Ok, so I would be using iPad all the way.... but here's why: Math/Science >I HATE wasting paper and math/science classes can have problems that just take up too much paper and so I squish them in and never bother reading them because I can't. On iPad, with a good stylus (which you really just need to get used to using), I don't feel like I'm wasting. I can write as big as I can and have TONS of colors and options to highlight, underline, etc. I can make page big diagrams which I wouldn't do with paper because I feel like I am wasting it. Lecture/Humanities: > They just keep on talking and talking and talking. I had a class like this is high school, the teacher kept talking and talking... my hand hurt everyday from taking notes. It then gets messy and I almost never bother reading them. During this past year, in my history class, it got to the point where I just didn't bother taking notes.... it actually stuck in my head and I just went over a review book on the subject. Typing everything on an outline helps organize SO much better and faster.
My school did a massive curriculum rehaul that replaced textbooks with the iPad. Given the cost of math and science books, I ended up spending less money on the school year by buying the iPad, and I didn't have a massive backpack to go with it. At first I hated taking notes on it, though. It seemed clunky-but after a while, I got used to it and everything became easier. Being able to shuffle my notes around and copy them to other people quickly and easily made me realize that it was actually a lot better than paper notes. It just took me a few months to make my handwriting recognizable. A stylus helps a lot; also, finding the right note-taking app. I cycled through three or four free versions before finding one I liked. I recommend trying a bunch of them out, and once you find one you like, buy an upgraded version.
I don't have an iPad but I do have a BlackBerry Playbook, and I prefer pen and paper because I seem to remember more when I actually write it rather than type it.
For me it depends on the class, for math and sciences nothing beats pen and paper. But for classes with light note taking I'll use my iPad, I mostly use it for my computer science and language classes. But something like a history lecture I much rather use my laptop since I can type much faster on it than on my iPad and it comes out legible, unlike my handwriting.
I definitely like typing out my notes on my Mac far more than writing them. My hand writing is just atrocious and I can never read what I wrote after class. The only class I didn't use my laptop for was statistics, and my hand writing really contributed to me hating the course.
I go to one of the largest private universities in the U.S. EVERYONE takes notes on their Macbooks. I prefer a pen and notebook, it helps me retain the information. I will however bring my laptop for denser lectures (humanities) or computer science. Generally, I find laptops very distracting. I always sit in the front of the class so I don't have 100 screens between me and the professor. For math courses, the biggest mistake you can make is trying to write down everything your professor is saying and writing on the board. Chances are, everything he/she is saying comes straight from your textbook. The best thing you can do in those lectures is LISTEN and really analyze the in-class problems so that you can ask questions. Most students turn their brains off and blindly record, but in the end all you're going to have is a handwritten copy of the textbook in your laptop/notebook. Read your textbook to learn the material and equations, use the lectures to make sure you understand it and gain a sense of the professor's style for homework and exams. & now I'm done making myself sound like a giant nerd. ;P
