Is OneNote really necessary?

[UFBoldAsLove]

I <3 One Note.

[SASS]

I found that using paper and a pen got me my best grades . . . so I'd say that any computer program is more a hindrance than a help.

I bet this is true for a lot of people. If you use any computer program, make sure you are disciplined enough to use it only for notes during class. I see so many people on the internet, it amazes me.  One of my profs banned laptops and we have much better class participation.

[drpoker]

A majority of people in my classes use Word.  I have used Word some semesters and One Note other semesters.  It really doesnt matter.  Just decide before the semester on a plan, be organized, and stick to it for at least that semester. 

Your grades will depend on how well you understand the material, which in turn will depend on the effort you put into your classes.  The program you use has "very little" (note I didnt say "no") effect on your grades.

[sheltron5000]

I have always found that computers make it hard for me to concentrate, I just can't manage to focus. I plan on using pen and paper in class, then typing my notes up as a part of going over them... I hope.

[Aluhks]

Handwriting is the way to go. It forces you to pay more attention, forces you to edit your notes on the fly (rather than transcribing the class), prevents web-browsing, and doesn't contribute to the horrible wave of noise that a huge room full of students typing creates.

[just Trev]

I <3 One Note.

i'm with you i dig it too.  only problem is if you have to draw diagrams...i struggle with it then...

[uh huh.]

I have always found that computers make it hard for me to concentrate, I just can't manage to focus. I plan on using pen and paper in class, then typing my notes up as a part of going over them... I hope.

Yup - that's exactly what I did, and it resulted in straight As for four semesters. My outlines were so much easier to work with because I couldn't take notes verbatim.

["That One"]

I don't get how people survive class without the internet to take away the moments of boredom.  In all honesty class is useless.  Most of my professors play hide the ball and confuse more than help.  Only one of my professors holds meaningful class discussions.  The others feed us mindless dribble, and in between the bull pull out points of relevant law that you already know (if you were smart enough to buy commercial outlines).  People are going to say that you need to learn how your professor tests, and i will say in retort "that is what practice tests and office hours are for."

[Naked Promise]

I don't get how people survive class without the internet to take away the moments of boredom.  In all honesty class is useless.  Most of my professors play hide the ball and confuse more than help.  Only one of my professors holds meaningful class discussions.  The others feed us mindless dribble, and in between the bull pull out points of relevant law that you already know (if you were smart enough to buy commercial outlines).  People are going to say that you need to learn how your professor tests, and i will say in retort "that is what practice tests and office hours are for."

+1

In my crim pro class we use the Dressler textbook. I read Dressler's Understanding Crim Pro before class and I've usually already read what the professor talks about. Many professors don't provide much additional info than the textbook/supplement has. This is especially true for 1L classes because most professors don't specialize in torts or contracts...they specialize in some crazy area and just have to teach these classes.

[dashrashi]

I use Word, and I have to hand-write a lot of my notes (no laptop policy in three out of four classes this semester). There are benefits and drawbacks. The big benefit to typed notes is that you get to ctrl+F during the exam for things that didn't make your outline (e.g. the nitpicky point about different burdens of proof for collateral estoppel didn't make my outline, b/c I was trying to keep it short, but I remembered my prof talking about OJ Simpson's two trials, civ and crim, when we talked about it in class, and I was able to ctrl+F "simpson" to find where we talked about it, and where I had noted down what she said). It's also much easier to make your outline at the end of the semester if your notes are typed, since there's more copy-pasting. Another upside is the ability to multitask during class (e.g. answer important emails, etc.). The downside is the obvious f-ing-around-on-the-internet problem.

The upside to pen-and-paper, at least for me, is that I do listen significantly more. Another upside is that if my computer crashes, I don't have to kick myself for not backing things up to my external hard drive as often as I should. The downsides are that it's more expensive (my laptop is a sunk cost (?) and I have to shlep out to buy pens and notebooks), my notes are messier, and it's a pain in the tuches to transfer everything over at the end of the semester.

Overall, I'd say I prefer taking notes on the computer, but hand-written notes aren't the death of me, and have some major benefits.