When you ask a philosophy student for advice, be ready for a philosophical twist.
When I first came to university, I had no idea how to take notes effectively. Like many people, I defaulted to the classic pen and paper method—big mistake. As a philosophy student, with endless reading and writing, pen and paper just didn’t cut it. I quickly realized it wasn’t efficient or practical for the workload I had to manage.
So, in my second semester, I turned to digital notetaking. However, that came with its own set of challenges—like the time I accidentally deleted all my class notes and lost four months of hard work in a split second.
At this point, you’re probably thinking, “If neither worked, then who am I to judge which one is better?” Well, lucky for you, as I head into my third year, I can confidently say I’ve cracked the code on notetaking in university, at least I think.
My solution to your notetaking woes is philosophical and Aristotelian: you need to find the golden mean between traditional notetaking and the use of digital tools.
Consider your field of study. If you’re majoring in Philosophy, Political Studies, English, or really anything in the realm of Arts, you’re in a bit of a bind. You’ll either have to sacrifice your hand to writing for an average of four classes a day or embrace a computer or tablet to type faster and keep up in lectures. If you’re not in one of these fields, you could probably get by just fine with pen and paper.
You’ve probably heard the hype of handwritten notes from everyone—parents, professors, and beyond. While there’s merit to it, handwritten notes aren’t always practical for university students. With endless lecture slides and some professors who speak for hours without visual aids, trying to keep up can turn into a frantic race to capture every key point.
It’s also important to consider yourself. If you’re into aesthetics or a perfectionist—which I’m 100 per cent guilty of—you’re much better off using a digital device for notetaking. There’s no way you’ll keep up with your lectures if you’re obsessing over making your handwritten notes look perfect. At least with a tool like Notion, you can go back and edit your notes to your heart’s desire.
While taking notes with pen and paper isn’t the most effective, it does eliminate the distractions that come with using a laptop or iPad, and it spares you from the annoying experience of sitting next to someone pounding away on their keyboard—seriously, don’t be that person.
I’ll be the first to admit it’s not practical to handwrite all your notes, but I find handwritten notes when studying for a test or exam are far more beneficial than staring at a computer screen for hours upon hours. Not only does it reduce eye strain when you’re pulling an all-nighter, but it also helps you memorize and retain information more effectively.
My point is, there are pros and cons to both digital and handwritten notes, and it’s important to weigh the options as you head into the school year. From one fellow overwhelmed student to another, my advice is to do what works best for you, your classes, your degree, and your study methods. After all, no one knows your needs better than you do.
As Aristotle would probably say, pick your golden mean and be mindful not to stray into excess or deficiency of the balance you’ve chosen.
Tags
Digital, iPad, Notetaking, University
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