Ya I meant go to class and then get everything you need instead of ahead of time

I usually just take a few sheets of paper to all my classes that don't already have notes posted for the first few lectures. This way I can avoid buying too many notebooks.

Originally Posted by moops

I usually just take a few sheets of paper to all my classes that don't already have notes posted for the first few lectures. This way I can avoid buying too many notebooks.

I only use lined paper and my clipboard. When I'm done my day (or sometimes my week, depending on how much I procrastinate) I'll transfer all of my notes into binders that I keep at home.

I use the online notes as a supplement, and I take all my own notes in class.

Originally Posted by Taunton

I only use lined paper and my clipboard. When I'm done my day (or sometimes my week, depending on how much I procrastinate) I'll transfer all of my notes into binders that I keep at home.

I use the online notes as a supplement, and I take all my own notes in class.

I do something similar. But more I think more labour-intensive.

(As previously mentioned) I have to take notes in class because I don't often get online ones. At the end of the week, I will re-copy the notes into a notebook so a) they make more sense b) they're more legible and c) apparently it helps you retain the information better.

I like printing out lecture notes (if available) or just bringing a copy of the .pdf/pdt file on my laptop. That way, I don't have to waste time copying out stuff that is in the lecture and I can focus on what the prof is saying (which is often more important).

I'll "rewrite" notes, but not word-for-word which takes forever. I usually like to summarize the lecture with the main points (and few key details). Active processing and manipulating information is better than recopying everything in terms of retention. Yay, Psych 2H03.

Work smarter, not harder.

At the 'Taking Effective Notes" session on Welcome Day, Prof. Dick Day was giving tips on that as well. And he mentionned something similar to what lorend and jesus use. Personally, in high school, I used to copy into the subject notebook right away, but it wasn't that great in helpign me retain information, and a lot of it was useless details the teachers provided us with. So summarizing is definitely the way to go !

I'm going into first year as well, and I've almost singled out a laptop to buy. One of the biggest reasons I'm buying it is for notes during class, since 1) I can type faster than I can write by hand 2) less cramping and 3) a pencil in hand is too much temptation to doodle <:3

However! The posts in this forum give me the impression that a lot of people take notes on paper. Are hand-written notes more effective? What do you recommend?

Originally Posted by Starkad

I'm going into first year as well, and I've almost singled out a laptop to buy. One of the biggest reasons I'm buying it is for notes during class, since 1) I can type faster than I can write by hand 2) less cramping and 3) a pencil in hand is too much temptation to doodle <:3

However! The posts in this forum give me the impression that a lot of people take notes on paper. Are hand-written notes more effective? What do you recommend?

Definitely hand written. I tried typing my notes in class in first year and it was a waste. I found it very hard to want to look at my notes (out of sight, out of mind), and it was super challenging to type out calculations and symbols on a computer.

Everything is so much simpler when you do it by hand. Afterwards, you can summarize on your computer, which is a great method of retaining info and keeping neat notes (just remember to print them off... out of sight, out of mind).

Aaaand you won't have to deal with your computer crashing and losing all of your notes.

If you do use a laptop, a usb is your best friend. Backup all your shizz. One of my friends' laptop broke down and she lost most of her notes for first term. It was terrible.

Originally Posted by Starkad

I'm going into first year as well, and I've almost singled out a laptop to buy. One of the biggest reasons I'm buying it is for notes during class, since 1) I can type faster than I can write by hand 2) less cramping and 3) a pencil in hand is too much temptation to doodle <:3

However! The posts in this forum give me the impression that a lot of people take notes on paper. Are hand-written notes more effective? What do you recommend?

I typed my notes out on computer or I simply printed out lecture notes and wrote additional notes on the side (this depends on your faculty).

I type faster than I write and I don't have to worry about not being able to read my notes after going a month without looking at them. Just be sure that you don't end up answering e-mails/playing games during lectures.

But as Ben mentioned, typing out equations is a bit of a pain. For Biology , there was a lot of equations, so I ended up having a piece of paper on the side to copy them out.

Originally Posted by lorend

Aaaand you won't have to deal with your computer crashing and losing all of your notes.

I've lost my notes when going out for lunch. I left my Bio 3uu3 notes at the desk because i wouldn't think anyone would be lame enough to take them (messy, incomplete) but they were gone in about half an hour.

Originally Posted by jesus

I've lost my notes when going out for lunch. I left my Bio 3uu3 notes at the desk because i wouldn't think anyone would be lame enough to take them (messy, incomplete) but they were gone in about half an hour.

Wow, sounds like someone just threw them away (like a custodian or something)... I don't see the value of messy incomplete notes.

But, it makes me think about stories I've heard from schools like MIT where competition is HUGE to stay in the program and graduate. Stories like, books placed on reserve, where students race to the library and tear the best pages out so other students can't see them :S.

I type most of my notes on my laptop. I don't use my laptop for classes like math and chemistry, but for everything else I do.

In terms of learning, hand written is the best way to learn the information. When I say best way, I mean in general people learn the best with that method. However, not everyone learns the same way. I learn best by listening and doing problems.

What I'm trying to say is that taking notes is all up to you. This is your first year, you'll have to experiment with different learning styles and see which one is best for you.

If you are using a laptop to take notes, I suggest always using a USB to save your files on. You should save it on both. You can also use Offisync to sync Microsoft Office (2003 or 2007) with Google Docs. So you will always have the files online. The only downside is that you always need internet to sync and to access those files.

Commerce gives away an awesome agenda to all commerce students. Much less ads and much slimmer than the MSU almanac. You have to go pick one up in the DSB office if you aren't getting a first year Commerce+residence Welcome Week swag bag.

This is somewhat what not to buy - in the past, soc sci gives away an umbrella, but if you don't have one, I would definitely suggest buying one before moving to Hamilton, it has never rained as much anywhere in my life as it has in Hamilton in September (or even August now, actually...)

I'm gotten a little plastic compass, but I'm pretty sure it was from Compass itself, not UTS. (I also got post-its and a pen from them).


From what I can remember, the MSU swag bag contains the MSU almanac, the wall calendar, a MACgreen/MSU travel mug, pen(s), several ads. Last year, there was a discount card for food places. Anyone with a McMaster student card can pick up a swag bag in the student centre. I don't remember when it is, but it should be sometime within the first two weeks of school.

There's a lot of stuff in the Welcome Week swag bags, but it really depends on the faculty and residence.

There's also the sidewalk sale on the first day of school which is a goldmine of free stuff. Between sidewalk sale and clubsfest, I've gotten more pens than I know what to do with, lanyards, buttons, stickers, post-its, highlighters, hand sanitizer, magnets, dental stuff (toothbrushs, toothpaste, dental floss), food (packaged, samples of drinks/food), a USB drive, nice mugs and glasses, trial sized toiletries, coupons, offers, and discount cards to many local vendors, etc.



Buying textbooks new instead of used was definitely the biggest waste of money for me. Other than that, stationary like highlighters, pens, notebooks and mass amounts of lined paper. I didn't know how much stuff I'd have to print off and notebooks are inconvenient for me. I still use lined paper, but not as much as in high school.

In terms of taking notes, I think not only does it depend on your own personal learning style, but also on the type of class or the way the prof teaches. I have classes where I take handwritten notes, classes where I print out the slides either before and write on them, classes where I write supplementary notes and then write them on the slides afterwards (sometimes the profs only post notes after class), and classes where I've typed notes in class. I think after the first week of school, you'll know what suits your learning and what suits the type of class best. Laptops can be a really big distraction when you're in class though, especially if you're in a building with wi-fi.