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Is Handwriting Notes a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?

August 13, 2012 By Lee Burgess 3 Comments

Many law professors have started noticing that computers may not be helping law students (as evidenced by the amount of Internet surfing, shopping, and chatting going on in class). In response to this, some professors have banned the laptop from their classrooms. This frustrates many students who are used to or were already planning on taking class notes on a computer.

But taking notes by hand may not be a bad thing.

Handwriting notes prevents you from transcribing your professor’s lecture.

I typed my class notes during law school, and for the entire first year my note taking consisted of trying to write down everything that the professor (or another student) said. And this was a terrible approach, because when it came time to outline the subject, it was just like reading a transcript of the lecture. It took forever! My notes didn’t really help me identify the important takeaway from class. (Check out our post on what to include in your class notes.)

I wish I had reviewed a graphic on note taking such as this. With a bit more organization and thought my notes would have been shorter and easier to review. And that would have helped with my understanding of the material and made it easier to outline when it came time for that. Also, it would have allowed me to be more engaged in class—instead of frantically typing and trying to write down every word being said by the professor.

You don’t have to give up your computer!

I know we are addicted to our laptops (yours truly included) and just because you handwrite your notes, that doesn’t mean that you are giving up your laptop!

Many students find it helpful to brief or take reading notes on the computer and then print them out to bring to class. That way, students can write notes directly on the brief (which in turn cuts down on duplicate note taking of information that may already be in your brief).

You can also use your laptop to make your outlines. However, some students find that handwriting outlines can be a great study tool (here is a post from our sister site, the Bar Exam Toolbox on how handwriting outlines can help you study for the bar exam).

What tools do we recommend to stay organized?

Sometimes students ask us for recommendations on staying organized while handwriting your notes in law school. You will likely have your notes, handouts from professors, and printed briefs.  That is a lot of paper! You want to make sure that you keep everything organized. Some students like to put together one binder for each class so they can add materials as they collect them. We also think that notebooks such as Circa Notebooks can be great for law school because you can easily reorganize the pages. Have any organization tips? Share them in the comments.

Even if you can use a laptop, consider handwriting your notes anyway!

Some students find the temptation of the computer too much during class—it is too easy to get distracted. And students may find handwriting notes to be a more effective way to retain what they are learning in their classes.

You won’t know until you try!

If you are new to law school (or even if you are in your second or third year), you should try out some different note taking techniques to see which works best for you. You may be surprised about what helps you retain and understand the most information.

Have any thoughts on handwriting versus typing class notes?  Share them in the comments.

— – —

Also, check out these other helpful posts!

  • What should go into your law school class notes? There are five critical things to include.
  • When you’re sitting in class, it’s critical to think through the areas of ambiguity that may make an appearance on a later exam. Here’s one technique for keeping track of everything.
  • Going through orientation? Check out Lee’s reflections on her 1L orientation experience.

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Image by chidsey via stock.xchng.


 

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About Lee Burgess

Lee Burgess, Esq. is the co-founder of the Law School Toolbox, a resource for law students that demystifies the law school experience and the Bar Exam Toolbox, a resource for students getting ready for the bar exam. Lee has been adjunct faculty at two bay area law schools teaching classes on law school and bar exam preparation. You can find Lee on Twitter at @leefburgess, @lawschooltools, & @barexamtools.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle

    09.05.12

    I am conflicted about this. I have a medical condition that necessitates electronic note taking. I try to avoid the classes where the professor bans laptops, because it makes me stick out like a sore thumb. I REALLY stand out alteady because of the things I have to do for my conditions and so the extra in-class attention is embarrassing to the point of dostraction for me. I tend to take fewer notes so my clacking keys don’t bother people and I felt likesome of my classmates thought I had a really unfair advantage. Professors who ban laptops aren’t really thinking about people like me. I had one professor call me out for having a laptop when it was already more than halfway through the semester. I thought the Student Affairs office had explained the situation to him, and it was humiliating to have to explain in front of my entire 60 person class that I had a disability accommodation that permiited the use of my computer.

    On the other hand, I am easily distracted by other people’s shopping and chat windows when I have to sit in the back of a classroom (again, for medical reasons this was necessary in about half of my classes). Also, I was far more strict about never surfing the internet in a class that banned laptops or in which anyone was sitting behind me. (I can’t say “going online” because I used Google Docs for my notes.) This year I am using a tablet device instead. I still use the internet to take notes via a Dropbox integrated app, but it actually makes it harder for me to do other things. For example, I can’t quickly switch from email or an internet browser back to my notes. My notetaking app takes probably 10 seconds or so to load the document you were last editing, so I can miss important points if I switch to a different app in the middle of a lecture. There are also no Gmail popup notifications and so without having the “new mail” sound on in class, I don’t know that there is something in my email to read anyway.

    Reply
    • Lee Burgess

      09.05.12

      Michelle: This is an important perspective, and one the law schools need to continue to educate professors on. I am sorry that you were called out and felt uncomfortable.

      Reply
  2. Mary Campbell Gallagher, J.D., Ph.D.

    09.19.14

    Great posts. Exactly the question I have asked on the BarWrite blog, “Is the Pen Mightier Than the Laptop?” http://www.barwriteblog.com/2014/08/is-the-pen-mightier-than-the-laptop.html

    As I have argued on the BarWrite blog, and on many occasions in person with frustrated bar candidates in my classes, the answer is Yes! Writing with a pen engages more of our abilities, while working on the computer somehow disengages part of the brain. Results with the pen are invariably better.

    Cheers,

    Mary Campbell Gallagher, J.D. (Harvard), Ph.D.
    Founder & President
    BarWrite® and BarWrite Press
    PO Box 1308 Gracie Station
    New York, NY 10028-10010
    212.327.2817

    *Winner of the 2014 Global Legal Skills Award–
    BarWrite® is the Pioneer in Global Bar Prep for LLMs
    *Winner of the Alan Cimberg Award of the
    National Speakers Association, New York Chapter

    Books on Amazon.com:

    * WRITE FAST LEGAL MEMOS “LIKE A SPORT™”
    * PERFORM YOUR BEST ON THE BAR EXAM PERFORMANCE TEST (MPT)
    * SCORING HIGH ON BAR EXAM ESSAYS
    * CONTRACTS/UCC FOR THE NEW YORK BAR EXAM

    Reply

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