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Notebook vs Binder vp15 First-Year / Prospective Student Questions 31 09-13-2010 02:55 PM

Notebook or Binder

 
Old 07-13-2017 at 11:52 AM   #1
Tev11
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Notebook or Binder
Hey all,

I will be going to Life Sciences I in September. Do you guys use paper notebooks (one subject or multi-subject) or do you use 3-hole lined paper in a binder? I'm taking a calculus, a physics, two psychology courses, two chemistries, two biologies, medical physics, and a geology course. What do you guys recommend?

Thanks.
Old 07-14-2017 at 01:43 PM   #2
GeorgeLucas
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I used binder, and almost everyone in Engineering with me also did.

The way I see it, today the point of the note taking is to help you memorize the material through repetition. When you organize the data on the page to write stuff down your brains goes over the data and it helps you retain the info.

Laptop (text) notes don't allow that. You aren't able to shift data in a more creative form on the fly, everything is just plain text. You can type more words in, but it will be in a very monotone repetitive form. You won't be going over it either, since unlike 50 years ago, today the profs provide pdf/slides of the lectures (not to mention informative textbooks)... so as a pure information source for references the notes.

Bottom line, the pen and paper still wins. It's quicker to format, quicker to change format, it helps you retain information and it's cheap.

Actually, as I approached my 3rd year I kinda realized that myself, and basically had just 1 or 2 binders for everything. As opposed to having 5-6 binders for separate courses.

Laptops are generally needed for slides, report writing and whatnot.

Now, Surface Pro is kind of becoming a popular choice. Because it can do everything laptop can, but also provided the flexibility of pen and paper. (Those who didn't use pen and paper in Engineering used Surface Pro).

PS. I saw a lot of people in business or life sci actually type in lectures using laptops. But I think it's because most of them are hipsters with macbooks and they try to show them off. If you are actually serious about note taking, I don't think it's the way to go.

PPS. Well, this is emberassing. I didn't read your post, and by notebook I assumed you meant a laptop..... oh well.

Binder is better than paper notebooks, because you can easily swap papers out. Whereas if you screw up in the notebook you will have to permanently remove a page. Also I personally use blank A4 sheets in my binder so that I'm not restricted by line markings, and so binder was the optimal choice for me.
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Last edited by GeorgeLucas : 07-14-2017 at 04:55 PM.

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Old 07-14-2017 at 05:18 PM   #3
Imperious
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I preferred using one subject notebooks (one for each course) simply because I felt that binders were too bulky. To be honest you probably won't be referring to those pages in your binder during lecture anyways. Probably only when you're studying. Maybe keep a large binder with multiple tabs in your room to collect any loose handouts that you may receive in class. If you're taking Math 1LS3, you'll probably want a binder for homework assignments. For lecture notes its up to you. If it's Math 1A03 then no binder necessary. Bio, chem, psych, and physics are a maybe. They all use blended learning so you'll have online modules. Some blended learning courses release a powerpoint version of the module so that you can print out the slides to take notes. Some courses have a "course notebook" that has all the slides preprinted and lines for you to write on (can purchase at the bookstore but not mandatory!). I never printed the slides in any of my blended courses, I just continued writing in my notebooks. If necessary, I would sometimes just print out an important diagram and just glue or staple it into my notebook. If you're the type to print out your slides to write on, maybe just bring a simple pocket folder to hold only the lecture slides that you need for the day and then keep a binder at home to hold all your slides.

My setup: I've always just used one subject notebooks (one for each course) and a single pocket folder. I would only bring the notebooks that I needed for the day but I always brought the pocket folder with me each day just in case we did receive a handout and I didn't want the paper getting crumpled up by throwing it loose into my backpack. The pocket folder was mostly for holding loose papers like course outlines, marked quizzes/tests, info sheets, important receipts, homework assignments, that sort of thing. The pocket folder is pretty useful given that most handouts you receive are not hole punched so even if you did have a binder you probably wouldn't be able to put it in immediately anyways.

Last edited by Imperious : 07-18-2017 at 03:57 PM.

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Old 07-18-2017 at 02:07 PM   #4
old guy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Imperious View Post
I preferred using one subject notebooks (one for each course) simply because I felt that binders were too bulky.
Oh FFS. Why not take a clipboard to school with at 20-30 blank pieces of paper. The binder stays at home.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Imperious View Post
If you're taking Math 1LS3, you'll probably want a binder for homework assignments. For lecture notes its up to you. If it's Math 1A03 then no binder necessary.
And whatever you do, don't just scribble out assignments in a notebook, then tear the pages out and hand that in. Only losers do that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Imperious View Post
The pocket folder is pretty useful given that most handouts you receive are not hole punched so even if you did have a binder you probably wouldn't be able to put it in anyways.
Or buy a hole punch.



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