Times are changing. I've got a sticker on mine saying "I'm not being rude. I'm taking notes in Evernote." Evernote sells them on their site if you want one
I also pair mine with a keyboard in classes. In meetings, I feel like it is a little better to just have the iPad in my lap for handwritten notes, or on the table flat, because I don't want to put up a barrier between me and others. Most of the time, though, I prefer the keyboard.
The Mini would work fine, I am sure, but I prefer to have the larger screen size myself, and the retina display is wonderful.