Note Taking

[jmo1012]

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Just curious how you plan on or currently take notes for vet school.

I personally am torn because I only learn things if i write them. Throughout undergrad, I always printed off the ppt's and hand wrote notes. Typing was never feasible or effective for me. Since I'm very limited with what I can bring on an airplane, i don't know if bringing a printer is worth it (not to mention the much increased number of pages) or if I should just buy a tablet and get used to writing on that.

Thoughts?

 

[Armymutt25A]

After watching my wife in pharmacy school the past two years, I think the tablet route will work better for me. School seems to revolve around power point these days. My previous experiences have been spiral bound notebooks and lots of writing and drawing the diagrams shown on the overhead projectors. With a tablet and power point, I can write notes directly on the digital slide - less focus on drawing and writing every word, and more listening and retaining. Hopefully this works as planned.

 

[GellaBella]

it will take a little while to figure out what will work for you in veterinary school...it's definitely different than undergrad. In undergrad and grad school I wrote everything out...here there is just SO MUCH material you go through in a day I can't write it out fast enough. So I started taking notes on my laptop...I thought I'd hate it but it's not too bad. I typically take notes in powerpoint with the slides and then later go out and write out an outline of the material I want to study.

Some people still hand write notes but I think my hand would fall off if I did that...I'm already taping my fingers from the amount of writing I have to do just to make my outlines.

I would say about 90% of our class takes notes on the computer and of those I'd say about 90% are typing instead of using the tablet writing tools. Most people have a notebook with them in case the professors start drawing on the board but that is fairly rare right now (more common during anatomy etc).

 

[CurrySpice]

I started using my tablet more in undergrad this semester due to the amount of primary literature we are required to read (expensive to print!).

Developmental Biology: Handwrite notes in OneNote. very diagram-heavy & plenty of pictures, so the tablet feature is invaluable. LOVE being able to change between 10 different colored pens with just a tap of the pen. Great feature where you can add (or subtract) space between sections in case your professor decides he wants to add more information to an old diagram. Love being able to easily erase my colored lines!

Biochemistry II: I import the primary literature using the "files as printouts" button on onenote, then affix them to the page (using some add-on that SDNers referred me to). I then highlight & write all over the pdf before class begins. During class I tend to type important points, but I like having my pen to highlight something I forgot. I could do that with my cursor, but it's faster & easier to use the pen.

It's easy to use my pen on my tablet screen when it's open as a laptop. The hinge is sturdy enough that I don't even support the screen with my other hand unless the drawing is complex.

The one downside... I can't study from my computer! Neither of those classes are memorization-heavy, so it doesn't matter that I can't study my notes for long periods of time. I don't print mine b/c school printers are black/white only. If I use my tablet for vet school, I will make 100% sure to have a color printer & a huge printing budget!

Other downside... I took a hiatus from using my tablet for classwork after it crashed a week before my finals freshman year. I didn't lose much information, but I will definitely make use of one of those Drop Drives people talk about so that I lose zero information during vet school. General chemistry notes are much easier to make up than veterinary pathology!

 

[HopefulAg]

Started out doing notes the traditional way. That didn't work out too well, so I started using my laptop and was much happier (and made better grades since I can type a lot faster than writing, so I didn't miss as much information due to not being able to take notes fast enough).

 

[withoutane]

Well I was thinking about getting an ipad...but then I realized I should really be saving as much money as possible.

So, I'm going to use my existing semi-new macbook pro. I WISH onenote was available for macs. Although it is available for ipads and iphones they still don't have a version for macs. I am thinking about getting circus ponies notebook but I'm not sure yet. I've tried out the free demo and, although it has a LOT of cool features, it has a tendency to crash (according to some reviews) and its features aren't super intuitive. I looked at evernote too but really didn't like it.

Does anyone here take notes on a mac? What program do you use?

 

[LetItSnow]

Started out doing notes the traditional way. That didn't work out too well, so I started using my laptop and was much happier (and made better grades since I can type a lot faster than writing, so I didn't miss as much information due to not being able to take notes fast enough).

This is going to come out sounding like a dumb question, but... meh. The older I get, the less I care about sounding dumb.

So much of this is science classes. How do you quickly take notes on a laptop that involve all the notation that goes along with science material? (Bio)Chemical notation... physics.... equations.... mathy stuff....

Or is vet school much more straight up verbiage that you can quickly type?

Or ... what? How do you do it? This single issue has me hemming and hawing when I think about how I'll want to take notes when I start this fall.

 

[breenie]

This is going to come out sounding like a dumb question, but... meh. The older I get, the less I care about sounding dumb.

So much of this is science classes. How do you quickly take notes on a laptop that involve all the notation that goes along with science material? (Bio)Chemical notation... physics.... equations.... mathy stuff....

Or is vet school much more straight up verbiage that you can quickly type?

Or ... what? How do you do it? This single issue has me hemming and hawing when I think about how I'll want to take notes when I start this fall.

Not a stupid question. 🙂

 

[HopefulAg]

So much of this is science classes. How do you quickly take notes on a laptop that involve all the notation that goes along with science material? (Bio)Chemical notation... physics.... equations.... mathy stuff....

I'm not sure I understand the question. If you're talking about, how do you, for instance, make a delta sign, you can:

• Just do (T2 - T1) instead of the delta sign.
• Go to a site like this one (though there's no delta sign on that one) and copy it off there.
• Insert it through Microsoft's symbols menu (I think Delta is one of the default ones)
• Just do 'dT' to where you know d stands for delta
• Use the Windows Snipping tool to excise the equation directly from the PowerPoint and paste it into your notes (I do this one more often than not)

From my anatomy notes, as to how I handle diagrams presented in class:

Or I just bust out my note packet real quick from my backpack, copy down the diagram, and put a note in my typed notes "View diagram on Pg. 67 of note packet".

 

[deleted387118]

LetItSnow: My class all has tablets as KSU requires them (as in gives but charges our tuition). We can write with the pen whether its up or down. I type most of my notes in one note and write or draw arrows whenever I feel necessary. I can also highlight easier and color code easier using the pen mode.

We also don't deal a lot with math or chem equations. When we do they are already usually typed in the notes or we write them along with our professor on the white screen mode.

 

[variegata]

I use the provided print-outs and write on them (next year I will have to print my own, but plan on doing the same thing). While I'm studying, I usually rewrite things in a different format on lined paper to help me learn it. I have to write, draw and see things to remember them. Typing doesn't help me learn, and reading things off the computer makes my eyes miserable, so as much of a tree-hugger as I am, I won't be going digital.

 

[Packen]

I have used Evernote with my Mac and I found it to be pretty efficient. I like to record lectures while taking notes, but my typing is not too much faster than my writing, and for some reason, when I type I don't seem to retain as much.

I recently bought a SmartPen and I really, really liked it. I could take notes during class, but didn't feel like I was missing anything b/c it was recording the lecture at the same time. When I knew that I didn't catch something a professor wrote I would put a star in the notes. That is my sign to myself that I definitely need to listen at that point again. Plus they upload to the computer...and I think you can put them in Evernote, but I haven't played around with that yet.

ETA: This is based on mostly undergrad lectures and one graduate class I was taking last semester.

 

[gsi924]

Well I was thinking about getting an ipad...but then I realized I should really be saving as much money as possible.

So, I'm going to use my existing semi-new macbook pro. I WISH onenote was available for macs. Although it is available for ipads and iphones they still don't have a version for macs. I am thinking about getting circus ponies notebook but I'm not sure yet. I've tried out the free demo and, although it has a LOT of cool features, it has a tendency to crash (according to some reviews) and its features aren't super intuitive. I looked at evernote too but really didn't like it.

Does anyone here take notes on a mac? What program do you use?

I have a mac and I got parallels and installed windows 7 and microsoft office and one note on it. I could not stomach the idea of paying for a PC I would not like as much as my mac

 

[awaring1]

I use a Livescripe Pulse pen and it changed my life. For serious.


[/plug]

 

[moosenanny]

At Davis everyone with a Mac pretty much uses Skim (free program downloaded off the internet). It lets you type into textboxes and insert other annotations directly onto powerpoints converted to pdf via the print screen.

And Let It Snow - as for recording the science stuff in my notes, I use a lot of arrows (->) to indicate the flow of a pathway, and I abbreviate things when they are intuitive. For some subjects I type what the professor is saying word for word if the powerpoints are merely diagrams/images and don't have any accompanying information/pathways written on them already (our cardio powerpoints were only graphs and images, with zero verbiage). It's rather counter-intiutive, but the faster the professor speaks, the more exactly I type out every word he is saying. When the professor speaks slowly, it gives me time to condense his thoughts into a summary that still retains the full load of information/meaning.

It does help that I can type at lightning speed - there were often times I was typing just as fast or faster than our speediest professor spoke, and I'd have to pause and wait for him to catch up to my typing, lol If you are a slow typer, you might want to practice by transcribing television shows or the network news to get a feel for it.

Also, to address the OP more specifically, I printed powerpoints and wrote on them throughout undergrad too. I did that at the beginning of the school year, but made the transition over to 100% electronic notetaking about a month in. It is SO NICE to have all my notes in one place, easily accessible to cross-reference or look back in case I forget something that is brought up in another class. And it is so much more relaxing to sit back and type than to sit on the edge of my chair writing as fast as humanly possible.

The bottom line is that you must do what works for YOU. At the same time, remain flexible.

 

[that redhead]

Contact people where you'll be going (SGU for you, if I remember correctly) and ask them. I contacted some students who're already at my school and asked them about note-taking and they told me that there, the professors print note packets and give them to you for everything. So instead of worrying out typing things or writing at lightning speed, I think I'll probably be following the packet and adding notes as I see fit. That's my plan going in - if things are different for me or I don't feel like I'm learning/absorbing information that way, I'll change.

Every school (and person, obviously) is different and I think the most valuable advice would come from someone at the school you're headed to 🙂

 

[LetItSnow]

I'm not sure I understand the question. If you're talking about, how do you, for instance, make a delta sign, you can:

I think you got the question. I appreciate your answer. In my head, it just seems like there would be so many special characters that it would slow down my note-taking. I type fast - 15 years of working in the computer industry will do that - but have never had to worry about constantly inserting special formatting/characters/etc.

 

[nyanko]

If you were really hardcore you'd take notes in LaTeX

 

[cuitlamiztli]

I think you got the question. I appreciate your answer. In my head, it just seems like there would be so many special characters that it would slow down my note-taking.

If you use MS Office, you can add autocorrect options to replace things for you. For example, if I type !alpha, >/, or ~~ they automatically become α, ≥, and ≈. Makes things go so much quicker! Plus, if you input the autocorrect stuff into OneNote (or Word, etc.) then you'll be able to use those 'shortcuts' in the other programs starting the next time they're launched.

Contact people where you'll be going (SGU for you, if I remember correctly) and ask them.... Every school (and person, obviously) is different and I think the most valuable advice would come from someone at the school you're headed to 🙂

I agree.

 

[LetItSnow]

If you were really hardcore you'd take notes in LaTeX

Yow. I hadn't thought about TeX in a long, long time. I once got a temporary job typesetting some professor's book using TeX.

... but no. Not that hardcore. Not anymore.

If you use MS Office, you can add autocorrect options to replace things for you. For example, if I type !alpha, >/, or ~~ they automatically become α, ≥, and ≈. Makes things go so much quicker! Plus, if you input the autocorrect stuff into OneNote (or Word, etc.) then you'll be able to use those 'shortcuts' in the other programs starting the next time they're launched.

Ohhhhh. Excellent. I realize these tips probably seem trivial to you and HopefulAg, but this is good stuff (at least for me, who has never taken notes electronically). Thanks.

 

[hintofblue]

I think you got the question. I appreciate your answer. In my head, it just seems like there would be so many special characters that it would slow down my note-taking. I type fast - 15 years of working in the computer industry will do that - but have never had to worry about constantly inserting special formatting/characters/etc.

In MS Word, you can type "\Delta" and it will give you a delta symbol. Works for all Greek letters, and some symbols (ex: degree). You may have to turn this on, but it is easy (Go to symbol -> "AutoCorrect" -> "Math AutoCorrect" -> Check the first two boxes).

This was really useful in my physics class, where we had to type out lab reports with all the symbols.

 

[LetItSnow]

In MS Word, you can type "\Delta" and it will give you a delta symbol. Works for all Greek letters, and some symbols (ex: degree). You may have to turn this on, but it is easy (Go to symbol -> "AutoCorrect" -> "Math AutoCorrect" -> Check the first two boxes).

This was really useful in my physics class, where we had to type out lab reports with all the symbols.

Sigh. I wish I had known that when I had to do physics (we also had to type them out). I spent hours making my lab reports look nice.

 

[twelvetigers]

I'm so lazy, I just use a lowercase o for my degree symbol and then superscript it. Haha.

Can't decide if I'd rather type or do the iPad thing. I generally have to make pretty insane study guides anyway, so...

 

[Psorophoraferox]

Since it's working for me now, I plan on continuing my same routine:
- If slides are available to print, print them 4 - 6 to a page and handwrite notes in the margins
- If slides aren't available, type notes in class, then make flashcards of important stuff

I also learn better when writing, but I type much faster than I write. So, I type what I need to (if it's not typed already in a slide), then write what I need to study when making flashcards. I usually do print my typed notes too, because I find it easier to read/flip through them that way. Your school may have pay printers in a computer lab available for students to use, if you don't want to bring your own.

 

[HopefulAg]

In MS Word, you can type "\Delta" and it will give you a delta symbol. Works for all Greek letters, and some symbols (ex: degree). You may have to turn this on, but it is easy (Go to symbol -> "AutoCorrect" -> "Math AutoCorrect" -> Check the first two boxes).

This was really useful in my physics class, where we had to type out lab reports with all the symbols.

Well....wish I had known that...a very long time ago lol. Oh well, awesome tip.

I'm so lazy, I just use a lowercase o for my degree symbol and then superscript it. Haha.

Dang it another elegant solution. I'm not clever enough for this stuff. I just put an asterisk where the degrees should be, which leaves me at times wondering what the variable C stands for and why I'm multiplying a constant by it.

If you were really hardcore you'd take notes in LaTeX

Yah but typing in gloves is hard. Not as much tactile sensation.

 

[sumstorm]

Some of this will depend on the class as well. Some issues with printing include profs that don't get the PPT up until just before class and profs that shove so much info into a slide that it is unreadable once printed. Computers can = distraction. I use a tablet, type mostly, but draw, circle, etc with my stylus.

In some classes I have the PPT up, then excel where I am making flash cards from the lecture/PPT.

I do print some PPT's for some classes at 6-sheet, then I cut them out (sloppy quick cutting) and write questions on the back of them. Those are my 'flashcards' when I go running. I find that works best for memorization heavy classes (micro, viro, pharm.) I can't imagine the cost of printing everything out. And sometimes, if you print stuff out ahead of time, the profs will change something...add in several slides right before class.

I do know some students that only do hand written notes...my hand would fall off! I also do mnemonic sketches for some stuff. I'm a fast typist, and a visual learner.

 

[Braki]

Most of the students at my school either handwrite their notes or print off the slides and write on them, depending on the class. I use a Macbook. I've been using a computer since I first started university, and I love it. I don't learn any better if I write out my notes, and I find handwritten notes harder to study. I always have my notes with me whenever I have my laptop. It's way more organized, because any paper notes I have end up scattered all over the apartment. I can easily just search my computer for a term I remember and it'll find the file that term is in. I type way faster than I write. Basically, I love it in every way possible. I guess the Snow Leopard OS update also updated Preview, the default Mac pdf viewer, because I can highlight, add notes, arrows, etc. right onto pdfs without requiring any other software. It also means that even if a prof decides to upload their powerpoint slides half an hour before lecture, I can walk into class, open my laptop, and download the notes and be ready to go, whereas all my friends using paper notes have to just write it by hand and print off the notes later. I hate it when profs insist on uploading their slides after the lecture.

However, that said, a lot of my classmates love their paper notes and can't learn on the computer at all, so it really depends on your learning style. And even with my heavy heavy computer usage, I've still found that owning printer is very useful, so you might not want to leave it behind.

 

[StartingoverVet]

I've tried a bunch of different techniques and it is gonna depend on you.

I started out taking notes directly on the powerpoints thru my tablet for much of 1st semester. That did NOT work out too well for me. It was just too unwieldy for this dinosaur.

I tried typing notes in as most of the students in my class do, but I found typing puts my brain in neutral and there was no learning going on.

Then I switched to handwriting on the powerpoints.

Then I stopped going to class altogether.

While listening to lectures at home I now have the system I am most comfortable with. I listen to the lectures, look at the powerpoints, and take handwritten notes directly onto separate note paper. This way I am making my study guide while I listen. It saves 1 step in the process for me and I am more efficient. Admittedly my hand gets a bit tired, but usually not before my brain does anyway.

Really this is back to the way I have learned for most of my life. Listen.... digest..... write down what is relevant.

There is definitely some experimentation for many of us as we cope with a much higher qty of info. Good luck.

 

[racccjlm]

I had to radically change my study skills this year. Undergrad I pretty much wrote out everything - but this year I realized that there wasn't enough time for that, AND for me to learn the information. So, I used my tablet PC. I printed all the ppts from professors to onenote, and then typed what they said to the side of the slides. Then I went all highlighter crazy and used my computer pen to underline things/draw things, etc. etc. We're lucky in that all of our ppts are given to us ahead of time - though I know that is not the case for some schools. You'll figure it out! Different strokes for different folks 🙂

 

[drforwhiskers]

I had to radically change my study skills this year. Undergrad I pretty much wrote out everything - but this year I realized that there wasn't enough time for that, AND for me to learn the information. So, I used my tablet PC. I printed all the ppts from professors to onenote, and then typed what they said to the side of the slides. Then I went all highlighter crazy and used my computer pen to underline things/draw things, etc. etc. We're lucky in that all of our ppts are given to us ahead of time - though I know that is not the case for some schools. You'll figure it out! Different strokes for different folks 🙂

Do most people at ISU take notes with this method? Like you, I have typically written everything out for my classes, but I know that won't be feasible with the amount of information in vet school. I'll be a first year at ISU next year, and I was trying to figure out how to put the tablet to full use! 🙂