you requested it. I can't imagine why he wouldn't.

 

[beyoutiful_sunshine]

@EHCAT4 that's funny, I ran into the exact same problem this semester ahaha. Luckily that professor was only teaching a couple of lectures on gait so it wasn't too big of a deal, I just printed the pdfs. We should try what @CareerSwitcheroo said though, I think if we ask, the professor might be willing to do it, because I mean they did create a power point initially 🙂
Other than that, I don't any any other method to go from pdf to ppt to outline :/

 

[beyoutiful_sunshine]

This is great feedback and I also learn best from handwritten notes! When I tried typing them instead of writing I was quicker and I was able to transcribe everything the professor said. But this method turned out to be less efficient because I could not easily recall what I typed out.
Does anyone in your cohort use the iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil or the Surface book with the pen?
I am highly interested in using notability or OneNote to download PowerPoints and write notes (with the pen or pencil) into the program. I hope that this could help my notes stay organized, accessible (thanks to cloud storage), and keep my studying habits efficient.
I do have a working (although a bit outdated) MacBook Pro and a modern desktop computer.
I start PT school at Texas State in May so I hope to purchase something by the spring! Thank you for your time and feedback!

Hi !! 🙂 Most of my classmates take notes on their computers. A good number do that outline thing I do, some take notes directly in the comments section of the power point, some do a combination of both. We have about 5 people that print all of their ppts and only take notes by hand 🙂 One of us uses her iPad for everything, I don't know if she uses the OneNote app, I could ask her! And one guy uses his tablet where he takes notes directly on the ppt and draws on them as well, he's very artsy 🙂 His tablet is not an Apple, I'm not sure what it is but I can ask as well!

And yayyyyy, so happy you chose Texas State and Texas State chose you 🙂 You're going to love it!
During the summer you're going to take Anatomy, Patient Care Skills I, Pathology, Professional Issues and Evidence Based Practice. During the summer I was still trying to figure out how to study and did a little bit of everything. At some point I tried to make handwritten summary sheets for every lecture for pathology, it was great for learning but it was time consuming and I couldn't keep up. The most useful thing I did this summer was handmade muscle flashcards for anatomy. You're going to get a muscle packet with origin, insertion, action, and innervation (OIAN) of certain muscles and you're going to have to know them by heart. Netter has some muscle flashcard available but the wording is different and our professor really wants us to learn the exact words she uses so that everyone is learning the same thing. I made muscle flashcards by drawing and naming the muscle on one side and writing the O/I/A/N on the other side and getting them laminated at Office Depot.
It was super helpful for me! I did the same thing with the new muscles we had to learn this fall except I didn't have time to draw the muscles on the front of the flashcard so I just printed them 🙂

I discovered the outline method this fall and honestly I love it! The summer is an awesome trial and error moment, some tips others give you might work with you, some won't, but ultimately you'll figure it out, I'm sure 🙂

To go back to your original question 2 of us out of 42 use tablets, 5ish use strictly paper, me along with I'd say 10/15 other people use paper + computer and the rest uses computer only. Only 2 people use their tablet but don't let this deter you from using yours! I think people just used what they had 🙂

 

[beyoutiful_sunshine]

@ResearchAdvocateDPT2B Oh, another thing too that is really helpful is our class google drive. Our class has a shared google drive with folders per semester and per class where people upload their study reviews, drawings, tables, etc it's super helpful to look at before exams, but it also helps see how other people organize their information, and the next day you can go to them "hey, I love what you posted on the drive, do you do that for every class? does it work for you?" etc 🙂

The class before us has a google drive as well, I'm sure y'all will end up with one, it just takes one person to come up with the idea and create it 🙂

 

[purrple49]

Hi !! 🙂 Most of my classmates take notes on their computers. A good number do that outline thing I do, some take notes directly in the comments section of the power point, some do a combination of both. We have about 5 people that print all of their ppts and only take notes by hand 🙂 One of us uses her iPad for everything, I don't know if she uses the OneNote app, I could ask her! And one guy uses his tablet where he takes notes directly on the ppt and draws on them as well, he's very artsy 🙂 His tablet is not an Apple, I'm not sure what it is but I can ask as well!

And yayyyyy, so happy you chose Texas State and Texas State chose you 🙂 You're going to love it!
During the summer you're going to take Anatomy, Patient Care Skills I, Pathology, Professional Issues and Evidence Based Practice. During the summer I was still trying to figure out how to study and did a little bit of everything. At some point I tried to make handwritten summary sheets for every lecture for pathology, it was great for learning but it was time consuming and I couldn't keep up. The most useful thing I did this summer was handmade muscle flashcards for anatomy. You're going to get a muscle packet with origin, insertion, action, and innervation (OIAN) of certain muscles and you're going to have to know them by heart. Netter has some muscle flashcard available but the wording is different and our professor really wants us to learn the exact words she uses so that everyone is learning the same thing. I made muscle flashcards by drawing and naming the muscle on one side and writing the O/I/A/N on the other side and getting them laminated at Office Depot.
It was super helpful for me! I did the same thing with the new muscles we had to learn this fall except I didn't have time to draw the muscles on the front of the flashcard so I just printed them 🙂

I discovered the outline method this fall and honestly I love it! The summer is an awesome trial and error moment, some tips others give you might work with you, some won't, but ultimately you'll figure it out, I'm sure 🙂

To go back to your original question 2 of us out of 42 use tablets, 5ish use strictly paper, me along with I'd say 10/15 other people use paper + computer and the rest uses computer only. Only 2 people use their tablet but don't let this deter you from using yours! I think people just used what they had 🙂

I love the muscle flashcard idea! Plus making flashcards is helpful in learning the information rather than purchasing them! Incredible that you can draw the muscle! Sounds like a great resource.

Forgive my ignorance, but idk "outline form".. Is it a setting on ppt similar to if you want slides in note taking (3 to a page), 9 to a page, etc? What does it print then? The notes from the bottom?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using SDN mobile

 

[beyoutiful_sunshine]

I love the muscle flashcard idea! Plus making flashcards is helpful in learning the information rather than purchasing them! Incredible that you can draw the muscle! Sounds like a great resource.

Forgive my ignorance, but idk "outline form".. Is it a setting on ppt similar to if you want slides in note taking (3 to a page), 9 to a page, etc? What does it print then? The notes from the bottom?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using SDN mobile

Thank you ! I like drawing a lot and it helps me learn 🙂

That's a legitimate question, honestly if it wasn't for PT school I wouldn't even know this was possible ahaha. In the power point app, under the "View" tab, you can click on outline. Doing this allows you to see all of the text on the power point, you can then just copy paste it into word, add notes, add relevant pictures, etc

Hold on, I'm going to figure out how to post screenshots on here so that you can see what I'm talking about

 

[purrple49]

View attachment 227404 View attachment 227405

This is how I organize myself. I copy paste the outlines from ppt into Word and then I edit bullets, bold things, add subtitles sometimes, etc... when I'm on top of everything, I do this the night before class, skim through it as I'm adding bullets etc and then I print it and add notes while in class with a pencil 🙂

When I don't have time to do this before hand, I edit my Word outline in class while the professor is talking. If it's a really hard lecture or I feel like I can't focus if I do this at the same time, I give up on trying to do the outline in class; I just listen + add notes if needed at the bottom of the power point, and during the weekend I just catch up on my outlines.

I see! This is really helpful.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using SDN mobile

 

[UbiDPT]

Hi !! 🙂 Most of my classmates take notes on their computers. A good number do that outline thing I do, some take notes directly in the comments section of the power point, some do a combination of both. We have about 5 people that print all of their ppts and only take notes by hand 🙂 One of us uses her iPad for everything, I don't know if she uses the OneNote app, I could ask her! And one guy uses his tablet where he takes notes directly on the ppt and draws on them as well, he's very artsy 🙂 His tablet is not an Apple, I'm not sure what it is but I can ask as well!

And yayyyyy, so happy you chose Texas State and Texas State chose you 🙂 You're going to love it!
During the summer you're going to take Anatomy, Patient Care Skills I, Pathology, Professional Issues and Evidence Based Practice. During the summer I was still trying to figure out how to study and did a little bit of everything. At some point I tried to make handwritten summary sheets for every lecture for pathology, it was great for learning but it was time consuming and I couldn't keep up. The most useful thing I did this summer was handmade muscle flashcards for anatomy. You're going to get a muscle packet with origin, insertion, action, and innervation (OIAN) of certain muscles and you're going to have to know them by heart. Netter has some muscle flashcard available but the wording is different and our professor really wants us to learn the exact words she uses so that everyone is learning the same thing. I made muscle flashcards by drawing and naming the muscle on one side and writing the O/I/A/N on the other side and getting them laminated at Office Depot.
It was super helpful for me! I did the same thing with the new muscles we had to learn this fall except I didn't have time to draw the muscles on the front of the flashcard so I just printed them 🙂

I discovered the outline method this fall and honestly I love it! The summer is an awesome trial and error moment, some tips others give you might work with you, some won't, but ultimately you'll figure it out, I'm sure 🙂

To go back to your original question 2 of us out of 42 use tablets, 5ish use strictly paper, me along with I'd say 10/15 other people use paper + computer and the rest uses computer only. Only 2 people use their tablet but don't let this deter you from using yours! I think people just used what they had 🙂

I am getting sooooo excited! I still wake up surprised and grateful when I remember that I was accepted!!!!!
Thank you so much for you thorough and valuable feedback! I will definitely keep your tips in mind-the handmade flash card advice is gold! I never thought to get them laminated! Also great to know not the purchase the Netter flash cards-although useful for some programs I would rather not confuse the professor’s preferred verbiage!
I saw your advice about Complete Anatomy in another thread and I am so happy to know it is available for Mac and Windows 10 devices! I’ll look out for a sale-you can’t beat $25!!!
I’m definitely going to try the outline method that you described! I am also so happy that the Texas State students work so well together! It’s so awesome that you all work together and help each other succeed! That’s one of the things that really stood out in the meet and greet! Google drive is so convenient!
It’s also good to know that there are so many options for devices to take notes in DPT school. I feel less pressure about choosing- thank you!!!

 

[UbiDPT]

I love my iPad and Apple Pencil! I wish that I had bought it during undergrad

Do you use notability? Did you purchase the 9.7”, 10.5”, or 12.9” iPad Pro? Do you use a keyboard or cover/protection that you’d recommend? Do you have a laptop or desktop that you use as well or were you able to switch 100% to your iPad Pro? Thank you for your time! I’m so happy that the iPad Pro and pencil work so well for you!

 

[MetsFan15]

Do you use notability? Did you purchase the 9.7”, 10.5”, or 12.9” iPad Pro? Do you use a keyboard or cover/protection that you’d recommend? Do you have a laptop or desktop that you use as well or were you able to switch 100% to your iPad Pro? Thank you for your time! I’m so happy that the iPad Pro and pencil work so well for you!

I personally don’t use notability, but a lot of kids in my class use it. I either use iAnnotate or One Note. I have my laptop that I use in undergrad, but never bring it to class with me. I usually only use it for writing papers and working in PowerPoint because it is much easier with a mouse, but it is possible we switch overnight if you don’t have a laptop. I just bought a decent case and a bought a cheap portable keyboard since i do most of my note taking with the Apple Pencil. I also bought the 10.5.

 

[catdawgs]

I actually tried printing the out the outline form of the PowerPoints and writing on them! I loved it because I felt that I followed along better and I.T didn’t take up the massive amount of space that a full PowerPoint would.

I ran into an issue though. I had a physical therapy professor for anatomy this semester and he posted the powerpoints as a pdf, so you could see the slides but could not print an outline version. I tried copying and pasting the text into word, but it always messed up the formatting. Anyone know how to make this method work possibly?

Also thanks for the great responses and keep them coming! I’m glad to know this forum is helping others!

In undergrad I ran into the same issue and learned that some professors would do this so that no one can "steal" or edit their content to republish as their own. Sometimes profs just find PDFs more convenient to upload, but you can try asking your them if they can upload a PPT version as well.

One method I learned to bypass printing off 1slide/page is to play around with the print settings. Try changing the setting so that 4-6 slides print on one side of the page. That way you kind of have room in the margins to write notes, although there won't be any ruled lines. You can even rotate the orientation to get more note-taking space. You'll save a TON of paper, and even more if you have the ability to print double-sided.

 

[CLCY]

Hi!
Don’t know if anyone has mentioned this but do you think grad professors will mind recording them during lectures? Printing out the PowerPoints and then hand writing not a works best for me but I also like to record lectures so I can go back and fill in whatever I might have been too slow to write down.

Anyone have feedback on this?

 

[astarblaze]

Hello!

I posted this thread in the physical therapy forum, but thought I’d try it here as well!

“Hello all!

I was wondering if I could get some advice about recommendations for note-taking systems in DPT School? I know this is a topic that has been addressed a couple of times on here, but I was hoping for some new perspectives!

Just some background- I am a senior athletic training student planning to pursue my DPT studies in the fall. I have been accepted to Emory & Henry College's DPT program, have an interview at UNC in 2 weeks, and am waiting to hear back from other schools. I have made it through my undergraduate studies in athletic training without a solid note-taking system. I am ashamed to say that, but am looking to create a new system. I have been very successful in my studies and clinicals despite not having a good system, but really want to make one that works for me in grad school.

I have physical notes, OneNote notes, google docs, word, powerpoints, its a mess. I am not sure if I should create a computer-based system of notes such as writing on powerpoints and using OneNote/etc. or use a paper notes system. I realize printing all of the material would probably be insane and I know first hand how information dense classes such as anatomy and kinesiology can be hard to keep of with by handwriting.

I am just curious to hear what current or former students have done and any advice is appreciated!

Thanks in advance!”

I'm a first year DPT student in my 2nd semester. Midway through last semester, I switched over to an iPad pro and Apple pencil with Notability. I previously used mostly laptop and Notability with some paper notes. Students in my class are pretty split between all paper (printed powerpoints), tablets of various sorts (mostly iPad or Surface), and laptop notetaking systems. You can succeed with any of those, so it really comes down to personal preference and what works best for you.

Personally, I've been super psyched about the iPad pro. I waited and hesitated to buy it because of the cost, and now I wish I had just gone for it before classes started. I especially love that I can keep all my notes organized together and access anything any time. We're in the second week of the semester, I'm already finding myself referencing notes from last semester all the time while at school, which I wouldn't be able to do if I didn't take notes digitally. If we get a handout in class, I can quickly take a picture of it and import it into notability and then write and draw all over the notability version- then it's saved with all my other notes for that class. Sometimes I record audio of the lectures through Notability. When I'm studying, I can then click on parts of my notes to re-hear that specific part of the lecture if I am confused about something or want more detail than what I recorded in my notes. I have some of my textbooks as e-books on the iPad and can do reading for class on my iPad while walking on the treadmill (sometimes my only chance for exercise for the day). We have a bunch of textbooks and often need to reference them in class, so having portable versions really saves me from the literal back pain that I would experience if I had to haul all of those textbooks around. I especially like the iPad when in lab classes (about 40% of our classes right now are lab-based), because it's easy to pick up and take notes on when standing, or have it propped up in my lap, so if I have to walk over to watch a procedure and want to take notes, I can do that easily with the iPad (this was an issue previously with my laptop- I had to use paper in lab classes to take notes). As mentioned previously, there's research that taking notes by hand is better for learning than typing, and with the iPad (or any tablet, really), you can handwrite but also keep everything digital which I really prefer. I love how I can draw all over Powerpoints, make diagrams of things, etc. The app Complete Anatomy (or Essential Anatomy) is also pretty cool on the iPad (I think the iPad version is nicer than the computer one), as you can use your hands to move the structures around. I also use the iPad pro a lot as a virtual whiteboard, drawing out diagrams of things and quizzing myself on different topics (even if you don't get a tablet, I think this is a really useful study technique for PT school- get a white board!).

I could go on and on about the cool ways you can use an iPad pro, but suffice it to say I'm really glad I got one. I do also use my laptop at home for doing school papers, projects, etc, so I don't think I'd want it as my only device.

I do have some classmates with older iPads (without the Apple Pencil capability), and I notice that the quality of writing and drawing that they can do is not NEARLY as good as it is with the Pro. I have heard lots of good things about the Surface, but I went with the pro because I already have all Apple products, so it makes integrating between devices very easy. If you are thinking of investing in a new device, definitely spend some time playing around with them to see what you like.

 

[Hinges]

Is there any way to link notes between iMac Pro and Ipad Pro? I can type faster with notes, but I do like the things you pointed out such as using it during lab class. Anyone here uses both iMac Pro Laptop and Ipad?