4 Fantastic Programs to Help You Take Notes in Class

By Tamiera Vandegrift on October 30, 2017

It’s halfway through the semester and your notebook might be close to full, or maybe you’re tired of looking through worn-out scribbles just to study for your exams. Either way, as far as note-taking goes, something has got to give.

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Taking notes is one of the most important things you need to do while you’re a college student. With a million and a half things happening over your head, you need to have something to help you ground yourself and get organized. When you’re facing a full course load, clubs, leadership positions, and (gulp) internships, you need something compact and structured on your side, something digital.

Keep reading to discover some of the best note-taking apps and programs that will make your college experience a little simpler.

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Evernote

Evernote seems to be the cream of the crop as far as note-taking programs are concerned. Once you start using the application, you will definitely see why. Evernote is an application that crosses a plethora of platforms. The program is the ultimate multimedia tool, serving as a virtual filing cabinet.

You can use Evernote to store class notes, manage tasks and to-do lists, and inbox. Yes, inbox. You can connect Evernote to your email address and social media to keep everything in one place, such as a conversation with a professor regarding course notes or a task division discussion between group project members.

It probably seems scary to trust a single program with ALL of your data, but never fear. Evernote has your back. The program backs up all of your information to The Cloud for access in case (knock on wood) your technology betrays you. Overall, Evernote is essentially the Swiss Army Knife of note-taking programs and it’s available for Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android!

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Google

Since its inception in 1998, Google has become much, much more than a search engine. Nowadays, having a Google account gives you access to an email inbox, a Cloud-based drive, a GPS system, and a collaborative note-taking device. See where I’m headed with this?

If you don’t have access to Microsoft Office applications, Google has everything you need and more. Use Google Sheets, instead of Microsoft Excel. Use Google Slides, instead of Powerpoint. Even Microsoft Word is expendable now that Google Docs is an option. With Google Docs, you can process text just as you would with any other word processor, but if teamwork is an interest, you can share a Google Doc with your classmates.

During a lecture, each of you can jot down notes from the same lesson. With this method, it’s impossible to miss out on anything your professor is talking about! (Unless you’re using the Doc to post memes. We don’t condone this.)

Image via: Wikimedia Commons

OneNote

Have you ever wished that you could somehow turn your physical notebook into a multi-tool, platform crossing, collaborative masterpiece of academic destruction and domination? Well, do I have news for you. OneNote has all the tools you need to become a master of note-taking. With this program, you can attach images, PowerPoints, and audio to your notes.

Worried about missing out on what your professor has to say or that your hands are too slow to write down notes from every PowerPoint slide? Worry no longer. OneNote is capable of recording lectures. The program links the notes you’ve written to the audio so that you don’t have to keep searching for what you’ve recorded. The program is also extremely versatile and flexible in terms of layout. You aren’t bound to the confines of the document like Microsoft Word. If you need to take a break from typing notes to make a note-to-self on the side, you can do that. There is truly no limit to what you can accomplish with OneNote.

Like Google Docs, you can collaborate with others on OneNote documents as long as you have their email address. Whether you’re in the same room or on opposite sides of campus, OneNote is there to help you work in perfect unison. The program is open to everyone: Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android.

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Dragon Anywhere

Everyone has a different learning style. Some learn best with hands-on work, others work better with notes and a chart in front of their face. When it comes to being an aural learner (someone who learns best with sound), it might seem like your options are pretty limited. However, if you’re willing to be flexible and spend a little bit of dough, technology is definitely on your side.

Dragon Anywhere is an application available for both iPhone and Android users. The program continually dictates the audio it receives. If you would like to turn a professor’s long-winded lecture into easily digestible notes, Dragon Anywhere has got your back. The app is available on mobile devices, like Android and iOS devices.

As mentioned earlier, it does take a bit of green to use Dragon Anywhere. However, if you aren’t sure, you can test the waters by doing a week-long free trial. After that, if you’d like to keep going, you can pay monthly or yearly! If Dragon Anywhere seems like the best note-taking software for you, just say “Dracarys” and dictate some smoking hot notes.

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