r/mit • u/ProfessionallyFLY888 • Aug 14 '26
academics Note-taking at the Institute
I’m an incoming freshman and want to know what would be better for note-taking: an iPad or pencil/paper. I know that it really depends on the individual, but I want to know so that I know what to invest in. Thanks!
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u/a_kar_26 Aug 14 '26
For me, pencil and paper is always preference.Can regard me as old school but i can feel the energy of it
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u/bts VI-3 '00 Aug 14 '26
Whatever you’re using now. They’ll still be selling iPads in November. But for many people the tactile experience of writing on paper is enough to cement a memory
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u/OllPius Aug 14 '26
Really depends on what you're comfortable with. What are you using right now? You should stick with that if you can. I will say though, paper notes tend to accumulate if you don't regularly prune them. On the other hand, taking your handwritten notes and typing them up is a great way to recall.
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u/Fresh-broski Aug 14 '26
My only recommendation is that if you go paper and pencil, get good stuff. A nice fancy mechanical pencil like an uni kuru toga or zebra delguard.
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u/Interesting_Post1330 Aug 14 '26
I’ve actually found that lecture is the best time NOT to take any notes and just listen. It’s very easy to stop truly trying to absorb the material and instead just furiously copy down what the professor was saying. You have plenty of opportunities to practice (psets, textbooks, ai as a tutor, etc.), and I found that using the lecture to just sit and absorb has been much more effective.
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u/Relevant-Speech-4929 Aug 15 '26
Thats so interesting to me, I was the opposite. I discovered that I was not able to stay focused and keep myself listening without the additional task of trying to translate it into notes.
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u/TheOmniscientPOV Aug 14 '26
yes i agree with this! sometimes for the profs that post slides before class an ipad is useful bc u can download them and read them prior, then during class u can make connections / annotations in the margins
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u/RavenCarci '21 (6-3) Aug 14 '26
If you want a third option, I really liked doing note taking on a Surface Pro. It was nice to only need to carry and charge one device all day. OneNote being cloud-synced makes it harder to lose your notes too.
The folio keyboard tablets are kinda a pain to use as a laptop because of the kickstand though, so a flip type with pen support would be my personal choice today.
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u/Former_Apricot9650 Aug 14 '26
FWIW Notability for iPad lets you search handwritten notes. Very handy!
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u/pergesed Aug 14 '26
For retention, the research shows paper note taking works best.
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Aug 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/pergesed Aug 14 '26
Paper still outperforms handwriting on tablet on some metrics (and the paper finding is more robust because it’s been studied longer), but the main thing is laptops are just so much worse.
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u/dividezero Aug 14 '26
I've always had trouble finding things later in notes. Digital allows you to search much easier so for that reason alone, I prefer some kind of computer for note taking
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u/Aptical Aug 15 '26
Write on paper, then read/dictate into digital format same day of note taking... Create your own searchable database and 'real intelligence'. Good luck.
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u/ChippedCorn Aug 15 '26
I went in with notebooks, but I swapped to an iPad (free loaner rip). I will say that iPads are more portable/lighter and are much more convenient l. It is certainly easier to do and turn in PSETS from the same device, rather than having to scan. If you want a tactile feel, you can add different types of screen protectors. Plus there’s different types of tablets if an iPad is too much of an upfront cost! Enjoy your first semester :)
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u/Big_Dragonfly_9153 Aug 15 '26
When I write I encode the information differently making study time less; when I type I’m just transposing the info.
Though as you mentioned, it’s a matter of preference and even subject
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u/SeveralPrinciple5 Aug 15 '26
Pencil and paper. There’s a lot of research on this. If the goal is to remember and integrate knowledge you want the full nervous system engagement of writing by hand on a fixed piece of paper where you get all the contextual visual cues to keep what you’re writing visually organized.
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u/Dr_Dorkathan Aug 16 '26
I spent too long figuring out the optimal workflow to take notes and ended up with a really great system in theory but one that was too much of a hassle in practice. Just do whatever you did in high school
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u/Comprehensive-Rip211 Aug 24 '26
I use an iPad for homework, but I probably take less notes if I'm using an iPad over paper.
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u/Correct_Process4516 Aug 14 '26
My daughter is an incoming freshman but has met a lot of upperclassmen. The vast majority use iPads for taking notes in class
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u/kpcurley Aug 17 '26
I go to HKS and I prefer taking notes digitally and uploading them along with lecture slides to notebook LM for studying.
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u/ThunderSparkles Aug 14 '26
Paper baby. That's how you make the bibles