Who still uses paper and pencil?

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equilibr8

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Second year classes have started, and I'm writing notes with pencil and paper. Who out there still likes the old-fashioned pencil and paper over typing/using the computer, and why?

WooT WooT.
 
me, writing takes longer there for you are forced to study the material for longer, if you see a term on your computer u can type it be done with it in under 3seconds, if you write you are exposed to the idea or term for longer, which i think helps retain the information in your memory

it takes longer, but I think it has helped me to do well in med school 😛
 
I think I learn better during lecture when I take hand written notes on printed out slides. Otherwise I'll just be on fb during lecture.

I type outlines for stuff I read just because there's so much info and it's much easier to read back over later when it's not in my messy handwriting.
 
Writing > typing for me - tactile sensation and all that.
 
I used a pen.

print powerpoint slides then take notes>>> typing

I have no concern for trees
 
Staring at a screen to study bugs my eyes, so I prefer the paper.

It doesn't hurt that most of our class handouts are available on good, old-fashioned paper.
 
Med school just started for me and I've been typing notes - a major switch for me. While I think there are just too many lecture slides for me to print out, anything conceptually that is a process I will have to write out in flowcharts/diagrams with paper and pencil (repeatedly) to learn adequately.
 
equilibr8 said:
Second year classes have started, and I'm writing notes with pencil and paper. Who out there still likes the old-fashioned pencil and paper over typing/using the computer, and why?

WooT WooT.
Click to expand...

Throughout first and second year I was dedicated to the computer. I typed everything. I found applications that could insert text onto slides, I tried microsoft word, yadda yadda. I liked it because often the profs would talk too fast for me to write, and I would miss things. That worked.

What worked WAY BETTER was using COLORED pens. I write most text in one color (black or blue), which indicates the substance of the notes im taking. Then (and yes, I alternate back and forth), i use a "bold" color, either orange or red. The "bold" color is not because the color itself is bold, but rather that it highlights a keyword or phrase. This makes reviewing the notes immensely easy.

To do this second method correctly, I take notes as a lecture or session is going on. I then take those notes (and slides if available, though usually I ignore slides now) and REWRITE them in my uber format. Half the page is text, half the page is an image, a chart, or a graph that goes along with it. it takes an immense amount of time, and, if you read USMLE world questions for Step 1, borders on obsessive compulsive disorder.

But here's the thing. I can go back to these notes and just read over them. One time and the knowledge comes rushing back. Glance over the "bold" words and WHAM, everything I needed falls back into my brain. It costs a lot of time up front (and I paid for it), but now, it has been paying me back in leaps and bounds. In fact, as I moved from medical school to residency, I had a single box, with about 10 1/2" binders in it with my hand written notes. I labeled the box "4 years of medical education." Step 1 through Step 2, everything I needed to learn, and probably more than I need to know, all in one place.
 
I second the colored pens system. It's incredibly time consuming but it is very powerful. I just wish more review books would be published with a similar organization so I didn't have to spend days writing out notes.

Never really had enough time to use it though, after first year.
 
+1 for the color-coded pens. Takes longer, but I've remembered so many answers to exams based on where I placed them on my summary sheets and what colors they were in
 
red10 said:
I think I learn better during lecture when I take hand written notes on printed out slides. Otherwise I'll just be on fb during lecture.

I type outlines for stuff I read just because there's so much info and it's much easier to read back over later when it's not in my messy handwriting.
Click to expand...

This. I cannot have my laptop in class and have any hope of paying attention. Since attendance is mandatory for us, I can't afford to waste all the time we spend in lecture... so I print out the slides and take them to class. I still miss a few things here or there because I'm thinking about something else, but I probably am 2-3x as productive as I would be if I had my laptop.

Of course, I could be like the rest of my class and go get diagnosed with "ADD" after my first semester of med school... but I feel like that's essentially cheating by any other name.
 
The old pencil-paper thing really helps your memory capture the stuff you are writing. As is stated in one of the posts here, it takes longer to write with a pencil and consequently your mind gets more time to store the data.

On the other hand, typing on a computer is a real fast thing. The problem is that even if you willingly try to type slowly or you are not such a good typist, you are doing a very unnatural thing and your mind won't be able to concentrate on storing the data. Instead it will put its efforts into making sure that you type correctly.

One additional thing that I find ''not very helpful' about typing on the computer is that there is so much stuff to do. As they say "computer is a multipurpose machine". So you could be easily distracted from your studies.
 
During M1 and M2 almost all our lectures were powerpoints.

They made us buy tablets so most people took notes on the ppts. very easy to highlight/color-code/whatever you wanted to do

If it was an important lecture I would turn my wireless off
 
When I'm in class, I highlight and annotate with a pencil. After class, I digitize everything and type up all my notes.
 
colored pencils FTW

I re-conceptualized all my notes into pictures/diagrams in sketch pads w/colored pencil...I'm not Netter but it did the trick. Planning the layout for the diagrams was what I needed to get the material to stick.
 
posting just to make it easier to find this thread in the future 😀
 
Yep, I've got about 7 notebooks filled with detailed notes from MS1. I find it much easier to organize my thoughts on a physical medium.
 
I'm into pens so I naturally prefer writing everything even though I know it's more inefficient. I tried typing but unless I know what I'm typing before hand from my head, it seems to take longer and my eyes start bothering me as well.

For second year I'm going going to write one liner key points/annotate FA/RR and my syllabus.

The downside to writing is I HATE carrying all this extra paper weight.
 
How about a mix? Writing, but on a tablet laptop. Still tactile, still have those colored pens, but fully searchable and digital?

That's the route I'm attempting to take, so we'll see. I do love pencils.
 
thedoctor8706 said:
Depends on the class.... but pencils FTW
Click to expand...


I sometimes do both, but mostly typing. I draw the diagrams and figures on paper but type all the notes. Then I print and study, easier for the eyes than staring and memorizing from screens.
 
twelvetigers said:
How about a mix? Writing, but on a tablet laptop. Still tactile, still have those colored pens, but fully searchable and digital?

That's the route I'm attempting to take, so we'll see. I do love pencils.
Click to expand...

+1 for tablet, I can't wait to get mine. My problem is I take notes on paper in class, and at home I forget or dont have time to put it into Onenote half the time. Also when teachers draw diagrams, I for my life can't replicate it well using a mouse.
 
I have the Powerpoint pulled up on my laptop (so that I can see details that aren't as visible on the projection) and write notes on printed handouts of the presentation (2 slides/page). Most people in my class take notes in the Powerpoint files themselves and a few take notes on notebook paper.

I agree with the importance of physically writing stuff - it usually helps me remember things versus typing.
 
👍 Colored pens and printed powerpoints. And our school gave us iPads. It's awesome for portable internet access and I don't have to really buy any textbooks. But for note-taking, I'm old-fashioned.
 
Everybody here has printed PPT to annotate on, which is how most people do it. The notes for each entire class is bigger than the books (which are mostly used for reference, since tests are almost entirely from lecture notes and objectives).

All through undergrad I wrote out notes in pencil... but I think you'll find that pencil is quite... hard to read. And fades. So pens ftw.

I never understood the people who typed out on the laptop. How do you quickly draw an arrow to an important anatomy on a slide with just your keyboard?
 
PinkIvy08 said:
+1 for the color-coded pens. Takes longer, but I've remembered so many answers to exams based on where I placed them on my summary sheets and what colors they were in
Click to expand...

👍👍👍

At the beginning of first year I would just go color pen crazy (with no science behind it) so that things would pop out...now I've got a nice system which gives it significance. Color pens are my best friend! I know I'm a huge visual person but like pinkivy said they have definitely come in handy on exams.

sidenote: I don't think I've ever gone through so many pens and highlighters in my life. Good old med school! 🙄
 
I use printed PowerPoint/PDF slides (6 or 9 per side, double sided) and multiple colours of pens. I use a different colour each time I read through the slides.

I tried annotating to PDFs at the beginning of the year, but it was too cumbersome. Plus, having a computer infront of me during class creates the potential for too many distractions.
 
A stack of plain printer paper and my trusty Zebra F-301 black ink pen has worked quite well over the years.

The paper gives me more freedom to write out the notes without the boundaries of lines and I found it to generally be a lot easier to organize into a binder or a folder afterward.

And also it is cheap as hell since I can just buy either of the stuff in some bulk packaging.
 
Pencils. Old-school Bic clicker-style. FTR. I tended to erase/modify my notes way too much for pens....too permanent....like marriage. You colored pencil folks, watching you frenetically trying to choose and switch between colors while trying to keep up with lecture and nail all the pertinent points....worth driving to lecture hall for.
 
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