Life update! Advice needed.

[flamebyrd]

The big news is that I'm going back to uni. Information Management, Grad Dip (Archives/Records) first and if I don't hate it, continuing on to the Masters.

Since I haven't studied since 2003, I am a little anxious about this.

So, to that end, I am soliciting note-taking/study advice! Trends have changed, and I want to know what they are.

I bought a B5* notebook with dot grid paper, I haven't purchased any pens yet but I am looking forward to doing it. Edit: I also have a 2018 iPad, with keyboard and stylus, which I intend to use as my study computer (as much as possible).


*Midway between A5 and A4, 6.9"x9.8"

Comments

[lannamichaels]

One thing I have found invaluable at work and wished I'd had when I was in grad school was Microsoft OneNote. It's so useful for collecting notes and you can tag things in various ways and make custom tags, and it's great being able to search things in one place.

It apparently can work on tablets and the like and do handwriting, I have never tried any of that.

[flamebyrd]

Oh, awesome, I think I get access to Office 365 (which includes OneNote) through the uni. I've never used it before!

And this is a great reminder that I should have listed my intended technological assets in this post, so I will edit that in too.

[lazulisong]

DISCBOUND DISCBOUND DISCBOUND

[flamebyrd]

Nooo, don't tempt me to spend more time shopping for notebooks...

(But seriously, I looked into discbound options, but just to get started is going to be $50+, so I want to get more comfortable with paper notetaking first.)

[sqbr]

I am completely out of touch with the kids these days and how they take notes but that sounds great. Good luck! I'm sure you'll do wonderfully :)

[nic]

All of my classmates annotated notes on their computers - PDFs or PPT, during class.

Me? I printed them off and handwrote. It made me feel old but that's what worked best for me.

The biggest improvement was Google Docs. Backups! Team collaboration! That was the best. The rest wasn't that different from uni the first time around. Oh, but research is MUCH MUCH easier because the internet is at your fingertips and all journals are online.

[flamebyrd]

Thank you! I will do my best.

[flamebyrd]

I always printed the slides and handwrote notes on them back in undergrad, it worked at the time! But it did rely on the notes being available before the lecture.

At some point soon I will have a better idea of the format of my classes, and then I can really get planning.

[lazulisong]

BOOOOO seriously tho the most magical thing about discbound is that it combines the best parts of a bound notebook and a binder and also you can mix paper sizes very easily

[flamebyrd]

Yeah, ultimately I really want something I can pull pages out of and rearrange! Either discbound or a Japanese style binder. But I'm going to stick with the notebook until I know I'm not going to end up doing it purely digital or something.

[velithya]

I'm using Notability for my set notes on my ipad and it works great. You have to put down money but its not that much and I think Notability is worth it for the functionality. You can look at tutorials on youtube that go through the functions but you can import PDFs, notate them, add pictures etc etc.

[flamebyrd]

Thanks, I'll check it out!

[anoyo]

I never moved out of notebooks and pens for studying for in-class, but a good study system that has been in use forever, and is still recommended, is making an outline on a computer (or in another notebook) of your notes with key points and definitions. Then you go back over it once a week / every two weeks and add things where a detail is missing or delete things where there's too much detail. It gives you regular reviews and something to use to writer papers / study for tests with in the end!

[azurelunatic]

Stencils! If there are shapes that you're going to be drawing a lot and you aren't satisfied with your ability to freehand them, stencils are A Thing now (again?)

I'm not sure what the electronic equivalent is, besides emoji stickers.

[ephemera]

Zotero, if you're doing any kind of essays and research-based stuff.

[lynndyre]

Depends how you learn/remember things best? Some people are good with typing notes, some people (me) remember better if I write things out by hand.

[flamebyrd]

I don't actually know! I never actually learned how to study, I basically got through my undergrad by cramming for exams and always doing the assignments. So I want to know what works for other people, so I can see if it works for me.

[flamebyrd]

Well, with the iPad I believe I can use actual stencils too! But that is a fun idea, and I can actually DIY stencils with my Silhouette :D

[flamebyrd]

Ooh, thank you!

[flamebyrd]

Ooh, thank you. That sounds like a nice hybrid of paper and electronic studying, assuming I can build the habit of reviewing my notes.

[lynndyre]

I work best on paper, and with different coloured pens- changing color when I change idea or want something to stand out.

[tielan]

I tend to get given my journals by kind and well-meaning people who think I need all the lined writing paper.

In fact, I much prefer the blank pages; I can write if I want to, or I can doodle or anything. And I like the Moleskine's cream-yellow paper best; it takes biro and pencil and most inks pretty well.

[anoyo]

It really works for me when I manage to actually do it, and lots of my law school friends used it to really amazing ends.

[azurelunatic]

Ooo, that does sound like fun, and now I have a new gadget for my wish list.

[tsaiko]

I am one of those people who remembers best when I write notes by hand (as opposed to typing them). So here's some things I learned when I was out of school awhile and then had to return for my Master's:

- Get one notebook per class OR get a 3 or five subject notebook and use each section only for that class.

- If you are using a notebook, flip to a new page each day. Date in the top corner closest to the edge of the notebook. Miss a day of class? Flip to a new page, date, and put "Missed class." Seriously this helped me so much both to prove I was in class and to remember what material I need to study on my own because I missed that day in class.

- Keep your class syllabus in the back of your notebook or at the back of the section if you are using a multi-subject notebook. Often there's a calendar section that tells you (in general) what material you will cover each week/class. Great for figuring out what you missed if you miss a day.

- By some cheap file folders (one for each class) and put all quizzes, assignments, and hand-outs for a class in them. When you take a test, clip all the quizzes/assignments/handouts together that pertain to that test. Want to study for your test? Well now you know which stuff the professor gave you since the last test.

- Get a good backpack. Find one you are comfortable with. Your back and shoulders will thank you.

I know this makes me sound super organized, but I'm not. I just put things into muscle memory so that it appears I'm organized. It's mostly just "Shove crap into folder/notebook and forget until I have to study."

[flamebyrd]

I totally agree on lined paper, I don't know if it's just association with primary/secondary school but I dislike it. I decided to go with dot grid because otherwise I tend to create wobbly lines of text, but if given the choice between lined and blank, I'd definitely go blank!

[flamebyrd]

These tips are all really great, particularly with regard to keeping relevant things clipped together. We have a modest collection of novelty paperclips that would be great for this!

My idea of organisation is definitely of the "put something in a folder so you can't see it anymore" variety, so this appeals in that I can still do that, but as long as I always put things in the front and clip each module together when appropriate it'll maintain some kind of usability.

[tielan]

Ooh, dot grid. I should try that one of these days.

(Actually, I have a dot grid pad, but that's for my quilting stuff...)