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Taking Notes at Uni (medicine specifically?)

Hello!

I was wondering how people take notes at uni?
I have always been a pen and paper person but honestly I have so much paper even for my a levels it is hard to manage so I'm looking for a new strategy.
I have both a tablet with a pen and laptop so plenty of choice. What does everyone recommend and what platforms are good?

Reply 1

ExeterStudentRep

Original post

by SomehowAMedic

Hello!
I was wondering how people take notes at uni?
I have always been a pen and paper person but honestly I have so much paper even for my a levels it is hard to manage so I'm looking for a new strategy.
I have both a tablet with a pen and laptop so plenty of choice. What does everyone recommend and what platforms are good?

Hiya!

Of course what works for me may not work for everyone but I thought I’d explain my way of taking notes. I tend to download the lecture slides in advance as soon as I see they’ve been uploaded - uni WiFi can be patchy on busy days so this is good to do at home if you remember rather than in the lecture theatre! I use a note taking app called Goodnotes, which I do pay a subscription fee for - the free version only allowed three “notebooks” and I prefer to have separate ones for all my modules but I’m sure there are other suitable alternatives. I import the lecture slides into my module notebook and have a quick skim through before the lecture if I have time. During the lecture, as each slide is presented, I highlight key points, note down anything not mentioned or anything that’s explained in more detail, and make a list of any questions I have that I could look up in a textbook, send my lecturer an email with, or ask after the lecture/during office hours.

I used to try and take notes directly from the slides during lectures but always got really behind as some lecturers go quite fast and I’m not the speediest writer! I’d end up getting frustrated and giving up notes halfway through the lecture, or just mindlessly scribbling things down verbatim from the slides rather than actually absorbing anything. If you struggle with this at all I would recommend using your tablet and any suitable note taking app to make extra notes over each slide and highlight important info - I find this way helps me actually understand things from the lectures more rather than just trying to memorise what the current slide says so I can copy it without actually taking it in. It also means that if there are any diagrams or relevant pictures, they’re already in my notes for me to reference or label without having to separately screenshot them or try and draw them in - this might be helpful in medicine as I suspect there will be lots of illustrations, images and visual aids! If I do miss anything during the lecture, the recordings are always there for me to watch back and catch up with.

As I said, this isn’t the only way, just what works for me! I know people who use pen and paper, the Cornell method, word documents, printed copies of the slides, and someone who prepares mind maps from the slides before the lecture and fills them in during it with plenty of colourful highlighting and doodles. Hopefully some other people will chip in with ideas so you can try some things out and find a method that suits you.

Bella
University of Exeter Student Ambassador

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 2

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

Original post

by SomehowAMedic

Hello!
I was wondering how people take notes at uni?
I have always been a pen and paper person but honestly I have so much paper even for my a levels it is hard to manage so I'm looking for a new strategy.
I have both a tablet with a pen and laptop so plenty of choice. What does everyone recommend and what platforms are good?

Hi,

It really depends on what kind of learner you are, so trial and error works best. I’ve seen many people use pen and paper in lectures as well as digital methods.

I’m a pharmacy student, and I make digital notes on my laptop or iPad during lectures for anything mentioned verbally that isn’t on the slides, using GoodNotes. Then at home, I use the slides to make physical flashcards, though you could also use Anki or Quizlet for this. I also create paper summary mind maps after finishing clinical topics, including pathophysiology, symptoms, treatment options etc.

The key is to find a system that works for you and helps you revise efficiently later.

Hope this helps,

Tayba
Student Rep

Reply 3

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post

by SomehowAMedic

Hello!
I was wondering how people take notes at uni?
I have always been a pen and paper person but honestly I have so much paper even for my a levels it is hard to manage so I'm looking for a new strategy.
I have both a tablet with a pen and laptop so plenty of choice. What does everyone recommend and what platforms are good?

Hey,

There is not really one “correct” way to take notes, and most students experiment during first year before settling on a system that works for them. A lot of people begin university using the same method they used at school, which is pen and paper, but they often run into the same issue you mentioned: you end up with loads of notebooks, loose papers and folders to manage. That is one of the main reasons many students move to some kind of digital system.

I don’t think there is not a huge difference in comprehension between handwritten notes, typed notes or notes taken on a tablet. The best approach is usually the one that helps you stay organised and engaged during lectures. Many students use laptops because typing is faster, which helps if lecturers speak quickly or there is a lot of information to capture. Tablets with a stylus have also become very popular because they allow you to handwrite notes, draw diagrams and annotate lecture slides while still keeping everything stored digitally and easy to organise.

Some students still prefer pen and paper because they feel they concentrate better when writing by hand. In practice, a lot of students end up using a hybrid approach. For example, they might take quick notes during lectures on a laptop or tablet and then rewrite or summarise them later when revising or annotate lecture slides directly on a tablet.

If you already have both a tablet with a pen and a laptop, you are actually in a very good position to experiment. Many students use their tablet for lecture notes and diagrams, their laptop for assignments and reading, and keep everything organised in something like OneNote or Notion. In the end, the most important thing is not the device you use but having a system where you can easily find and review your notes when revision season arrives.

Good Luck 😊
Arslan – University of Salford Student Representative

Reply 4

De Montfort University

Official Rep

Original post

by SomehowAMedic

Hello!
I was wondering how people take notes at uni?
I have always been a pen and paper person but honestly I have so much paper even for my a levels it is hard to manage so I'm looking for a new strategy.
I have both a tablet with a pen and laptop so plenty of choice. What does everyone recommend and what platforms are good?

Hi there,

I personally use Notion and Obsidian. Notion is great if you want to sync your notes between devices, and Obsidian is great if you want to have offline mode for your notes. I also use Zotero for storing different sources for essays, and automatisation of citations.

Let me know if you have any questions,
Ilya,
Final Year Cyber Security Student at DMU :smile: