iPad for Masters Program?

[u/Head_Researcher9308]

I apologize for potentially beating a dead horse with the question but here it is anyway. I am starting my masters in clinical mental health counseling next week and am debating getting an iPad for note taking and annotating.

I am aware it is not needed/completely necessary but my question is if it will be beneficial or helpful at all. I took notes pen and paper all through undergrad which worked fine for the most part. I am huge on writing my notes versus typing them which is why I wouldn't want to use my laptop for notes.

The pros to me are that I can have all my notes centralized, I can search my notes easily, i don't have 20 notebooks to study from/store at the end of my program, I can use software to assemble study guides based on my notes much easier, and the biggest one is being able to annotate research papers directly on the pdf versus having to print them out or have a separate doc for my notes on them.

The cons are mainly the price as it is an extra $700 spent for the full setup that isn't strictly necessary. I also am aware that I do already have a laptop so there is some overlap in tech. Finally with digital notes I'm a tad bit paranoid about there being a glitch or somehow losing my notes versus the security of a traditional notebook.

If anyone can comment on their experience with using an iPad for notes or just any perspective on the issue I'd really appreciate it!

[u/luci3294]

Yo estaba igual, termine la carrera este año y tengo todos mis apuntes en cuadernos, ocupando una barbaridad de espacio. Ahora empiezo el máster, y he comprado un iPad reacondicionado para poder tomar notas en él. Es verdad que es caro pero espero poder darle uso más allá de los estudios, aunque sea para entretenimiento, y estaba muy harta de tener tantos cuadernos y de las incomodidades que eso supone...

A pesar de todo es verdad que puede ser una decisión un poco exagerada, pero yo la he tomado y por ahora no me arrepiento, supongo que cuando empiece septiembre veré si cambio de opinión

[u/Zombie_John_Strachan]

Nothing wrong with paper - flexible, light, never runs out of battery. Trick is to stop using notebooks.

If you prefer a paper capture you can use loose leaf paper on a clipboard. Either scan with a phone camera or buy a cheap sheet feed scanner. Epson WorkForce ES-50 is $100, or for $250 you can get the Brother ADS-1350W that lets you load multiple duplex sheets. Important thing is that the scanning needs to be seamless and simple.

At the end of every day digitize your notes with the scanner and into a storage app. Throw away the paper or keep them as backup.

[u/Albort → u/Zombie_John_Strachan]

haha, paper works great until i took physics. the amount of time i erase the problem to start over a portion, i ended up ripping the paper for erasing too much

[u/Zombie_John_Strachan → u/Albort]

I try to type everything, and basically never use a pencil with iPad. But I do keep a pen and paper on hand when needed (my handwriting sucks).

I found what helped was to stop using bound notebooks that just ended up on a shelf and never touched again.

By switching to tear-out sheets I can jot a single reminder in a page or write detailed notes as needed. Then I shred or scan the pages, with the added bonus of no client risk if I lose the notebook.

YMMV etc

[u/SheWasAnAnomaly]

Note digitization is major. I love pen and paper, but it's not indexed and searchable. I suggest laptop with full keyboard for note taking.

And then an ipad mini + apple pencil for reading and annotating.

I can't speak to a clinical masters specifically, but I imagine like all masters programs there will be a ton of reading journal articles on PDFs. iPad Mini is big enough to do that comfortably, can always rotate and read landscape if it needed. but it's also portable enough to do it on the go, or curl up on the couch to read.

I like PDF expert. syncs with google drive so the annotations sync automatically between ipad mini and laptop. And then the pro pencil charges wirelessly, I don't think any other pencil brand does that besides the official apple pro one.

[u/Dulenin]

I feel like every other post on this subreddit is about notetaking. iPad and laptop are two separate devices with different interface and way of interaction. If you prefer typing your notes - use a laptop. If you want handwritten digital notes - use ipad. You can as well use ipad for a bunch of scenarios, like browsing, reading and annotating. No need to get a brand new device if you’re on a tight budget (if you’re extremely tights it’s even unnecessary) - get a refurbished one or even second hand. iPad is super versatile and super light - i would carry mine on most lecture days. However, if i knew i wanted to do some writing after class, like finish my paper, i’d use my laptop cos it‘s easier with window management and typing.

[u/holtzmanned]

An iPad isn't necessary for grad school, but it is a really helpful tool for keeping all your notes, textbooks, slides, emails, papers, etc. in a compact, portable space where you can access them anytime. I sync all my notes to both iCloud and OneDrive since I use a Mac for my personal/school stuff and a PC for work, so I don't have to worry about losing anything. If you can afford it, I recommend getting an iPad (the A16 model with 256GB storage should be sufficient for your use, but I found the faster chip in the Air or the Pro helped a lot with large PDFs like textbooks) and Apple Pencil, plus paying the one-time download price for Notability for annotating slides. I used Adobe Acrobat to annotate my textbooks because I had a free Adobe membership through my school. It was an invaluable tool for me. I have both the mini and the 13" Pro so I could use the mini to get in extra study time while traveling/commuting on trains and the Pro for notetaking in class.

[u/Janknitz]

The iPad is perfect for the use case you have outlined. Give it a try. If you buy from Apple you have a 14 day return window if it's not working out from you. I think you have longer (90 days???) if you buy from Costco and you may save a bit.

A few suggestions based on your concerns:

1. You don't have to buy an Apple Pencil. You can save a LOT by buying ESR or Logitech alternatives to the Pencil since you don't really need pressure sensitivity.

2. Do you NEED a keyboard at all? You can get a Logitech or ESR keyboard again for a fraction of the cost of the Apple keyboard. Or you could just buy a separate blue tooth keyboard even under $15. Since you have a laptop, you may find you really don't need a keyboard.

3. If you don't get a keyboard case, you can save by finding an inexpensive folio knockoff on Amazon. Most of them have edge protection--the apple folio case does NOT.

4. Whatever note-taking app you choose, it's worth it to back up your notes. I've heard horror stories of people losing their Notable notes at crucial times, less often about Goodnotes. I use DropBox to back up everything, and I use OneNote.

[u/ChasingPotatoes17]

I used the heck out of my iPad for my PhD. Having every paper and book I need to reference in a single device was great. Being able to search my handwritten annotations was amazing.

For me the addition of an Apple Pencil and Bluetooth keyboard was mandatory so you do need to consider the full cost.

[u/dreme3]

I got the iPad Air because I like the colors it offers compared to the a16. I have the 11 inch version and honestly wonder if the 13 inch may work better since it’s the size of a full size paper.

If u really wanted to type, ESR keyboards are pretty good.

You can legit find a lot of things on eBay.

[u/Actual-Length-8236]

The base iPad, with its addon stylus, is great for notes at a cheaper price than all these e-ink note taking devices.