^^^ I agree with you, it's speed and it is something else that I just can't put my finger on, but digital notes are just not there yet.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad-toting College Students, Fill Me In!
- Thread starter brandnewrock22
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
^^^ I agree with you, it's speed and it is something else that I just can't put my finger on, but digital notes are just not there yet.
Adding to the thread, I'll mention I'm specifically selling my iPad 1 due to having an iPhone, and Mac and not seeing the iPad fitting all too well this coming Fall at university.
Yes, I see it as a great textbook ebook device but aside from that I simply see myself using the iPad for many chill things lie watchig YouTube, Netflix, and Facebook...of which I have my MBP to take care of all that.
I love my iPad 1 but going into college this fall I can easily tell that it won't benefit me all too much, unless it's in regards to the iBooks ebooks textbooks thing.
It's on eBay as we speak.
Yes, I see it as a great textbook ebook device but aside from that I simply see myself using the iPad for many chill things lie watchig YouTube, Netflix, and Facebook...of which I have my MBP to take care of all that.
I love my iPad 1 but going into college this fall I can easily tell that it won't benefit me all too much, unless it's in regards to the iBooks ebooks textbooks thing.
It's on eBay as we speak.
I just bought my iPad 2 less than a week ago, but as a college student, I'll chime in. For note taking, unless it's abstract, my 3 year old macbook with MS Office 2011 trumps it. Typing is just that much faster on a mechanical keyboard than using the digital keyboard or hand writing notes.
No comment on the doc exporting since I haven't done it yet. As for a useful app, somebody mentioned iStudiez Pro, which is what I had on my iPhone and was extremely useful for setting reminders for exams, homeworks, etc. I just installed it on my iPad last nite
Still deciding on what productivity office app to get for it though (Pages, Numbers, Quickoffice)
As for cases, I bought the Apple Smart cover
My macbook is still running good and hopefully will last me another 2 years when I graduate, but worst come to worst, the iPad will be my backup
No comment on the doc exporting since I haven't done it yet. As for a useful app, somebody mentioned iStudiez Pro, which is what I had on my iPhone and was extremely useful for setting reminders for exams, homeworks, etc. I just installed it on my iPad last nite
Still deciding on what productivity office app to get for it though (Pages, Numbers, Quickoffice)
As for cases, I bought the Apple Smart cover
My macbook is still running good and hopefully will last me another 2 years when I graduate, but worst come to worst, the iPad will be my backup
Not a student, but I've attempted to use my iPad for taking notes in manager's meetings. I bought the very nice Notes Plus, but try as I might, I both feel stupid and, though I'm a decent typist, must resort to the old two-finger hunt and peck while looking at the on screen keyboard. A small laptop would be much better for note taking.
I'm back to a pad and pen. Much more efficient for notes, and use the iPad for fun stuff.
Oh, and don't by anything from Best Buy: Their prices are a rip off. Get either an STM Skinny case, or if you need more padding a Maroo. Can't go wrong with either.
I'm back to a pad and pen. Much more efficient for notes, and use the iPad for fun stuff.
Oh, and don't by anything from Best Buy: Their prices are a rip off. Get either an STM Skinny case, or if you need more padding a Maroo. Can't go wrong with either.
I like having my iPad for taking notes in class. I can't say that it's always as good or better than a laptop but I LOVE my iMac so having a second computer is just a waste (since as a tech toy the iPad is way better than any laptop). That being said I do fine taking notes with Pages and an external keyboard.
I use the Incase Convertible Book Jacket as a case when taking notes, since it holds the iPad up at a nice angle. I also use the Apple wireless keyboard since it has full-size keys but a small form factor.
I use the Incase Convertible Book Jacket as a case when taking notes, since it holds the iPad up at a nice angle. I also use the Apple wireless keyboard since it has full-size keys but a small form factor.
Yeah, I agree with you on this. The iPad isn't going to replace my MBP, but it would be a great device to carry around with me, since I'm always on the go. Every night, I come home to my laptop, and do a lot of my busy work on there. But, I don't want to carry it around with me; it's too big. The Macbook Air would be a great addition, but it's just not what I'm looking for right now. Eventually, I'll want to consolidate all of my devices into one powerful laptop or desktop. For now, I'm looking for a fun portable device.
I'm not a law or medical student, and I'm past the point of dry, intro theory courses in school. It would just be nice to not waste so many notebooks and constantly having to shuffle around different folders of notes if I could have one place to reference everything.
Thanks to everyone for your advice. I will hopefully have an iPad by the end of the week, and will let you know how everything goes!
I was lucky enough to stumble upon an iPad 2 yesterday. I'm still in the process of installing must-have apps and getting everything synced up, but will get the chance to use it in class next week.
All I have to say is, what a fantastic device. I think I'll find myself using it between classes for entertainment in addition to academic purposes, of course!
All I have to say is, what a fantastic device. I think I'll find myself using it between classes for entertainment in addition to academic purposes, of course!
Let me add my two cents in favor of an iPad for college, mostly because I missed out on it by a couple of years, yet still work in a college environment...
The iPad is great from the standpoint of focus and getting out of your way. I had an iBook, then a MacBook Pro for college and both were pretty lightweight, but the battery didn't last through a couple of classes, they took up a lot of space on a desk or table, and I found myself easily distracted (either by IM, email, and various web sites). The iPad forces you to do one thing and one thing only, so if you are taking notes, you have to switch away to do something else, as opposed to glancing to another part of the screen. The great battery life and small footprint mean that it can be thrown in a bag and not need to be the "star" of the show (sometimes I had to choose between additional textbooks that may or may not be necessary during a lecture and my MacBook Pro).
It won't be the best for every situation, but combined with paper notes, you have a pretty solid solution. I like Evernote since it syncs with a desktop client, tries to (and sometimes successfully) reads text from images. This means you can collect additional content (paper notes, images, diagrams in books) with your iPad's camera or your iPhone's camera. That would've been great in my day (all I had was an iPod touch and Evernote on that and my Mac). I also think Penultimate, Wacom's Bamboo, or Adobe Ideas would be a good addition...Adobe Ideas has been my go-to pick, but with the price increases, Penultimate is a better value. Bamboo is good for the price (free), but limited. Dropbox is the last of my must-have educational apps/services - it will open and view a lot of files out there and you can use it as a way to sync documents with your Mac and iPad, especially if you have things like professor-provided notes, documents, or slides.
Finally, in regards to office suites...I went Office-free on my Macs, mostly to save disk space and because for writing papers in my area, I didn't need every feature that Word offered. Pages on the iPad takes that and simplifies it one step further. You still have plenty of options, but may need to use your computer if you have specialized formatting. Keynote does a pretty good job with PowerPoint files, unless they have some embedded media or, again, weird formatting. Then, they still _work_, but may look a little off.
I would also pick up the iPad VGA adapter if you plan to present, since most projectors are still VGA. Also, find something to make the iPad a little more comfortable to type on if your case doesn't have a built-in stand. I like Twelve South's Compass, which is a tad pricey, but isn't extra-complicated to use or carry.
I think the setup could work for you, as long as you know what to expect from the iPad's capabilities. I wish such a device existed a couple of years agoI may have just gone with that and a super-powerful desktop Mac at home...
Good luck!
The iPad is great from the standpoint of focus and getting out of your way. I had an iBook, then a MacBook Pro for college and both were pretty lightweight, but the battery didn't last through a couple of classes, they took up a lot of space on a desk or table, and I found myself easily distracted (either by IM, email, and various web sites). The iPad forces you to do one thing and one thing only, so if you are taking notes, you have to switch away to do something else, as opposed to glancing to another part of the screen. The great battery life and small footprint mean that it can be thrown in a bag and not need to be the "star" of the show (sometimes I had to choose between additional textbooks that may or may not be necessary during a lecture and my MacBook Pro).
It won't be the best for every situation, but combined with paper notes, you have a pretty solid solution. I like Evernote since it syncs with a desktop client, tries to (and sometimes successfully) reads text from images. This means you can collect additional content (paper notes, images, diagrams in books) with your iPad's camera or your iPhone's camera. That would've been great in my day (all I had was an iPod touch and Evernote on that and my Mac). I also think Penultimate, Wacom's Bamboo, or Adobe Ideas would be a good addition...Adobe Ideas has been my go-to pick, but with the price increases, Penultimate is a better value. Bamboo is good for the price (free), but limited. Dropbox is the last of my must-have educational apps/services - it will open and view a lot of files out there and you can use it as a way to sync documents with your Mac and iPad, especially if you have things like professor-provided notes, documents, or slides.
Finally, in regards to office suites...I went Office-free on my Macs, mostly to save disk space and because for writing papers in my area, I didn't need every feature that Word offered. Pages on the iPad takes that and simplifies it one step further. You still have plenty of options, but may need to use your computer if you have specialized formatting. Keynote does a pretty good job with PowerPoint files, unless they have some embedded media or, again, weird formatting. Then, they still _work_, but may look a little off.
I would also pick up the iPad VGA adapter if you plan to present, since most projectors are still VGA. Also, find something to make the iPad a little more comfortable to type on if your case doesn't have a built-in stand. I like Twelve South's Compass, which is a tad pricey, but isn't extra-complicated to use or carry.
I think the setup could work for you, as long as you know what to expect from the iPad's capabilities. I wish such a device existed a couple of years agoI may have just gone with that and a super-powerful desktop Mac at home...
Good luck!
If you're going to get a skin, buy from Best Skins Ever. I have one on my iPad and its nice and smooth.
Comment request for tech news story
Would like to quote you on a story I'm working on: Can a student survive college with only an iPad? Let me know, thanks.
Would like to quote you on a story I'm working on: Can a student survive college with only an iPad? Let me know, thanks.
I have a 13" MBP and an iPad. I just switched for the summer semester and bought my textbook through Coursesmart. They have an app for the iPad and it's pretty good. I don't think I could effectively take notes, however, with only the iPad. I'm in the healthcare field specifically taking Chemistry and Anatomy courses. It is very difficult to keep up with notetaking with the iPad.
I would definitely say no.
I'm an Engineering student and there is no way I could survive if I solely used the iPad as my "everything" device in school. As others stated, it's a great reference tool (books, pdfs, periodic tables etc) but for note taking it's nearly worthless (for me at least). My classes use a lot of symbols, graphs, super/sub script text, greek letters etc. and there simply isn't an efficient way to replicate that on the iPad, especially with your finger. I can draw amazing graphs on paper but on my iPad they would come out looking down right silly.
I've tried a few times to use the iPad for note taking but ultimately stopped within a few minutes. I was already lagging behind the teacher and had no way to replicate most of what he was displaying. If your one who takes detailed notes with a specific format the iPad simply doesn't cut it. Stick to pencil and paper for notes but pull out the iPad when you need to quickly look something up or aid you during study; it'll make you look damn cool next to everyone else.
Now for some classes there may be an exception. If your taking History for example, the notes may be pretty straight forward using letters only. You may be able to get by with that, but again, you have no way to annotate your notes or use a specific format.
1. in class=pen/pencil + paper
2. in between classes=ipad for reading (digitize everything)
3. at home=scan handwritten notes into pdfs and upload to evernote
because i digitize everything (all books) i don't even carry a backpack (just a man purse) and i have just about everything (notes and books) with me all the time. it is quite convenient.
recording talks is fine, and i can imagine a use for it, but to be honest, i rarely listen again to it. i'd basically be doubling the amount of time i spend in class!
i find handwritten notes less efficient than typing, but it helps me to remember and actually learn. if you want to type your notes, i recommend a bluetooth keyboard with the ipad.
2. in between classes=ipad for reading (digitize everything)
3. at home=scan handwritten notes into pdfs and upload to evernote
because i digitize everything (all books) i don't even carry a backpack (just a man purse) and i have just about everything (notes and books) with me all the time. it is quite convenient.
recording talks is fine, and i can imagine a use for it, but to be honest, i rarely listen again to it. i'd basically be doubling the amount of time i spend in class!
i find handwritten notes less efficient than typing, but it helps me to remember and actually learn. if you want to type your notes, i recommend a bluetooth keyboard with the ipad.