Should I not bring a laptop to class? Forum

[Tom Joad]

This summer I would like to get really familiar with OneNote and I plan to. But I am still not set on even bringing my laptop to class. I did it on occasion in undergrad and I just dicked around with it. My plan is to take most of my notes on paper in class and while I read and compile them in OneNote periodically as a way of organizing and reviewing my notes.

Please tell me why my current idea is stupid.

[blurbz]

Whatever works for you works for you.

[Dany]

Whatever works for you works for you.

[ben4847]

Like above poster said; whatever works for you.
A better idea is to just have discipline and not go on the internet during class.

[bdubs]

Like above poster said; whatever works for you.
A better idea is to just have discipline and not go on the internet during class.

This. I find it hard to believe that anyone who can't stay off the internet for an hour during class would be able to muster the will power to transcribe their notes from paper into OneNote anyway. The one reason I would advise against computer note taking is that most people seem to have a horrible compulsion to transcribe the entire class when they have a computer in front of them. Pro tip, transcriptions of class are almost worthless. You will lose as much value from not thinking about what is being said as you will gain from having a word-for-word transcript (that you will probably never look at again anyway, because it's not helpful to study).

[Tom Joad]

Like above poster said; whatever works for you.
A better idea is to just have discipline and not go on the internet during class.

This. I find it hard to believe that anyone who can't stay off the internet for an hour during class would be able to muster the will power to transcribe their notes from paper into OneNote anyway. The one reason I would advise against computer note taking is that most people seem to have a horrible compulsion to transcribe the entire class when they have a computer in front of them. Pro tip, transcriptions of class are almost worthless. You will lose as much value from not thinking about what is being said as you will gain from having a word-for-word transcript (that you will probably never look at again anyway, because it's not helpful to study).

I just really can't concentrate with a computer in front of me and I have rarely ever taken in class notes anyway. I greatly prefer to just listen intently and jot down a few things I think I will forget later.

[ben4847]

Like above poster said; whatever works for you.
A better idea is to just have discipline and not go on the internet during class.

This. I find it hard to believe that anyone who can't stay off the internet for an hour during class would be able to muster the will power to transcribe their notes from paper into OneNote anyway. The one reason I would advise against computer note taking is that most people seem to have a horrible compulsion to transcribe the entire class when they have a computer in front of them. Pro tip, transcriptions of class are almost worthless. You will lose as much value from not thinking about what is being said as you will gain from having a word-for-word transcript (that you will probably never look at again anyway, because it's not helpful to study).

During 1L, I couldn't type fast enough to transcribe, and I was reading for class so I didn't have to. Good results.
During 2L, I stopped reading for class, and just transcribed. Then, I did read it all while outlining. Good results.
I don't do internet during class. Most I'll usually do is respond to an email.

[rad lulz]

Dude you need to bring your laptop to class so you can surf the Internet through all the boring/shitty parts.

[Tom Joad]

Dude you need to bring your laptop to class so you can surf the Internet through all the boring/shitty parts.

Can't I just check out my good looking female classmates?

[rad lulz]

Dude you need to bring your laptop to class so you can surf the Internet through all the boring/shitty parts.

Can't I just check out my good looking female classmates?

lol there will be minimal good looking female classmates.

[thedive]

Dude you need to bring your laptop to class so you can surf the Internet through all the boring/shitty parts.

Can't I just check out my good looking female classmates?

lol there will be minimal good looking female classmates.

+1

[Dick Dastardly]

I never bring a laptop to class, for two reasons: (a) I'm easily distracted by the internet and (b) I like to think. I don't bring up the second point because I'm cool (I'm not), but because most of these discussions on TLS ignore that point.

Most people with laptops aren't really thinking about the material, because they're devoting their brain to listening and transcribing. This obviously isn't true of everyone. but it is true a lot. Regularly, I'd sit down with a group of my friends and they'd say "I have no idea WTF he was talking about," and then they'd sit down and read the book for two hours, comparing it to their five pages of transcription, until they figured it out. In the meantime, I haven't read, but I did listen and think, and my one page of hand-scribbled notes (complete with diagram and funny note to the girl sitting next to me) is sufficient to comprehend the material.

Anyway, try things and do what works best for you. I can just say that I'm positive that I got more out of each lecture than almost everyone around me, because everyone was either transcribing every word or fucking around on Words With Friends.

[Ludo!]

I started off first semester taking notes by hand but by second semester used laptop or phone (in a class that banned laptops) in every class. Zero correlation to grades for me.

[kapital98]

Having notes in OneNote will save countless hours at the end of the semester when you are outlining.

OneNote allows everything to be in one place. Having two OneNote pages next to each other (ex: Notes+Outline) is a life saver.

You will have a disorganized mess on your hands if you don't use a computer during finals. This is isn't undergrad.

[094320]

..

[Ludo!]

I found gchatting with my best friends through class made law school more bearable. .

This. You can't play gunner bingo without it

[blurbz]

I found gchatting with my best friends through class made law school more bearable. .

If I didn't have gchat in class, I may have dropped out.

[eaglemuncher]

Dude you need to bring your laptop to class so you can surf the Internet through all the boring/shitty parts.

My problem was that I surfed the Internet through the entire class, even the important parts. No discipline at all. pathetic.